Two More Rookie Arms Sign With Bums
Published on January 27, 2010 under Frontier League (FL)
Traverse City Beach Bums News Release
Traverse City MI-- The Traverse City Beach Bums have announced the signing of LHP Bryan Gardner and RHP Andrew Paulauskas, who despite having four combined years of professional experience between them, are both considered rookies by Frontier League standards.
Gardner is a 5'11" 190-pound lefty out of Fairport, New York, and was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 34th round of the 2008 MLB draft out of Ithaca (NY) College. As a senior at Ithaca, Gardner made 21 appearances out of the bullpen, pitching 33 innings with an incredible 62 strikeouts, seven saves, and 1.64 ERA. In two seasons in the Reds system, Gardner recorded 58 strikeouts in 56 innings, but struggled with his control, walking 46. Gardner is most effective against left-handed hitters, holding lefties to just a.224 average (11-64) in his pro career, giving up just two doubles and no home runs over that stretch.
"Gardner is a power-arm from the left-side with a lot of potential," said Beach Bums' Director of Baseball Operations Jason Wuerfel. "There are a lot of veteran left-handed bats in the Frontier League, and you need a guy like Gardner to be able to come out of the bullpen and shut those guys down. We believe he can be very effective at our level."
Paulauskas, who will turn just 21 in April, was drafted in the 7th round by the Florida Marlins in 2007 out of Kenosha Tremper High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he was named the Player of the Year for the state of Wisconsin by Louisville Slugger. The 6'3" 190-pound righty was one of the premier high school arms in the county and a Marlins top prospect before being sidelined with mono and missing a good part of the 2008 season. After sitting out the 2009 season to fully recover, he is healthy and ready to resume his career.
"Paulauskas is a good sign," said Wuerfel. "You don't get drafted in the 7th round by mistake. At one time Paulauskas was a highly coveted by many Major League teams and thought of as a future big leaguer. We think he has the chance of being a big surprise in the Frontier League in 2010."
The Traverse City Beach Bums are entering their fifth season of play in 2010, with the home opener scheduled for Friday, May 28th versus the Oakland County Cruisers. The Beach Bums will play 54 of their 96 games at home in 2010. Season tickets are now on sale -- please phone 231-943-0100.
Frontier League Stories from January 27, 2010
- Two More Rookie Arms Sign With Bums - Traverse City Beach Bums
- Lisk Among Returners To Grizzlies 2010 Roster - Gateway Grizzlies
- Crushers Build Roster With Returning Players - Lake Erie Crushers
- Normal Cornbelters Announces Player Signings - Normal CornBelters
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
