Pacifics Left-Handed Pitcher Brian Gump Acquired by St. Paul Saints
August 10, 2012 - North American League (NAmL)
San Rafael Pacifics News Release
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - San Rafael Pacifics left-handed starter Brian Gump has been acquired by the St. Paul Saints of the American Association on Thursday, and will make his final start of the season for San Rafael on Friday, Aug. 10, against the Sonoma County Grapes at Albert Park.
The Westminster, Calif., native has started 10 games for the Pacifics during the 2012 season, and is tied or leads the pitching staff in most starts (10), strikeouts (58), and his 2.47 ERA is best amongst Pacifics starters. Gump is 5-2 this season, and has pitched 65 2/3 innings, while allowing just 62 hits and only 15 walks. Opposing hitters are batting just .246 against the lefty, who's in his first year of pitching as a professional.
Selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 26th round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft out of Cal State Santa Barbara, Gump was originally an outfielder. He finished the 2009 season hitting .292 with four home runs and 21 RBIs. In 2010, Gump finished the season with Clearwater (High A, Philadelphia) hitting .183 in 22 games. Gump hit .217 with five home runs and 22 runs batted in in 86 games for Clearwater in 2011.
In 2012, Gump decided to give pitching a shot in an attempt to lengthen his playing career.
"It was a pretty instantaneous decision for me to go to pitching," Gump told the Marin Independent Journal in a July interview. "I always in the back of my head thought that I should have been a pitcher. I threw two innings with the Phillies of mop-up time and did really well with that. A lot of instructors pulled me aside and said 'Hey if hitting doesn't work out, you should try pitching.'"
The lefty is also the official blogger of the Pacifics, chronicling his 2012 season for fans, family and friends. You can read his recent posts at www.onthebumpwithgump.wordpress.com.
The current inception of the Saints was formed in 1993 in the independent Northern League, owned in part by comedian and actor Bill Murray. St. Paul now plays in the North Division of the American Association, which was formed in 2005. The team plays at Midway Stadium, based in St. Paul, Minnesota.
" The entire Pacifics organization is happy and excited for Brian," said Pacifics Director of Operations, Theo Fightmaster. "Brian has been a class act on and off the field for us. We're going to miss him, but we know this is the next chapter of his career, and we wish him the best."
Tickets to Gump's final start are available at Pacificsbaseball.com, as the Pacifics take on the Sonoma County Grapes at 7:30 p.m. The first 500 fans will receive a Pacifics reusable water bottle, presented by Bradley Real Estate. For more information, visit www.Pacificsbaseball.com, follow the Pacifics on Twitter.com, @SRPacifics, and like them on facebook.com at www.facebook.com/sanrafaelpacifics. Fans can also follow Gump on Twitter @BrianDGump.
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