Apr 4, 2017 3 min read

The Wild Things continue to build their roster for the Frontier League season that begins next month. Washington recently signed three players and placed fiver others on the suspended list.

Signing contracts were outfielder Hector Roa, right-handed pitcher Zach Strecker and infielder Kyle Reese.

Roa is only 22 years old but has five years of professional experience in the Houston Astros system. He has played in 260 professional games and has a .244 career batting average with 35 home runs. Last season, Roa played in the Class A Midwest League for Quad Cities and had 21 extra-base hits in 56 games.

“There is no shortage of power from Hector Roa,” Wild Things general manager Steve Zavacky noted. “We believe his has the ability to be a threat playing a full 96-game schedule. Not too often do you find a six-year pro with 30-plus home runs and 100-plus RBI who is classified a rookie in our league. He comes from a great family, with a father who played 11 seasons of professional baseball.”

Strecker was a relief pitcher at the University of Kentucky before signing last summer with the Minnesota Twins as an undrafted free agent. He had an 0-1 record and 3.27 ERA with six saves in 17 games for the Twins’ affiliate in the rookie-level Florida State League. As a senior at Kentucky, Strecker pitched in 22 games out of the bullpen and had a 3-2 record, and an impressive 1.86 ERA.

“Zach can handle the spotlight. He showed an ability to attack hitters in the SEC and he displayed an attitude to finish ballgames with the Twins,” Zavacky noted.

Reese is a rookie out of Nicholls State, where he was the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year as a junior in 2015. His senior season was cut short by a broken jaw. Reese set the Nicholls State record for hits in a game when, as a junior, he went 6-for-6 against Lamar. He batted .377 as a junior.

“Kyle is a versatile defender in the infield and has continued to hit throughout his career,” Zavacky said.

Washington placed five players from last year’s team on the suspended list. They include pitchers Brandon Bixler, Devon Davis, Matt Snyder and Luke Wilkins along with third baseman Ricky Rodriguez. The team’s leading hitter last year with a .289 batting average, Rodriguez has signed with a team in the Mexican League. Washington retains the Frontier League rights to the players on the suspended list and they can be activated during the season.