League's top pitcher last year returns to Blue Crabs

Gannon comes back to ballclub as does first baseman Crozier

Friday, April 10, 2009

What has been expected over the last month became a formality Monday as the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs inked the reigning Atlantic League pitcher of the year back to the fold.

Crafty knuckleballer Joe Gannon returns to the Blue Crabs for an encore of his celebrated act a year ago when he regularly buckled his opposition's knees to the tune of a career-best 12-6 mark and 3.17 earned run average to headline a Blue Crabs mound staff that was tops in the league.

Gannon did not join Crustacean Nation's inaugural season last year until the end of May from his hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., and the veteran right hander still boasted a league-leading ERA and eight complete games in his 22 starts and 162 innings pitched to take the league's top pitching honors. His win total was third best in the league.

Gannon, entering his eighth professional season, enriches an already promising pitching staff that features an assortment of quality returners, such as Ryan Bicondoa (13-8, 4.26 ERA last year) and Matt Schweitzer (third-best 62 games last year), along with an array of new arms.

Monday also saw the Blue Crabs welcome back another familiar face in starting first baseman Eric Crozier, the team's first position player with Major League experience as he appeared in 14 games for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004 with two homers and four RBIs.

Drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 2000, the lefty slugged 13 homers with 65 RBIs while hitting .265 in 110 games for the Blue Crabs last year.

Right-handed pitchers Kenny Baugh and Jimmy Serrano signed with the club Monday as a precursor for Tuesday when the Blue Crabs nailed down contracts with four more arms in newcomers Forrest Cory, Tristan Crawford, Jim Warden and Kenny Rayborn.

Cory is the only southpaw of the most recently signed bunch, joining Schweitzer and Jason Navarro in throwing from the left side among the Blue Crabs' 11 pitchers.

Baugh returns to the Blue Crabs with 14 games under his belt the second half of last year when he compiled a stingy 2.92 ERA in 24 2/3 innings that included one start among his relief appearances.

He came to the Blue Crabs after kicking off last year with the Florida Marlins' Triple-A Albuquerque affiliate.

Baugh's impressive credentials include being drafted 11th overall by the Detroit Tigers in 2001 and climbing the ladder to the organization's Triple-A affiliate by 2005.

In 136 career outings, 109 of them starts, he has a 45-40 mark in 661 innings with 453 strikeouts and 249 walks.

Serrano, new to the Blue Crabs this season, has made it to the Big Leagues during his 10 years of professional experience, arriving to the grand stage in 2004 with the Kansas City Royals.

He appeared in 10 games, starting half of them, for the Royals and lasted 32 2/3 innings with 25 strikeouts and 12 walks.

Serrano was drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1998 and has spent time with seven Major League organizations.

His professional career has seen him post a 55-42 record with a 3.42 ERA in the minors.

Serrano played last season in the Coors Charles-St. Mary's Baseball League for the St. Mary's Door.

Tuesday's quartet of fresh faces has each played the role of starter and reliever during their careers.

Cory, Crawford and Warden have mostly come out of the bullpen. Rayborn has a shot of breaking into the Blue Crabs' starting rotation.

Cory signed as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization in 2006. He spent his last three years there, reaching the Double-A level last year, and has built a 15-5 career record with a 3.57 ERA.

He fanned 138 batters and walked 70 during that time.

Crawford signed with the Minnesota Twins organization out of Australia in 2000, and his eight years professionally involved spending last season in the Washington Nationals farm system. He ventured to the Twins' Triple-A affiliate in 2007.

His resume includes a 33-26 career mark and 12 saves with 382 strikeouts and 152 walks.

Warden, drafted in the sixth round by the Cleveland Indians in 2001, has amassed 30 saves and over 400 strikeouts in his eight-year career. He has reached the Triple-A levels of both the Indians and Nationals, doing so most recently last year.

Rayborn is heading into his eighth year professionally, but the last time he played was in 2005.

The Red Sox drafted him in 1997, and his career has spanned three Major League farm systems, reaching the Triple-A pedestal.

However, his previous playing days were in the Big Leagues, not the Majors but in Japan where he played in 11 games for Hiroshima. He has a 56-34 career record with a 3.91 ERA and nearly 600 strikeouts.

dcogle@somdnews.com