Move to Starting Role Helped Bridgeport’s Patrick Ryan Secure Opportunity in Red Sox System

It seems highly unlikely if it had not been for the decision to move Patrick Ryan out of the bullpen and into the starting rotation at the start of June that the 27-year-old right-hander would be leaving Bridgeport and on his way to join the Boston Red Sox’s Salem, VA farm club Saturday.

Ryan, who had not been with a major league organization since early last season when he had a bloated 6.62 earned run average and had lost five of seven decisions for Seattle’s Double-A club, did okay as a reliever for the Bluefish, but nothing like his six starts in June which earned him Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month honors.

It was a lights-out month with a 5-0 record, 0.94 ERA and only 20 hits allowed plus 48 strikeouts in 38.1 innings to take over the league lead with a 1.39 ERA and earn a spot in this week’s All-Star Game. Boston purchased the six-year pro’s contract less than 24 hours after he hurled a scoreless inning for the winning Liberty Division all-stars.  If there was any blotch on Ryan’s overall 5-1 record with two saves in 58.1 innings it was that his 24 walks were a little high.  They were offset by 65 K’s and the fact he allowed only 38 hits in those 58.1 innings.

More Bluefish May Draw Attention

Patrick Ryan’s departure could put a substantial damper on Bridgeport’s optimism for the second half, but the most awkward fact for the Bluefish is they could have any number of other players somewhere on the radar of major league organizations.  Leftfielder Steve Moss has not hurt his chances of being noticed by leading the league in batting (.344) and winning the MVP award for the All-Star Game and rightfielder Charlton Jimerson was Player of the Month for June with a league-high .398 average with 11 doubles, six homers and 27 RBI in 26 games. 

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This ‘n That

Ben Davis’s stunning transformation from catching to pitching took another move forward at Camden Thursday when he was within two outs of a no-hitter before No. 9 hitter Christian Lopez broke it up for Southern Maryland. Davis (2-4, 5.80) had to settle for a no-decision one-hitter and the bullpen lost the game in the 10^th.  Jarrett Santos (5-2, 2.71) allowed two hits in eight innings for the Blue Crabs, and Butch Hobson is searching for a replacement for him since the big right-hander is leaving after one more outing to become pitching coach at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte…It had to feel good—as well as somewhat surprising—to Somerset to get third baseman Jeff Nettles back in the lineup Thursday. 

(These are excerpts from the Atlantic League Notebook. Subscriptions to the full Notebook are available via www.AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com or www.WirzandAssociates.com.  Bob Wirz also writes a weekly column, the Independent Baseball Insider, as well as a blog, www.IndyBaseballChatter.com. The author has 16 years of major league baseball public relations experience with Kansas City and as chief spokesman for two Commissioners and lives in Stratford, CT.)