Nicholas “Nick” Trabacchi (born March 28, 1999, West Islip, NY) began his professional journey in independent baseball—most notably with the MLB-partnered Empire State Greys in 2023. After four seasons of grinding through various independent leagues, Trabacchi earned his breakthrough when the Minnesota Twins purchased his contract in May 2025, assigning him to their High-A affiliate, the Cedar Rapids Kernels. 

Trabacchi’s path through baseball was unconventional and persistent:

• Empire State Greys (2023): Appeared in 46 games, logging 68⅓ innings. He struck out 50 batters and posted a 5.66 ERA, finishing among Frontier League leaders in losses, games pitched, and home runs per nine innings. 
• His performances helped showcase his durability and strikeout potential, despite being part of a team that went 18–77. 

Following his stint with the Greys, Trabacchi pitched in the Atlantic League (with Long Island, Charleston, and Hagerstown) and returned to the Frontier League with the Québec Capitales in 2024, where he delivered a stellar 1.09 ERA over 33 innings and struck out 46 en route to a Frontier League championship. 

In 2025, he joined the New Jersey Jackals, contributing in relief with a minuscule 0.73 ERA over 12⅓ innings and tallying 20 strikeouts in eight appearances.

Ryan Sandberg (born July 2, 1998, Island Park, NY) began his pro career in the Empire State Greys, an Empire League team operated as an MLB‑partnered Frontier League developmental squad. After pitching collegiately at Florida Atlantic University and Wilmington University, where he excelled as a two‑time CACC All‑Conference selection and 2022 CACC Pitcher of the Year, Sandberg went undrafted but continued his pursuit in independent baseball Queensborough Community College+14caccathletics.org+14frontierleague.com+14.

Empire State Greys & the Transition to Québec

In the 2023 season, Sandberg signed with the Empire State Greys in the Frontier League. He went 2–5 over 11 starts, recording 52 strikeouts in 49.1 innings. Midseason, he was traded to the Québec Capitales. His move coincided with their championship run—he played a meaningful role in Québec defensively and contributed to their 2023 Frontier League title Queensborough Community College+1cunyathletics.com+1.

In 2024, Sandberg returned to Québec for a second season. He enjoyed a breakout year: recording a 7–2 win‑loss record over 15 starts (24 appearances total), posting a stellar 2.18 ERA and a best‑in‑league 0.91 WHIP, while striking out 107 batters across 103.1 innings and walking only 20. He was named the starting pitcher for the East Division at the 2024 Frontier League All‑Star Game, where he threw a perfect inning. He also contributed three innings in a combined no‑hitter against Lake Erie. Québec went on to win their third consecutive championship—Sandberg’s second in as many years Queensborough Community College+1Queensborough Community College+1.

Signing with the Milwaukee Brewers Organization

On January 20, 2025, it was officially announced that Ryan Sandberg had signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He was assigned to their High‑A affiliate, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, in the Midwest League. This entry into affiliated baseball represents a major milestone, as Sandberg is the first Frontier League player in 2025 to secure a contract with an MLB organization

Tyler Bryant (born January 23, 1999, Amarillo, TX) pitched collegiately at Oklahoma Panhandle State, Lake Erie College, and Ottawa University, including a stint as a graduate assistant pitching coach at Ottawa. His professional journey began in 2023 with the Empire State Greys of the Frontier League—the MLB-partnered independent circuit—where he made 19 relief appearances, threw 24 innings, and struck out 31 batters with a 4.13 ERA

On December 20, 2023, Bryant was assigned to the Québec Capitales in the Frontier League, advancing his independent-league resume from the Greys.

His performance captured attention quickly: on June 13, 2024, the Milwaukee Brewers purchased Bryant’s contract from Québec Capitales and assigned him to their Arizona Complex League (ACL) affiliate, launching his journey into affiliated baseball. Shortly after, he was promoted to the Carolina Mudcats and then to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers over the summer of 2024, steadily progressing through the Brewers’ farm system

Emmanuel “Manny” Garcia (born December 5, 1997, in Caguas, Puerto Rico) began his professional career as a versatile two-way player—capable of filling multiple roles—appearing with the Empire State Greys during their 2023 Frontier League season. Originally a collegiate standout at Louisiana Tech University and Northeast Texas Community College, Garcia transitioned to the Frontier League with hopes of advancing his career.

