Three More Boost Miners Roster
Published on January 6, 2010 under Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release
MARION, Ill. - The Southern Illinois Miners have added three more players for the 2010 season. Right-handed pitcher Brent DeFoor joins the team after two seasons in the White Sox organization. Infielder Mike Torres has signed with the Miners after finishing his college career at the University of Texas with an appearance in the College World Series, and infielder/outfielder Justin Randall has re-signed with Southern Illinois after playing part of the season with the Miners in 2009.
DeFoor, who will turn 24 on Saturday, finished the 2009 season with triple-A Charlotte. Despite appearing in 32 games over the last two seasons, he is classified as a rookie under Frontier League rules. In two seasons with the Sox organization, DeFoor posted a 2.67 ERA in 54 innings of work. In stops in Bristol and Charlotte last year, opponents hit a combined.198 against him. He has finished the game in 20 of his 32 professional relief appearances and recorded seven saves.
One of the highlights of Brent's 2009 campaign was the opportunity to face one of baseball's most prolific hitters, Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers. DeFoor managed to induce a groundout to third off of the 12-time all-star's bat en route to the save.
"Brent is a strike thrower who can throw three pitches consistently for strikes and has a history of keeping the ball on the ground," Miners Manager Mike Pinto said. "He very well could fit into the mix as part of the rotation or in the latter part of the game. Brent was highly sought after by 20 different independent teams and chose the Miners to continue his career. We are looking forward to seeing him this spring."
Torres was a leader on the Longhorns team that made it to the finals of the College World Series in 2009. He was the team's second leading hitter in both of his seasons with Texas, hitting.354 in 2008 and.298 in 2009. He stole 30 bases in his Texas career and had an on-base percentage of.398. In 2008 he was the 36th toughest player to strike out in Division I baseball, striking out once every 16 at bats. He began his college career with two seasons at USC before transferring to Texas.
"Mike comes to us from one of the top baseball programs in the country," Pinto said. "He plays both second and third base. At Texas he has had some of the finest training available in college baseball and has successfully faced some of the nation's top young pitchers. He not only has great bat control but has a great eye at the plate. I have great confidence that he will impact the Miners lineup this season."
The Miners picked up Randall in the second week of the 2009 season. In a little under a month with the team, he battled through a host of injuries before he was released. When he was healthy in 2008, Randall hit.323 with a.424 on-base percentage in 53 games to start the season with Evansville and was voted to the mid-season all-star team.
"Justin tried to come back early from a serious injury last year and unfortunately wasn't quite ready during his time with us," Pinto said. "He is completely healed now and is working hard to return to the player he was during his all-star season in 2008. When healthy, Justin proved himself to be one of the best hitters in this league. To be able to pick up an experienced rookie who was also an all-star adds considerably more depth and options to our lineup this season."
The Miners will open the season on May 20 at home against River City. For a complete schedule and the latest news on the Miners and events at Rent One Park, visit www.southernillinoisminers.com.
Frontier League Stories from January 6, 2010
- Otters Sign Catcher - Evansville Otters
- Three More Boost Miners Roster - Southern Illinois Miners
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.
