The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Bridgewater, NJ- The Somerset Patriots have announced the re-signing of left-handed pitcher Jeremy Bleich and the signing of right-handed pitcher Dave Kubiak for the 2017 season.
Bleich enters his second season with the Somerset Patriots and his second in the Atlantic League. The 29-year old joined the Patriots last July and appeared in 17 games out of the bullpen, pitching to the tune of a 2.45 ERA and 28 strikeouts against just three walks over 22 innings of work. He began the season in the Philadelphia Phillies organization with Double-A Reading where he earned four wins over 29 games (one start).
The 6’2” lefty is a former first round draft pick (44th pick) of the New York Yankees in the 2008 draft. Bleich spent his first six professional seasons with the Yankees organization and reached Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2014. The Stanford University alumnus also recently made three appearances with Team Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, striking out a pair of batters over 2.1 innings of work.
Over 201 career games (76 starts) in his eight-year professional career, the New Orleans, Louisiana native owns a 3.83 ERA and 447 strikeouts in 556.1 career innings.
Kubiak enters his first season with the Somerset Patriots and his second season in the Atlantic League. The 6’7” right-hander pitcher carried a 1.42 ERA over three appearances in the New York Yankees organization at the Double-A level last year sandwiched around 20 games (15 starts) with the Bridgeport Bluefish. In Bridgeport, Kubiak went 7-4 with a 3.75 ERA and 106 strikeouts over 100.2 innings of work.
The Riverhead, New York native previously spent three seasons in the Frontier League, including a 2014 campaign in which he went 7-2 with a 1.50 ERA and seven saves over 48 innings in 38 combined appearances between Southern Illinois and Joliet.
The SUNY Albany alumnus owns a 2.99 ERA and 349 strikeouts over 132 games (25 starts) in his five-year professional career.
Additionally, the Somerset Patriots have announced the signing of catcher Alfonso Reda as the team’s bullpen coach. The 22-year old backstop played college ball at Misericordia University in Pennsylvania.
Tickets to the 2017 Somerset Patriots Season presented by Ford, which includes the team’s 20th Anniversary, are on sale now. TD Bank Ballpark will be the host of the 2017 Atlantic League All-Star Game presented by RWJBarnabas Health and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey on Wednesday, July 12th. For more information, stop by the ballpark, call (908) 252-0700, or visit www.somersetpatriots.com.
About The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
The Atlantic League has been a leader in professional baseball and a gateway to Major League Baseball since 1998. Over 36 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 800 players and 50 managers and coaches have joined MLB organizations directly from the ALPB. The Atlantic League emphasizes winning baseball games, showcasing the talent of top-caliber players and offering affordable family entertainment to metropolitan markets serving nearly 15% of the US population.
For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
