Bluefish Ink Trio
Published on April 6, 2011 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Bridgeport Bluefish News Release
(Bridgeport, Conn. - April 6, 2011) - The Bridgeport Bluefish today announced the signings of infielders Wes Bankston and Angel Chavez and pitcher Chris Rivera. Bankston and Chavez will make their Atlantic League debuts, while Rivera returns for his second season with the Bluefish.
"Adding two players of Wes' and Angel's caliber, while bringing back a reliable arm in Rivera is tremendous," says Bluefish manager Willie Upshaw. "We look forward to their contributions."
Bankston joins the Bluefish for his 10th season of professional baseball and first in the Atlantic League. In 2010, the slugger split time between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Oklahoma City of the Texas Rangers organization. In 246 combined at-bats, he batted .228 with 19 doubles, five home runs and 32 RBI. The Texas-native has made one stop at the Major League level as a member of the Oakland Athletics in 2008. In 17 games, he recorded 12 hits, including one home run in 59 at-bats. The 27-year-old posted his best season as a professional in 2004 with Charleston (A, Rays) of the South Atlantic League. He batted .289 and posted careers-highs with 23 home runs, 30 doubles, 82 runs scored and 101 RBI. In 881 career minor league games, Wes has batted .273, connected on 134 homers and drove in 576 runs. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the fourth round of the 2002 amateur draft.
Chavez will enter his 12th season of professional baseball and first in the Atlantic League. Last year, the infielder played for the Durham Bulls (AAA) of the Tampa Bay Rays organization. He appeared in 113 games and batted .275 with nine home runs, 55 RBI and 46 runs scored. The 29-year-old has made one stop at the Major League level as a member of the San Francisco Giants in 2005. In 10 games he recorded five hits, with one RBI and a run scored in 19 at-bats. Angel posted his best year as a professional in 2008 with Triple-A Las Vegas (Dodgers) of the Pacific Coast League. He slugged 10 home runs and 31 doubles, with 68 RBI and accomplished career-bests with a .292 batting average, 135 hits, and 41 extra-base hits. In 1,176 career minor league games, the former Major-Leaguer owns a .268 batting average.
Rivera returns to the Bluefish for his second year in the Atlantic League and fifth of professional baseball. 2010 marked a career-year for the righthander, posting a 3.52 ERA with Bridgeport and setting personal bests with 62 appearances, seven wins, 51 strikeouts and 86.1 innings pitched. His 62 games played were also a Bluefish single-season record, surpassing Mike Guilfoyle's previous high of 57 set in 2003. The 27-year-old was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chicago Cubs in 2007 and made his professional debut with Rookie-level Chicago of the Arizona League later that year. Chris would finish the season with Independent Washington of the Frontier League and return to the club for the entire 2008 campaign. The following season, he was signed by the Washington Nationals organization and split time between Hagerstown (A) and Potomac (High-A). In 126 career minor league appearances, Rivera owns a 3.99 ERA with four saves and 123 strikeouts in 194 innings pitched.
Atlantic League Stories from April 6, 2011
- Ducks Add Two Starters - Long Island Ducks
- Former Big League Starter Jerome Williams Added to Staff - Lancaster Stormers
- Crabs Ink a New Broadcaster for the 2011 Season - Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
- Bluefish Ink Trio - Bridgeport Bluefish
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.
