Apr. 2—Summer came back to Maine in the form of the Portland Sea Dogs, who arrived in town this week long enough to move into their apartments and take part in the team's annual Fan Fest at the Portland Expo, before leaving Thursday for a brief season-opening three-game road trip.
That's a bald-faced lie. Not the part about the Sea Dogs, that's true. The summer part. Baseball season may be ready to begin in Maine, but summer is still nothing but a rumor, a date on the calendar.
Tyler Miller, an infielder who spent part of last season in Portland, offered simple advice to his teammates before they made the trek north from spring training in Fort Myers, Florida: Bundle up.
"Get ready for the cold. If you can get past the cold and the mental aspect of that, it's still the same game," Miller said. "They've got to throw it over the plate and you've still got to hit it. Grind out the the first couple months and wait for the weather to change."
The Sea Dogs are scheduled to open the season Friday night in Reading, Pennsylvania, against the Fightin Phils. The home opener at Delta Dental Park at Hadlock Field is 6 p.m. Tuesday against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. If you go to the game, stuff handwarmers in your pockets.
Even wearing an extra layer, there's a buzz to the start of a new season. Last season, that buzz sounded like a swarm, as fans and the Red Sox eagerly anticipated the play of the organization's top three prospects: center fielder Roman Anthony, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, and catcher Kyle Teel, who all began the season together in the Sea Dogs lineup. In June, they were joined by Kristian Campbell, and the Big Three became the Big Four.
Now, Campbell is starting in Boston. Anthony and Mayer are in Triple-A Worcester, and Teel is catching for the Charlotte Knights, the Chicago White Sox Triple-A team, after changing the color of his Sox in the trade that brought starting pitcher Garrett Crochet to Boston in December.
"Last year was kind of a perfect storm, when you have those top three, and eventually four, all in one spot. You just never see it. Back to normal here, as far as that goes," said Chad Epperson, who's entering his fourth season as Portland's manager. "You look around, and those four guys (alone) don't make this the No. 1 farm system. We have a lot of talent in this group right here."
While the top prospects in the system are still Anthony, Mayer and Campbell, Portland's Opening Day roster will include six of the top 30 prospects in the organization, according to MLB.com. One returnee is outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia, Boston's No. 6 prospect. Garcia has the best nickname in baseball, The Password. He played 30 games with Portland late last season, hitting a pair of home runs and driving in 10.
Shortstop Mikey Romero, Boston's first-round pick in 2022, is ranked No. 11 by MLB.com. He played 16 games with the Sea Dogs at the end of 2024. Starting pitchers David Sandlin and Connelly Early are the top two active starting pitching prospects in Boston's pipeline, ranked No. 9 and 10, respectively (righty Luis Perales is ranked No. 5 but is coming back from Tommy John surgery to repair his elbow, and there's no timetable for his return).
Romero is happy to be back in Portland. He knows it's a necessary step toward his ultimate goal of playing in the majors.
"Just getting my feet wet, specifically here in Portland the last week (of the season), just closing out here was nice, to get a feel for the field, know the locker room," said Romero, who got married in November. "I know my way around the town a little bit. Now that I'm starting here, I'm excited. I feel ...
