Bears Pick Up 2012 Options For 14 Players
Starting pitcher Alex Smith was one of 14 players to have his contract excerised for the 2012 season. Credit: Phil Hoops
According to the Can-Am League transaction wire, the Newark Bears have picked up contract options on a total of 14 players for the 2012 season. Of course things will likely change down the road, but it gives you somewhat of an idea idea as to the direction the team is headed moving forward.
Looking back over the past few seasons, it appears that only a few of the players whose options are picked up generally return to their ball club the following year so this is by no means a guarantee that these players will return to the Den. Keep in mind also that the Sussex Skyhawks exercised contract options on a number of their players for the 2011 season, a year in which they didn't even operate.
Below is a list of the Bears players who have had their contracts picked up for the 2012 season:
C Billy Alvino (.305/.391/.386)
C Eric McGee (.276/.329/.513)
INF Paddy Matera (.292/.378/.396)
INF Ryan Walsh (.292/.360/.412)
OF Burt Reynolds (.232/.291/.445)
OF Caleb Stewart (.281/.397/.561)
SP Alex Smith (10-3, 3.39 ERA, 56 SO)
SP Brian Parker(0-3, 3.33 ERA, 22 SO)
RP Matt Fitton (0-1, 3.43 ERA, 31 SO)
RP Kyle Morrison (3-4, 6.02 ERA, 67 SO)
RP Pedro Rivera (0-2, 11.85 ERA, 8 SO)
RP Chris Rollins (3-2, 3.72 ERA, 30 SO)
RP Anthony Pluta (2-2, 3.63 ERA, 39 SO)
CP Mikey Mehlich (1-4, 3.29 ERA, 29 SO)
Photos: Pittsfield Colonials at Newark Bears (June 29, 2011)
Newark Bears center fielder Tim Raines Jr. Credit: Phil Hoops
The Newark Bears did battle with the Pittsfield Colonials (formerly the Nashua Pride franchise) on a beautiful Wednesday evening at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium in Newark last week.
Casey Gaynor took the ball for the Bears, in only his second start of the season for the team. He gave up five runs in five innings of work. Patrick Moran took the mound for the opposing Colonials and similarly gave up five runs in 5.2 innings of work. The game was left in the hands of the bullpen. T.J. Hose held the Colonials off of the board for two innings before handing the ball over to reliever Chris Rollins, who gave up three runs en route to a 9-5 Bears loss.
Offensively, Eric McGee led the charge for the Bears, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Brandon Young, Danny Santiesteban and Billy Alvino all had multi-hit games as well.
Below is a photo gallery from the game for you to enjoy in between your Fourth of July barbecue. To view the complete set of photos, check out the Flickr gallery here.
Newark Bears starting pitcher Casey Gaynor throws a pitch. Credit: Phil Hoops
Pittsfield Colonials starting pitcher Patrick Moran fires off a pitch. Credit: Phil Hoops
Newark Bears catcher Billy Alvino hands off his gear to the first base coach. Credit: Phil Hoops
Newark Bears first baseman and former Major Leaguer Daryle Ward gets ready to field his position. Credit: Phil Hoops
Newark Bears right fielder Danny Santiesteban swings. Credit: Phil Hoops
Newark Bears third baseman Ryan Walsh. Credit: Phil Hoops
Game 3 Recap: Bears Claw Past Boulders, 16-4
Tim Raines Jr. led the Bears offense with two home runs and 6 RBI. Credit: Phil Hoops
The Newark Bears picked up their very first win in the Can-Am League with an offense assault on the Rockland Boulders. Tim Raines Jr. led the charge with two home runs and 6 RBI. Todd Gossage also had a big day at the plate driving in three runs.
Ryan Lobban started the game for Newark and opposed Jonathan Velasquez. Lobban held his own by surrendering 3 runs through 5 innings pitched while striking out two.
It was the bottom half of the order who got Rockland on the scoreboard with runs driven in by Tommy Giles, Mark Hill and Eric Flynn. Former Newark catcher started his third straight game and went 3-for-4 to raise his season average to .385.
Relievers T.J. Hose and Andrew Pluta combined to pitch four innings of one run ball.
It was quite the game and the game drew a fairly impressive crowd considering a fair amount of people in North Jersey had already bolted for the Jersey Shore for the Memorial Day Weekend. The Bears finish out the homestand tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 p.m. when they officially launch their "friendly" rivalry against the New Jersey Jackals.
Rockland's Norm Hutchins takes out Newark shortstop Jeff Toth on a slide. Credit: Phil Hoops
Brian Nichols mans first base for the Bears. Credit: Phil Hoops
Newark Bears starter Ryan Lobban allowed three runs in five innings pitched. Credit: Phil Hoops
Newark Bears catcher Billy Alvino had three hits to raise his season average to .727. Credit: Phil Hoops
Game 2 Recap: Rockland Boulders at Newark Bears
The crowds were sparse at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium on Friday (announced attendance of 569), as the game got underway just shortly after 11 a.m. on a Friday work/school day. Nevertheless, the competitive atmosphere was there as the Bears fought right out of the gate for their first win since joining the Can-Am League. Both Jacob Wild (Newark) and Roger Lincoln (Rockland) put up matching zeros through the first two innings. In the third inning, Newark's Wild surrendered a towering three-run home run to Rockland lead-off hitter, Jermel Lomack.
