2016 Spring Training Begins Friday

The Stompers will begin Spring Training for 2016 on Friday at Peterson Field in Sonoma.

Danielle Putonen/Sonoma Stompers

Geoff Safford, Media Relations Intern

Baseball Season is back in the Wine Country, as the Sonoma Stompers are getting ready to open the 2016 season. Spring training will begin for the Stompers on Friday, May 20th, as the team prepares to chase the franchise’s first league championship.  

In doing so, the Stompers will invite 28 players to camp to fight for a spot on the active team roster. There will be seven players returning to camp from the 2015 campaign that resulted in a second place finish in the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs, where the team had a 44-33 overall team record.  

On the infield, the Stompers will return star first baseman Daniel Baptista, and shortstop Eddie Mora-Loera. In the outfield, 2015 Pacific Association Rookie of the Year Mark Hurley will look to build upon the fantastic season he had a year ago. Hurley had an impressive .302 batting average to go along with nine home runs, and 51 RBIs.

On the mound, the Stompers will welcome back three arms, including two of their top starting pitchers from last season in Gregory Paulino and Mike Jackson, Jr. Sean Conroy also returns after his history-making 2015 season.

The Stompers have also bolstered the roster with new talent that should prove to make a difference in 2016. At catcher, the Stompers will get some help from newcomers Marcus Blackmon and Max Ayoub. 

Blackmon, an alumnus of Jamestown University, impressed scouts while playing for the Toronto Rush in California Winter League. Blackmon had 11 hits in 29 at bats while helping the Rush to a CWL Championship.  He is also known as an extremely smart and savvy catcher that will look to take control of the pitching staff. 

Ayoub accumulated a .314 batting average to go along with 16 homers and 77 RBIs during his collegiate career at the University of Nebraska-Keaney. He was also named to the All-MIAA Team. 

On the infield, the Stompers will hope that hot corner specialist Caleb Bryson can add some extra thump to the lineup. In 2015, Bryson accumulated a .356 batting average to go along with a staggering 30 home runs and 96 RBIs while playing for the Trinidad Triggers in the Pecos League.

For pitchers, three new names to keep an eye on will be Oliver Garcia, Jose Flores, and Austin Delmotte. Garcia, a native of the Dominican Republic, spent time in the Seattle Mariners organization. Flores spent time with the Milwaukee Brewers organization in 2015 and will look to bolster the starting rotation. 

Flores excelled in his role as the ace Friday starter for the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma with his best season coming in 2014 when he finished with a 1.67 earned run average in 43 innings pitched.  

Delmotte impressed scouts in the California Winter League with his power fastball and will look to blow hitters away with his velocity this summer. 

Takashi ‘Yoshi’ Miyoshi returns at the helm of the Stompers for 2016, entering his second season with the club, and his first full season as manage. Miyoshi was promoted from bench coach and took over the managerial duties mid-season on July 13, 2015. 

Chris Mathews will begin his first season with the club in 2016 as a bench coach, and could also see some time behind the plate as a catcher. 

The Stompers will begin the regular season on May 31st against the Vallejo Admirals on the road in the first game of a three game series. Sonoma will kickoff the home slate on Tuesday, June 7th when they host the Vallejo Admirals in another three game series at Arnold Field. 

Tickets are available online at stompersbaseball.com, and can also be purchased in our Stompers Fan Shop located at 234 W. Napa St in Sonoma. Group events and Group Tickets are also available now. Please email jack@stompersbaseball.com or call 707.938.7277 for any questions you may have or more information.  

Stompers Re-Sign Mike Jackson, Jr. For 2016

Jackson, a charter member of the Stompers franchise, returns in 2016 for his third season.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Tim Livingston, Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations

He’s been here since the beginning of the franchise, and he’ll be back here in 2016, as well. The Sonoma Stompers, presented by Virginia Dare Winery, have announced the re-signing of veteran right-handed pitcher Mike Jackson, Jr. to join what is quickly becoming a strong pitching staff for the 2016 team.

One of the original Stompers in the team’s flagship season in 2014, Jackson has become a fan favorite in Sonoma, as well as being a good pitcher both in the rotation and out of the bullpen.

"Mike's been a staple of this organization since its inception," said Stompers general manager Theo Fightmaster, "I'm thrilled for our team, and for our fans. When Mike takes the ball he has a singular focus, and is about as good as anybody at this level.”

