Catcher Adam Donachie Returns To Somerset Patriots As Player/Coach
Bridgewater, NJ – The Somerset Patriots have announced that 2015 Atlantic League Champion and four-year Patriots catcher Adam Donachie has been signed to a new player/coach role for the 2017 season. This will be the first time in Somerset Patriots history that the team will have a player/coach on the roster.
“I can’t wait to be back in Somerset,” said Donachie. “It’s always been one of my favorite places to play and I’m looking forward to continuing our winning tradition. Let’s bring that Atlantic League trophy back home to Bridgewater.”
Donachie now enters his fifth season with the Somerset Patriots (first as a player/coach) and fifth in the Atlantic League. He last played in Somerset in 2015 before working under former-Patriots hitting coach Shane Spencer as a coach for the Nexen Heroes in the Korea Baseball Championship last year.
In 2015, “Donny” played in 87 games as Somerset’s primary catcher and hit four home runs with 40 RBI. He also recorded two RBI in the postseason en route to the Patriots’ Atlantic League record sixth championship.
The Winter Park, Florida native was a 2014 Atlantic League All-Star and Post Season All-Star. The 6’1” catcher finished that season with a .277 batting average, 34 runs scored, 67 hits, six doubles, nine home runs, and 45 RBI in 78 games played.
Donachie also appeared in 165 games with the Somerset Patriots across 2012 and 2013. Overall, he has hit .250 with 22 home runs, 147 RBI and 51 doubles over 330 games in his previous four seasons in Somerset.
“We are thrilled to announce Adam’s return to the Patriots,” said manager Brett Jodie. “Adam does so much for our team and organization, so that is why we have promoted him to a player/coach position. He has been a leader on the field and a warrior behind the plate catching many big games and earning the total trust of the pitching staff. Donny wants to bring the championship back to Somerset and we feel he will play a huge part in that effort.”
Donachie was a second round draft pick of the Kansas City Royals in 2002, and has service at the Triple-A level in the Baltimore Orioles organization in both 2010 and 2011. He has 73 home runs and 398 RBI over his 14-year professional career.
Tickets to the 2017 Somerset Patriots Season presented by Ford, which includes the team’s 20th Anniversary and the Atlantic League All-Star Game at TD Bank Ballpark, are on sale now. For more information, stop by TD Bank 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.