The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs announced two new signings to their 2011 roster with the addition of former major league pitcher Charlie Manning and two-time Atlantic League All-Star utility player Lloyd Turner on Tuesday.
Turner was traded to the Blue Crabs from the Atlantic League’s Lancaster Barnstormers for future considerations.
Turner, 30, has played the past nine seasons in minor league baseball including the past three seasons with the Barnstormers. In 2010 Turner played in 131 games for Lancaster, hitting .240 with eight home runs and 52 runs batted in. Turner primarily hit leadoff for the Barnstormers in 2009 and set a Lancaster record with 94 walks while scoring 94 runs and also hitting .281 and stole 31 bases in addition to being named to the Atlantic League All-Star team. Turner shined in the 2009 Atlantic League All-Star Game in Newark, hitting two doubles and driving in a pair of runs in addition to stealing third base. In 2008 Turner hit a then-Atlantic League record 13triples while posting a .300 batting average and was named to his first Atlantic League All-Star Game.
Prior to joining the Barnstormers, Turner spent six seasons as a farmhand in the Oakland Athletics system. Turner reached Triple-A Sacramento in his final year with the A’s in 2007. The A’s selected Turner in the 16th round of the 2002 draft out of Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga. Turner’s best season at the plate came in 2004 as he hit .292 with a pair of homers and 51 RBI for Class A Advanced Modesto in the California League. Turner will be versatile addition for the Blue Crabs, having played all over the outfield and infield in his minor league career.
Manning, 31, is a veteran left-handed reliever who pitched in 57 games for the Washington Nationals in the major leagues during the 2008 season. Manning struck out 37 batters in 42 innings in 2008, while holding left-handed batters to a .203 batting average. Manning went 1-3 with the Nationals with a 5.14 ERA.
Manning was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the ninth round of the 2001 draft out of the University of Tampa. Turner spent parts of three seasons in the Yankees system before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds on July 31, 2003 as part of a deal that brought Aaron Boone to the Yankees. New York re-acquired Manning in 2004, and he remained in the Yankees system through the 2007 season. The Nationals signed him as a free-agent, and he was called up to the major league club during the 2008 season. Following the 2008 season, Manning was picked up on waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals. Manning spent the 2009 season in Triple-A with the Memphis Redbirds, where he went 1-2 with a 3.94 ERA in 43 relief appearances.