The Fayetteville Woodpeckers are getting a fresh start as the 2023 Carolina League Class A opener nears.
The Woodpeckers, the Houston Astros’ Single-A affiliate that hosts the Carolina Mudcats in the season opener at 7:05 p.m. Friday at Segra Stadium, have a new general manager in Michelle Skinner and a new manager in Ricky Rivera as they try to regroup from a 55-75 record in 2022.
With the Astros being the defending World Series champions, there’s an air of optimism throughout the organization, from top to bottom.
“There’s nothing like it working for the Houston Astros from the top down,” said Rivera, who joined the Astros minor league coaching staff as manager of the GCL Astros in June 2020. He then managed the FCL Astros/Astros Blue for two seasons, posting a 54-56 record, including a 26-28 mark in 2022.
“Everybody feels the same trust, the same confidence. We’re all on the same page,” Rivera said Monday during a preview of the Woodpeckers’ coming season. “That’s what we do for every player because we truly believe that every player can be a big leaguer. That helps a lot when players notice that.”
That enthusiasm permeates to the front office.
“We have a good crew here and a lot of support from the Astros,” said Skinner, who has been general manager for one month after the previous 13 seasons with the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Frontier League, the past seven as assistant general manager. “So, it’s been kind of a neat transition. I’m not alone. I’m not an island. There’s been a lot of learning personalities and the office you have and everyone’s skill sets and taking those talents we have and getting moving in the same direction.
“They know what they’re doing. We have to kinda look at our goals and shift our focus a little bit here and there. The framework is in place. The potential was already here; you just need to mold everyone a little bit and hopefully I can rely on some of my experience to direct us a little bit in a good direction.”
After a nine-game homestand to start the season, the Woodpeckers open their road schedule on April 18 at the Columbia Fireflies.
Ticket packages for home games are available at fayettevillewoodpeckers.com or by calling 910-339-1989.
The Woodpeckers, who have played at Fayetteville’s Segra Stadium since 2018, feature 20 returnees and 10 first-timers on the 30-man roster. According to MLB.com, the Woodpeckers feature four of the Astros’ top 30 prospects.
Leading the way for the Woodpeckers offensively is returnee Tyler Whitaker, the Astros’ top draft pick in 2021 who had 11 home runs and tied for the team lead in RBI last season with 54. He’s hoping to improve his average this season after hitting .197 last year.
“I’m trying to be a complete hitter, trying to stay in the big part of the field,” said Whitaker, who described himself as a player who can play everywhere. “This year, my goal is to try to be consistent every day, show up on the field with the same attitude and do the same thing every day, stick to my approach. Don’t try to do anything too special.”
Among the returning position players, infielder/outfielder Ryan Clifford is the leading batter with a .268 average last season. Clifford, a 19-year-old who is from Raleigh and is rated the No. 6 overall prospect in the Astros’ organization, played the final 12 games for the Woodpeckers last year.
The Woodpeckers also feature top-30 pitching prospects in Andrew Taylor, Michael Knorr and Jose Fleury. All are right-handers. Taylor, who ranks as the No. 7 prospect in the Astros organization, twice set single-season strikeout records at Central Michigan (125 in 2021, 126 in 2022). Knorr, drafted in the third round last year from Coastal Carolina, was second in the Sun Belt Conference in strikeouts per nine innings last season (11.2).
Even with all the strikeouts, Taylor said, “I consider myself more of a pitcher than a thrower. I’m not going to blow you away with velocity, but I know where to locate the spots. That gave me success at Central Michigan. My goal is to go out there and not take it too seriously and have fun.”
While Taylor is pegged to be a starter, right-hander Walker Brockhouse relishes his role as a reliever. The 24-year-old is beginning his third season with the Woodpeckers after playing parts of the past two in Fayetteville.
“I’ve got a little bit of experience all over the place,” said Brockhouse, who had an 0-1 record with a 2.57 earned run average in three games with the Woodpeckers last season. “It’s exciting with the big-league club being so good. It just trickles down. I went from starter to reliever. Whatever is the fastest path to the majors is what I want.
“We’re very fortunate to have a place (Segra Stadium) like this. I’m looking to move up from here, but it’s a great place to be in Fayetteville. You couldn’t ask for a better stepping stone. You’ve got a great fan base, wonderful stadium, one of the best places you can play A ball in the whole country.”
Manager Rivera played for the Swampdogs in Fayetteville in 2014, but he said he is really enjoying his second stint in the city, trying to help his players develop.
“I want to move as many players as I can, get as many players better and keep developing guys so we can get them to the next level,” said Rivera, who is the fourth manager in Woodpeckers history, taking over for Dickie Joe Thon. who departed to manage Double-A Corpus Christi this season. “I live in the now, the power of now. Just live in the moment. Yesterday doesn’t matter. Tomorrow might not come.
“I don’t want (the players) to be worried too much about what their record is. Just control what they can at the moment and hopefully that leads to wins.”
Rivera hopes to have a long run with the Astros.
“Obviously, you can’t predict the future, but the Astros opened the door for me and they’ve been nothing but good to me,” he said. “So, I will continue to do my best and give it all I have and live my dream because of them so I will never take it for granted, and hopefully that means me staying here for a long time.”