Bridgewater, NJ- The Somerset Patriots have announced that 2017 right-handed relief pitcher Dustin Antolin has signed with the Chicago White Sox organization. He recently completed his first season with the Patriots. Antolin originally joined the Patriots on July 19th and provided an instant impact at the back-end of the bullpen. The former major leaguer appeared in 21 games as a reliever during the regular season, registering one win and four saves with a 2.07 ERA over 21.2 innings of work. Additionally, he struck out 29 batters against just three walks over that span and did not allow an earned run over his first 14 appearances (15 innings). The Hawaii native was a member of a Patriots bullpen that at one time boasted six pitchers with service at the major league level (A.J. Achter, Duane Below, Keith Hessler, Dustin Molleken and Kyler Newby). He made one appearance in the postseason for Somerset. Antolin shined a year before joining the Patriots with Triple-A Buffalo, where he posted a 2.04 ERA with 10 saves and 61 strikeouts over 53 innings pitched. That earned him a promotion to the big leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays in May of 2016. He made one appearance with Toronto, spinning two innings of work. The 11th-round draft pick spent the first nine seasons of his professional career in the Blue Jays organization before he joined the Washington Nationals to begin 2017. He appeared in 24 games (four starts) with Triple-A Syracuse prior to signing with the Patriots in July. Antolin becomes the 14th player from Somerset’s 2017 roster to be added to a Major League organization. He joins left-handed pitchers Jeremy Bleich, Logan Darnell (twice) and Aaron Laffey, along with right-handed pitchers Tyler Cloyd, Ryan Kelly, Vin Mazzaro and Mitch Atkins as pitchers to either have their contracts purchased or sign with an MLB club. Infielders Tyler Bortnick and Joe Maloney – alongside outfielders Jerry Sands, Christian Marrero and Justin Pacchioli – also joined Major League organizations this year. The Somerset Patriots recently completed their 20th Season Anniversary in which they led the Atlantic League in attendance and made their 14th appearance in the playoffs. The Somerset Patriots will welcome their 7,000,000th fan in their 20th season at TD Bank Ballpark in 2018. The schedule for 2018 has officially been released. For more information about the 2018 season, please 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 38 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 900 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 regarding the Atlantic League, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
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