Bowling Green Hot Rods center fielder Brock Jones (right) is congratulated by manager Rafael Valenzuela as he rounds third base after hitting a home run in the Hot Rods’ 8-0 win over the Greenville Drive on June 23 at Bowling Green Ballpark.

The Bowling Green Hot Rods open the curtain on the 2024 season, beginning a three-game series against Hudson Valley at 6:35 p.m. on Friday at Bowling Green Ballpark.

It’s a chance to get the season off to a positive start at home, with Bowling Green looking to bounce back from missing the South Atlantic League playoffs last season despite an impressive 69-57 record – the third-best record in the league.

With a talented roster filled with some of the top prospects in the Tampa Bay Rays system, the expectations are high, although manager Rafael Valenzuela said the ultimate goal is player development.

“I said it last year, we get paid to get these guys to the next level,” Valenzuela said. “We get paid to get these guys to Kevin Cash in the big leagues. Our job is to hopefully by the end of the year have a completely different roster because most of the guys that started here have gone to Double A, maybe even (Triple A) Durham.

“That being said, if you want to go out and you want to beat up on some people, I am OK with it. I’m not going to stop you. If you want to go out and score 10, score 20, I am OK with it. But at the end of the day my goal is for 15 of these guys, or 20, or the entire team to move up to Montgomery and even Durham.”

Valenzuela added development does include success on the field.

“I think winning is a key part to the development of these guys,” Valenzuela said. “If they learn how to win at this level they are only going to get used to winning. When they get to the big leagues, they won’t know anything but winning.”

Bowling Green will open the season with three right-handers scheduled to mark their first starts of the season. Right-hander Trevor Martin is scheduled to start Friday against Hudson Valley righty Sebastian Keane.

Alex Cook is scheduled to start Saturday, with Yoniel Curet slated to start the Sunday finale.

It’s a short home series before heading out on the road for a series at Winston-Salem next week. While it’s a brief stay at BG Ballpark, Valenzuela said he’s happy to open at home.

“I love playing at home,” Valenzuela said. “I am excited to play on Friday. I would rather start at home to get used to it and get a routine going for the guys. It’s tough when you come in and practice for two or three days, then you have to hit the road.”

Bowling Green will be looking to get off to a hot start to set the pace for a possible playoff spot after seeing Greenville take the first half last season and Hickory win the second half. In the first half the Hot Rods started 9-10 in April, while Hickory opened the season with 13 straight wins to jump out to a big lead in the second half.

While Valenzuela said he would like to get off to a hot start, it’s a long season and ultimately the goal is to develop the talent on the roster.

“If we get off to a phenomenal start, that is great,” Valenzuela said. “If we don’t, then that just gives us more things to work on. I know we are going to have our ups and we are going to have our downs. I do believe we have a younger team than last year. If we happen to get off to a good start that’s good, but if we don’t then hopefully we turn it around and get rolling.”{&end}