Get to know the Flying Boxcars on the 2026 opening-day roster

Trey Braithwaite

Braithwaite, a 28-year-old right-handed pitcher from Winchester, Va., started last year in the Cincinnati Reds farm system — going 4-2 with a 6.21 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 29 innings across 16 relief appearances — and ended it with Chicago in the American Association, going 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 27 strikeouts over 23 1/3 innings across 17 relief appearances. He played college ball at Navy and West Virginia, and was drafted by the Reds in the 16th round in 2022 before reaching as high as Double-A.

Michael Brewer

Brewer, a 27-year-old right-handed pitcher, played in the Frontier League for Lake Erie last year. Over 38 relief appearances, he was 2-1 with a 2.92 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 37 innings. Brewer played college ball at Eastern Kentucky and was in the Toronto Blue Jays farm system in 2023, reaching Single-A.

Robert Brooks

Brooks, a 27-year-old catcher, played in the Toronto Blue Jays’ organization at the Double-A and Triple-A levels in 2025, hitting .135 in 126 at-bats. The Georgia native played college ball at Columbus State before signing with the Tampa Bay Rays as a free agent in 2023. He played parts of three seasons in the Rays and Blue Jays farm systems, and played 27 games with Staten Island in the Atlantic League in 2024, hitting .354 with five doubles and six homers in 107 at-bats.

Bryce Cannon

Cannon, a 23-year-old infielder, returns to the Boxcars after signing with Hagerstown in 2025 following the completion of his college career at Southeast Missouri State. He hit .263 with 16 doubles, four triples, 10 homers, 19 walks and 53 RBIs in 266 at-bats for the Boxcars.

Jared Carr

Carr, a 26-year-old outfielder and Martinsburg (W.Va.) native who played high school ball at Saint James — where he was the 2017 Herald-Mail Washington County Hitter of the Year — played in the Mexican League in 2025, hitting .375 with 15 walks, 22 runs scored and a .479 on-base percentage in 80 at-bats. He played college ball at Shepherd and was drafted in the 13th round by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2021. He played three seasons in the Phillies’ farm system, reaching High-A.

Marty Costes

Costes, a 30-year-old outfielder and Baltimore native, played mostly for York in the Atlantic League in 2025 before finishing the year with a cup of tea (13 at-bats) for the Boxcars. He hit .341 with a .427 on-base percentage, 16 doubles, nine homers, 30 walks, 44 RBIs and 35 runs scored in 214 at-bats with York. Costes played at Archbishop Curley High and the University of Maryland. He was selected by the Houston Astros in the 25th round in 2017, elected to return to Maryland, then was taken in the 22nd round by the Astros in 2018. He played five seasons in the Astros farm system and in the Miami Marlins system in 2024, reaching Triple-A.

Connor Curlis

Curlis, a 29-year-old left-handed pitcher, played for Chicago in the American Association last year. Over eight starts, he was 4-1 with a 2.42 ERA and 56 strikeouts over 44 2/3 innings. He also made seven starts in the Mexican League for Veracruz. Curlis played at Ohio State and was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 24th round in 2018. He played in the Reds farm system from 2018-23, reaching Double-A.

Eddy Demurias

Demurias, a 28-year-old right-handed pitcher, played in the Atlantic League for Charleston last year. In 36 appearances, including nine starts, he was 5-4 with a 4.71 ERA and 96 strikeouts over 72 2/3 innings. Demurias played college ball for Florida and South Carolina, and was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 27th round in 2018. He played in the Reds farm system from 2018-24, reaching Triple-A.

Jack Eisenbarger

Eisenbarger, a 28-year-old right-handed pitcher, played in the Frontier League for Lake Erie last year. Over 19 starts, he went 10-4 with a 3.19 ERA over 110 innings, striking out 107. Eisenbarger played college ball at Rockhurst University in Kansas City.

Jason Franks

Franks, a 27-year-old right-handed pitcher, played for Glacier in the Pioneer League last year, going 1-2 with a 5.93 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings across 27 relief appearances. Franks, a California native, played college ball at California Polytechnic State and San Luis Obispo before being drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the eighth round in 2022. He played two seasons in the Braves farm system, topping out at Single-A.

Clay Helvey

Helvey, a 29-year-old right-handed pitcher, started last year with the Washington Nationals’ Triple-A club in Rochester — going 0-1 with a 9.53 ERA and 27 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings across 21 relief appearances — and finished the year with Staten Island in the Atlantic League, going 3-0 with a 4.53 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 43 2/3 innings across 35 relief appearances. Helvey, a South Carolina native, played college ball at the College of Charleston, St. Johns River State College and the University of Tampa before being drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 22nd round in 2018 and playing seven seasons in the Giants farm system.

Jonh Henriquez

Henriquez, a 26-year-old right-handed pitcher, played in the Atlantic League for Charleston and Hagerstown last year. Over 28 appearances, including 19 starts, he was 4-9 with a 6.62 ERA over 100 2/3 innings, striking out 100. Henriquez, a native of the Dominican Republic, played in the Philadelphia Phillies farm system from 2022-24, reaching High-A.

