Brooks Pounders Wins Moniker Madness

Wilmington, DE - Blue Rocks starting pitcher Brooks Pounders is the winner of Minor League Baseball's annual Moniker Madness contest, which has fans vote on the best name in the game. Previous winners have included Sicnarf Loopstok in 2013, Rock Shoulders in 2012 and Seth Schwindenhammer in 2011. Former Blue Rock Rowdy Hardy was the champion in 2010.

Pounders, who in two starts for the Blue Rocks is 0-1 with a 3.09 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 11.2 innings pitched, is on the road to recovery after undergoing surgery late last year. His 2014 campaign began in July at Rookie-Level Idaho Falls, where he went 0-1 with a 4.80 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched.

Pounders spent all of 2013 with Double-A Northwest Arkansas and posted a 5-7 record to go along with a 4.50 ERA in 27 games (19 starts) there prior to his mid-August injury. On June 27, 2013, the 6-foot-5 righty threw a complete-game no-hitter, the first in Naturals history.

Back in 2012, during his first stint in Wilmington, Pounders was 6-4 with a 4.32 ERA in 16 games (15 starts).

Two other Blue Rocks also finished in the top-15 in voting. Zeb Sneed placed 11th while Bubba Starling was voted as the 13th-best name in the Minors.

Sneed has been a stalwart in the Wilmington bullpen this year. He is 5-2 on the campaign and has a 2.34 ERA in 37 appearances. Starling has been the Blue Crew's everyday center fielder for the entirety of the 2014 season. He is batting .219 with 23 doubles, nine homers, 54 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.

The Rocks return to action on Friday night at Frawley Stadium for the finale of their five-game series against Potomac. Wilmington will send southpaw Sean Manaea (6-8, 3.30) to the mound while Potomac will counter with right-hander Ian Dickson (5-8, 4.54). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.

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