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AtL Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

Blue Crabs Sign Trio of Outfielders

February 25, 2022 - Atlantic League (AtL)
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs News Release


(Waldorf, MD) The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs announced a trio of position player signings on Friday morning. Matt Hibbert returns to Waldorf for his second season with the Blue Crabs and third in the Atlantic League, while Scotty Burcham and Connor Lien join the Crabs as newcomers.

Matt Hibbert joined the Blue Crabs one month into the 2021 season, eventually becoming the starting leftfielder for Southern Maryland. The Long Beach, California native posted a .997 fielding percentage, making just one error throughout the 2021 season. At the plate, Hibbert finished with a .270 batting average and led the Atlantic League in hit by pitches. The crafty veteran was crucial during the Crabs playoff push. After signing Hibbert, Southern Maryland posted the best record in the Atlantic League, 39-28.

Scotty Burcham is a utility player coming to the Blue Crabs from the Colorado Rockies' Triple-A affiliate, the Albuquerque Isotopes. Burcham was originally selected in the 25th round of the 2015 MLB Draft. The 2020 Team Israel Olympian has spent most of his professional career playing middle infield in the Rockies organization, but comes to Southern Maryland with the ability to play anywhere.

Connor Lien is a 27-year-old power hitter with high level experience. The Annapolis, Maryland native was drafted in the 12th round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves. Lien reached as high as the Triple-A level in 2019, but spent most of his career in Double-A with the Mississippi Braves, where he had 236 hits and 37 home runs. After electing free agency in 2019, the defensive star signed with the Seattle Mariners organization at the beginning of the 2021 season, but would finish the year with the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Frontier League. With the ValleyCats, Lien displayed explosive power, belting two homers and a half dozen RBIs in his first four games.

"Matt Hibbert was a stalwart in our lineup in 2021, a key piece to our playoff run. There is nothing Hibbert wouldn't do for his team, he embodies what it means to be a Blue Crab. Like Hibbert, Scotty Burcham and Connor Lien are outfielders that bring proven experience and elite talent to our 2022 roster," said Blue Crabs General Manager, Courtney Knichel.

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