The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Bridgewater, NJ– The Somerset Patriots have announced the signing of Major League infielder Rey Navarro and local left-handed pitcher James Ziemba.
Navarro enters his first season with the Somerset Patriots and second season in the Atlantic League. He briefly played for the Sugar Land Skeeters in 2018 and hit .545 with two home runs before having his contract purchased by the New York Yankees.
Navarro has Major League service with the Baltimore Orioles, where he appeared in ten games during the 2015 season. For his MLB career, Navarro has a .276 batting average with five runs scored, eight hits, two doubles, a home run and three RBI.
The Caguas, Puerto Rico native’s baseball career began back in 2007 as a third-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He would complete three years of service with the organization before getting traded to the Kansas City Royals in 2010.
He spent the 2018 season at the Double-A level for the Seattle Mariners and Yankees organizations. In 2017, Navarro had a strong year at Triple-A Salt Lake, posting a .278 average with 137 hits, seven home runs and 82 RBI.
Navarro also has minor league service with the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Angels. Over 1,224 minor league games, Navarro owns a .263 average with 72 home runs, 516 RBI and 88 stolen bases.
In addition to Navarro, the Patriots boosted their pitching staff by signing Ziemba, a New Brunswick native entering his first season with the Somerset Patriots and the Atlantic League.
The 24-year old lefty is a Duke University alumni that spent the past two seasons in the Angels farm system.
After a successful high school career with St. Joseph’s in Edison, Ziemba was a 22nd round selection in the 2017 MLB Amateur draft by the Angels.
In his two professional seasons with Orem (Pioneer League) and Burlington (Midwest League), he owns an 8-2 record with a 3.76 ERA and 94 strikeouts in over 110 innings of work.
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) With eight teams in the Mid-Atlantic and Texas, the ALPB is a leader in baseball innovation and a player gateway to Major League Baseball. Through its exclusive partnership with MLB, the Atlantic League tests Major League Baseball rules and equipment initiatives. The Atlantic League has sent over 900 players to MLB organizations while drawing more than 40 million fans to its affordable, family-friendly ballparks throughout its 22-year history. For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