In the sixth inning, Rockland catcher Todd Jennings plated another run on a double to make the score 4-0, but the Bears weren't out of it just yet. Newly acquired (or should I say reacquired) infielder Jeff Toth smacked a single that scored a pair of runs for Newark in the seventh. In his next at-bat in the ninth inning, Toth crushed a solo home run to bring the game within a run. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to get the Bears on top and the game ended after a Brandon Watson ground-out.
The Bears look to avoid the sweep and collect their first win of the season when they conclude the series against Rockland tomorrow night at 6:35 p.m. which also happens to be Fireworks Night at the ballpark.
Jacob Wild started Game 2 of the season for the Newark Bears. Credit: Phil Hoops
Dustin Smith, the son of Hall-of-Famer Ozzie Smith, collects a base hit for the Boulders. Credit: Phil Hoops
Former Indians prospect Roger Lincoln was dominant allowing only one run in seven innings pitched against Newark. Credit: Phil Hoops
Infielder Jeff Toth made his Bears debut on Friday morning. Credit: Phil Hoops
Game 1 Recap: Rockland Boulders at Newark Bears
It had been 8 months since that gloomy Sunday afternoon when the Bears played their final Atlantic League game at home against the Camden Riversharks. A lot has happened since then and the team has undergone quite a face lift in terms of their player roster. Riverfront Stadium was packed with students from all over the city to enjoy a day outdoors through the "Let's Move" campaign. Mayor Cory Booker along with Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo to help commemorate the Bears' entrance into the Can-Am League. Throughout the game, concession lines were long and wrapped around the length of the concourse. This was how baseball in the city was supposed to be when the team was introduced in the late 1990s.
Veteran pitcher Jesse Estrada started the game for the Bears and was able to keep Rockland off the board in the first inning. The Newark Bears offense led by jumped all over starter Bobby Blevins and put up three runs on three hits before the inning had ended. Newark remained on top until the fifth inning when Rockland scored 4 runs on 4 hits including a home run from Norm Hutchins to give the Boulders a 5-4 advantage. The Bears responded in the seventh inning when Tim Raines Jr. scored.
The score would remained tied until the tenth inning when the Boulders offense plated four runs off of reliever Anthony Pluta. The Bears were unable to rally in the bottom of the inning and ultimately fell by a score of 11-5. It was a disappointing start to the season no-doubt, but for the most part the Bears hung in there and kept the game within reach up until the very end.
Could the Bears rebound and get their first Can-Am League win in Game 2 of the series? Stay tuned...
Veteran Jesse Estrada was Newark's Opening Day starter. Credit: Phil Hoops
Newark Bears outfielder Brandon Watson is greeted by Danny Santiesteban after scoring in the first inning. Credit: Phil Hoops
Kyle LaMotta slides into second base. Credit: Phil Hoops
Newark Bears outfielder Burt Reynolds Credit: Phil Hoops
Newark Bears outfielder Danny Santiesteban legs out a single. Credit: Phil Hoops
Newark Bears infielder Todd Gossage heads to the home dugout. Credit: Phil Hoops
More Newark Bears Coverage From Opening Day:
Rapid Reaction: Bears Lose 11-5 on Opening Day
The Newark Bears opened up the 2011 Can-Am League regular season at home against Rockland Boulders on Thursday morning.
Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium was PACKED with students from nearby schools, who were given free tickets in honor of the "Lets Move!" event.
Like the Bears' season opener last year, the game was forced to go into extra innings -- only this time Newark wasn't able to come out on top. In the tenth inning, reliever Anthony Pluta, who started Sunday's exhibition game against Hank's Yanks, surrendered 6 runs to the Boulders.
Much more on the game later tonight.
Bears slugger Brian Nichols connects on a base hit on Opening Day. Credit: Phil Hoops
Outfielder Brandon Watson made his debut with the Bears on Thursday. Credit: Phil Hoops
Bears Memorial Day Weekend Pitching Rotation Set
Hillsborough, NJ native Eric Eden will start Sunday's game against the New Jersey Jackals. Credit: Phil Hoops
The Newark Bears have finalized their pitching rotation through the 2011 Memorial Day weekend. Here is how the first week of the season shapes out for the Brick City ball club:
Thursday: Jesse Estrada, the senior member of Newark's pitching staff, takes the ball for the Bears on Opening Day tomorrow morning against the Rockland Boulders. Former Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Bobby Blevins will take the ball for Rockland.
Friday: Jacob Wild, who was a member of the Seattle Mariners organization for much of his career, will start for Newark on Friday's matinee game and will oppose Rockland Boulders starting pitcher Rodger Lincoln.
Saturday: Ryan Lobban, who the team just acquired earlier in the week from the New Jersey Jackals, will make his Bears debut against former Philadelphia Phillies farmhand, Jonathan Velasquez, who will start for the Boulders.
Sunday: Left-hander Eric Eden will wrap up the Memorial Day weekend by making an 11:00 a.m. start against the New Jersey Jackals in Game 1 of the Essex County Executive's Cup. So far the Jackals have yet to name a starter for that game.
Roster Cuts: The Bears have finalized their 2011 Opening Day roster by cutting catchers Matt Klimas and Patrick Reardon; as well as infielder and TCNJ alumni Jeff Toth. In addition, veteran infielder Ramon Nivar was placed on the inactive list.
Categories
- RT @NewarkBears: We are gearing up for our season this spring. We want to thank all of you for your ongoing support of this ball club! # ...
- @ZOEEclipse Hahaha I miss access to my legal Pearl Jam bootlegs off that site.
- @Jgolds91 For all of the latest #Mets spring training rumors ofcourse!
- @Jgolds91 I'll be watching Geico Sports Night on SNY
- @hoopsmm Sorry but PJ > BTR anyday!
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