Oakland Athletics Acquire Contract of Orange County Flyer LHP Bobby Cramer
Published on February 1, 2009 under Golden Baseball League (GBL) News Release
(Dublin, CA. January 31, 2009) The Golden Baseball League (GBL) announced today that Orange County Flyer LHP Bobby Cramer has had his contract purchased by the Oakland Athletics. The ace of the pitching staff for the 2008 GBL Champion Flyers returns to the Oakland organization where he had such an outstanding year in 2007 in Double A.
Cramer, 29, is a hard throwing left handed pitcher who played in college at Fulleton College and Long Beach State. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 38th round of the 2001 draft, but arm problems led to elbow surgery in 2002. He signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2003 and played two seasons in their organization putting up very good numbers through High-A. Released after the 2004 season, he was out of basball in 2005 and 2006 and was a high school teacher in southern California. Itching to return, he got his arm in shape and contacted Fullerton Flyers manager Garry Templeton. Templeton was impressed and ready to sign him, but a former Devil Rays and now Oakland A's scout, Craig Weissman, remembered Cramer from his Tampa Bay time and had a hole to fill for a lefthanded pitcher in the High-A California League. The A's signed Cramer and sent him right to Stockton where he was dominant going 4-1 in his first 8 starts and striking out 41 while only walking 10 and earning a mid-season promotion to Double A. They moved him to Midland in the Texas League where he continued to baffle hitters as he went 5-1 in seven starts with a 1.89 E.R.A. to finish the regular season and to earn a promotion to Triple A Sacramento for the playoffs. He started Game 5 of the PCL Championship Series and was earmarked to be a key part of the starting rotation for the AAA River Cats in 2008. However, after pitching in Mexico in the winter he developed some shoulder soreness and the A's released him out of spring training. Joining the Orange County Flyers of the Golden Baseball League under skipper Gary Carter, he proved that his arm was as durable as ever as he pitched 92 innings, posted a record of 7-4. was fourth in the league in E.R.A., and struck out 98 while only walking an astonishingly low total of 16. He also threw 5 complete games, something he had never done at the professional level before. He also went 2-0 in the playoffs as the Flyers won the 2008 GBL Championship. This was more than enough to convince Oakland to reacquire the southpaw who will undoubtably have a chance to prove himself at the highest level of their minor league system and perhaps beyond in 2009.
Cramer is the 3rd player from the 2008 Orange County Flyers championship team to be acquired by an MLB team following teammates Troy Cates (Brewers) and Patrick Breen (Angels). After a record of 25 GBL players being purchased by major league organizations in 2008, Cramer is the second in the new year.
About The Golden Baseball League The Golden Baseball League, Presented by Safeway Inc./VONS, is a professional baseball league operating in the western United States, Canada, Mexico. The ten Golden Baseball League teams include the Calgary Vipers in Calgary, Alberta Canada; the Chico Outlaws in Chico, CA; the Edmonton Cracker-Cats in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, the Orange County Flyers in Fullerton, CA; the Long Beach Armada in Long Beach, CA; the St. George Roadrunners in St. George, Utah; the Yuma Scorpions in Yuma, AZ; the Tijuana Potros in Baja California, Mexico; the Tucson Toros in Tucson, AZ; and the Victoria Seals in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Over 80 GBL players have been acquired by major league baseball or professional international baseball organizations during the last four years and over 50 former major leaguers have played in the GBL including MLB All-Stars Rickey Henderson, Jose Canseco, and Felix Jose. For general information, please visit our League web site at www.goldenbaseball.com.
Golden Baseball League Stories from February 1, 2009
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