Spring Training Preview: Offseason Report
The Ballers’ Offseason Report #4
by Nick Clementi
With just three weeks until Opening Night and the preseason tease of the Battle of the Bay 2.1 in the rearview mirror, the excitement of a new season is palpable. The Oakland Ballers have signed six free agents, one open tryout player, and drafted three players in the PBL spring draft since my last offseason update, essentially putting the finishing touches on the B’s roster heading into Spring Training that will defend their championship. Ballers Assistant General Manager Tyler Petersen confirms to Dispatches that the team will enter training with 34 signees and will get down to a roster of 25 for the start of the season.
Johan Benitez is a versatile position player from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic who arrives in Oakland after four seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. The 22-year-old switch-hitter showed flashes of his potential at the rookie ball level, getting on base at a .395 and .352 clip as a 17 and 18-year-old. His versatility, however, might be his biggest asset toward making the roster. While he mostly played 1B and OF the past two seasons, Benitez started his pro career on the left side of the diamond, playing 3B the majority of the time in 2021 and starting at SS in 2022. The B’s infield and outfield are crowded at this point in the spring, but it could be hard to leave a young switch-hitter who can play several positions off of the roster.
Jaden Sheppard is a Pleasanton, CA native who spent the past two seasons playing for Cal State Monterey Bay, after transferring from Ohlone College and Fresno State. The 6’6” first baseman sent 26 balls out of the park for CSUMB in just 106 games, resulting in an OPS over 1.000. As mentioned on B’s Cast, Sheppard took Ballers ace Gabe Tanner deep in the 8th inning of a game against CSU East Bay in spring of last year. Between Jeter Ybarra, Chenar Brown, and Jaden Sheppard, the Ballers have an impressive collection of 1B to compete for roster spots. His right-handed bat also adds flexibility to the B’s, with Ybarra hitting from the opposite side of the plate.
Blake Barker is a left-handed pitcher who joins the Ballers after two seasons at the University of Virginia and two seasons at Seton Hill University. The Chardon, Ohio native was a very effective reliever for Seton Hill, striking out 59 batters in just 50.1 innings en route to a 2.51 ERA. Barker’s transition to UVA was a bit rocky, particularly with his walk rates increasing, but in his senior season he became more consistent: in a shortened year, he did not allow a run in 8 of his 12 appearances. Barker’s strikeout numbers increased as well, fanning 11 hitters in 8 innings. With Ryan Rissas being the only other potential lefty relief option on the Ballers roster, Barker represents a much needed addition to Oakland’s bullpen for 2026.
Langston Burkett is a Santa Cruz, CA native who brings two years of professional experience to Oakland, having spent the past two seasons with the San Diego Padres at the rookie ball level. Langston is a 6’6” right-handed pitcher and is still just 21 years old. After originally committing to San Jose State University while finishing his time at Santa Cruz High, Burkett would ultimately choose a different path and sign with the Padres. His two seasons in rookie ball came with some control problems, but he recently showed in the exhibition versus San Jose the kind of potential that excites the Ballers. Burkett mostly pitched out of the bullpen for the Padres’ organization and that is likely his role for now with the Ballers.
We have a three-way trade! The Oakland Ballers are sending a PTBNL (player to be named later) and cash considerations to the Ottawa Titans from the Frontier League; the Joliet Slammers from the Frontier League are sending left-handed starting pitcher CJ Blowers to Oakland; and the Ottawa Titans are sending Alfredo Villa to Joliet. Blowers is an immediate upgrade for the Ballers’ starting rotation; he finished his last two seasons in the Frontier League with an ERA of 2.25 and 1.24 WHIP. Blowers has had quite the journey to this point, as he discussed with our Chris Drue for Dispatches, retiring from baseball after his junior season at Cal State San Bernardino back in 2019. Five years later, Blowers decided to give it another shot and pitched for the Seattle Blackfins in a collegiate summer league. It paid off quickly, as the aforementioned Ottawa Titans later brought him onto their roster and he delivered. Blowers allowed only three earned runs in 31 innings for Ottawa, and followed up that stint with a very successful 2025 season for Joliet, accruing a 2.71 ERA in 17 starts. The Blowers name might sound familiar to some Oakland fans, as his father Mike was an MLB third baseman and donned the green and gold in 1998. The crafty 29-year-old represents another top of the rotation arm alongside returning ace Gabe Tanner for the 2026 campaign.
Charlie Hurley is a right-handed pitcher from Sacramento, CA who joins the Ballers after a season with the Chicago Cubs organization and four total seasons at two different blueblood collegiate programs. Hurley would begin his college years at USC, finding success after moving into the Trojans’ rotation for his sophomore season–a respectable 4.19 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 73 innings pitched. Hurley’s next two seasons at Texas were a mixed bag of results, bouncing between the bullpen and rotation. After graduating, Hurley signed with the Chicago Cubs as a free agent and was sent to Low-A Myrtle Beach the following season. Unfortunately for Hurley, his 2025 season in the minors came with control problems, and he was ultimately released at the start of this year. However, he had an impressive ground ball rate of 63% which is an ideal fit for the B’s defense-first mentality. Hurley is also yet another offseason signee that brings an intimidating presence to the diamond, standing at six foot-eight. His collegiate pedigree and experience with the Cubs organization speaks to the potential he brings to the Ballers organization, likely as a bullpen piece to begin the year.
David Clarke is this year’s open tryout signing, following in the big footprints of Kelsie Whitmore in 2024 and James Colyer in 2025. After growing up in Palo Alto, CA, David found his way to the University of Chicago baseball program and pitched there for four seasons. While it was a fairly small sample size of just 52 innings, Clarke was nearly unhittable at the collegiate level. Clarke only allowed five earned runs in 37.2 innings his first three seasons with the University of Chicago. After finishing his college career back in 2021, Clarke’s journey in baseball had seemingly come to an end until he made his way to Raimondi Park for the open tryout.
The Ballers wrapped up their offseason signings with the addition of three players via the Pioneer League Spring Draft. Despite trading away multiple draft picks to help acquire RHP Malik Binns and OF TJ McKenzie down the stretch last season, Oakland still had picks #13, #26, and #28 for this year’s draft. Former UC Santa Barbara 3B Justin Trimble was selected at 13, bringing a left-handed power bat that produced a .461 slugging percentage his final year as a Gaucho. Trimble signed with the Houston Astros after college and played in 61 games at the Single-A level before being released earlier this year. At pick #26, the Ballers selected another 3B, Jason Leon, who played at College of the Desert before transferring to CSU Bakersfield. Leon showed good speed and contact at the junior college level, hitting .386 and stealing 18 bases in just 39 games. The Ballers’ final pick in the draft was Brentwood, CA native Nick Poss, who played at Santa Clara University, UC Riverside, and Jessup University before a brief stint with the Idaho Falls Chukars the last couple of weeks of the PBL season. Poss is now the third catcher on Oakland’s roster and the lone right-handed hitter at the position. After an up-and-down career with Santa Clara and UC Riverside, Poss took advantage of an opportunity with Jessup and hit for a .306/.395/.525 slash line. His 29 plate appearances also went well with Idaho Falls, hitting .304 and walking four times.
Nick Clementi is an Oakland native and lifelong Oakland baseball fan. He enjoys long walks on the beach and summer nights at Raimondi Park. He’s a Scrappy enthusiast who doesn't believe in sacrifice bunts. Sports content moderator by day, Ballers beat writer by night. Find him on Instagram and Twitter.
