Wingnuts Sign Third Major League Arm
April 5, 2013 - American Association (AA)
Wichita Wingnuts News Release
WICHITA, KS- The Wichita Wingnuts signed pitcher Jon Link on Friday.
Link appeared in nine games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010 while spending most of last season at the Triple-A level. A right-hander, Link was 1-2 with three saves and a 3.48 ERA for the Baltimore Orioles' Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk, VA. Link was even better at the end of the season for the Pacific Coast League's New Orleans Zephyrs (Miami Marlins), earning seven saves and pitching to a 0.75 ERA in 11 appearances.
"Jon is yet another guy who has Major League experience that we have added to our staff," said Wingnuts' manager Kevin Hooper. "He has had great success as a reliever in his career, and is willing to come and fill out a spot in our rotation if it helps make our team better. I commend him for that. He is another guy who will bring tremendous experience and leadership to our team, both on and off the field."
Link had a 4.15 ERA in nine relief appearances for the Dodgers in 2010. The Columbus, OH native made his Major League debut on April 20th of that season with two shutout relief innings against the Cincinnati Reds. During his time in the Majors, Link recorded outs against Matt Holliday, Buster Posey, and Albert Pujols. He joins Mike Burns and Chris Smith as former Major Leaguers who are all expected to join the Wingnuts' rotation.
Link enters his ninth season of professional baseball and was originally drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 26th round out of Bluefield College (Bluefield, VA) in 2005. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Link is 25-21 in his career with 93 saves and a 3.82 ERA over 377 appearances. The 29-year-old Link has averaged 8.63 strikeouts per nine innings in 466.0 lifetime frames, and has finished in the top-10 in his league in saves on three occassions. The veteran right-hander has averaged 41 saves per 162 games in his career, and was named the Double-A Southern League's Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2008 with the Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox). During his time in the White Sox' organization, Link was a teammate of recently-signed Wingnuts' catcher Cole Armstrong.
Link gives the Wingnuts 23 players officially under contract for the 2013 season. American Association teams may carry up to 28 players during spring training, which begins May 4th.
2013 Wingnuts Signings
OF David Amberson
C Cole Armstrong
IF Blake Bergeron
C Kieran Bradford
RHP Mike Burns
LHP Anthony Capra
RHP Josh Dew
RHP Lincoln Holdzkom
2B Jake Kahaulelio
SS Ryan Khoury
LHP Kristhiam Linares
RHP Jon Link
IF/OF Jared McDonald
3B Abel Nieves
OF Derek Perren
LHP Daniel Schmidt
RHP Bryce Shafer
RHP Chris Smith
IF Marc Tarantola
RHP Kyle Wahl
LHP Nick Walters
C Stephen Yoo
1B C.J. Ziegler
The 2013 season of Wichita Wingnuts baseball begins Thursday, May 16th against the Kansas City T-Bones at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. Prior to the game, a ceremony honoring the life of bench coach Brian Rose will take place.
Beginning this season, fans can use cash at all points of sale in Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. Debit and credit cards will still be accepted. Fans can resolve outstanding balances on cash cards from previous years until June 1st, 2013.
For season tickets, group outings, or party packages, call the Wingnuts' main office at (316) 264-NUTS, or visit the Wingnuts' official website at www.wichitawingnuts.com.
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American Association Stories from April 5, 2013
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