Ottawa Lynx Announce 2006 Roster

Published on March 31, 2006 under International League (IL1)
Ottawa Lynx News Release


OTTAWA - With the Ottawa Lynx season only six days away, the Ottawa Lynx are pleased to announce 18 of the 23 players who will leave the Orioles Minor League Camp in Sarasota, Florida as members of the Ottawa Lynx. Of the 18 players, 12 come to Ottawa with Major League experience and nine have played with the Lynx previously.

The lineup will be a mixture of youth and experience, and features a group of hitters with impressive resumes.

In the infield, first-baseman ALEJANDRO FREIRE (FRAY-day) returns to the Lynx after hitting .299 with a team-leading 19 homers and 69 RBI in 106 games for Ottawa. At the time of his first Major League call-up in August, Freire was on pace to break the Lynx single season record for homers. Slugger ANDY TRACY will also see time at first base. Tracy comes back to Ottawa after spending parts of the 2000 and 2001 seasons with the Lynx. Known for his big bat, Tracy is one year removed from a career season where he hit .315 with 33 homers and 120 RBI in 126 games with the Triple-A Colorado Spring Sky Sox. EDDY GARABITO, who hit .307 in 42 games with the Colorado Rockies last year rejoins the Lynx after spending the 2003 and 2004 seasons in Ottawa. Newcomer BRANDON FAHEY will patrol shortstop for the Lynx. Fahey, 25, comes to Ottawa after a great season at Double-A Bowie, where he hit .291 with 17 steals in 139 games.

The Ottawa outfield will be equally impressive. Returning to the Lynx is NAPOLEON CALZADO, who will also see time in the infield. Calzado, 29, was 8th in the International League in hitting last year, batting .308 with a career high 11 homers. Keith Reed, who hit .292 with 8 homers and 37 RBI in 80 games last season for Ottawa, will showcase his fine defense in right field again this year for the Lynx. VAL MAJEWSKI (my-ess-kee) will make his first Triple-A appearance when he suits up for the Lynx. Majewski, 24, is looking to rebound after missing the entire 2005 season while he recovered from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The Freehold, New Jersey native was named the Orioles Minor League Player of the Year in 2004 after hitting .307-15-80 at Double-A Bowie, and is rated as the Orioles 10th best prospect by Baseball America. Speedster ESIX SNEAD will cause havoc on the bases with his aggressive play. The switch-hitting outfielder has led the International League in steals in each of the last three seasons, and stole 46 in 95 games for Richmond in 2005.

The Lynx pitching staff will be anchored by RHP JOHN STEPHENS. Stephens returns for this third tour of duty with the club. Stephens, 26, will be a member of the Lynx starting rotation and hopes to begin the 2006 season in the same manner he finished 2005, when he was named IL Pitcher-of-the-week on August 28th. Stephens, who won a silver medal in baseball for his native Australia in the 2004 Olympics, recently competed in the World Baseball Classic for his home country. RHP ANDY MITCHELL comes off a record-setting year with the Lynx, when he set a franchise mark for consecutive wins in a season by compiling an 8-0 record out of the Lynx bullpen. RHP CHRIS PIERSOLL, who pitched in nine games for the Lynx last year, and RHP JULIO MANON, a member of the 2002 Ottawa squad, will also be familiar to Lynx fans.

Rounding out the Lynx pitching staff will be two right-handers and four southpaws. Hard-throwing RHP WINSTON ABREU (2-3, 6.48 at Triple-A Tucson) joins former Toronto Blue Jays RHP BRIAN BOWLES (4-7 in 46 games in the Independent Atlantic League) from the right side. LHP KURT BIRKINS (7-11, 3.91 in 26 games at Double-A Bowie), LHP BRIAN BURRES (9-6, 4.20 at Double-A Norwich of the San Francisco organization), LHP FRANKLYN GRACESQUI (gruh-sess-kee) (0-0, 4.41 in 19 games in the Florida Marlins organization) and LHP SCOTT RICE (4-1, 3.27 in 57 games at Bowie) round out the pitching staff.

The current 18 man playing roster of the Lynx is as follows:

Pitchers (10): RHP Winston Abreu, LHP Kurt Birkins, RHP Brian Bowles, LHP Brian Burres, LHP Franklin Gracesqui, RHP Julio Manon, RHP Andy Mitchell, RHP Chris Piersoll, LHP Scott Rice, RHP John Stephens

Infielders (4): Brandon Fahey, Eddy Garabito, Alejandro Freire, Andy Tracy

Outfielders (4): Napoleon Calzado, Val Majewski, Keith Reed, Esix Snead

The Lynx open their 2006 season in on Thursday, April 6th at 6:05 pm when they take on the Louisville Bats.

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