Jackson spent 2014 as a reliever for Sonoma, leading the team with nine saves, before moving into one of the team’s starting spots in 2015. Featuring a fastball in the upper 80’s that reached the low 90’s on occasion to go along with a slider and a splitter, he had great success as a starter.

Traditional stats like ERA (4.72) don’t begin to tell the story of Jackson’s success. He was very unlucky when balls went in play against him, as his .380 BABIP ranked second highest amongst starters in the Pacific Association. He struck out 72 batters in his 83 innings and walked only 23, good for a 3/1 K/BB ratio that was second best on the team.

In addition, the runs he did give up were mostly clustered together. Of his 43 earned runs, 23 came over 3 different starts, which meant over the other 66 1/3 innings, the 20 earned runs he allowed gave him a 2.71 ERA. Fielding Independent Pitching, which accounts for only things a pitcher can control like strikeouts, walks and home runs, liked him too, as his 3.41 mark was third best amongst league starters.

Jackson will be a tremendous asset for the Stompers in 2016, as the team has also announced the re-signings of Sean Conroy, Gregory Paulino and Santos Salidvar to head up the pitching staff for the 2016 season.

Players report to camp on Thursday, May 19 with the season beginning on Tuesday, May 31 as the Stompers travel to take on Vallejo.

The Stompers play their first home game of the 2016 season on Tuesday, June 7 while they host the Admirals in a three game series. Tickets are available online at stompersbaseball.com and can also be purchased at the Stompers Fan Shop, located at 234 W. Napa St. in downtown Sonoma.

Buy 'The Only Rule Is It Has to Work' autographed by Ben & Sam

The story of the 2015 Stompers is now a New York Times Bestseller! You can own a copy of the book signed by the authors, Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller.

Signed Copies Now Available: Buy It Now

What would happen if two statistics-minded outsiders were allowed to run a professional baseball team?

It’s the ultimate in fantasy baseball: You get to pick the roster, set the lineup, and decide on strategies -- with real players, in a real ballpark, in a real playoff race. That’s what baseball analysts Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller got to do when an independent minor-league team in California, the Sonoma Stompers, offered them the chance to run its baseball operations according to the most advanced statistics. Their story in The Only Rule is it Has to Work is unlike any other baseball tale you've ever read.

We tag along as Lindbergh and Miller apply their number-crunching insights to all aspects of assembling and running a team, following one cardinal rule for judging each innovation they try: it has to work. We meet colorful figures like general manager Theo Fightmaster and boundary-breakers like the first openly gay player in professional baseball. Even José Canseco makes a cameo appearance.

Order a second piece of Stompers merchandise with you book order, using the promo code "BOOKSALE" and get $5 of the book!

Will their knowledge of numbers help Lindbergh and Miller bring the Stompers a championship, or will they fall on their faces? Will the team have a competitive advantage or is the sport’s folk wisdom true after all? Will the players attract the attention of big-league scouts, or are they on a fast track to oblivion?

It’s a wild ride, by turns provocative and absurd, as Lindbergh and Miller tell a story that will speak to numbers geeks and traditionalists alike. And they prove that you don’t need a bat or a glove to make a genuine contribution to the game.

​Gregory Paulino Set To Return To Sonoma Stompers Staff

Gregory Paulino returns for his second season with the Stompers after a very good 2015.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Tim Livingston, Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations

Gregory Paulino led the Sonoma Stompers Professional Baseball Club’s pitching staff in wins, strikeouts, and complete games in 2015. And when he was at his best, the 6-foot-3 right-hander from Palenque, Dominican Republic, also led the Stompers in swagger.

With his long lean frame, and his pronounced leg whip delivery, the 23-year-old former Oakland Athletics farmhand went 8-4 with a 3.76 ERA, while striking out 87 hitters in 93 1/3 innings pitched. Paulino pitched two complete games – both shutouts – led the team in innings pitched, and his WHIP (walks, plus hits per innings pitched) of 1.189 was second only to that of Sean Conroy’s 0.950.  

“I was excited when we were able to sign Gregory last winter, and I’m even more excited he’s coming back this season,” Stompers General Manager Theo Fightmaster said. “Gregory was a great player on the field, and a great man of integrity and principle off it. He’s adored by his teammates, his host family, and feared by hitters – that’s the ideal combination that we’re looking for in our players.”

