Beloit, WI- The Beloit Snappers are
pleased to
announce the signing of a two-year player development contract with the
Oakland
Athletics. The contract will run through the end of the 2014 season.
"We
are thrilled to begin our new affiliation with the
A's", said Dennis Conerton, Chairman of the Beloit Professional
Baseball
Association, which operates the Snappers. "Oakland is a
very successful and well respected organization that has
developed a progressive system for analyzing player
talent.
Their record speaks for itself and their farm system is highly
regarded
among the best in Major League Baseball. They have
an experienced
Player Development Staff that has been together for a long
time comprised of quality individuals who will be a
real pleasure to work with."
The Oakland
Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League
Baseball's
American League, and uphold a rich history of success. Oakland's
General
Manager, Billy Beane, and the organization's baseball philosophy were
the
subject of Michael Lewis' best-selling book, 'Moneyball: The Art of
Winning an
Unfair Game.' The book was recently made into the full-length motion
picture, 'Moneyball,'
featuring Brad Pitt.
"We
are delighted to welcome Beloit to our minor league system
with today's announcement," said A's Vice President and General Manager
Billy
Beane. "It is an established Single-A market with a strong
baseball
community and management team. We look forward to a very
successful
partnership."
Oakland
will be only the third Major League affiliate for the
Snappers in its 31-year history. Previous affiliations were with the
Milwaukee Brewers
and most recently the Minnesota Twins.
Besides
Beloit, the other Oakland A's minor league affiliates
are Triple-A Sacramento (Pacific Coast League), Double-A Midland (Texas
League), Single-A Stockton (California League), Short-Season A Vermont
(New
York-Penn League) and Rookie League Arizona (Arizona League).
The Beloit
Snappers will open the 2013 Midwest League season on the road on
Thursday,
April 4th at 6:35 PM against the Cedar Rapids Kernels, the
Class-A
affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.
The
Snappers
front office is open from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday during
the off-season.
More information can also be found on the Snappers website at www.snappersbaseball.com or through the Snappers'
social media
sites on Facebook and Twitter.
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