Lincoln Saltdogs
Saltdogs Sign Patton, Ruwe
02/28/07 - American Association (AA) Lincoln Saltdogs
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LINCOLN, NEB. - As the process of building the team for 2007 begins in earnest, the Lincoln Saltdogs have re-signed a pair of long-time Dogs in second-baseman Josh Patton and RHP Kyle Ruwe.
Entering his 11th-year in pro baseball, Patton will be playing in his fifth season with the Saltdogs. In that time, he has played in 379 of a possible 380 games, including the playoffs, most recently as the team's everyday second-baseman. In helping Lincoln to a 65-31 record in 2006, he hit .326 with 11 homeruns and 64 runs driven in. He also collected 121 hits with 26 doubles and a team-high 45 walks. Patton has hit over .300 in each of his four previous seasons with the Saltdogs and has recorded more walks than strikeouts in eight of the last ten seasons he's played.
"I'm happy to be back for another season in Lincoln," Patton said. "This is the best place I've played in my career and it's become my home. Haymarket Park is great. The fans are great. After all these years in pro ball, you can't help but have fun when you play here everyday. Now it's time to go out and win a championship."
A native of Okeana, Ohio, Patton played collegiately at Western Kentucky and then began his career with Thunder Bay (Ont.) of the Northern League in 1997. He then spent four years with Sioux City before moving to Fargo for the 2002 season. The 31-year-old now makes his home in Lincoln.
Ruwe joined the Saltdogs midway through the 2005 campaign and finished his rookie season with a 6-3 record and a 3.40 ERA. One of the most durable pitchers in the American Association, the Sunrise, Fla., native put together a 10-6 record last year with a 3.91 ERA in 41 appearances that included a complete game shutout victory.
The Saltdogs begin the 2007 season on May 10 at Pensacola with the home opener set for May 22 against St. Joe. For team and ticket information, go to Lincoln Saltdogs.
The Fort Worth Cats have signed left-handed pitcher Ryan Weems to a contract for the 2007 season, it was announced today.
Weems in 2006 was 3-9 with a 5.80 ERA in 20 starts. He worked 104 innings, struck out 75 and walked just 39. He was the team's opening-day starter, defeating Shreveport on May 11, 2006 at LaGrave Field.
He was named the Central League's Left-handed Pitcher of the Year in 2005 after compiling a 9-4 record with a 3.71 ERA in 20 starts. In 123 2/3 innings, he struck out a team-high 128 batters. At LaGrave Field in 2005 was 8-1 with a 2.78 ERA.
After a successful college career at TCU, Weems made his professional debut in 2004, making nine starts and compiling a 5-2 record with a 4.22 ERA for the Cats.
The Fort Worth Cats have signed right-handed pitcher Scott Layfield to a contract for the 2007 season, it was announced today.
Layfield, 30, was 4-1 with a 3.86 ERA last season for Bridgeport in the Atlantic League. He appeared in 52 games, all in relief and worked 49 innings, striking out 26 and walking 23.
He was out of baseball from 2004-05 after appearing in 22 games in 2003 for Triple-A Memphis in the Cardinals organization. That season he was 0-3 with a 4.33 ERA with two saves. In 2002, he posted a 6-4 record with a 2.35 ERA while pitching for Double-A New Haven. That year he had 24 saves, second most in the Eastern League.
He led the Carolina League in saves in 2001 with 31 for Potomac.
Layfield was originally drafted by St. Louis in the 20th round of the 1999 draft. He played college baseball at Valdosta State and was born in Americus, Ga.
The Fort Worth Cats have signed right-handed pitcher Cory Walters to a contract for the upcoming season. Walters was the 2006 American Association Right-Handed Pitcher of the Year.
In his first season with the Cats, Walters led the league in wins (14) and strikeouts (111). He posted a 3.08 ERA in 131 2/3 innings pitched and walked just 25 batters. His ERA was fifth best in the league. He was honored twice as the American Association's Pitcher of the Week (June 25 & July 16) and took home Pitcher of the Month honors in August when he was 4-0 with a 1.82 ERA.
Walters was 1-1 in three playoff starts, including a no-decision in Game 3 of the Championship Series in which he went 11 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on six hits.
Walters was acquired by the Cats on Jan. 26, 2006 in a trade with Winnipeg in the Northern League in exchange for future considerations.Walters, who never appeared in a game with Winnipeg, spent the 2005 season with Sioux Falls where he was 4-8 with a 3.68 ERA in 23 games. Walters made 16 starts and worked 120 innings. He was traded to Winnipeg on Nov. 17, 2005 in exchange for an infielder.
He split the 2004 campaign between Sioux Falls and St. Paul, compiling an overall 10-5 record. After just four games with St. Paul, Walters joined Sioux Falls and posted a 3.71 ERA in 22 games, pitching a career-high 131 innings. His 10 combined wins were fourth most in the Northern League.
Walters' career began in 2002 with Lincoln in the Northern League where he was 6-5 with a 3.72 in his rookie season. After nearly two years with the Saltdogs, he was traded to St. Paul in August 2003.
A native of Winnie, Texas, Walters, 26, played college baseball at Sam Houston State.
The stadium will be located between Lone Star Park and Nokia Theatre and will feature seating for 6,000 with 4,000 permanent seats, 12 luxury suites and 2,000 lawn/berm seats. With 87,000 square feet under the roof plus the playing field, the ballpark will cater to kids of all ages with a Kidz Zone play area, grill and cigar bar, a swimming pool in the Pool Zone overlooking the field, cocktail bar and soda fountain.
Grand Prairie Baseball Investors (GPBI) will operate the facility and the City of Grand Prairie will own it if voters approve a May 12 proposition to fund the ballpark with a one-eighth cent sales tax. The one-eighth cent sales tax is a proposed reuse of the city's existing one-half cent sales tax with which it built Lone Star Park . The debt to build Lone Star Park will be paid
off in 2007, which is 18 years early, and the sales tax will be available for other uses with voter approval. In addition to the ballpark, voters will decide whether or not to devote another one-eighth cent sales tax for a new active adult/senior center and a one-fourth cent sales tax for a new Police/Fire Headquarters.
GPBI has been approved for an American Association membership and is in the process of hiring a manager and forming a team. Construction on the stadium will start in May, contingent upon the election, with opening planned for May 2008. The architect is Sparks Sports of Tulsa and the builder is JE Dunn Construction. The American Association will play 96 games in the 2008 season from May - August. The Fort Worth Cats are also an American Association member, and a local rivalry is anticipated. A "name the team" contest will be conducted in the coming weeks.
GPBI principals are Roger Christoph and Mark Schuster of Ventura Sports Group, Inc., a company formed to own and operate sports entertainment franchises in North America . The ballpark project was made possible in part to partnerships with Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie for parking and Nokia Theatre in Grand Prairie for co-production of events.
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