Bees Sign Three

By Bob Phillips

NEW BRITAIN–The New Britain Bees, Connecticut’s lone representative in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, announced the signings of three pitchers for the upcoming season—Kyle Simon, Jonathan Pettibone and Josh Blanco—on Tuesday.

This will be the third tour of duty in the Hardware City for Simon in this, his eighth season overall in professional baseball and fourth in the Atlantic League. Last season, the 27-year-old right-hander made 28 appearances (23 starts, six complete games and one shutout) for the Bees, posting a 12-11 record with a 3.95 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 171.0 innings.

Originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth round of the 2011 MLB amateur draft, Simon spent one season in the Orioles farm system before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies along with Gabriel Lino in exchange for future Hall-of-Famer Jim Thome in 2012. After playing three years in the Phillies system, reaching as high as the Triple-A level in 2014, Simon made his Atlantic League debut in 2015 with the Lancaster Barnstormers. The next season, Simon made his debut in the Hardware City, and was named to the Atlantic League All-Star team in his first go-round with the Bees after recording an 8-6 record with a 2.77 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 120.1 innings.

Overall, Simon has a 38-37 record with a 3.48 ERA in 215 career minor league appearances—58 of them as a starter. He has struck out 352 batters with a 1.27 WHIP (walks and hits divided by innings pitched) in 584.0 innings.

Pettibone returns to New Britain for his ninth season of professional baseball and second in the Atlantic League. Last year with the Bees, the former big leaguer made 23 starts, logging 63 strikeouts over 102.2 innings of work. Originally drafted by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2008 MLB amateur draft, Pettibone quickly rose through the Phillies’ organization, reaching the majors in 2013 at the age of 22. That year, the 6-5 right-hander was a staple in the Philadelphia rotation, starting 18 games, and finishing the season with a 5-4 record and a 4.04 ERA, with 66 strikeouts in 100.1 innings.

After splitting the next season between Philadelphia and the Phillies’ AAA team in Lehigh Valley (a former Atlantic League site), Pettibone sat out the 2015 and 2016 seasons before making his Atlantic League debut with the Bees in 2017. Overall, the 27-year-old right-hander owns a 37-40 record with a 3.76 ERA and 438 strikeouts in 639.2 innings. He has appeared in 120 minor league games—including 118 starts.

Blanco joins the Bees for his eighth season of professional baseball and first in the Atlantic League, after being acquired in a trade with the Lincoln (Neb.) Saltdogs of the independent American Association. Last year, the El Paso, Tex., native appeared in 34 games for the Texas AirHogs of the American Association, posting two wins, three saves, and 52 strikeouts in 39.0 innings of work.

Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the sixth round of the 2008 MLB amateur draft, Blanco spent three seasons in the Angels system before making his Independent baseball debut in 2011 with his hometown El Paso Diablos in the American Association. A a 6-2 southpaw, Blanco also spent two seasons with the Ottawa Champions of the independent Can-Am League from (2015-16) before having his contract purchased by the Texas Rangers and pitching in seven games for Single-A High Desert Mavericks (California League) in 2016. Overall, the 28-year-old Blanco has a 13-14 record, a 4.33 ERA, and 291 strikeouts in 255.2 innings pitched spanning 138 minor league games.

“These three individuals are very important additions that strengthen our pitching staff,” says Bees General Manager Brad Smith. “Kyle has been one of the top starting pitchers in the league the past two years and it’ll be great to have him back in New Britain. Jonathan is a proven Major League caliber pitcher that was very effective for us in 2017, while Josh adds a power left-handed arm to our bullpen.”

About the Bees

The New Britain Bees are members of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, widely acknowledged as the top independent (i.e. non-affiliated with MLB organizations) minor league circuit in the U.S. Over 900 players and 40 managers have joined MLB organizations directly from the Atlantic League.

The Bees joined the Atlantic League in 2016, and play their home games at New Britain Stadium. They are Connecticut’s only team in the Atlantic League. The Bridgeport Bluefish, charter members of the Atlantic League, bolted the Park City after last season—their 20th in the league—for… well, for nowhere, actually. The team formerly known as the Bluefish will be playing as a vagabond travel team this season known as “The Road Warriors” while a permanent home is being constructed for the team in High Point, NC starting in the 2019 campaign.

The Bees will travel to Sugar Land, Tex., a suburb of Houston, to open the season with a six-game set against the Sugar Land Skeeters before opening the home portion of the 2018 schedule on Friday, May 4, vs. the aforementioned Road Warriors.

—With Staff Reports