Garcia joined the Empire State Greys in mid‑2023, after being traded from Ottawa Titans, bringing power and flexibility to the roster. He appeared in 73 games, hitting .224 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs. In a rare display of versatility, he played all nine defensive positions during the final day of the season—managing an inning on the mound, too.

On August 27, 2023, he set a franchise record with 5 hits in a single game for the Greys. At season’s end, his .271 team batting average ranked among the Greys’ best marks.

Following his time in the Frontier League, Manny Garcia played winter ball and continued showcasing his skill. In April 2024, he was signed by the Dorados de Chihuahua of the Mexican League. After moving between teams, he ended up with Caliente de Durango during the 2025 season, where as of early June he was active on their roster.

Ottawa, Canada—The Empire State Greys (17-73) set franchise record for most hits in a game (20) and most hits in a game by a single player (Manny Garcia-5) in a win over the Ottawa Titans 14-6.

Empire State started off the game hot and never took their foot off the gas. Josh Sears delivered the inaugural runs of the game with a 2 RBI double off of Zac Westcott (L, 5-8) to left center field. Eric Jenkins drove in Sears with an RBI single to make it 3-0. Ottawa got one back with a Berkey sacrifice fly off of Mizuki Akatsuka (W, 1-2) in the bottom half of the frame.

Manny Garcia had the biggest hit in the 2^nd with a double to left field driving in 2. Runs came across to score during Turner and Holmes’ at-bats to give the Greys their sixth and seventh runs in just two innings. The Titans’ Dicochea scraped one back in the bottom half with a home run to left field making the score 7-2.

Across the 4^th and 5^th innings Empire State added another 4 runs. Eric Jenkins drove in two with a single to center, Jordan Scott delivered a sacrifice fly to right, and Josh Sears singled in Jalen Smith. In the bottom of the 5^th, Ottawa did most of their damage, Wright doubled in a run, Fuhrman came across on a wild pitch, and Wright came across to score on an error. After the eventful inning, the Greys held an 11-5 lead.

The Greys dealt even more damage in the 6^th and 8^th innings. In the 6^th JR DiSarcina drove in Jordan Scott with an RBI single. Jaylen Smith singled him Scott in the 8^th to get the offense going and Manny Garcia singled home Jordan Siket later in the frame to increase the lead to 14-5.

Ottawa scored the last run of the game with a Sanford single off Nick Trabacchi (SV, 2) in the bottom of the 9^th. Trabacchi pitched phenomenally out of the bullpen going 4 innings and allowing just one run.

The Greys finished with a team total of 20 hits which is the most hits in a single game in franchise history. Manny Garcia had 5 of those hits which is a franchise record for most hits in a game by a single player.

The Greys get a nice 2-day break prior to heading to New Jersey and taking on the Jackals Wednesday evening at Skylands Stadium.

Pomona, NY—The Empire State Greys (16-64) have defeated the New York Boulders (44-34) 4-2 in a continuation of August 16^th’s matchup. This was due to a fantastic effort by the pitching staff as well as Jaylin Turner’s late-inning theatrics.

In the Wednesday portion of the matchup, it was all Boulders. Christ Kwitzer, former Empire League standout, delivered the first runs of the game with a two-run home run in the bottom of the 2^nd. That was the only blemish on an otherwise promising start by Michael Barker. Barker struck out two and allowed just the one hit in his three innings of work prior to having it cut short due to rain.

Contrasting the three innings of play on Wednesday, the Thursday portion was all Greys in large part due to the pitching staff. Taking over to pitch in the 4^th, Mizuki Akatsukawas in full control. During his 3.1 innings of work, the switch-pitcher did not allow a run and struck out a batter.

Walner Espinal got the Empire State offense on track in the 6^th. The recently acquired second baseman hit a deep fly ball to center field and brought in Luis Atiles to cut the deficit to 2-1.

In the 8^th, the Jayle(i)n’s turned the game on its head. Jaylen Smith started off an entertaining sequence by dropping down a sacrifice bunt. The play was made routinely at first, but a hustling Atiles attempted to go from first to third on the play. Atiles’ heads-up baserunning caused an errant throw from the first baseman which ultimately allowed him to score from first on a bunt to third base and tie the game. Later in the frame, Jaylin Turner delivered the biggest hit of the night. With two outs, and two on, Turner smoked a 2 RBI double into right-center field. In doing so, the slugging first baseman broke the tie and gave Empire State a 4-2 lead.

