Staying in Ohio

The Lake County Crushers are an expansion team in the Frontier League. They had announced some former Midwest Leaguers -- former Wizard Jodam Rivera and former Kernel Gordie Gronkowski -- as their first signees.

Da Crushers now have their first ex-Rattler, Paul Fagan ('06).

Fagan was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 4th round of the 2003 MLB draft. Fagan pitched a total of five seasons in the Mariners farm system, four of those seasons as a starter before moving to the bullpen for the 2007 season. His best season was in 2005 when his 6-2 record and 3.50 ERA earned him Team MVP honors for the Everett AquaSox (WA) of the single “A” Northwest League.

According to Massarelli, “When you look for starting pitching, the first thing you look for are guys that will eat up innings. Paul has always taken the ball and been a league leader in innings-pitched in the Mariners system. As a former 4th round pick, he has the physical tools to pitch in the big leagues, and we expect him to put up big numbers.”

That would be John Massarelli, a former Michigan Battle Cat manager. Also in this release is former Kane County Cougar Brent Lysander.