Gateway Grizzlies Manager Phil Warren and his coaching staff remain busy, with less than four months left before spring training, filling the roster for the 2010 season.
Coming off of a disappointing 40-54 season, Warren has currently signed eight returners from 2009.
Leading the pack of returners is All-Star catcher, Charlie Lisk. Lisk, who represented the Grizzlies for his third straight All-Star game, batted .282 in 2009. In 84 games he racked up 14 doubles, two triples, 28 home runs and drove in 82 runs. Lisk finished second in the Frontier League in runs batted in, third in home runs, fourth with a .578 slugging percentage, and fifth in total bases (199) and runs scored (77).
Along with Lisk, the Grizzlies signed utility player Brandon Peters, outfielder Jareck West, catcher Breck Draper, infielder Wilson Matos and pitchers Mark Brackman, Tom Vesely and Collin Brennan.
For Peters, 2009 was arguably his break-out season in professional baseball. In 81 games he hit .289 with 17 doubles, one triple and 11 home runs. Peters drove in 52 runs and stole four bases.
West, an Oakland Athletics farmhand until 2009, used his speedy legs tracking balls in centerfield and on the base paths. West snatched 21 bases in 75 games before an injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season. He batted .254 with 18 doubles, four triples, seven home runs and drove in 40.
Catcher/utility man Breck Draper found himself behind the plate and on the mound during the 2009 season. Offensively, Draper hit .253 in 51 games. He hit nine doubles, one triple, seven home runs and drove in 27. Draper also stole five bases. On the mound he threw 15 and 2/3 innings and did not have a record. Draper struck out nine while walking five and had an ERA of 8.04.
Matos came to the Grizzlies in early August after being released by the Windy City ThunderBolts. During his tenure with the Grizzlies, he batted .265 with three doubles and two home runs. Matos drove in five runs and stole one base.
Returning on the mound for the Grizzlies is right handed pitcher Mark Brackman. Brackman finished the 2009 season with a 6-10 record. In 127 2/3 innings, he struck out 112 while walking only 38.
Along with Brackman, right hander Tom Vesely returns from last year’s staff. Vesely finished the season 1-3 with a 5.33 ERA. In 50 and 2/3 innings, he struck out 47 and walked 28.
Lastly, right hander Collin Brennan will make his return in 2010. Brennan saw limited action in 2009 due to an arm injury. In his 23 1/3 innings, he was 2-1 with a 6.94 ERA. He struck out 30 batters while walking 10.
“I am excited about the core group of players that we have returning,” Grizzlies Manager Phil Warren said. “Obviously there will be several new faces wearing a Grizzlies uniform this summer, but the core that we have coming back will compliment the newcomers nicely.”