Kelowna Falcons

Fantastic Four

As the Major League Baseball season opens today there are four former Falcons listed on Opening Day rosters along with a total of 33 players with West Coast League experience.

“It is a proud day for the Kelowna Falcons,” says Falcons General Manager Mark Nonis. “I’m sure we will have more alumni in the Major Leagues before the season is over but to have these four players on an opening day roster is a true testament to their work ethic and passion for the game. I remember each of these players when they played for us and you could tell they were a special talent. I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do this season.”

James Paxton (Boston Red Sox) was a dominating presence in 2007 recording a 2.94 ERA logging 70.1 innings and struck out 62 batters in 11 appearances.

Ryan Tepera (LA Angels) came out of the bullpen in 2009 making just a handful of appearances before signing a Major League contract and leaving to start his professional career.

Connor Joe (Colorado Rockies) was a recent high school grad in 2011 just days before joining the Falcons and made an immediate impact. He hit .273 that summer with 21 hits and six RBIs.

Phil Maton (Houston Astros) became the first Falcons alum to play in the World Series which he did last year with the Astros. He pitched the 2012 summer in Kelowna making 11 appearances while striking out 42 in 39.1 innings and finished with a 2.74 ERA.

The Falcons meanwhile will open the 2022 summer season on Friday June 3rd at Elks Stadium when the Victoria Harbourcats come to town.

Here is the full list of West Coast League alumni that are part of a Major League opening day roster:

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Shane Bieber (Cowlitz), Cleveland Guardians
Seth Brown (Bend), Oakland A’s
Griffin Canning (Wenatchee), Los Angeles Angels
Adam Cimber (Kitsap), Toronto Blue Jays
Matt Duffy (Corvallis), Los Angeles Angels
Kyle Garlick (Cowlitz), Minnesota Twins
Marco Gonzales (Wenatchee), Seattle Mariners
Mitch Haniger (Corvallis), Seattle Mariners
Spencer Howard (Bellingham), Texas Rangers
Cole Irvin (Cowlitz), Oakland A’s
James Kaprielian (Wenatchee), Oakland A’s
Steven Kwan (Corvallis), Cleveland Guardians
Nicky Lopez (Bend), Kansas City Royals
Phil Maton (Kelowna), Houston Astros
Eli Morgan (Yakima Valley), Cleveland Guardians
James Paxton (Kelowna), Boston Red Sox
Nick Pivetta (Victoria), Boston Red Sox
Drew Rasmussen (Wenatchee), Tampa Bay Rays
Tarik Skubal (Kitsap), Detroit Tigers
Ryan Tepera (Kelowna), Los Angeles Angels
Andrew Vaughn (Victoria), Chicago White Sox

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Tyler Anderson (Corvallis), Los Angeles Dodgers
Matt Boyd (Corvallis), San Francisco Giants
Justin Bruihl (Walla Walla), Los Angeles Dodgers
Keston Hiura (Wenatchee), Milwaukee Brewers
Rhys Hoskins (Kitsap), Philadelphia Phillies
Cooper Hummel (Bend/Walla Walla), Arizona Diamondbacks
Connor Joe (Kelowna), Colorado Rockies
Damon Jones (Cowlitz), Philadelphia Phillies
Nick Madrigal (Corvallis), Chicago Cubs
David Peterson (Medford), New York Mets
Cody Poteet (Walla Walla), Miami Marlins
Michael Rucker (Bellingham), Chicago Cubs

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