Worcester, MA - The
Worcester Tornadoes announced that they have traded Second
Baseman Dominic Ramos to the Brockton Rox in exchange for
Lefthanded Pitchers Kevin Culpepper and Joey Siak. The Tornadoes
have also acquired Lefthanded Pitchers Tom Cochran and Justin
Mattison and Outfielder Jarod Rine from the Washington Wild
Things of the Frontier League in exchange for Righthanded Pitcher
Ryan Mitchell.
Culpepper, 25, a former 9th-round draft
pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2003, spent the majority of the
'07 season with the New Haven County Cutters. In his 11 starts
for the Cutters, he posted a 2-3 record with a 3.68 ERA.
Culpepper allowed 2 earned runs or less in 8 of those 11 starts.
Opposing lefthanded hitters batted just .217 against him.
Siak,
25, has pitched for the North Shore Spirit in each of the last
three seasons. Between the ’06 and ’07 campaigns,
Siak went a combined 9-9 for the Spirit with an excellent 2.99
ERA. Last season, he made 19 starts for North Shore , going 6-3
with a 4.98 ERA.
Cochran, 25, has posted an ERA under 4.00
in both of his seasons with Washington . In 2007, the former
Boston Red Sox farmhand started the season red hot, going 6-1,
3.27 over his first 9 starts of the year. Righthanded batters had
more difficulty with Cochran than lefties, hitting just .225
against him in ’07.
Mattison, 26, was one of the
most dominant relievers in the Frontier League in 2007. In
addition to his excellent 6-1 record and 2.37 ERA, Mattison
averaged better than a strikeout per inning (61 Ks in 57 innings)
in ’07. Opponents hit just .193 with runners in scoring
position and lefties batted a paltry .177 against him last
year.
Rine, 26, is a speedster who hit .275 with 3 home
runs, 32 RBIs and a Frontier League-leading 33 stolen bases in
2007. An excellent defensive outfielder, Rine committed just one
error in 74 games played in the outfield in ’07.
“We’re
thrilled to add five quality players to our roster for 2008,”
said Tornadoes President and General Manager R.C. Reuteman. “A
lack of lefthanded pitching was a weakness for us last year, and
with these two deals, we now have four outstanding southpaws on
our pitching staff.”
Ramos hit .311 with 5 home
runs, and 43 RBIs for the Tornadoes in 2007. He led the team in
games played (92), runs (58), hits (110), total bases (152),
walks (43) and stolen bases (21). His 17-game hitting streak in
’07 is the longest in franchise history. Mitchell made 20
appearances (including 6 starts) for Worcester in 2007, posting a
3-4 record with a 2.35 ERA. Opponents batted .205 against
Mitchell in ’07.