For Immediate Release: April 18, 2008
FREEDOM ADD SPEED, POWER, PLENTY OF ARMS WITH LATEST SIGNINGS
FLORENCE, Ky. - The Florence Freedom have announced the signings of right-handed pitchers Liam Shanahan and Ryan Stadanlick, left-handed pitchers Chris Denton, Chris Ingoglia and Tony Peralta, infielders Eric Brown, Billy Mottram and John Welch, and outfielders Dave Anderson, Scott Dunham, Garth McKinney, Angel Molina and Randy Re.
Peralta, Denton and Standanlick are all projected to compete for spots in the Freedom starting rotation this season. Ingoglia and Shanahan will likely be used out of the bullpen, where they have each spent the majority of their professional careers.
Mottram and Welch will compete with returning third baseman Tim Grogan and newcomer Matt Betsill for spots at the corner infield positions. Brown will be in the middle infield mix along with Jeff Landry at second base and Christian Lopez at shortstop.
Molina and McKinney bring a veteran presence to the competition for outfield positions this spring. Both have extensive experience in affiliated professional baseball – Molina with the Florida Marlins’ organization and McKinney in the Detroit Tigers’ chain. Anderson and Re are both rookies with impressive small-college backgrounds while Dunham is another outfielder with good speed who had a solid collegiate career at Tennessee Tech.
Peralta is a 24-year-old lefty from the Dominican Republic who spent three seasons in the Detroit Tigers organization before moving to independent ball last season with Somerset of the Atlantic League. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder has posted 132 strikeouts in 145 2/3 professional innings while allowing only 41 walks.
Denton is a 24-year-old native of Lake Charles, La., and is a product of the baseball program at McNeese State, a member of NCAA Division I. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound southpaw has had just a brief taste of professional baseball, toiling with the Kansas City Royals’ affiliate in the Rookie-level Pioneer League in 2007. Denton was 1-2 with a 4.15 earned-run average in 16 appearances covering 39 innings pitched with the Idaho Falls Chukars. He allowed 42 base hits while striking out 29 and walking 15.
Stadanlick is a 23-year-old from Levittown, Pa., who spent the past three seasons with the Baltimore Orioles organization. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound right-hander was a 10th-round draft pick of the Orioles in 2005 after completing his collegiate career at St. Joseph’s (Pa.). Stadanlick was mainly a position player in college, first as a shortstop and later as an outfielder. A mid-90s fastball convinced the Orioles to draft Stadanlick as a pitcher. He made just one appearance as a starter in three pro seasons compared with 49 relief outings. In 85 innings at Rookie-level Bluefield (APPY) and Class-A Aberdeen (NY-P), he gave up 82 hits and collected 72 strikeouts.
Ingoglia is a 6-foot-2, 205-pound left-hander from Boynton Beach, Fla. The 22-year-old was an 18th round pick of the Florida Marlins in last June’s amateur draft and went on to split the season between three minor league affiliates. Ingoglia experienced his greatest amount of success with the Marlins’ Gulf Coast League rookie-level affiliate. Used exclusively out of the bullpen, Ingoglia was 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA. He was reached for 23 hits in 21 innings pitched with a very impressive strikeouts-to-walks ratio of 28-to-3.
Shanahan, like Grogan, is a product of the baseball program at Western Kentucky University. The 6-foot, 195-pound right-hander is from Marietta, Ga. He spent last season in the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization, striking out 19 batters in 22 relief innings with the Phillies of the Gulf Coast Rookie League.
Brown is one of many new faces in camp who will provide game-changing type speed. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound second baseman is fifth all-time in career stolen bases at Wayland Baptist (Tex.) University. In only two seasons with the Pioneers after spending two years at Western Texas Junior College, Brown swiped 52 bases while being caught just nine times. The 23-year-old rookie isn’t bad with the bat, either, as evidenced by his .324 batting average as a senior along with seven home runs, 28 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 21 tries.
