(Courtesy River City Rascals)
This past Tuesday the River City Rascals took part in the annual Frontier League draft where they carefully selected three position players—one new comer and two familiar faces. 2013 Rascals backup catcher Anthony Foulk returns to the roster with a chance to earn a spot again this season. Foulk, alum of North Greenville University, “will once again battle for a job as one of our 2014 catchers. Foulk is plus defender with soft hands and good instincts behind the plate,” says River City manager Steve Brook. The 2013 backup catcher had 74 plate appearances for Brook last season over 59 games.
The Rascals also bolstered their infield competition heading into Spring Training by drafting two middle infielders in Aaron Glaum and Bryan Aanderud. Natural second-baseman Aaron Glaum joins the mix after taking a year off from baseball in 2013. As a member of the London Rippers in 2012, Glaum played in 87 games and drove in 13. According to Brook, “Glaum will come in and compete for our starting job at second base. He’s a speedy middle-infielder with plus speed and great range.”
The other second-baseman that the Rascals drafted Tuesday afternoon, Bryan Aanderud, like Anthony Foulk, spent the 2013 campaign in River City where he played in only nine games while hitting .286 and driving in two. Coach Brook notes that in direct competition with Glaum, “Aanderud will return to the Rascals and again compete for our starting job at second base. He’s a versatile infielder with an excellent eye at the plate.”
After three players were added to the mix via the 2014 Frontier League draft, River City manager Steve Brook leads a group of 37 players into Spring Training who will compete for the coveted 24 available roster spots. Heading into the first Spring Training game a week from Friday against the Wichita Wingnuts (11:05 am start time), the 37 ballplayers will all try to show their best in a valiant effort to make the regular season roster. All fans should come out for the two Spring Training games on the 9th and 11th at T.R. Hughes Ballpark to catch an early glimpse of these regular season hopefuls. Also, make sure to tune in for the first broadcast of the 2014 season on May 16th against the Rockford Aviators live on TalkSTL.com.
