The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Bridgewater, NJ- The Somerset Patriots have re-signed four-year Major League left-handed pitcher Brett Oberholtzer for the 2019 season.
“I’d like to thank Somerset for bringing me back on board again,” said Oberholtzer. “This gives me another great opportunity to move my career forward.” 
Oberholtzer technically enters his first season with the Somerset Patriots and first in the Atlantic League, though he did spend spring training with the Patriots last year. He was pegged as the Opening Day starting pitcher before his contract was purchased by the Colorado Rockies organization prior to the start of the season. There, he won seven games over 24 games (23 starts) with 91 strikeouts over 132.2 innings of work.
The Christiana, Delaware native has four years of service in the Majors, including three with the Houston Astros (2013-15) and one split between the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2016). In his first season with the Astros, Oberholtzer posted four wins and a 2.76 ERA over 13 games (10 starts) with two complete games and one shutout. Additionally, he only walked 13 batters over 71.2 innings of work.
Oberholtzer took over as a full-time starting pitcher for the Astros the next season, striking out 94 batters against just 28 walks over 24 starts. He later made eight starts for Houston in 2015 before making 37 combined appearances (two starts) for the Phillies and Angels in 2016. The southpaw has won 14 games with a 4.36 ERA and 220 strikeouts over 324 innings pitched in his four seasons in the big leagues.
“We are extremely proud to announce the return of Brett Oberholtzer,” said Somerset Patriots manager Brett Jodie. “We only had him for one spring training outing last year, but it was enough to see how special he is on the mound. We hope Brett has the opportunity to move on quickly once again, but we look forward to having him on the mound while he is here. Oberholtzer is a dominating presence on the mound. He pounds the zone, works quick and lets the team play behind him. He will be a pillar in our rotation.”
Oberholtzer made 24 starts for Triple-A Buffalo (Toronto Blue Jays) in 2017. He has pitched exclusively at either the Major League or Triple-A level in each of the past six seasons. The Seminole Community College alum is 62-63 with a 4.15 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 799 strikeouts over 10 seasons of minor league baseball.
The Somerset Patriots will be back in action on Friday, April 26th for Opening Day at TD Bank Ballpark. Stay up to date on all the team news throughout the offseason online; on all of our social media platforms, and on our mobile app. For more information, 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 40 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 900 players and 70 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.
For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
