Busy B’s: Offseason Report

The Ballers’ Offseason Report

by Nick Clementi

As the champagne celebrations have subsided and the Pioneer Baseball League trophy has found its rightful home at the corner of 20th and Willow, the Oakland Ballers have turned the page to next season. After being the first Oakland baseball team to win a championship since 1989, the B’s are focused on 2026 and what will become of their next roster in hopes of defending their title.

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: the Ballers were a victim of their own success in terms of roster continuity. First baseman Christian Almanza and outfielder Davis Drewek have signed with the Cleburne Railroaders of the American Association (AA). Starting pitcher Noah Millikan and reliever James Colyer join their teammates in the AA signing with the Winnipeg Goldeyes. Catcher Dillon Tatum and outfielder Cam Bufford are off to Sioux City of the AA, and reliever Conner Richardson is back home with Fargo of the AA as well. For these players who excelled in the Pioneer League, the jump to the AA represents a slight increase in competition and the hopes of better catching the attention of MLB organizations.

With that said, the Ballers’ have some fan favorites locked in for next year, as OF Esai Santos, SP Gabe Tanner, 3B Nick Leehey, and OF T.J. McKenzie have re-signed to defend the PBL championship in 2026. 

Since their founding, a pillar of the Ballers’ success has been their ability to identify and sign talent. Don Wakamatsu, Tyler Petersen, the Ballers’ coaching staff, and the rest of the front office have proven their ability to build a roster through players with D-I or minor league experience, as well as hidden gems from smaller programs. So far this offseason, eight new players join the Ballers’ roster: SP Grant Manning, infielder Zack Blaszak, catchers Parker Stroh and Jaden Collura, OF Damian Stone, 1B/OF Jeter Ybarra, infielder Norris McClure, 1B/OF Chenar Brown, and OF Zion Bannister are the brand new Ballers we can start learning about. We’ll begin with the first five here:

 Grant Manning is a Dublin, CA native who arrives in West Oakland after four years at Chapman University and two years at Virginia Tech. The 24-year-old right hander is 6’6’’ and brings serious velocity to the mound. Manning features a fastball in the 93-94 MPH range, changeup in the high 70’s, 12-6 curve, and slider in the mid-80’s. This arsenal blew away collegiate hitters last year in Blacksburg, striking out 72 batters over the course of 51.2 innings. While Manning was used primarily as a starting pitcher at Chapman, he was used in a variety of roles at Virginia Tech the past two seasons. He transitioned to a mostly long relief role, and later in the year, Manning was moved to closer and was quite successful down the stretch for the Hokies. Perhaps his signature moment of the 2025 season would be the Stanford-Virginia Tech ACC tournament game. With Virginia Tech protecting a 6-2 lead, Stanford would load the bases and force a pitching change. In came Manning, who would proceed to strike out back-to-back hitters, including Japanese phenom Rintaro Sasaki on a devastating 78 MPH changeup. It remains to be seen how the Dublin HS graduate will be utilized this season, but it is safe to assume his stuff will transition nicely to the Pioneer League. Make sure to read Manning’s interview with Chris Drue and Dispatches here.

 Zack Blaszak is a Park City, UT native who brings both junior college and Division-II experience to the Ballers. Blaszak is 24 years old, bats left-handed, throws right-handed, and has proven himself to be a durable shortstop. Last season at Montana State-Billings, he started at short in all 55 games for the Yellowjackets. After hitting .330 in 2024, Blaszak finished out his MSUB career strong this past season, increasing his average to .382. His senior year goes down as one of the best in MSUB history, with his average being sixth best in school history while collecting the most hits in a single season. Blaszak’s power is not one of his main strengths, as his career high in college came his freshman year with just seven home runs. What Blaszak does bring to the table is an ability to make contact at a consistent rate and his speed on the basepaths, as he stole 34 bases at MSUB and was thrown out just six times. His fielding percentage has also gone up each season in Billings, from .920 to .927 to .949. A roster spot at SS and 2B are both open, as Tremayne Cobb Jr and Danny Harris are currently free agents and there have been no updates on their statuses for 2025. Blaszak will have an opportunity in the spring to earn a job out of camp, and it is realistic to think he could be starting at SS or 2B for Oakland next season. Much like Ballers assistant GM Tyler Petersen said on B’s Cast, I would call this a recruiting win over Billings and the rest of the PBL Montana franchises.

 Parker Stroh is a Grand Forks, ND native, which happens to be where former Ballers reliever Conner Richardson is also from. He’s 25 years old, bats left-handed, and brings two seasons of indy ball experience at the catching position to the club. After playing at Minnesota-Crookston, Southern Indiana, and McNeese State in college, Stroh was signed by Fargo-Moorhead of the AA and played in 17 games in 2024. He didn’t find much success in 53 total games between Fargo-Moorehead and Lincoln (also of the AA) in 2024 and 2025, resulting in a .186/.265/.228 slashline. Prior to pro ball, Stroh was a constant on-base presence in college and hit well at each of his stops. The good news for him is that many have used their experience in the other three MLB partner leagues (AA, Frontier, Atlantic) to great effect in the Pioneer League; Jake Allgeyer from last season being the most recent example of that, hitting .190 with Gary of the AA before coming to Oakland and hitting .322. As of now, the Ballers do not have any catchers returning from last season, opening up a golden opportunity for Stroh and the next signee on the list.

Jaden Collura is a Hammond, LA native who is another left-handed hitting catcher who recently finished his fourth season at D-I Nicholls State. Collura excelled in the MLB Draft League this summer, hitting .336 with a .404 OBP. His on-base skills are one of his strongest tools, finishing with more walks than strikeouts in his senior year at Nicholls, leading to a whopping .450 OBP. Collura was clutch down the stretch, finishing his senior season on a 15-game hit streak that included 15 walks, three doubles, and two home runs. Collura’s work behind the plate has been just as reliable, making just one error in each of his final three years in college. As mentioned, there is an opportunity looming at the catching position in Oakland and Collura could have a chance at the starting role if Tyler Lozano does not return. 

Damian Stone is a Fremont, CA native who returns to the PBL after being one of the league’s best. The 23-year-old outfielder in his rookie season with Ogden last year hit for an eye-popping .382 average, with 24 doubles, and he walked more times than he struck out. Stone would finish with a .478 OBP, tied for 8th among PBL hitters who played a full season. Prior to his year in Ogden, Stone graduated from Washington High in Fremont and then went off to UC Santa Barbara. He would only play in 13 games for the Gauchos before transferring to Ohlone College. Stone made his lone year in JUCO count, getting on base nearly half the time and stealing 54 bases. He finished his college career at UC Davis, spending time at the top of the lineup and middle of the order. Given his level of production last season in the Pioneer League, I expect Stone to start in the OF for Oakland and have one of the most secure roster spots of any Ballers offseason signings.

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.

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