Lamb Among 11 Additions to 2012 Osprey Roster

June 14, 2012 - Pioneer League (PL) Missoula Osprey MISSOULA, MONT - The Missoula Osprey, in conjunction with the Arizona Diamondbacks, have announced the addition of 11 more players to the 2012 Osprey roster, including a pair of projected starting pitchers and a corner infielder from the Northwest.

Jake Lamb, the D-backs 6th-round pick in this month's MLB Draft, will be among the players headed to Missoula. In three seasons at the University of Washington, Lamb hit .326 with 10 home runs and 88 RBIs, and earned Honorable Mention All-Pac 12 honors this past spring while leading the Huskies in games played, doubles, RBI, walks, on-base average and slugging percentage. Lamb was originally drafted in the 38th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2009 MLB Draft.

Joining Lamb in the infield will be middle infielder Pedro Ruiz, who will share second base and shortstop duties with John Leonard, and Jesus Abreu, who played in the Arizona Rookie League in 2011.

The outfield gets some added depth with the addition of Hawai'I native Breland Almadova. A multi-sport athlete in high school, he chose to play baseball at the University of Hawai'I, and played well in his two seasons as a mainstay in the Rainbows' lineup. As expected from a multi-sport athlete, Almadova has shown exceptional athleticism during the mini-camp in Arizona. His father played football at Hawai'i.

Also coming to Missoula is catcher Yosbel Guiterrez, who will be playing his first season of baseball stateside after spending his first two summers in the Dominican Summer League. Guiterrez, who hit .235 with seven doubles and four triples in just over 50 career starts behind the plate, has impressed the D-backs during the grind that is Extended Spring Training.

"He has a ton of energy, he's always smiling and keeping everyone positive and loose," said Bell of Guiterrez. "He has opened some eyes over the past few months."

In addition to the position player additions, six more pitchers were named to the Missoula roster today, including two who will be in the mix for the starting rotation. Right-hander Ross Gerdeman and left-hander Andrew Barbosa are expected to be among the starters used by Osprey pitching coach Gil Heredia this season.

Gerdeman has already had a taste of game action away from Extended Spring this season, making a spot start for Class A Advanced Visalia last month. A 35th round pick in the 2011 MLB Draft, Gerdeman was 4-2 with a 3.64 ERA in the Arizona League last season. Over his last three starts in 2011, Gerdeman allowed just five runs in 20 innings pitched (2.25 ERA) while posting the win in each outing. Gerdeman, a product of Fort Jennings, Ohio, pitched three seasons for Bowling Green State University, primarily out of the bullpen, making 20 appearances in each season in a Falcon uniform.

Barbosa has a reputation of getting batters out - in three seasons at South Florida, the 36th round pick in the 2012 MLB Draft posted a 15-10 mark, with a 2.01 career ERA and 281 strikeouts in 191 1/3 career innings pitched, and held opponents to a .217 batting average. The Puerto Rico native - who was drafted twice prior by the San Francisco Giants - was a walk-on at USF before becoming a weekend starter by the end of his first season.

The Osprey bullpen is bolstered by left-hander Mike Blake - who, like Lamb, is a Washington state native - and right-handers Cody Geyer, Chase Stevens and Justin Thompson. Geyer is considered by the D-backs brass to have plenty of potential, possessing a lively fastball in the mid-90s and a good curveball. Geyer was mainly a position player until he attended junior college at Walters State Community College - the same school that produced current Osprey first baseman Kyle Koeneman and former Osprey infielder Jake Elmore (2008). In Geyer was 3-2 in 23 appearances between the Arizona League and Yakima, with a 7.09 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings pitched.

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Lamb Among 11 Additions to 2012 Osprey Roster