Paulino missed the 2014 season with an elbow injury, but had put up impressive numbers in previous seasons in the A’s farm system. He earned eight wins at three levels between 2011 and 2013, and boasted a 3.73 earned run average, while striking out 121 batters in 159 1/3 innings pitched.

As a starter he made appearances between Oakland’s Dominican Summer League team, and its Rookie team in Arizona; where he furnished a 2.79 ERA in 29 innings, holding opponents to a .257 batting average against in 2013.

Additionally, the team will scout and sign players out of the Pacific Association’s Open Tryout, slated from April 23-24 at CC Sabathia Field in Vallejo. Players interested in competing for a job with any of the Pacific Assoc. teams are encouraged to register online at www.StompersBaseball.com. 

Players report to Sonoma May 19, and spring training workouts and exhibitions begin May 20.

The Stompers finished the 2015 season with their second winning record in as many years, going 44-33. In the franchise’s inaugural campaign in 2014, Sonoma boasted a 42-36 record.

The Stompers open the season May 31, 2016, and start their home season in Sonoma on Tuesday, June 7, at 6 p.m. against the Vallejo Admirals.

Full Season tickets, mini-plans and partial season tickets are on sale on our website, www.stompersbaseball.com, or at the Stompers Fan Shop, located at 234 West Napa Street in Sonoma. Group events and Group Tickets are also available now. Please email jack@stompersbaseball.com, or call 707.938.7277 for questions and more information.

Santos Saldivar To Re-Join Stompers Staff

The sensational Santos Saldivar returns to bolster the Stompers rotation in 2016.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Tim Livingston, Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations

The Sonoma Stompers are bringing back another prominent arm from their memorable 2015 season, as the team has announced the signing of pitcher Santos Saldivar to head what will be an exciting, young rotation in 2016.

A second year player from Pasadena, Texas, the graduate of Southern University was outstanding after joining the Stompers in the second half of 2015.

“Santos was every bit as good as anyone who threw a pitch in our league last year, and we’re thrilled he will be returning this season,” said Stompers GM Theo Fightmaster. “With this move, we expect our starting pitching to be a real strength of our ball club.”

Added Special Assistant of Baseball Operations, Sam Miller, "Santos Saldivar is an ace, in the truest sense of the word. He wants to take the ball in the biggest game of the year, and once he’s in he wants to face the other team’s toughest hitter in the biggest situations. He’s absolutely unflappable, he’s got a deep repertoire and excellent command, and he throws hard. 

"What makes him so fun to watch is how intelligent he is on the mound," Miller added. "He’ll throw any pitch in any count, how he has a game plan for every hitter, and how he sets up what he throws in the seventh inning with what he throws in the first. He can toy with hitters or he can blow it right past them, and he knows exactly which situations call for each approach. Every game he starts, you’re thinking potential no-hitter."

He didn’t join the Stompers until the second half, but you don’t have to strain too hard to say Saldivar was the most effective pitcher in the Pacific Association last year. No pitcher who threw as many innings as he did had a better combination of strikeout, walk and home runs rates. This is a pitcher who should ensure that the Stompers have a great starter on Opening Night and a great starter in the championship game.

Saldivar started the Pacific Association championship game for the Stompers last season thanks to his brilliant second-half run. He had a 2.05 ERA in 13 appearances, including five starts, and across his 48 1/3 innings, he struck out 58 and walked 17 while allowing only 44 hits.

Advanced metrics showed how dominant he was in such a short time, as his 2.23 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) was the best in the Pacific Association for players with at least 40 innings. He also had the best strikeout rate in that sample size at 28.9%. He placed fourth in the year-end awards for Pitcher of the Year, the only player in the Top 5 to pitch fewer than 75 innings.

The 5-foot-10-inch right-hander will be only 23 years old this season and has a great four-pitch mix, with a fastball that can sit in the low 90’s to go along with a great curveball, change-up and slider. He becomes the second pitcher from 2015 to join the Stompers for another season, as fellow standout Sean Conroy re-signed with the team last month.

The Stompers open the season May 31, 2016, and start their home season in Sonoma on Tuesday, June 7, at 6 p.m. against the Vallejo Admirals.

Full Season tickets, mini-plans and partial season tickets are on sale on our website, Stompersbaseball.com, or at the Stompers Fan Shop, located at 234 West Napa Street in Sonoma. Group events and Group Tickets are also available now. Please email jack@stompersbaseball.com, or call 707.938.7277 for questions and more information.

