Sports stats



Yuma Scorpions RHP JJ Leaper Acquired by Oakland Athletics

August 4, 2011 - North American League (NAmL)
Yuma Scorpions News Release


Yuma, AZ - The Yuma Scorpions are proud to announce that pitcher JJ Leaper has has his contract purchased by the Oakland A's. The 6'1" right-handed reliever will join the Athletics minor league system after a successful season in Yuma. He is the 16th Scorpion to have his contract purchased by a major league team.

After the New York Mets drafted him in the 38th Round of the 2006 MLB June Amateur Draft, Leaper spent time in both the Mets and Royals organizations, and reached the A+ level before joining the Yuma Scorpions in 2011. He played a total of 31 games in the minors with the Brooklyn Cyclones, St. Lucie Mets, and Burlington Royals.

Leaper, 24, has appeared in 17 games this season and accumulated an impressive 1.39 ERA with the Scorpions. Over 29 innings pitched, he has 31 strikeouts and only 12 walks. Appearing in relief for the Scorpions, Leaper also earned 3 saves. He has been a top reliever this season for Yuma, and will look to expand on that reputation in the A's system. Oakland moved quickly to sign him after his performance on Tuesday night in front of a number of MLB scouts as he blanked the Chico Outlaws and struck out 3 in two innings with a fastball clocked at 95 MPH on the Stalker radar gun.

Leaper joins several other NAL players who have been acquired by MLB teams in the past month, including pitchers Robert Roth and Jim Paduch along with outfielder Chris Lubanski. The NAL is quickly becoming a reliable source for baseball talent, as Leaper is the 12th player sold to a major league team in the North American League's first season.

• Discuss this story on the North American League message board...

North American League Stories from August 4, 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