The Asheville Tourists have officially wrapped up the 2024 regular season.
Before we move forward into preparations for next year’s Tourists Home Opener, April 8, 2025, we first glance back at the 2024 campaign. It was a season that brought with it a record-setting 14 home sellout crowds, a season filled with memorable victories, and a season that had no shortage of significant and historical moments.
It all started with the 100-year anniversary celebration of Asheville’s home ballpark, McCormick Field. The centennial was highlighted by the April 3, 2024 Exhibition Contest that took place 100 years to the day of the first ever game played at 30 Buchanan Place’s legendary grounds.
Also, the first ever “five-double” game in the history of professional baseball was recorded by Asheville’s John Garcia in a home contest on June 5th. Garcia doubled in each of his first five at-bats, made history, and led Asheville to an 18-8 win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods. The 18 runs the Tourists scored as well as the 19 team hits were both single-game season-highs. Garcia went on to win the South Atlantic League’s Player of the Month in June.
Tourists Pitcher Jake Bloss accomplished something that had not been done in over 60 years. Jake began the year on the Tourists, was promoted to Double-A, then made his Major League debut on June 21st. Bloss is the first player to appear for the Tourists at the Single-A level and make his MLB debut in the same season since 1962. The most recent occurrence happened 52 years ago, in 1972, when Asheville was a Double-A affiliate.
Manager Nate Shaver earned his 200th win as Asheville’s head man and at the end of the season moved into a tie for the sixth most wins as a Tourists skipper with 218 victories. Shaver is five wins away from passing Cal Ripken Sr. for fifth place on the Tourists Managerial All-Time Wins List.
Most recently, at the end of August, the official Groundbreaking of the McCormick Field Centennial Restoration and Capital Improvements Project took place. Asheville’s home ballpark is now in renovation mode.
One of the things we must do when recapping a full-season is look beyond the numbers. Statistics do not always tell the whole story. Yes, the Tourists finished the 2024 season with a 51-79 overall record; 25-39 at home and 26-40 on the road, and missed the playoffs for the eighth straight season. However, Asheville finished fourth in the league in team batting average (.234) and drastically improved their team ERA from a 5.74 clip last year to a 5.11 mark this year.
The Tourists did not have a winning record against any of the teams in the SAL but did post an impressive 8-9 record against playoff bound Greensboro. Asheville’s longest win streak this year was four games (May 16-21) and their largest margin of victory came in a 13-1 win over Greenville on May 4.
Nearly 60% of Asheville’s victories this year, 30 out of the 51, were come-from-behind wins. An astounding 53 Tourists games this season were decided by either one or two runs — that many close contests and comeback wins truly paints the picture of how well this club competed day in and day out.
The Tourists roster remained fluid throughout the year as 58 different players suited up for at least one game with Asheville. Ryan Johnson appeared in 105 games. That paced the team and Ryan’s 14 Home Runs were tied for the second most by an Asheville player.
Cam Fisher became only the third Tourists player in the last two decades to hit three Home Runs in a game. The feat occurred on April 17th vs Rome. Fisher also set a Tourists single-game season-high for runs batted in with six.
One of the leaders of the Asheville offense this season was Luis Baez. As the youngest member of the Tourists for most of the year, Baez’s 20 Home Runs not only matched his age but paced the club and ranked second in the league. Baez also finished among the SAL leaders in RBI (67, 1st), Hits (100, 7th), Total Bases (182, 3rd), Slugging Percentage (.479, 5th), and Batting Average (.263, 9th).
Garcia and Austin Deming also posted strong statistics in the SAL; however, both barely fell out of consideration for the final rankings during the last week of the season. Garcia’s .293 average would have been good for second in the league and Deming’s .264 mark would have slotted into the top ten.
Starting Pitchers Nic Swanson and Edinson Batista both finished in the league’s top ten in multiple categories. Swanson posted the sixth best ERA and fourth-best WHIP among qualified pitchers. Nic’s 115 strikeouts not only led the Tourists, but ranked as the sixth most of any SAL pitcher this year. During a start at Greensboro, Swanson struck out seven consecutive batters. Batista placed seventh in the South Atlantic League in ERA and second in WHIP. Edinson finished with the second most innings pitched (115) and held opponents to a .221 batting average, also second best in the league.
Several other starting pitchers put together strong campaigns, both with Asheville and across other levels. Manuel Urias, Jackson Nezuh, and Derek True were all dominant at times. Jose Guedez was elite until an injury prematurely ended his campaign. Joey Mancini, Trey Dombroski, James Hicks, and Ethan Pecko all earned promotions to Double-A after making multiple starts with Asheville.
In the relief pitching department, Railin Perez, Jeremy Molero, Franny Cobos, and Kelly Austin were major strengths. The four right-handers combined for a 13-5 record and a sub-four ERA. Wilmy Sanchez and Alejandro Torres also posted excellent numbers out of the Asheville bullpen during their stints with the Tourists.
Asheville’s offense had so many contributors throughout the season. The balanced attack seemed to feature a different standout every game. A few familiar standouts were Luis Encarnacion, Narbe Cruz, and Garret Guillemette. Encarnacion hit two of the three Grand Slams at McCormick Field and the trio combined for 28 Home Runs and 135 RBI.
Oliver Carrillo and Anthony Sherwin both began the season in Single-A Fayetteville, then earned early promotions to Asheville. The duo each finished with an OPS north of .700 and played multiple positions defensively.
Brice Matthews, Pascanel Ferreras, Collin Price, Jeron Williams, and Logan Cerny all spent part of the year with the Tourists. Prior to their promotions, these individuals were a big reason why Asheville ranked among the top offensive units in the SAL. Cerny ended the year as the Tourists leader in runs scored (57) and stolen bases (26).
As with each passing season the Tourists family grew again in 2024. New players, new coaches, new staff members, and new fans all joined the legacy this organization embodies. We thank the entire 2024 group of Asheville Tourists for the effort they put forth in representing the Asheville community both on and off the field.
The Centennial Year of Historic McCormick Field was the latest chapter in another memorable season of Asheville Tourists Baseball. Who is ready for Chapter 101?
Written by Doug Maurer, Asheville Tourists.