PORTLAND, Maine — Four current Portland Sea Dogs are playing on Olympic baseball rosters in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Playing for Team USA is Sea Dogs' first baseman Triston Casas, the Red Sox' top prospect.
Outfielder Joey Meneses is playing for Team Mexico. Meneses leads the Sea Dogs with 10 home runs and 43 RBI so far this season. Joining Meneses will be former Sea Dogs Teddy Stankiewicz, Adrian Gonzalez, and Ali Solis.
Catcher Roldani Baldwin and pitcher Denyi Reyes will play for Team Dominican Republic. They will join former Sea Dogs’ outfielder Johan Mieses.
Through July 11, Baldwin has appeared in 27 games for the Sea Dogs this season, hitting .256.
Reyes is in his second season with the Sea Dogs. In 13 games this season, he has produced a 3-1 record with a 2.90 ERA.
"The opportunity to represent your country on that stage -- there's no bigger honor," said Chris Cameron, communications director for the Sea Dogs.
12 current or former Sea Dogs are in the Olympics this year. They include Sea Dogs Hall of Famer Adrian Gonzalez (Team Mexico), and former manager Darren Fenster, who will be Team USA's third base coach.
"That's just amazing. That's a testament to the farm system that we've developed here and what they've gone on to do in their careers," said Cameron.
Fenster is a roving instructor for the Red Sox, and recruited Casas to play for Team USA during spring training, Cameron said.
"It's going to be a great experience for him. He's going to be playing on Team USA that some former big leaguers on it, so he's going to get some experience and learn from them. This is going to be a huge stage for him to play on," said Cameron.
Baseball is back in the Olympics for the first time since 2008. The sport is hugely popular in Japan, making it strange that fans there will not be able to watch in person.
"Having the Olympics and having no fans there is going to be strange. It's got to be tough for them," said Cameron.
With a current or former Sea Dog on four of the six rosters, there is a good chance Hadlock Field could feature an Olympic medalist at the stadium this summer.
"We've got four teams represented. It would be cool if we got three medals -- gold, silver, and bronze -- to take a look at," said Cameron.