Southern Maryland Blue Crabs manager Butch Hobson has announced the official signings of four more players with the beginning of spring training less than a week away. First baseman Eric Crozier and starting pitchers Kenny Rayborn and Dan Reichert are returning to the Crabs, while relief pitcher Jeff Ridgway will make his Atlantic League debut following major league stints with Atlanta and Tampa Bay.
Eric Crozier spent all of 2008 and part of last season with the Crabs and is among the all-time team leaders in numerous categories including games played (160), hits (143), walks (102), home runs (21) and stolen bases (14). In 50 games in 2009, the lefty hit .314 with eight home runs and 24 RBI before becoming the first ever Blue Crab to sign with the Baltimore Orioles on June 19. Crozier spent the remainder of the season playing for Double-A Bowie. Entering his 11th professional season, Crozier was originally drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 2000. He reached the Major Leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004, and has also spent time in the New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox organizations.
The right-handed Kenny Rayborn returns to the Blue Crabs after going 8-5 with a 3.06 ERA in 17 starts and 103 innings last year. Rayborn did so in just over four months, as he signed with the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan on August 9. From 2006 through 2008, he also played in Taiwan and Korea. Rayborn was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1997, and has also spent time in the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians organizations, ascending to Triple-A with Cleveland between 2003 and 2005.
A veteran of 13 professional seasons, right-hander Dan Reichert was a member of the original Blue Crabs squad in 2008. He went 3-1 with a 3.40 ERA in six starts before becoming the first Blue Crab to ever sign a contract with a Major League organization, going to the Cleveland Indians on May 29, 2008. Reichert spent last season with the Bridgeport Bluefish in the Atlantic League, going 14-9 with a 3.53 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 28 starts. He was originally the seventh overall pick in the 1997 draft by the Kansas City Royals, reaching the Majors for the first time in 1999. Reichert would appear in the big leagues with Kansas City in each of the next three seasons as well, appearing in 109 total games for Kansas City through 2002. In those four seasons, Reichert tallied each of his 51 career Major League starts. He also reached the Majors with Toronto in 2003.
Left-handed reliever Jeff Ridgway finished the 2008 season in the majors with the Atlanta Braves. In 10 appearances, he went 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA and recorded eight strikeouts in 9.2 innings pitched. Ridgway made his Major League debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2007, and was originally drafted by the Rays in 1999.
It is expected at least 30 players will be in spring camp with the Blue Crabs before the roster is trimmed to 27 active players to begin the season, and then again to 25 by June 1. Fans looking to stock up on Blue Crabs gear before the season are encouraged to visit the Crab Shack Team Store at Regency Furniture Stadium. Store hours are currently Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and everything in the store is discounted from 25 to 50% off.