Hard-Throwing Right Handers Become Pen Pals with Wingnuts

May 1, 2015 - American Association (AA)
Wichita Wingnuts News Release


WICHITA, KS (May 1, 2015) - There is a saying in baseball that a team can never have enough quality arms. The Wichita Wingnuts clearly have subscribed to that philosophy while building their 2015 roster. With a bullpen already full of talented pitchers of all varieties, the club added a couple of fireballers on Friday in Daniel Carela and Scott Shuman.

The 27-year old Carela will be entering his seventh season of pro baseball and his third in independent ball. In each of his two previous stops in the indy ball circuit he didn't last a full season before having his contract purchased by a Major League club. The imposing hurler features a fastball that hovers in the mid-90s and has reached triple digits on a few occasions.

Carela was signed by the New York Mets in 2009 as a non-drafted free agent following a college career at Wallace State Community College in Alabama. After two impressive seasons at the lower levels of the Mets' system, he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for 2011. The native of New York City appeared in 17 games that season prior to being released and making his first trip to the Frontier League in 2012.

With the Joliet Slammers, he came out of the bullpen for 36 games and finished with a 2-2 record. Carela finished 10 games and earned one save while posting an earned run average of 3.00. In 36.0 innings he struck out 41 opposing batters and walked 23. His velocity and solid numbers earned him another chance with the Dodgers, who picked him up in August for the remainder of the Minor League campaign. He began 2013 with the Dodgers before finishing the year in High-A Clearwater with the Philadelphia Phillies.

He was in camp with the Cleveland Indians to open last season, but dealt with an ankle injury that limited his effectiveness and ultimately led to his release.  After briefly considering retirement, he was talked into continuing his career by the Windy City ThunderBolts of the Frontier League. Serving as the team's closer he was successful in seven of eight save opportunities and posted a 2.28 ERA in 26 appearances and struck out 39 batters in just 27.2 innings. His great numbers caught the eye of the Atlanta Braves in late August and they purchased his contract from the ThunderBolts. Carela began this spring in Atlanta's camp, but was released prior to the MiLB season commencing.

He owns a career 9-9 record and a 3.72 ERA in 141 games, 139 of them in relief. He has averaged over ten strikeouts per nine innings on the mound.

Shuman, on the other hand, has spent the entirety of his five year career in affiliated ball up until this point. He was a 23rd round selection of the Milwaukee Brewers out of high school in 2006, but chose to attend SEC power Auburn University instead. After three years with the Tigers, Shuman was again taken in the 2009 MLB Draft, this time by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 19th round.

The 27-year old right-hander got his professional career off to a great start with the Rays rookie ball affiliate at the end of the 2009 season. In 22.0 innings, Shuman allowed just two earned runs and struck out 29 opponents. That performance earned him a promotion to Single-A Bowling Green in 2010. The progression continued at the same rate in each of the next two seasons as he advanced to High-A Charlotte in 2011 and then Double-A Montgomery in 2012.

With a fastball consistently registering in the mid-90s on the radar gun and a knack for racking up big strikeout numbers, Shuman was a sought after prospect. This lead to his selection by the San Francisco Giants in the Minor League portion of the Rule 5 Draft in 2012. The native of Valdosta, Georgia spent the entire 2013 campaign with the Double-A affiliate of the Giants in Richmond where he finished with an ERA of 9.51 in 23.2 innings. He was released following the season and did not play in 2014.

For his career, Shuman owns a 4-10 record and a 4.89 ERA in 156 games, all out of the bullpen. He has finished 98 games and saved 19, while striking out 322 batters over 206 innings, an average of just over 14 whiffs per nine frames.

The addition of Carela and Shuman increases the 2015 roster to 25 members. The roster can include up to 28 players until two days prior to the start of the regular season when the active roster must be trimmed to 22. The eighth season of Wichita Wingnuts baseball begins on Thursday, May 21st in Joplin, with the home opener against the Winnipeg Goldeyes taking place on Tuesday, May 26th. For information on season tickets, group outings, and party packages, call the Wingnuts' main office at (316) 264-NUTS, or visit the Wingnuts' official website at www.wichitawingnuts.com.



American Association Stories from May 1, 2015


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