Alex Isola

Isola, a 27-year-old catcher, played for Lancaster in the Atlantic League last year, hitting .243 with a .353 on-base percentage, 26 doubles, 12 homers, 58 RBIs, 64 runs scored and 61 walks over 379 at-bats. He played college ball at Utah and TCU, and was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 29th round in 2019. He played five seasons in the Twins farm system, reaching Triple-A in 2024.

DJ Johnson

Johnson, a 36-year-old right-handed pitcher, played in the major leagues over parts of three seasons with the Colorado Rockies (2018-19), Cleveland Indians (2021) and Tampa Bay Rays (2021), going 1-2 with a 4.54 ERA and 38 strikeouts over 35 2/3 innings across 39 relief appearances. He played in the Mexican League last year, going 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA and 19 strikeouts over 21 2/3 innings across 24 relief appearances. Johnson, a native of Portland, Oregon, played college ball at Western Oregon and was originally signed as a free agent by the Rays in 2010. He played for six MLB organizations across 12 years from 2010-2021.

Thomas Kane

Kane, a 24-year-old left-handed pitcher, played in the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals farm systems last year, going 7-5 with a 5.80 ERA and 51 strikeouts over 40 1/3 innings across 32 relief appearances. He played college ball at Rowan College and Maryland, and was signed by the Giants as a free agent in 2023, reaching as high as the High-A level during his three minor-league seasons.

Alex Mack

Mack, a 28-year-old right-handed pitcher, played in the Atlantic League for Staten Island last year, going 4-5 with a 7.21 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 53 2/3 innings across 17 appearances, including 12 starts. The New York native has played independent baseball for each of the past five years, including parts of four seasons in the Frontier League.

Connor O’Hara

O’Hara, a 25-year-old right-handed pitcher, started 2025 playing for George Mason University — where he went 7-4 with a 3.51 ERA and 86 strikeouts over 89 2/3 innings — then joined Staten Island in the Atlantic League, where he made three appearances (one start) with a 2.89 ERA and eight strikeouts over 9 1/3 innings. O’Hara, a Florida native, started his college career at Florida Gulf Coast.

Brennen Oxford

Oxford, a 26-year-old left-handed pitcher, started last season in the Minnesota Twins farm system as a free-agent signing — going 5-2 with 4.00 ERA and 42 strikeouts over 36 innings across 28 relief appearances in Single-A — and finished it with Staten Island in the Atlantic League, striking out nine over 5 1/3 innings in four relief appearances. Oxford played college ball at Florida State and Wake Forest.

Jordan Peyton

Peyton, a 24-year-old infielder, played in the MLB Draft League for Frederick, Williamsport (Pa.) and West Virginia in 2025, hitting .213 with a .315 on-base percentage, 23 walks and 16 steals in 155 at-bats for West Virginia. The Virginia native played college ball at Radford and Towson.

Cristhian Rodriguez

Rodriguez, a 24-year-old infielder, played for Staten Island in the Atlantic League last year, hitting .279 with a .359 on-base percentage, 11 doubles, 16 homers, 33 walks, 55 RBIs and 49 runs scored in 269 at-bats. The Venezuela native signed with the Miami Marlins as a free agent in 2019 and played five seasons in the Marlins farm system, reaching Triple-A.

Robbie Tenerowicz

Tenerowicz, a 31-year-old infielder, played in the Mexican League last year, hitting .278 with a .384 on-base percentage, 12 doubles, eight homers, 26 walks, 31 RBIs and 29 runs scored in 230 at-bats. A California native, Tenerowicz was drafted out of high school by the Washington Nationals in the 39th round in 2013, but chose to play college ball at the University of California at Berkeley. He was then drafted in the 27th round by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016. He played nine minor-league seasons for four organizations (the Rays, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres), reaching Triple-A.

Vincent Towns

Towns, a 53-year-old right-handed pitcher, last played professional baseball 34 years ago. He played at Suitland High School in Maryland and was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 36th round in 1991. He played two rookie-league seasons in the Giants farm system. The Boxcars drafted him with the first overall pick in the Atlantic League draft on April 1 following his tryout the day before during Atlantic League Pro Days at Meritus Park.

Jeffrey Wehler

Wehler, a 27-year-old infielder, played for York in the Atlantic League last year, hitting .281 with a .360 on-base percentage, 21 doubles, five triples, 13 homers, 48 walks, 64 RBIs, 58 runs scored and 21 steals in 374 at-bats. The Pennsylvania native played college ball at Youngstown State and Pitt before signing as a free agent with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023 and playing two seasons in the Jays farm system, reaching Double-A.

Tyler Williams

Williams, a 25-year-old outfielder, returns to the Boxcars for a second season after hitting .293 with 16 doubles, 10 homers, 25 walks, 40 RBIs, 50 runs scored and 27 steals in 341 at-bats in 2025. The Georgia native played college ball at Arkansas-Little Rock.

Chris Wright

Wright, a 27-year-old left-handed pitcher, played in the San Francisco Giants farm system last year, going 4-3 with a 5.96 ERA and 31 strikeouts over 25 2/3 innings across 24 appearances (two starts). The Rhode Island native was drafted by the Giants in the 12th round in 2019 and played the last seven seasons in their farm system, reaching as high as Triple-A in 2023.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: What to know about the Flying Boxcars' 2026 opening-day roster