Former Trenton Thunder manager Bill Masse would occasionally refer to the "baseball gods" in his post-game press conferences.

But Trenton officials are praying to the weather gods tonight, hoping that the 14th season of Thunder baseball gets underway tonight without any interruption from Mother Nature.

Trenton fans had a lot to talk about last season, with premier prospects Tyler Clippard and Phil Hughes pitching the Thunder to the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

But with both players having moved on to Triple-A Scranton, the outlook may not be as positive for this year's edition of the Yankees farm team.

Here's a look at the players expected to take the field tonight at Waterfront Park under new manager Tony Franklin:

Catchers: Jason Brown, P.J. Pilittere

The 32-year-old Brown will serve as a mentor to Pilittere, a fellow California native. He hit .302 for Single-A Tampa last season.

Pilittere will replace long-time Thunder backstop Omir Santos, slated to start at Triple-A this year.

Infielders: Aarom Baldiris, Cody Ehlers, Juan Francia, Gabe Lopez, Carlos Mendoza, Ramiro Pena

Ehlers, a first baseman, is really the only prospect out of the group. He put together a monster year in Tampa last season, hitting .298 with 18 home runs 106 RBI. Lopez and Pena will make up the double-play combination; this will be Lopez's third year as Trenton's everyday second baseman, while Pena hopes to stick in his third season with the Thunder after the shortstop hit just .198 last year in limited action.

Outfielders: Matt Carson, Justin Christian, Brett Gardner, Shawn Garrett

The Thunder have a strong outfield this year, with new Thunder single-season stolen base record holder Justin Christian leading the way. However, it's Gardner that Baseball America lists as the fastest baserunner in the Yankees organization.

This will be a make or break year for Carson, who'll round out the starting outfield at age 26. Garrett, a veteran of seven organizations in ten seasons, will likely serve as a fourth outfielder.

Starters: Alan Horne, Jason Jones, Jeff Marquez, Brett Smith, Chase Wright

Marquez (12th), Horne (16th) and Wright (19th) are all listed among Baseball America's Top 30 prospects in the Yankees organization. A lot of eyes will be focused on Horne, a former first-round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians just two years removed from Tommy John surgery.

Jones struggled towards the end of last season with the Thunder, and will likely find himself towards the end of the rotation. While nothing's been made official yet, Wright is expected to get the nod from first-year pitching coach Scott Aldred as the Opening Night starter.

Relievers: Gerardo Casadiego, Michael Gardner, Jeff Kennard, Scott Patterson, Edwar Ramirez, Paul Thorp, Kevin Whelan

Whelan is the best prospect the Thunder have, listed as the eighth best in the farm system by Baseball America. A key part of the November trade that sent Gary Sheffield to the Tigers, he racked up 27 saves last season for Single-A Lakeland. He is expected to be Trenton's closer this season, but is also a likely candidate to be one of the first called up to Triple-A.

Casadiego and Patterson are former indy ball castoffs that pitched well for Trenton last year. Kennard was invited to Spring Training by the Yankees, and made Sportscenter by drilling Sheffield in the hip with a pitch. But Thunder fans will best remember him for being unable to get an out in Game Two of the Eastern League Division Series last year. Thorp also has something to prove to the Trenton faithful, showing up out of shape when he started last season as the team's closer, eventually losing the job to J.B. Cox.

Around the Eastern League: The Harrisburg Senators will have seven players with MLB experience on their Opening Day roster, including pitcher Anastacio Martinez, who appeared in 11 games for the 2004 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox...Jair Jurrjens, one of the hottest pitching prospects in the Tigers organization, will return to Erie this season...Masse's New Hampshire Fisher Cats will feature an eclectic mix; former first rounders Ricky Romero and David Purcey will be on his pitching staff, but so will 36-year-old Jo Matumoto, a Brazilian born player who's never thrown a pitch in North America...One of the top prospects in all of baseball, Andrew McCutchen, will join fellow blue chipper Neil Walker on this year's Altoona Curve. Former Thunder players Randy Ruiz and Dave Parrish are also on the team.