The
Chillicothe Paints have signed second baseman, Drew Saylor and
southpaw pitcher Tommy Vrzal to contracts for the 2008
season.
Saylor (6-0, 195) was a Louisville Slugger Div. I,
First-Team All-American selection in 2006 after an outstanding
season with the Kent State University Golden Flashes.
He
led the Golden Flashes in four hitting categories: 14 home runs,
20 doubles, 68 RBI, and a .650 slugging percentage. He was second
on the team with a .373 batting average. In 59 games, Saylor
committed just six errors.
Saylor, a native of Wadsworth,
Ohio, was a 13th round draft pick of the Florida Marlins and
after one year in the Marlins' organization, he was traded to the
Houston Astros. He was released by the Astros after the 2007
campaign.
"Drew is an outstanding hitter," said
Paints' manager, Mark Mason. "We are very excited to have
him coming into spring training."
Vrzal, (6-5, 210)
and a native of San Antonio enjoyed an outstanding collegiate
career while hurling for the St. Mary's University Rattlers, a
Division II school in San Antonio, Texas. He posted an impressive
9-1 record during his senior year with a 3.14 ERA. The workhorse
for the Rattlers' staff, he hurled 80.1 innings and recorded 78
strikeouts. He started 13 games and registered five complete
games.
Opponents hit a very weak .194 off Vrzal's
offerings. He was twice named Heartland Conference Pitcher of the
Week in 2007 and was voted 2nd-Team All-South Central
Region.
"Tommy comes to us with very impressive
credentials and high praise from scouts," noted Mason.