Flamethrower Juan Mateo was incredible and did not squander the lead his team gave him. The righty entered the game in the 7^th with one out and finished off the game. He allowed just one hit in his 2.2 innings of work and struck out three to secure the Greys’ 4-2 victory.

Following today’s doubleheader, the Greys will be traveling to New Jersey and squaring off against the East Division-leading Jackals. Game 1 of that series begins tomorrow night at 6:35 EST in historic Hinchcliffe Stadium.

Augusta Township, NJ—The Empire State Greys (15-63) defeated the Sussex County Miners (42-35) 7-6 in large part due to Luis Atiles and his late-inning heroics.

The Miners got off to a hot start in the bottom of the 1^st and 2^nd innings against Greys starter Nick Trabacchi. In the first Oraj Anu doubled in the first run of the game and came around to score on a Gavin Stupienski single. Willie Escala got the Miners offense going in the bottom of the second with an RBI single and Oraj Anu added on another run with a fielder’s choice making it 4-0.

Empire State was able to get on board in the top of the 3^rd. Jaylen Turner led off the inning with a double and was able to advance to third on a wild pitch. Luis Atiles drove him in with a fielder’s choice to second base to cut the Miners’ lead down to 4-1.

In the top of the 5^th, the Greys’ offense got going again. After the first two Greys in the inning struck out, Ed Niemann got hit by a pitch and was immediately followed by a Luis Atiles walk. J.R. DiSarcina came to the plate and delivered his biggest hit of the season. DiSarcina took a Trent Thornton pitch deep over the wall in right field and tied the ball game at 4-4.

Sussex managed to take the lead again in the bottom of the 8^th. Edwin Mateo drove in the go-ahead run off of Zach Gettys (W, 2-3) to give the Miners a 5-4. However, in the process, he was thrown out at second base on a great throw by Manny Garcia which disrupted any momentum the home side may have had.

Robbie Hitt (L, 3-2), who has been dominant all season, entered the game in the 9^th for the Miners to attempt to close out the Greys. Walner Espinal reached base to start off the inning on an error and was pinch-ran for by Jaylen Smith, and Smith promptly advanced to second on a Jordan Scott single. Eric Jenkins then attempted a sacrifice bunt, but an error by the third baseman loaded the bases. Hitt was able to strike out the next two batters and brought up Luis Atiles. In a 2-2 count with 2 outs, Atiles roped an opposite-field double to right center field and cleared the bases making it 7-5 Empire State.

Nate Holt was called upon for the second time this series, and season, to collect the save. Oraj Anu led off the bottom half of the inning with a solo shot to left field, his third RBI of the game. That was all of the damage the Miners were able to do against Holt as the righty proceeded to set down the last three hitters, striking out two, to record his second save of the season.

The Greys will look to carry today’s momentum into their next series against the New York Boulders. Game one of that series will begin Tuesday evening at 7:00 PM EST at Clover Stadium in Pomona, NY.

Augusta Township, NJ—The Empire State Greys (14-61) defeated the Sussex County Miners (40-34) 7-6 in the first leg of today’s doubleheader.

Empire State got off to a blazing start in the top of the 1^st. Jaylen Smith and Manny Garcia were both hit by Mark Moclair (L, 3-6) pitches. With Josh Sears at the dish, the duo pulled off a double steal to give the Greys RBI leader a prime opportunity. The slugging first baseman delivered with a blast to straight away centerfield to give Empire State an early 3-0 lead. In the bottom half of the frame, the Miners were able to scratch one back. Juan Santana drove in a run with a sac fly, which was the only earned run given up by Garrett Sutton tonight (W, 2-3).

In the 3^rd, the Miners were able to tie up the game. The two runs came across on an Oraj Anu ground out and Juan Santana’s second sac fly of the game. This was the last time the Miners were able to get to Garrett Sutton. The righty had arguably his best start of the season going 5 strong innings, allowing just 1 earned run, allowing 6 hits, and striking out 5.

With 2 outs, the Greys were able to put up a crooked number in the top of the 5^th. Once again, Josh Sears delivered with two runners on base. This time he drove an RBI single to give Empire State the lead, which they would not give up the rest of the game. The clutch two-out hits continued. J.R. DiSarcina doubled in a run and Walner Espinal delivered an RBI single of his own to make it a 6-3 ball game.

The Miners would not go down easily. Gavin Stupienski hit a home run to right field and with two outs Edwin Mateo had an RBI single to cut the deficit to 6-5.

