Former Major Leaguers Sign with Blue Crabs
April 9, 2015 - Atlantic League (AtL)
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs News Release
WALDORF, MD - The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs have announced the signings of INF/OF Daryle Ward, OF Fred Lewis, LHP Casey Crosby, INF Casey Stevenson and INF/OF Zach Wilson to the 2015 Blue Crabs roster.
Ward, Lewis and Crosby bring a combined 19 seasons played at the Major League level to the Blue Crabs roster.
Daryle Ward, a Lynwood, Calif. native, played 11 seasons for six different organizations at the Major League level. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 15th round in 1994 and made his debut with the Houston Astros in 1998. His best season came in 2002 with Houston when he recorded a .276 batting average, 12 home runs and 72 runs batted in. His last appearance in the MLB came with the Chicago Cubs in 2008.
The 39-year-old has played throughout independent professional baseball for the past four seasons, including having worn three different Atlantic League uniforms. Ward spent 2014 in the Atlantic League with Somerset before moving on to compete in the Mexican League.
As a Hattiesburg, Miss. native, Fred Lewis spent seven seasons with three different Major League teams. Lewis spent the bulk of his Major League career with the San Francisco Giants, the same organization that drafted him in the 2nd round of the 2002 draft. In four seasons with the Giants, Lewis played a combined 326 games, hitting .282 with 40 runs batted in and swiping 21 bases in 2008. The 34-year-old returns as a familiar face to the Atlantic League. He spent 2014 with Lancaster and Bridgeport, playing a combined 91 games, hitting .259, 6 home runs and 39 runs batted in.
Casey Crosby was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 5th round of the 2007 draft. The 26-year-old spent seven season in the Tigers organization, peaking in 2012 by starting three games for the Tigers, going 1-1 overall. He spent 2014 with Triple-A Toledo in the International League.
Casey Stevenson was a two-time draft pick and played five seasons in the New York Yankees organization. Stevenson is 26 years old and spent the 2014 season in Double-A Trenton and appeared in 50 games.
Two-time MLB draft pick Zach Wilson has been added to the Blue Crabs roster. The 24-year-old was drafted by the Pirates and the Yankees and has spent the last four seasons in the Yankees organization. Wilson spent the 2014 season with Double-A Trenton.
Both Stevenson, and Wilson were teammates in 2011 in Low-A Staten Island.
"I'm really excited about the opportunity to manage all these guys," said Blue Crabs Manager Stan Cliburn. "Ward and Lewis are veterans and true professionals. Crosby adds depth to our pitching staff, and Stevenson and Wilson are both young guys with a ton of talent. They all play the game the right way."
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