FL Washington Wild Things

Lyndon Poole Signn with Wild Things

April 24, 2012 - Frontier League (FL)
Washington Wild Things News Release


Washington, Pa. - Lyndon Poole was a long-shot to play professional baseball.

After two seasons at Palomar Junior College - outside of San Diego - Poole went undrafted by big-league teams. But after a stint in the Major League Baseball spearheaded Urban Youth Academy, Poole opened some eyes.

He eventually was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers and after three affiliated minor-league and two independent league seasons, Poole is a Washington Wild Thing.

The Wild Things, presented by Washington Financial, acquired Poole, an outfielder, from the Abilene Prairie Dogs of the North American League for a player to be named later.

Poole (6-1, 190) is a 25-year-old right-handed hitter. He is from Riverside, Calif. He spent three years in rookie ball, with the exception of one game for Class AAA Las Vegas.

"He's a heck of a talent," Wild Things' Manager Chris Bando said. "The Dodgers signed him out of the Urban Youth Academy on his raw talent.

"The kid has incredible speed and he has some pop. He has all the tools defensively. From all the reports I have seen and heard he has all the raw talent it takes to be an ideal lead-off man for us this year. We are just hopeful he can put it all together."

Poole played the 2009 and 2010 season in independent ball, including 40 games over two seasons with Schaumburg. He did not play professionally in 2011.

Poole played for the Gulf Coast League Dodgers (Rookie League) in 2006, 2007 and a part of 2008. He also played for Las Vegas in 2008 and Ogden of the Pioneer League (Rookie League). In 2009, he started his independent career with Tucson and then Schaumburg.

In 91 minor-league games, he had 47 hits in 228 at bats with nine doubles, six triples and two home runs.

He was the first player signed out of the UYA, a Compton (Calif.)-based Academy that afforded inner-city players the chance to develop their skills for free.

According to a variety of sources, Poole caught the eyes of scouts there with defensive skills and speed. It has been reported that he jumped off a fence in the outfield to make a catch during a 19-year-old and under tournament there in 2006. He then ran a 6.36 40-yard dash.

In 2009, he attended a Tucson Toros public tryout and impressed enough to sign a contract. He played a total of 40 games for Schaumburg in 2009 and 2010.

Poole joins Wild Things' holdovers Luis Rivera and Doug Thennis in the outfield, along with recently signed James Simmons - who played in the San Francisco Giants' chain. Other outfielders include Allan Boyer, Trevor Pippin and Nick Santomauro. Poole has a chance to replace long-time Wild Thing centerfielder Chris Sidick, who recently retired after a record-setting career with Washington and Frontier League.

The Wild Things open the 2012 season on the road, but will celebrate their home opener May 22-27 with Legends Week. Tickets are available at the CONSOL Energy Park box office.

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Frontier League Stories from April 24, 2012


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