SAL1 Jersey Shore BlueClaws

Seven Former BlueClaws to Play in 2009 World Baseball Classic

Published on February 26, 2009 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Jersey Shore BlueClaws News Release


LAKEWOOD, N.J. - The Lakewood BlueClaws will have seven former players representing four different countries in the 2009 World Baseball Classic when play begins on March 5th. The final rosters have been set and differ slightly from the 45-man provisional rosters that had previously been released.

Joel Naughton, Drew Naylor and Brad Harman will represent Australia, Jack Santora will play for Italy, Carlos Ruiz and Avelino Asprilla will represent Panama and Victor Moreno will play for Venezuela.

"It is great to see so many of our former players representing their countries on such a global stage," said BlueClaws General Manager Geoff Brown. "We wish them the best of luck as they compete against the best players in the world."

Naughton, a native of Melbourne, Australia, played two seasons for the BlueClaws, 2007 and 2008. In his second year, the catcher was named to the mid- season All-Star team and finished the season with a .275 average. He was recently added to the Phillies 40-man roster.

Naylor, also a Melbourne native, spent part of 2008 in Lakewood where he made 14 starts as a pitcher. Naylor recorded five wins and a 2.99 ERA in 87 1/3 innings before being promoted to Clearwater. He was also a South Atlantic League mid-season All-Star.

Harman, another Melbourne native, spent 2005 in Lakewood where he hit .303 with 58 RBIs. An infielder, Harman was promoted to the Major Leagues in 2008 and collected his first career hit, a double.

Santora, a native of Monterey, California, has ties to Italy and will represent them in the WBC. He spent part of 2003 in Lakewood where he played in 17 games before moving to the Padres organization.

Ruiz, a native of Chiriqui, Panama, played 73 games for the BlueClaws in 2001 where he hit .261. This past season, Ruiz played 117 games as the Phillies starting catcher en route to the team's first World Series title since 1980.

Asprilla, from Panama City, Panama played for the BlueClaws in 2006 and appeared in 99 games during the championship season. An infielder, he hit .242 with 23 doubles and 12 stolen bases that year.

Moreno, from Puerto Cabello, Venezuela was signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1997 and appeared in Lakewood in 2002. With the BlueClaws, Moreno played in seven games and did not allow a run in 10 innings pitched.

Former BlueClaws LHP RJ Swindle (Canada, 2006), RHP Scott Mitchinson (Australia, 2006-07), RHP Carlos Carrasco (Venezuela, 2006) and OF Mike Spidale (Italy, 2006) were all on provisional 45-man rosters but not on the final active rosters. First baseman Ryan Howard (2002) and LHP Cole Hamels (2003) declined an invitation to play for Team USA.

The World Baseball Classic was first held in 2006 and will be held this year before being played once every four years. The inaugural WBC was won by Japan who headlines a field of 16 teams that will compete in a round-robin tournament. The WBC is the first international baseball tournament to include professional players among its participants.

The Lakewood BlueClaws welcomed 425,166 fans to FirstEnergy Park during the 2008 season which upped their eight-season total to 3,595,378. They have led the South Atlantic League in average or overall attendance in each of their eight seasons.

The team recently announced that all children ages 12 and under, will eat for free at every 2009 home games.

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South Atlantic League Stories from February 26, 2009


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