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AtL Somerset Patriots

Somerset Patriots Sign Pitchers Tyler Herron, Sean Bierman and Anthony Collazo

April 9, 2015 - Atlantic League (AtL)
Somerset Patriots News Release


Bridgewater, NJ - The Somerset Patriots have announced the signings of right-handed pitcher Tyler Herron and left-handed pitchers Sean Bierman and Anthony Collazo.

Herron enters his first season in the Atlantic League and first season with the Patriots. He'll arrive in Somerset with 11 seasons of minor league experience, reaching as high as Triple-A Syracuse last season in the Washington Nationals organization.

Last year, the West Palm Beach, Florida native split time between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse. Overall, Herron went 4-2 with a 3.08 ERA and six saves over 50 appearances.

The former first-round draft pick has spent time in the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Nationals organization, while also appearing in the independent Frontier League and American Association. He owns a 48-41 record with a 3.80 ERA and 17 saves in 231 career appearances (108 starts).

"We expect Herron to come in and compete for a spot in our rotation," Somerset Patriots Manager Brett Jodie said. "He has had success as both a starter and reliever but I think his stuff will play well as a potential starter."

Bierman, a native of Kinnelon, New Jersey, returns to the Garden State for his first season with the Patriots. He brings three seasons of service in the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox and Atlanta Braves organizations.

Only once in his three-year career has Bierman had an ERA over 3.00 in a season (3.65, 2012). The southpaw went 6-5 with a 2.55 ERA in 18 appearances (14 starts) between Single-A Bowling Green and High-A Charlotte in 2013.

The next year, Bierman split time with the Rockland Boulders in the American Association along with the White Sox and Braves systems. Overall, he went 10-7 with a 2.58 ERA in 27 games (18 starts). That included leading the American Association in ERA (2.44) and finishing sixth in wins (8).

The former 10th-round pick is 21-15 with a 2.80 ERA in 58 career appearances (45 starts).

"Bierman has had a lot of success both in Rockland last year and in the minor leagues," said Jodie. "Sean is a strike thrower that goes after hitters and lets his defense work for him. We feel he deserves an opportunity to prove himself at a high level of baseball."

The Patriots bring in another New Jersey native with Collazo (Paterson, N.J.). The southpaw is familiar with independent minor league baseball, having spent all three seasons of his professional career in the Frontier League.

Collazo has been used primarily as a reliever, appearing in 83 games over the past three seasons with just four starts. His best season came last year with Evansville, where he posted a 5-2 record over 35 appearances with a 2.93 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 43.0 innings pitched.

Collazo enters his first season in Somerset with an 11-4 career record, 3.14 ERA and 134 strikeouts over 117.1 innings of work.

"Collazo is a very talented young lefty we have been looking at for a couple years," said Jodie. "He has had great success in the Frontier League, and we are very anxious to get him into our camp to watch him transfer his talents into our league."

For information about the Somerset Patriots 2015 Season, stop by the Ticket Office located at TD Bank Ballpark, call (908) 252-0700, or visit the Patriots on-line at www.somersetpatriots.com.

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