Rock Cats Have 5 Player Transactions Over Holiday Weekend

Published on May 31, 2011 under Eastern League (EL1)
New Britain Rock Cats News Release


NEW BRITAIN, CT - The New Britain Rock Cats of the Eastern League had five player transactions over the just-concluded Memorial Day weekend.

The details:

RHP Cole DeVries, the 26-year-old bullpen specialist out of the University of Minnesota, has been promoted to Triple-A Rochester in the International League. The 6'2"/185-pound righty was exceptional in New Britain this season. In 15 appearances for the 2011 Rock Cats, the Eden Prarie, MN resident collected 9 Saves while fanning 33 and issuing just 5 Walks. He departs with a 2.28 ERA with opposing batters hitting just .170 against him.

C Jair Fernandez, the 25-year-old native of Cartegena, Colombia, joins New Britain today from the Minnesota Twins' Extended Spring Training site in Florida where he was rehabbing a hamate bone injury. The 6'1"/175-pound receiver was a solid contributor for the 2010 Rock Cats when he batted .267 over 55 games in Connecticut.

LHP Blake Martin, the 24-year-old southpaw out of Louisiana State University, joins the Rock Cats today from Single-A Ft. Myers in the Florida State League. The 6'2"/182-pound native of Gadsden, AL made 13 appearances out of the Miracle bullpen this season where he was 2-0/3.09 with 1 Save. A late-season addition to the New Britain roster, Martin made 8 bullpen appearances for the 2010 Rock Cats where he finished 0-1/8.10.

RHP Bruce Pugh, the 22-year-old hurler out of Pasadena, MD, joins New Britain today from Ft. Myers in the Single-A Florida State League. The 6'3"/180-pound righty made 16 bullpen appearances for the 2011 Miracle and departed Florida with a W-L record of 2-3, with 9 Saves and a 4.07 ERA. He served as the closer in Ft. Myers and his K/BB ratio was a positive 28:6. No stranger to New Britain, the Hillsborough Community College (MD) product made 2 end-of-season starts for the 2010 Rock Cats and finished 0-2.

LHP Spencer Steedley, the versatile 26-year-old southpaw who has worked as both a starter and reliever this season for the Rock Cats, has been placed on the team's Disabled List with a left elbow strain. The 6'2"/194-pound lefty was removed from last Saturday's game in New Hampshire when he experienced discomfort while pitching in the 7th inning against the Fisher Cats. The Granite Quarry, NC resident goes to the DL with a 2011 record of 2-2 and an ERA of 4.07.

It is expected that all the above active players will be in uniform with their new clubs in time for tonight's action. The Rock Cats host the Portland Sea Dogs - EL partners of the Boston Red Sox - in a Doubleheader at New Britain Stadium tonight with Game 1's first pitch scheduled for 5:05 PM.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Eastern League Stories from May 31, 2011


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.

OurSports Central