Sports stats

Lynx roster includes familiar faces

March 31, 2007 - International League (IL1)
Ottawa Lynx News Release


OTTAWA -It's fitting that, in this 15th Anniversary season when so much time will be spent reminiscing about the first 14 seasons of Lynx baseball, that the Lynx Opening Day roster include some blasts from the past.

Outfielders Ron Calloway, Lou Collier and Pedro Swann will both embark on their second go-around in the Nation's Capital. They'll be joined by catchers Jason Jaramillo and Dusty Wathan, infielders Brent Abernathy, Gary Burnham, Brennan King, Carlos Leon and Danny Sandoval, outfielders Chris Roberson and Jim Rushford and pitchers Joe Bisenius, Eude Brito, Fabio Castro, Matt Childers, Jim Crowell, Kane Davis, John Ennis, J.A. Happ, Yoel Hernandez, Brian Mazone, Justin Miller and Brian Sanches.

RETURNING LYNX

Ron Calloway, 30, who played in Ottawa in 2001 and 2002, is veteran of 10 professional seasons, Calloway hit .288 with four home runs and 49 RBI in 114 games for Triple-A Pawtucket in 2006. The 30-year-old spent 2003 and part of 2004 with the Expos where he compiled a .224 average with 10 home runs and 62 RBI in 172 Major League games.

Lou Collier, 33, has a career .297 average in the Minor Leagues as well as 76 HR, 485 RBI and 170 stolen bases. Collier stood out with the Lynx in 2002 when he hit .316 with 6 HR and 52 RBI and a team-leading 6 triples in 89 games. His last season in the International League was with the Phillies' former Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2004. That season, Collier hit .326 with 14 HR and 66 RBI. Collier has also played in the Major Leagues with Montreal and Philadelphia and played the past two seasons in Korea.

Pedro Swann, 36, was the Most Valuable Player on that 2003 Lynx team that won the IL Wild Card and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1995. He also played in Ottawa in 2004. Swann spent last season between four teams, including the Phillies' former Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In all, he hit .305 with 14 home runs and 79 runs batted in for the season. Swann is a career .289 hitter in the Minors and has played in the Major Leagues with Atlanta, Toronto and Baltimore.

CATCHERS

Jason Jaramillo, 24, is a rising star in the Phillies system. Known as an excellent defensive catcher, he spent most of last season at Double-A Reading, where he hit .248 with 6 HR and 39 RBI.

Dusty Wathan, 33, is a veteran of 13 professional seasons. Primarily a catcher, Wathan can also play first base. Last season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he hit .239 with 5 HR and 27 RBI. He played three games in the Major Leagues in 2002 with the Kansas City Royals.

INFIELDERS

Brent Abernathy, 29, is a career .301 hitter in the Minor Leagues and has played 232 Major League games with Tampa Bay (2001-2003), Kansas City (2003) and Minnesota (2005). He spent all of last season with Nashville of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, hitting .287 with 5 HR and 42 RBI.

Gary Burnham, 32, was Double-A Reading's MVP last season, leading the club in HR (16) and RBI (60). Going into his 11th professional season, Burnham is a career .291 hitter in the Minor Leagues and is Reading's career HR leader. He has previously played in the International League with Syracuse (2002, 2003), Louisville (2004) and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (2006).

Brennan King, 26, played for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2006. He hit .261 with 12 home runs and 48 RBI in 97 games for the Red Barons, including hitting a natural cycle on July 14, capping it off with a grand slam.

Carlos Leon, 27, has played at the Triple-A level in each of the past two seasons. Leon can play shortstop, second base and third base and has a .264 career minor league batting average over 10 minor league seasons.

Danny Sandoval, 27, has been called up to the Phillies in each of the past two seasons, compiling 31 games in the Majors. He spent most of last season with the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hitting .255 with 2 home runs and 39 runs batted in. Sandoval is a career .281 hitter in ten Minor League seasons.

