Sports stats



Former first rounder "Little Unit" Anderson joins Fightin' Falcons

May 20, 2005 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Surprise Fightin' Falcons News Release


The Golden Baseball League announced today that former Seattle Mariner's first round fire balling left handed pitcher, Ryan Anderson, agreed to terms to play for the Surprise Fightin' Falcons and has now been acquired from the league by the Milwaukee Brewers today after pitching in one spring training game.

Anderson, 25, heralded as the "Little Unit" when he was drafted out of high school in 1997 was a national phenomenon and his resemblance in size and fastball to Randy Johnson put him on the fast track to the major leagues. He ascended to AAA in his first three years before arm problems and multiple surgeries kept him on the sidelines the last three seasons. He was released by Seattle from spring training in April of this year before signing a contract with the Fightin' Falcons.

"We've had him working on the side and in the bullpen for a couple of weeks and he was throwing smooth and easy fastballs at about 86 mph with a nasty curveball," said Ozzie Virgil Jr. "We pitched him this week for an inning in a spring training exhibition game against the San Diego Surf Dawgs and he was un-hittable with his fastball at 93-94 and a curveball that should be illegal."

The Milwaukee Brewers have been keeping an eye on the Surprise team since they acquired catcher Bernard Dennis off of Virgil's squad earlier in the year. They contacted the GBL on May 19th and the two organizations agreed to terms for the Brewers to acquire the contract rights to Anderson immediately. He will be sent to Milwaukee's high-A team in Brevard County to restart his climb through the minors.

"Ryan is a great example of how the independent leagues can provide a second chance for high quality ballplayers" said Kevin Outcalt, Commissioner of the GBL, "Players fall off the track for many different reasons and given a chance to show what they can still do can be a springboard for their careers. We hope to see Ryan in a major league uniform soon as the first GBL alumni to reach the big leagues."

• Discuss this story on the Golden Baseball League message board...

Golden Baseball League Stories from May 20, 2005


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.

Other Recent Surprise Fightin' Falcons Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central