Sonoma High Teams and Stompers Enjoying New Arnold Field Batting Cage

Sonoma Valley High Seniors Joe Peterson and Maclean Meyn spearheaded a project to rehabilitate the batting cage at Arnold Field.

Lorna Sheridan/Sonoma Index-Tribune

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: Sonoma Index-Tribune

Lorna Sheridan, Index-Tribune Education Editor

Joe Peterson and Maclean Meyn took over the annual Home Run Derby fundraiser this year for their senior project at Sonoma Valley High School, but they weren’t content just raising money – although they do expect to bring in several thousand dollars for the Wounded Warrior Project.

They love baseball and wanted to make a noticeable impact on the Arnold Field facilities used by the high school teams. The batting cage has been in disrepair and almost unusable in recent years, so they decided to raise money to renovate the cage, well in advance of the baseball season.

Several months of hard work later, “Our batting cage is probably the best in the county now,” said Peterson. “It works better and is safer and better looking.” The turf is new, as is the grading, the netting and the concrete pad. A new roof is going on and new lights make it safer and easier to see.

“The updated batting cage looks great,” said Sonoma Stompers general manager Theo Fightmaster. “We’re thrilled that Joe had the idea and ambition to put this together, he did a fantastic job. And it’s great that so many groups came together to help him with these much-needed improvements. The new cage will serve all of Sonoma baseball well, including the Stompers.”

While the batting machine still needs to be fixed, the cage is already getting a lot of use by the SVHS team, which is a few weeks into its spring season.

Flyers can be seen around town already for the April 9 Home Run Derby at Arnold Field. The all-day event is a popular Sonoma tradition. “Beyond all the local parents who love to come with their kids, we invite our entire league, as well as everyone from the Stompers organization,” said Peterson.

He added that the radar gun, which tracks pitch speed, is particularly popular with kids and dads alike

Stompers Re-Sign Sean Conroy

Sean Conroy will return to the Sonoma Stompers for the 2016 season. Last season, he was named the Pacific Association's top reliever, and was recognized by the league as its top defensive pitcher during his rookie season.

James Toy III/Sonoma Stompers

Theo Fightmaster, General Manager

Right-handed pitcher Sean Conroy, perhaps the most celebrated player in the short history of the Sonoma Stompers Professional Baseball Club, has agreed to terms on a contract that will bring him back to Sonoma for the 2016 season, the team’s General Manager, Theo Fightmaster said.

“Sean is a guy we were lucky to have last season, and we’re even luckier to have him come back to Sonoma,” Fightmaster said. “We know what he’s capable of – being one of the best pitchers in the league – and that puts us in a very good spot heading into the season.”

Conroy enjoyed a historic 2015 season, and was voted the Pacific Association’s top defensive pitcher, as well as being named league’s top relief pitcher.

The 23-year-old Clifton Park, New York, product pitched in 22 games for Sonoma, and Fightmaster said he was outstanding in his first year of professional baseball. The rookie had a 5-3 record with a 2.70 ERA, including 10 saves (second in the league among qualified pitchers), and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 52-15. Opposing batters hit just .192 against him with a WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched) of 0.950, tops in the league among pitchers who pitched at least 20 innings.

Fightmaster said the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Conroy was a true asset to the Stompers, pitching in a variety of roles. In addition to his four starts, Conroy appeared out of the bullpen 18 times, earning three wins along with his 10 saves. In the second half of the season, Conroy was used in a “fireman’s” role, pitching multiple innings of relief after coming in at the game’s most critical point – not simply in the final inning.

When opposing hitters put the ball in play against Conroy, their luck didn’t change much. They accumulated a meager .202 batting average in those at-bats. His component ERC was 1.986. (ERC is a baseball statistic invented by famed baseball statistician Bill James, and attempts to forecast a pitcher’s earned run average from the number of hits and walks allowed rather than the standard formula of average number of earned runs per nine innings.) Using that metric, Conroy was the second best pitcher in the Association, and best among pitchers who pitched more than 20 innings.

Conroy garnered international attention in late June becoming the first openly gay active professional baseball player. Conroy at that time made his first career start on the team’s Pride Night in spectacular fashion, pitching a complete game shutout against the Vallejo Admirals, allowing only three hits and striking out 11, leading the Stompers to a 7-0 victory in front of a packed house, hordes of reporters and television cameras.

“I’m happy I will have a chance to continue my career in Sonoma with the Stompers,” Conroy said. “Last year was so much fun, and such a great experience. My hope is that this year the team can improve on our success from last season and finish what we started.”

