Baseball in Fort Wayne

The Newark Bears Professional Baseball Club announced today that they have signed former Wizards, JJ Trujillo and Brian Burgamy, to contracts for the 2008 season.

The 32 year-old Trujillo was a member of the Bears’ championship-winning team of a year ago. He appeared in 10 games, tossing scoreless ball in each contest, at the beginning of the season before having his contract purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies organization. In the Phillies chain, Trujillo appeared in 24 games at Double-A Reading and Single-A Clearwater, posting a 4-1 record with a 3.13 ERA. He returned to the Bears after helping Clearwater win the Florida State League championship, pitched in 2 more scoreless regular season games with Newark, and then helped the Bears capture the Atlantic League crown [source: Newark Bears]

Trujillo is one of my all-time favorite Wizards. He signed with the Padres as a free agent in 1999. In 2000, he saved 42 games for the Wizards to set the Midwest League single season saves record (a record he still holds) and taking the Rolaids’ Relief Man Championship award. Read more about Trujillo on page 63 of Baseball in Fort Wayne.

The 26 year-old Burgamy comes to the Bears after spending last year in the Phillies organization, splitting the season as a teammate of Trujillo’s at both Double-A Reading and Single-A Clearwater. The switch-hitting outfielder equaled his career-high by hitting 13 home runs in 2007, and he drove in 51 runs, surpassing 50 RBI for the 3rd time in his six-year career.

Burgamy was originally selected in the 9th round of the 2002 draft by the San Diego Padres. He appeared with the Wizards in 2003 and 2004, where he had over 500 at-bats, collecting 115 hits 4 home runs, 39 runs batted in and 20 stolen bases. He has a career .248 minor league batting average.