Waldorf, MD- The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs have announced that they have signed RHP Gaby Hernandez and RHP Brian Baker for the 2015 season.
Hernandez and Baker, both members of the 2014 Blue Crabs roster, mark the first two pitchers that Southern Maryland has added to the roster thus far.
A Miami, Fla. native, Hernandez was drafted by the New York Mets in 2004 and went on to play for the Florida Marlins, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox organizations before signing with the Blue Crabs in 2012. He has reached as high as the AAA level. As a starting pitcher, the 28-year-old notched 128 strikeouts in 158 innings in 2014.
Baker, 32, appeared in 10 games for the Blue Crabs in 2014 and posted a 3.25 ERA over 52 innings before having his contract purchased by the Laguna Vaqueros of the Mexican League. Having played in the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers systems, he established himself as someone who can keep the ball in the ballpark with a 0.8 career HR/9 mark, including a noteworthy 0.2 HR/9 line in Southern Maryland.
“It is always a positive whenever we can bring back guys that are familiar with the organization,” said Blue Crabs Manager Stan Cliburn. “On top of that, these are two quality pitchers that we’ll be able to count on to take us deep into games. Hernandez is a talented pitcher who has spent plenty of time in affiliated baseball, and Baker is a supremely gifted veteran who has proven that he can keep our offense within striking distance of the other team.”