OUTFIELDERS

Chris Roberson, 27, made his Major League debut last year, playing 57 games with the Phillies. The former 9th-round pick hit .292 at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season, stealing 25 bases in 74 games. He is a career .281 hitter over six Minor League seasons.

Jim Rushford, 32, split the season between the Phillies affiliates in Reading and Scranton. He combined for a .268 average with 4 home runs and 53 runs batted in. Rushford is a career .303 hitter in the Minor Leagues and made his Major League debut in 2002 with Milwaukee.

PITCHERS

Joe Bisenius, 24, went 8-3 with a 2.25 ERA in 51 combined games between Single-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading in 2006. The 24-year-old compiled 95 strikeouts in 84.0 innings (10.2 SO/9.0 IP). Bisenius was originally a 12th-round selection by the Phillies in the 2004 draft.

Eude Brito, went 10-8 with a 3.17 ERA (7th in the International League) for the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season. He was second in the IL in complete games and third in shutouts and pitched 5 games for the Phillies.

Fabio Castro, 22, spent most of last season in the Phillies' bullpen, accumulating a 0-1 record with a 1.54 ERA. He opened the season with Texas and rehabbed a groin injury at Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Oklahoma before being traded to the Phillies at the end of June.

Matt Childers, 28, is a ten-year veteran who has played in the Majors with Milwaukee (2002) and Atlanta (2005). He split last year between Triple-A Columbus and Double-A Trenton. Originally a ninth-round selection by the Brewers, he signed with the Phillies this January.

Jim Crowell, 32, is a 12-year veteran of professional baseball who has had three stints in the Majors with Cincinnati (1997), Philadelphia (2004) and Florida (2005). Last year with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he had a 2-3 record with 2 saves and a 3.67 ERA.

Kane Davis, 31, has spent parts of four seasons in the Major Leagues with Cleveland, Milwaukee, Colorado and the New York Mets. Operating exclusively out of the bullpen since the 2000 season, Davis spent last season with Somerset in the independent Atlantic League.

John Ennis, 27, picked up 13 saves between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo last season. The nine-year veteran has pitched with both Atlanta (2002) and Detroit (2004) in the Major Leagues.

J.A. Happ, 24, is the eighth-best prospect in the Phillies system, according to Baseball America. The young lefty was also judged to have the best changeup and the best control among Phillies minor leaguers. Last year, between Single-A Clearwater, Double-A Reading and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Happ had a career-high 162 strikeouts and allowed only 48 walks in 160.2 innings.

Yoel Hernandez, 26, was limited to nine games last season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He was effective, with a 1.74 ERA and 8 strikeouts over those nine games (10.1 innings). He has a 3.44 ERA over his eight professional seasons.

Brian Mazone, 30, was Scranton's Pitcher of the Year last season, scoring a 13-3 record with a minuscule 2.03 ERA in 20 games after his call-up from Double-A Reading. The lefthander led the team both in wins and in ERA in his first season of Triple-A baseball.

Justin, Miller, 29, is a former Blue Jay, having pitched in Toronto in 2002, 2004 and 2005. He was 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in five games with Durham last season before being released. He is 43-32 with a 3.57 ERA in 150 Minor League games.

Brian Sanches, 28, is a veteran of eight professional seasons. Last year, with the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Sanches went 3-2 with a 1.85 ERA over 36 games, all in relief. His stellar season earned him his first big-league call-up, going 0-0 with a 5.91 ERA in 18 games with the Phillies.

The Ottawa Lynx will open the 2007 season, their first season as the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, in Rochester on April 6th. The Lynx home opener is scheduled for April 17th against the Charlotte Knights at 7:05pm. The Lynx Box Office will be open Monday, April 2nd at 10 am. Ticket information can be found at www.ottawalynx.com or by calling 613 747-LYNX (5969).



International League Stories from March 31, 2007


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 Ottawa Lynx Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central