NEW BRITAIN—The New
Britain Bees announced the signings of outfielder Alejandro
De Aza and pitcher Giovanni Soto
this week. Each has a professional resume that includes Major League
Baseball experience.
De Aza will be playing his first season in
the Atlantic League in this, his 17th year of pro ball. Last year, he split
time between AAA Syracuse and the Class A Rookie League Gulf Coast League
Nationals, both in the Washington Nationals system. In 41 combined games, the 6-0,
195-lb. Dominican hit .296 with eight doubles, 19 runs scored, and 20 RBIs.
The 35-year-old De Aza began
his professional career in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in 2002 after signing
as an amateur free agent. Three years later he joined the Florida Marlins, and
after two impressive campaigns in the Marlins farm system, De Aza was promoted
to the Majors in 2007 at the age of 23. He spent 10 seasons in the big leagues
from 2007-2017 with the Marlins, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Boston
Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, and Washington Nationals, appearing
in over 100 games five times. Over the course of 838 career MLB games, De Aza batted
.260, drove in 258 runs, hit 131 doubles and 51 home runs, scored 367 runs, and
stole 91 bases. In addition, De Aza has a .286 batting average with 167
doubles, 42 home runs, 305 RBIs, 473 runs scored, and 176 stolen bases in 774
career minor league games.
This will be
the 11th year of professional baseball and second in the Atlantic League for Soto. Last year he played with the Road
Warriors, starting nine games and posting a 4.95 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 43.2
innings pitched. The 27-year-old, who hails from Carolina, Puerto Rico, was originally drafted by the
Detroit Tigers in the 21st round of the 2009 MLB amateur draft. After two
seasons in the Tigers organization, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in
exchange for Jhonny
Peralta, a 15-year Major League veteran who most recently played for St.
Louis in 2017. After five impressive campaigns in the Indians farm system, the 6-2
southpaw made his MLB debut in 2015, appearing in six games for Cleveland,
allowing no runs in 3.1 innings. Following his stint in the big leagues, he
would also spend time with the Triple-A affiliates of the Chicago Cubs and
Chicago White Sox. In 225 career
minor league appearances (73 starts), Soto has won 27 games, has an ERA of 3.50
ERA, and has struck out 550 batters in 583.0 innings pitched.
“As we begin spring training, we’re
excited to bring on two players of this caliber,” said Bees general manager
Brad Smith. “Alejandro brings a wealth of Major League experience to the club,
while adding a middle of the order bat to the lineup and versatility to our
outfield. Giovanni is a polished lefthander that will add depth to the pitching
staff as he has experience in both the starting rotation and bullpen.”
Preseason Sked
The Bees will
have four preseason games over the next week—three of them in New Britain. They
will open their exhibition slate on Saturday when they will venture Long Island
to take on their cross-sound rivals, the Long Island Ducks. On Monday, New
Britain will entertain Post University at 1 p.m. followed by a game against the
Milford Hunters on Tuesday (noon) and against a team consisting of players from
the CT Twilight League on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Tickets
for the Bees’ home preseason games are complimentary.
In addition, The
New Britain Elks Lodge will also host a special “Meet the Players” Dinner on Tuesday, April 23. The event starts at
5:00 p.m. with a player meet and greet, followed by a social hour at 6:00 p.m.,
with dinner following at 7:00 p.m. Tickets ($15 apiece) can be purchased in advance by
visiting New Britain Stadium or the New Britain Elks Lodge. The New Britain
Elks Lodge is located at 30 Washington St., New Britain, CT 06051.
—Staff Reports
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