New manager, six top-30 prospects highlight 2026 roster | Spokane Indians season preview

The 2026 minor league baseball season is upon us, and the Spokane Indians take the field this year with a new manager, six players in the Colorado Rockies top 30 prospects list and 12 returning players from last season as part of the 28 assigned to the Rockies’ High-A affiliate in the Northwest League.

Last year was a tough one on the field in Spokane, as the Indians finished last in the league in the first-half standings, fourth in the second half, and last overall with a record of 58-74. But spring brings renewed hope across baseball and specifically in Spokane, where new manager Tom Sutaris believes his club can compete right out of the gate.

“We’ve got a really good mix,” Sutaris said. “I know (Low-A) Fresno finished really strong last year. They were really strong on the mound, so we should have some good arms coming in. I think that’s going to be exciting, plus the guys we have returning. I think we have an opportunity to do some special things with this group.”

Coaching staff

Sutaris enters his first season as a manager in professional baseball, having served as bench coach and hitting coach the past three seasons in Spokane. It’s his ninth season in the Rockies organization, serving as Double-A Hartford’s hitting coach from 2021-23.

Sutaris spent 2018-19 with High-A Lancaster and was an assistant coach at the University of Incarnate Word in 2017 and a special assistant for the University of Texas baseball team from 2014-17.

He also spent 10 years in the classroom as a teacher and was a high school coach, so developing a rapport with his players is critical.

“I just think it all is all about relationships,” he said. “When you have good relationships with guys, it just makes everything better, because before you show them what you know, you got to show them how much you care. And I think we’re going to push them, we’re going to hold them to a standard, but we’re also going to have fun being here and they’re going to know we care about them.”

Sutaris knows there will be a learning curve as he adjusts to his new role in the dugout.

“There’s a lot that goes into (managing) that I haven’t had to deal with before, but I’m definitely ready for it,” he said. “Will I make mistakes? Absolutely. But if you talk to me in 10 years in the same role, I’ll still be making mistakes. It’s just part of the process. I think the important thing is that you don’t repeat your mistakes, and you learn from them and you keep growing. I definitely feel ready for it, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Blaine Beatty returns as the pitching coach, Edgardo Lebron in the new bench coach and Tyler Ladendorf is the new hitting coach.

Hitters

Outfielder Robert Calaz (Rockies No. 5 prospect per MLB.com) headlines a potentially deep offense that boasts last year’s second- and third-round draft picks for the Rockies in outfielder Max Belyeu (No. 12 prospect) and third base Ethan Hedges (No. 17).

Calaz, a 6-foot-2 20-year-old native of the Dominican Republic, played 99 games in Fresno last season and hit .259/.338/.399 with 10 home runs, 55 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 10 attempts. MLB.com describes him as a “strong, right-handed hitter with a ton of raw power,” who “likes to attack pitches early in the count.” Calaz signed with the Rockies organization as an international free agent for $1.7 million in January 2023.

Belyeu was taken as the 74th overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft out of University of Texas and got into 21 games with the Indians at the end of last season. He hit .150/.244/.300 with four homers and three stolen bases.

“When I showed up last summer, right after I got drafted, I thought (Spokane) was really cool. I went through some adversity, so I want to take what I learned from last year and try to apply it to this year,” he said. “I just want to make sure that I’m playing in the moment every pitch, see how locked in I can be for the team, and I think everything else will take care of itself.”

Hedges, the 77th overall pick out of USC, played in 20 games for the Indians last season, hitting .195/.303/.234 with three RBIs and two stolen bases as he acclimated to professional pitching.

Pitchers

Right-hander Brody Brecht (Rockies No. 8 prospect) leads a talented rotation that also features Toutle Lake, Washington native Jackson Cox (No. 19) and Yujanyer Herrera (No. 20). Mt. Spokane and University of Washington standout Stu Flesland III returns for another season, where he will be joined by fellow second-year southpaw Everett Catlett.

Also joining the staff is righty Jordy Vargas, a once-acclaimed prospect who has battled injuries each of his four seasons in pro ball.

Brecht was a two-sport star at University of Iowa, where he also played wide receiver on the football team. He has hit triple digits with his fastball, and sits in the 96-mph range, with a plus slider and a solid curve.

He’ll have no trouble pitching in the chilly April weather in the Pacific Northwest.

“This weather brings me back home. Man, it feels good,” he said on Monday. “Like it’s a little Big 10 baseball for me is what it feels like. But I’m just excited to be here. And you know, weather is weather. You can’t control it. … I just want to put the nose down and go play baseball. It’s cool to be considered a prospect. But at the end of the day, it really don’t mean nothing, unless you go out there and play well.”

Cox is a curveball specialist who spent all of the 2024 season rehabbing from elbow ligament replacement surgery. The Rockies’ second-round pick in 2022 started 23 games last season for Fresno and went 4-6 with a 3.39 ERA. He has never pitched in Spokane, but did play in the State B basketball tournament twice with Toutle Lake.

“I’m excited to show what I’m able to do and do my part to help the team win when I’m able to step on the mound,” he said. “My most important goal is do my part to help this team win a championship here in the Northwest League.”

Flesland, a 6-5 lefty, started last season in the bullpen but was moved into the starting rotation for good in early July and flourished. From July 10 to the end of the season, Flesland made nine starts and allowed 13 earned runs (five in one game) over 51 innings, good for a 2.29 ERA down the stretch. He had a career-high 10 strikeouts over five shutout innings against Eugene on Aug. 9.

“It’s awesome to come back and play again in front of Spokane,” he said. “I’m super excited this year to go out there and kind of do what I did last year, kind of pick up and improve on that, and then see where it takes me after that great last couple of months last season.”

As a returning player and Spokane native, Flesland has taken more of a leadership role in the clubhouse.

“We just got here (Sunday), so not too many questions yet, but I’m sure they’re coming,” he said. “I’m definitely looking to be somebody who’s somebody you can talk to, ask questions about things, and be there for new guys, especially, and just kind of being there for my teammates and get my job done and helping them get their job done so we can win as many games as possible.”