The Stompers finished the 2015 season with their second winning record in as many years, going 44-33. In the franchise’s inaugural campaign in 2014, Sonoma boasted a 42-36 record.

The Stompers open the season May 31, and start their home season in Sonoma on Tuesday, June 7, at 6 p.m. against the Vallejo Admirals.

Season tickets, mini-plans and partial season tickets are on sale on the website, stompersbaseball.com, or at the Stompers Fan Shop, 234 W. Napa St., Sonoma. For details, call 938-7277.

Stompers Add Jose Flores To Pitching Staff

Right-handed pitcher Jose Flores went 10-2, with five complete games, and four shutouts in two seasons at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.

Photo credit/USAO Athletics.

Theo Fightmaster, General Manager

In a move intended to strengthen its starting rotation, the Sonoma Stompers Professional Baseball Club’s has signed former Milwaukee Brewers prospect, Jose Flores.

Flores, 23 and originally from Fremont, pitched for the Brewers Rookie Ball team in 2015, appearing in 12 games, primarily as a short-reliever, earning a win and a save.

The Friday starter at University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and a shortstop, Flores furnished a 1.67 ERA in 43 innings pitched his junior year (2014). As a senior, he pitched in 56 1/3 innings with a 2.56 ERA, and allowed just 36 hits. In his two years at OSAO the 6-ffor-4 right-hander struck out 124 batters while walking just 39, and conceded only one home run.

“Jose is the kind of player that makes a big difference in leagues like the Pacific Association,” Stompers GM Theo Fightmaster said. “He has the tools, the stuff and the makeup of a prospect. It’s our job to help him put all those things together and then we all will enjoy watching him pitch here and throughout the rest of his career, wherever it takes him.”

Flores joins a pitching staff that will include Eric Mozieka, Landon Hunt and expects to return a number of key hurlers from 2015, along with rookie of the year, Mark Hurley, shortstop Eddie Mora-Lorea and slugging first baseman, Daniel Baptista.  

Additionally, the team will scout and sign players out of the Pacific Association’s Open Tryout, slated from April 23-24 at CC Sabathia Field in Vallejo. Players interested in competing for a job with any of the Pacific Assoc. teams are encouraged to register online at www.StompersBaseball.com. The tryout was rescheduled due to inclement weather after originally being slated to take place March 12-13 in Sonoma.

The Stompers finished the 2015 season with their second winning record in as many years, going 44-33. In the franchise’s inaugural campaign in 2014, Sonoma boasted a 42-36 record.

The Stompers open the season May 31, 2016, and start their home season in Sonoma on Tuesday, June 7, at 6 p.m. against the Vallejo Admirals.

Full Season tickets, mini-plans and partial season tickets are on sale on our website, www.stompersbaseball.com, or at the Stompers Fan Shop, located at 234 West Napa Street in Sonoma. Group events and Group Tickets are also available now. Please email jack@stompersbaseball.com, or call 707.938.7277 for questions and more information.

MLB Announces ‘Historic’ Partnership With National Gay And Lesbian Chamber Of Commerce

New York Mets mascots Mr. and Mrs. Met attend a news conference to announce the official LGBT Pride Night hosted by the New York Mets Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016, in New York. Billy Bean, MLB's Vice President of Inclusion and Social Responsibility, has worked closely with Sonoma Stompers pitcher Sean Conroy. The two will be at the 2016 Diversity Business Summit in Phoenix, Ariz. in March, 2016. 

Frank Franklin II/AP

Originally Published: Think Progress

Lindsay Gibbs, ThinkProgress.org

This week at Major League Baseball’s Diversity Business Summit, Fortune reports that the league is set to announce a partnership with the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC).

The deal, which NGLCC spokesman Jonathan Lovitz called “historic,” will give LGBT businesses an equal opportunity to bid for MLB contracts and opportunities. To be certified by the NGLCC, a business must be 51 percent owned by an LGBT person or persons.

“The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce is such a well-respected organization,” said Billy Bean, MLB’s Vice President of Inclusion and Social Responsibility, “and for them to feel that what they see in baseball is something they would want to align with, it’s a compliment for the work that we’re doing.”

“I’m just so grateful that baseball is open to it now,” Bean told Fortune. “I’m really optimistic about how they can help us and then how in turn that helps our community.”

