Team Fortifies Pitching Staff with Additions of Starter and Reliever
(March 14, 2023, York, Pa.) — The York Revolution has signed left-handed starter Nick Raquet and right-hander Carlos Espinal to contracts for the 2023 season. The signings were announced by Revs manager Rick Forney live on Monday’s episode of Revs Hot Stove Weekly presented by Shipley Energy on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK.
Raquet returns to his home state as he enters his first Atlantic League season. The 27-year-old was a third-round draft pick of the Washington Nationals in 2017 and is 23-20 with a 3.64 ERA across three minor league seasons. After being selected a South Atlantic League All-Star in 2018, Raquet led the Carolina League with 11 wins for High-A Potomac in 2019 and ranked second in the league with 122 strikeouts, earning a trip to the prestigious Arizona Fall League after the season. A native of Boalsberg, PA, Raquet is a graduate of State College Area High School and spent his freshman year of college at UNC Chapel Hill before transferring to William & Mary.
“I saw Nick at a workout, and he was the most polished pitcher there,” detailed Forney. “He threw the ball really well with a low 90s fastball, really good changeup to the bottom of the zone, had good shape and feel for his slider. You could tell he’s been working hard to prepare for this season. We had some good conversations, and a couple of other clubs were trying to sign him as well. I’m excited to have him in our rotation. He competes really well, works hard, has a great healthy attitude, and I can’t wait to go to work with him every day.”
Espinal comes to York after spending six years in the New York Yankees organization, combining to go 13-11 with a 3.05 ERA and 14 saves in 127 appearances (18 starts). The 26-year-old was pitching for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season when his contract was selected by the Yankees on August 1 despite ultimately not appearing in a big-league game. Espinal owns a career WHIP of 1.13 and has walked just 2.9 batters per nine innings compared to 9.7 strikeouts. A native of Santiago, DR, the 5-foot-11 righty pitched in the Venezuelan Winter League this past off-season after four years of winter ball in his native Dominican Republic.
“He was a big prospect with the Yankees,” remarked Forney. “He throws a ton of strikes with all three of his pitches and is potentially a guy that could move into the rotation at some point. He’s super talented, and he’s hungry. He has some swing-and-miss in his game. He’s a good get for the Revs. I like his versatility. He’s been working his tail off, sending me videos of him throwing his live BPs. He’s prepared, he’s ready to go and anxious to get here.”
Forney also revealed that previously signed catcher Deon Stafford has opted to retire from professional baseball.
The Revs now have 12 player signings announced for the 2023 season with Forney scheduled to announce more player signings on the next episode of Revs Hot Stove Weekly presented by Shipley Energy on Monday, March 20, at 6 p.m. live on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK, 989woyk.com, and The New WOYK app.