(April 16, 2024 – York, Pa.): The York Revolution have added seven more players to the 2024 roster. Left-handed pitchers Aaron Fletcher and Mac Lardner, right-handed pitcher Chris Vallimont, infielders Mason Martin and Kobe Kato, and catchers Paul Mondesi and Robert Chesney have all been announced as members of the 2024 Revs club. The acquisitions were announced by Revs manager Rick Forney live on Monday evening’s airing of Revs Hot Stove Weekly presented by Shipley Energy on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK.
Fletcher, 28, brings three years of Major League experience to the club, most recently pitching nine games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022. Over his minor league career, Fletcher is 12-7 with a 3.81 ERA, striking out 186 hitters in 189 innings.
“When I saw him throw this offseason, the velocity was good and the movement was there on all of his pitches,” said Forney. “We’re going to give him the opportunity to start.”
Fletcher was initially selected by the Washington Nationals in the 14th round of the 2018 draft after a standout career at the University of Houston, which capped off with being named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2018. The lefty made his Major League debut two years later with Seattle, pitching for the Mariners in 2020 and 2021 before landing with Pittsburgh, combining to appear in 19 big league contests.
Lardner, 26, comes to York for his fourth professional season after spending the previous two years in the Oakland Athletics system. Last season, in his first full season in relief, Larner was 7-0 at High-A Lansing, striking out 61 hitters in 61.2 innings.
“He’s got a swing and miss changeup,” Forney mentioned. “I think he’ll do a good job in this league because he’s and strike thrower and will give you a chance to compete behind him.”
Lardner began his professional career with the St. Louis Cardinals after going undrafted in the shortened 2020 draft. Prior to going pro, Lardner pitched four seasons at Gonzaga, carrying a career 16-11 record with a 3.75 ERA, including all-WCC honors as a sophomore.
Vallimont, 27, made his Major League debut in 2023 with the Baltimore Orioles. The 6’5 righty has a long track record of high strikeout numbers throughout his career, averaging 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings across five minor league seasons.
“There’s a lot of good movement to his pitches, you don’t get to the big leagues in 2023 without plus stuff,” Forney remarked.
Originally a fifth-round pick by the Miami Marlins in 2018, Vallimont had a great collegiate career at Mercyhurst University in his native Erie, PA. He finished his time as a Laker with a 21-5 record and 2.54 ERA. In his final season in 2018, he set a program record with 147 strikeouts, which helped him earn PSAC West Pitcher of the Year. In addition to his time in the Marlins and Orioles organizations, Vallimont has pitched in the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians farm systems and has spent most of the past two years at the Triple-A level.
Martin, 24, figures to be a prolific bat in the middle of the Revolution lineup. The left-handed slugger has 122 home runs, 128 doubles, and 418 RBIs in six minor league seasons, all in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
“We expect him to be the presence in the middle of our lineup and deliver a lot of RBIs for us,” Forney remarked.
Martin was a 17th round pick by the Pirates in 2017 out of Southridge High School in Kennewick, WA and earned many accolades throughout his tenure in the system, including Minor League Player of the Year in 2019 and GCL Most Valuable Player in his debut season in 2017. His eyepopping 2019 campaign included 35 home runs and 129 RBI between Bradenton and Greensboro. Martin followed that by smashing 25 home runs between Altoona and Indianapolis in 2021 and another 37 combined over the last two seasons. Primarily a first baseman, Martin has slugged 38 long balls at the Double-A level and 24 more round-trippers in Triple-A games.
Kato, 25, enters just his third professional season in 2024. In his first full season in 2023, he hit .252 with 21 doubles, and also stole 22 bases with the bulk of his time spent at High-A Asheville.
“He’ll be a good defender and a great table setter at the top of our order,” said Forney. “He’ll grind out at-bats and make guys throw a lot of pitches.”
Kato, a native of Aiea, Hawaii, was selected by the Houston Astros in the 13th round of the 2021 draft out of the University of Arizona. He had strong showings in his time with the Wildcats, including hitting .350 in his lone season as a starter in 2021. He was also named the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2019 with the Bethesda Big Train, setting a league record by hitting .441. The lefty hitter has played mostly second base while also making starts at third base and shortstop and has seen time at all three outfield positions. Kato reached Double-A Corpus Christi to begin the 2024 season.
Mondesi, 25, returns to York after playing 15 games for the Revolution in 2022. Since his time in York, Mondesi has played with the Empire State Grays and Gary Southshore RailCats. Prior to his first stint in York, Mondesi had played five seasons in the Kansas City Royals organization, which included reaching Triple-A Omaha in 2021.
Chesney, 24, is looking to make his professional debut with the Revs. The catcher spent his collegiate career at Pace University before playing at Central Connecticut State in 2023.
The Revs have unveiled 32 player signings for the 2024 season and will begin their exhibition game slate on Wednesday. Fans are welcome to attend Fan Fest on Saturday April 20th for their first look at the 2024 team in action as they face the York County All-Stars at 7 pm. The Revs will open the 2024 season at Wellspan Park on Thursday, April 25th as they host the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars on Opening Night.