atlanticleague.com

Signings for 12th Season Begin

(Lancaster, Penn., Jan. 26, 2016) - The Lancaster Barnstormers have inked their first player for the 2016 season with the signing of outfielder Mike Crouse, it was announced today by manager Butch Hobson.

This marks the second consecutive winter in which the Barnstormers have brought Crouse aboard. The right-handed hitting outfielder was the second player signed by Lancaster in 2015, however, a muscle injury prior to spring training resulted in him missing the entire 2015 campaign.

Crouse, 25, had spent the previous seven seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays organization after being signed out of high school in his native British Columbia. Known primarily for his speed, the outfielder swiped 129 career bases in 508 games in the Toronto organization.

His best season came in 2011, when he batted .261 with 14 homers and 55 RBI for the Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League. Crouse logged 38 steals in 46 attempts (82.6%) in that 2011 season.

He spent 2014 with Class AA New Hampshire, batting .243 with nine homers and 15 steals in 109 games.

Crouse was a teammate of Hobson’s son, K.C., in 2014 and at several other stops in the Toronto farm system.

“Mike is very talented outfielder and was a prospect in the Blue Jays organization,” said Hobson. “This will give him the opportunity he missed last year when he signed, then could not play for us.”

The Lancaster Barnstormers are entering their twelfth season as a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Home games are played at Clipper Magazine Stadium in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Please call 717.509.HITS (4487) or visit LancasterBarnstormers.com for more information.
 

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