RailCats Bolster Relief Corps, Sign Lefty Brad Furnish
May 7, 2010 - Northern League (NL)
Gary SouthShore Railcats News Release
GARY, Ind. - Even two days into training camp, the Gary SouthShore RailCats are not done making moves, today agreeing to terms with former St. Louis Cardinals second round pick Brad Furnish on a contract for the 2010 season.
Furnish, 25, was released late in Spring Training by the Cardinals and brings two years of Double-A experience to the RailCats bullpen. Furnish was primarily a starting pitcher early in his professional career, making 56 starts from 2006-08, but will be slotted to work out of the 'Cats bullpen this summer, as he did for the most part last season with a pair of Cardinals affiliates. In his four year career, Furnish has 21 wins to his credit and has been baffling opponents, who have hit a paltry .243 against him with just 370 hits in 406.0 career innings.
Selected with the 54th overall pick in the 2006 Major League Entry Draft, Furnish had a great deal of success in his first two pro seasons, leading the New York-Penn League with 15 starts in his rookie season and posting a 3.94 ERA. The next year, Furnish began the season at Quad Cities (A) and stymied Midwest League batters, holding opposing hitters to a .191 average and boasting a microscopic 1.02 WHIP.
Furnish finished 2007 and began the 2008 season at Palm Beach (High-A) and made 20 starts there in 2008, going 8-8 with a 5.17 ERA. In a brief call up with Springfield (AA) that summer Furnish was even better, going 1-1 with a 1.64 ERA in four starts. Last season, Furnish again split time between the two stops as both a starter and reliever. The southpaw was especially effective when he worked out of the bullpen the past two seasons with Palm Beach, striking out 24 and allowing only 30 hits in 30.1 IP.
After first enrolling at Nebraska in 2004, Furnish thrived the next two seasons with Texas Christian. As a junior in 2006, Furnish recorded 125 strikeouts in only 100.0 innings, the second-highest single-season strikeout total in TCU history. Included in his fine junior season was a no-hitter, fired against Stephen F. Austin on February 19, 2006, and a mention on the All-Mountain West Tournament Team. An All-State high school pitcher in Allen, Texas, Furnish also played two seasons with the Cape Cod League's Wareham Gatemen.
Furnish's signing gives the RailCats 26 players under contract for the 2010 season and the Northern League maximum 28 players currently under their control. Furnish and the 'Cats will continue camp this with a pair of workouts this weekend before opening the exhibition season Monday, May 10 at 7 p.m. against the St. Paul Saints. Tickets for that game are available for $5 by visiting www.railcatsbaseball.com.
Northern League Stories from May 7, 2010
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