Stormers Sign Pair of Outfielders for 2020
Published on March 2, 2020 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Lancaster Stormers News Release
The Lancaster Barnstormers have re-signed slugging outfielder Destin Hood and have also inked former Oakland minor leaguer B.J. Boyd for 2020, it was announced today by manager Ross Peeples.
With the signings, the Barnstormers are up to seven players under contract for the upcoming campaign.
Hood, who turns 30 in April, initially signed with the Barnstormers prior to last season but off-season surgery kept him from playing until July 5. Over a two-week span from July 20-August 3, he was one of the league's most feared hitters, batting .333 (18-for-54) with four doubles, five home runs and 18 RBI while playing in 12 games. The native of the Mobile, Alabama area had an extra-base hit in nine of those games while driving home at least one run in 10 of them. He drove in 36 runs in 33 games played from July 20-August 28.
For the season, the former Miami Marlin batted .224 with nine homers, 16 doubles and 42 RBI while appearing in 58 games.
Hood was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the second round in 2008. The right-handed hitter spent part or all of three seasons in Harrisburg and eventually reached Class AAA Syracuse in 2014, batting .294 with 10 homers in 84 games for Washington's top farm team.
He was picked up by Miami for the 2016 and earned his one big league promotion in September of that year, following an 80-RBI campaign with Class AAA New Orleans. Hood saw action in 13 big league games, batting .240. His lone home run came off the 2016 Cy Young winner Max Scherzer in the final game of the season.
"Destin can help us in many ways with his bat," said Peeples. "He showed flashes last year of what made him a top prospect. He can be fun to watch."
Although primarily an outfielder, Hood is likely to see action at first base in 2020.
Boyd, 26, was Oakland's fourth round pick in 2012. The lefty batting outfielder hit better than .300 in two of his seven seasons in the Oakland system, swinging at a .301 pace with the Rookie level team in Arizona in 2012 and .323 with Class AA Midland in 2017.
In 2018, the native of Palo Alto, California, spent the season at Class AAA Nashville. He hit .271 with three homers and 49 RBI over 105 games. He rapped out 15 doubles and three triples.
Boyd is a career .280 hitter and has stolen 87 bases in his seven seasons.
Last year, he took the season off from baseball, converting to junior college football, playing for the College of San Mateo in his native California.
"B.J. is a player who comes highly recommended to us," said Peeples. "He is a great athlete and, supposedly, a plus runner. He brings a lot to the table, and we will rely on him to anchor one of our outfield spots."
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