Fuller Retires

Former Travs center fielder Clay Fuller announced his retirement from professional baseball during the day on Thursday, July 28, and went out in style that same night. Fuller, a 24-year old right-hander, pinch hit in the ninth inning and hit a solo home run in his last professional at bat, a 12-6 Travs' loss to the Tulsa Drillers. Fuller will turn his attention toward football as he plans to play for the NCAA Baylor Bears this upcoming college football season. He was a wide receiver at Smithson Valley High School in Spring Branch, Texas. Fuller, 6'2", 190 pounds, batted .249 with 8 home runs and 34 RBIs, and added 10 stolen bases in 85 games for the Travs this season. In his six-year minor league career, Fuller hit .252 with 41 home runs and 216 RBIs. He also scored 348 runs in 537 games and double-A Arkansas was the highest level he reached. The Angels drafted him in the fourth round (132nd overall) in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft out of high school. Outfielder Blake Gailen was assigned to the Travelers to fill the roster spot. Gailen bats left-handed and was hitting .406 for the Lincoln Salt Dogs of the American Association, an independent minor league team. He had a 10-game hitting streak before he joined the Travs, along with 8 home runs and 46 RBIs in 69 games. He also had a .479 on-base percentage, an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.101 and 14 stolen bases. Gailen, 26, played college ball at UNLV where he hit .291 with 11 home runs, 57 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in two seasons with the Rebels. After UNLV, Gailen played for the Anderson Joes of the South Coast League in 2007, the Wichita Wingnuts of the American Association in 2008, and the Chico Outlaws (Golden League) in 2009 and 2010. The Travs are the first team Gailen will play for that is an affiliate of a major league baseball team.