Bean played in the major leagues on and off from 1987 to 1995, and in 1999 he became the first former (or current) MLB player to come out publicly as gay. He began working with the league in a formal capacity in 2014, as part of the league’s efforts to promote inclusiveness — or, more specifically, to help pave the way for the league’s fist openly gay player.

Though no active MLB player has come out, Sean Conroy became the first openly gay professional baseball player when he pitched a complete game shutout for the Sonomoa Stompers last year. And Bean helped advise David Denson, a minor league player who is part of the Milwaukee Brewers organization, before he came out last year.

Overall, it’s hard to deny that baseball is moving in the right direction. Several teams acrossthe league have held LGBT Pride Nights or made videos directed at supporting LGBT youth andathletes.

As part of its Diverse Business Program, which has been around since 1998, MLB already works with nonprofits that represent female and minority business owners.

“The mission of the Diverse Business Partners program is to promote efficiency and profitability for Major League Baseball and its Clubs while extending Baseball’s ability to contribute to the economic growth, strength and well-being of diverse communities,” the league’s website reads.

Now, the businesses owned by members of the LGBT community will be given a chance to vie for the all-important MLB contract. The NGLCC already has a similar partnership with the USTA and the NFL during the Super Bowl.

“We take great pride in the fact that this not only puts us closer to Major League Baseball and the ability to bring innovative suppliers to their operation, but also that we get to work with incredible advocates and athletes like Billy Bean,” Justin Nelson, founder and president of the NGLCC, told Fortune.

Now that the MLB partnership is in place, Nelson is focused on forging partnerships with the NBA and WNBA.

“There’s a lot of work to be done still,” he said. “We’re going to put foot squarely on the gas pedal — not on the brakes — and work to use this as an opportunity to expand our vision, our mission, and our connections with sports entities, sports leagues, and major corporations.”

Daniel Baptista Re-Signs With Sonoma Stompers

Daniel Baptista, a defensive player of the year and one of the top rookies in the Pacific Association, has agreed to terms on a contract that will bring him back to Sonoma to play for the Stompers in 2016.

Danielle Putonen/Sonoma Stompers

Theo Fightmaster, General Manager

After a rookie campaign that helped spark the Sonoma Stompers Pro Baseball Club’s 2015 first-half championship, and the team’s first postseason appearance, first baseman Daniel Baptista is returning to Sonoma for the 2016 season, Stompers GM Theo Fightmaster announced Wednesday.

Baptista, a 6-foot-5, Fairfield, Calif. Native batted .321 (third-best in the Pacific Association) with six homers and 41 RBIs in his rookie campaign, reaching base at a .386 clip. He slugged .425 and tallied an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of .811. Impressively, the left-handed hitting Baptista enjoyed what’s known as a reverse-split, hitting even better off left-handed pitchers than he did against right-handed hurlers.

Additionally, he was sixth on Sonoma with 40.2 Runs Created (a stat invented by Bill James to estimate the number of runs a hitter contributes to his team), trailing only the likes of Mark Hurley (47.2), Gered Mochizuki (44.7), Joel Carranza (41.3), Matt Hibbert (41.1) and Isaac Wenrich (40.5). Of those players credited with more runs created, only Mochizuki failed to receive a promotion to a higher league.

The slick fielding Baptista proved nearly as valuable with the leather as he did with his bat, furnishing a fielding percentage of .985, while converting 317 putouts with 16 assists. He committed only five errors in 338 chances in 42 games at first base, and was voted the top defensive first baseman in the Pacific Association last September. He also finished fourth in the league’s Rookie of the Year balloting, which was claimed by Hurley.

“I’m proud of what Daniel has blossomed into,” said Fightmaster. “He’s completely transformed himself since college, and really since the first time I saw him play in 2014.

“He was a great player for us last year, and was a great character in the clubhouse. We’re excited to see what’s in store for him this year.”

The Stompers finished the 2015 season with their second winning record in as many years, going 44-33. In the franchise’s inaugural campaign in 2014, Sonoma boasted a 42-36 record.

The Stompers open the season May 31, 2016, and start their home season in Sonoma on Tuesday, June 7, at 6 p.m. against the Vallejo Admirals.

Full Season tickets, mini-plans and partial season tickets are on sale on our website, www.stompersbaseball.com, or at the Stompers Fan Shop, located at 234 West Napa Street in Sonoma. Group events and Group Tickets are also available now. Please email jack@stompersbaseball.com, or call 707.938.7277 for questions and more information.