Mottram is a left-handed batting corner infielder from Haverhill, Mass., who spent the 2007 season in the Chicago Cubs organization. Playing exclusively at third base with Boise of the Class-A Northwest League and Daytona in the high-A Florida State League, Mottram combined for four doubles, two home runs and 18 RBIs in only 134 at-bats. Prior to his stint with the Cubs, Mottram played at Dowling (N.Y) College, where he was an all-conference and all-region performer for the Golden Lions.
Welch is a 6-foot-3, 215-pound right-handed hitting first baseman-outfielder who started his professional career in 2007 in the independent Can-Am League. Welch was very productive in only 59 at-bats with North Shore, hitting .288 with three HR and 12 RBIs. As a senior at St. Anselm (N.H.) College, Welch hit .361 with seven homers for the NCAA Division II Hawks. He was a third baseman throughout his collegiate career.
Molina may have the most impressive resume of the 2008 newcomers. Signed as a free agent by the Marlins out of his native Puerto Rico in 2000, the right-handed hitting outfielder posted a .265 batting average in eight minor-league campaigns with 51 HR and 301 RBIs. Molina’s career-best season came in 2004 at Class-A Greensboro in the South Atlantic League, where he batted .284 in 469 at-bats with 18 HR and 79 RBIs. The 26-year-old followed that season with 87 RBIs in 2005 in a year spent mainly at Jupiter of the High Class-A Florida State League. He capped off the season by hitting .333 in 39 at-bats after being promoted to Class-AA Carolina (Southern). Molina is slated to play one of the corner outfield positions while also providing run production in the middle of the batting order.
McKinney brings an impressive combination of speed and power into the outfield picture. The 6-foot-3 right-handed batter produced home run totals of 19, 23 and 15 round-trippers in three of his five seasons as a Detroit Tigers farmhand. Last season at Aiken in the now-defunct South Coast (independent) League, McKinney hit .302 with 14 HR and 44 RBIs. The 26-year-old Johnson City, Tenn., native also swiped 26 bases in 28 attempts.
Anderson is a rookie corner outfielder who also combines foot-speed and power at the plate. The 5-foot-9, 210- pound right-handed batter ranked third in NCAA Division II in home runs per game (0.44) during the 2007 season for New Haven (Conn.) College. His season total of 17 home runs was tenth most in the country and the Plainfield, N.J. native was also third in the nation in slugging percentage (.859). Anderson, who originally went to New Haven to play football, was an All-American sprinter at Plainfield High School. He won back-to-back New Jersey state titles in the 60-yard dash.
Like Anderson, Re (pronounced Ray) has solid credentials coming out of college baseball. A 5-foot-10, 195-pound centerfielder from Eastern Connecticut State, Re was a 2007 first-team NCAA Division II All-American. Re, who is a native of Danbury, Conn., batted .404 during his senior season with a team-leading 17 stolen bases for a squad that won conference and regional championships. In four seasons with the Warriors, Re batted .353 with a total of 75 extra-base hits and 63 stolen bases in 75 attempts.
The Freedom acquired Dunham on March 20 from the Wichita Wingnuts of the independent American Association for a player to be named later. Dunham is a 5-foot-10, 170-pound right-handed batter with excellent speed. He wrapped up a solid college career with the 2007 season at Tennessee Tech. In three seasons with the NCAA Division I Golden Eagles, Dunham stole 23 bases while being caught just twice. A native of McMinnville, Tenn., Dunham has a reputation for covering a lot of ground in the outfield.
The Freedom begin the 2008 season at home at 11:05 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 21 against the Kalamazoo Kings. Ticket packages and group outings are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting Champion Window Field or by calling the Freedom office at (859) 594-HITS.
Florence Freedom is a member of the Frontier League, a 12-team Independent Professional Baseball League established in 1993. The Freedom play a 96-game schedule with 54 home games between late May and early September.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Ashley Grotte at the Freedom office by calling (859)594-4487 x 13 or via email Ashley.grotte@florencefreedom.com.
-Florence Freedom-