In the top of the 7^th, Jordan Scott added what turned out to be a much-needed insurance run. The switch hitter singled home Manny Garcia, who came across for the third time, to stretch the Greys’ lead to 7-5.

Nathan Holt was given the opportunity to close out the game in the 7^th. The righty got into trouble giving up a pair of singles to start the bottom half of the inning. However, he showed his poise and got Jason Agresti to ground into a double play. A run came across in the process, but it did not make a difference in the outcome of the game as Holt struck out the final batter and earned his first professional save.

Empire State will take on the Miners at 6:05 EST tomorrow night in game three of the four-game series.

Troy, NY—The Empire State Greys (13-55) have defeated the Tri-City ValleyCats (44-25) 10-1 behind Jaylen Smith’s huge night and a whole team effort.

Empire State got off to a hot start off ValleyCats starter Brac Warren (L, 1-3) in the top of the 1^st. Following a pair of singles by Jaylen Smith and Manny Garcia, Josh Sears did what he does best. The designated hitter hit his team-leading 12^th home run of the season putting the Greys up 3-0.

The Greys got to Warren once again in the top of the 3^rd. Following Jaylen Smith’s second single of the night, Manny Garcia came to the plate. Garcia drove a deep fly ball over the fence in left-center field for a 2-run blast to increase Empire State’s lead to 5-0.

In the 5^th, the ValleyCats were able to get on the board against Ryan Sandberg (W, 2-5). Lamar Briggs led off the inning with a walk and during Pavin Parks’ at-bat stole second. With two outs, Cito Culver singled to center field to cut the deficit to 5-1. Culver’s single was the only blemish on an otherwise great start by Ryan Sandberg. Sandberg went 5 1/3 allowing just 1 run on 5 hits, 3 walks, and striking out 5.

The rest of the game was all Empire State. In the 7^th, the Greys hit collectively for the cycle. Jordan Scott led off the inning with a double and was immediately tripled in by Jaylen Smith. Manny Garcia then drove in Jaylen for the second time this game with a double to left. Luis Atiles had the biggest with of the inning with a 2 out 2 run home run to left center. Walner Espinal promptly completed the team cycle with an infield single. In the 8^th, Jaylen Smith continued his fantastic game at the dish adding another insurance run to give the Greys a 10-1 lead.

Nate Holt, Tanner Propst, and Tyler Bryant helped secure the Greys’ win by allowing no runs and just one hit out of the bullpen as a group. Tyler Bryant was the most dominant of the bunch as the righty struck out 6 batters in his 2 innings of work.

Empire State will be heading to Ottawa and taking on the Titans tomorrow night at 6:30 EST.

Evansville, IN—The Empire State Greys (12-46) have defeated the Evansville Otters (33-25) 6-4 due to Jordan Scott’s late inning heroics.

The Otters jumped on Greys starter Ryan Sandberg for 2 early runs in the 2^nd inning. Jomar Reyes doubled down the left-field line and was driven in by Bryan Rosario later in the inning giving them a 2-0 lead.

In the 5^th, Josh Broughton was able to extend the Otter’s lead. The newly signed second baseman took reliever Clarke Davenport deep for a two-run home run making it a 4-0 ballgame.

Despite the early Evansville offense, the rest of the game was all Empire State. In the 6^th, Manny Garcia got the offense going with a 2 RBI double. That double cut the Otters’ lead in half, 4-2, and sparked the rest of the club. Zach Gettys (W, 1-3) also entered the game with two outs in the bottom of the 6^th and earned his first win of the season.

In the top of the 7^th, Jaylen Turner brought the Greys within 1. The Greys first baseman got into one and hit his first professional home run to deep right field.

For the third straight inning, Empire State’s offense was able to score. With runners on the corners and 2 outs in the 8^th, Jordan Scott stepped up to the plate and delivered his biggest hit of the season. Scott took Leoni De La Cruz (L, 0-2) deep to left field for a 3-run blast giving the Greys a 6-4 lead.

Nick Trabacchi worked out of trouble in the bottom of the 8^th and struck out two in the process. Tanner Propst pitched a scoreless, striking out two as well, and picked up save number 3 on the year.

Another big story from tonight’s victory was the number of strikeouts the club was able to pick up. Five different arms threw for the Greys tonight and between them, they were able to strike out 16 Otters. Ryan Sandberg struck out 8 over his 4 innings of work and Davenport, Gettys, Trabacchi, and Propst all struck out 2 respectively.

Empire State will look to take the series tomorrow night in Evansville at 5:05 CST.