Carranza has been the most prolific power hitter in the short history of the Sonoma Stompers and will now move on to the Can-Am League with the Trois Riviere Aigles.
Brandon Davis/Sonoma Stompers
Tim Livingston, Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations
Sonoma Stompers star first baseman Joel Carranza has accepted a promotion to the Trois Rivieres Aigles of the Canadian-American League. The move was made official late Thursday night, with the Stompers receiving future considerations from Trois Rivieres in exchange for Carranza.
Carranza, 27, has been one of the most prolific offensive players in the Pacific Association since his arrival in 2014 during the debut season of the Stompers. After setting the league's single season home run record in 2014 with 19 dingers, Carranza has put together one of the best all-around seasons from any player in the league in 2015, hitting .358/.406/.575 with 10 home runs, nine doubles, 39 RBI and 36 runs scored.
By advanced metrics, Carranza had a 154 Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) and a Weighted On-Base Average (wOBA) of .419 in 2015, the third-highest mark amongst eligible hitters in the league. He finishes his Stompers career with 29 home runs and a line of .304/.368/.539 in 117 games.
The Pembroke Pines, Florida native is in his fifth season of professional baseball, having previously played in the Pecos League and the Frontier League. He now has 55 home runs in his career, and his career line sits at .320/.391/.560.
In a post to the Facebook page of the Stompers on Friday morning, Carranza expressed his gratitude for his time with the Stompers.
"So it's official. I have been given the opportunity to go play for the Trois Rivieres Aigles in Canada," said Carranza, "I am blessed to have this opportunity and very thankful for it. I want to say thank you to all the fans and the whole Sonoma Stompers organization for giving me the opportunity to be part of the community for the past 2 years."
"I wish the team and the organization the best of luck in the rest of the season and hope to see the championship brought home to Sonoma. I will always feel as I am part of Sonoma and will miss it, and I will always remember the Stompers faithful."
The Aigles are located in the city of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec and are currently in fourth place in the Can-Am League standings at 29-31, 6 1/2 games back of first place. They play at Stade Fernand-Bédard, which was first built in 1938 and recently underwent a renovation in 2009.
The Stompers are back at home tonight for the beginning of a 10-game homestand at Arnold Field, as they welcome the Pittsburg Diamonds to town. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. with the gates opening at 5 p.m. It's the first KRAVE Friday of the season, as KRAVE Jerky will be available for purchase at the park and food pairings will be available to fans 21 and older.
Tickets begin at just $4 and can be purchased online at StompersBaseball.com or at the Stompers Fan Shop, located at 234 W. Napa St. in beautiful downtown Sonoma. Tickets can also be purchased at the gates at Arnold Field before any home game. For more information, call the Stompers at (707) 938-7277 or email the team at info@stompersbaseball.com.