Madison, WI – April 2, 2015. Former Madison Mallards pitcher J.R. Graham will begin the season on the Minnesota Twins big league roster. Graham is the fifth Mallards player to reach the major league level joining Rafael Lopez, Ryan Spilborghs, Matt Pagnozzi, and Phill Gosselin.
Graham, who played collegiately at Santa Clara University, pitched for the Mallards from 2009-2010 and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the fourth round of the 2011 MLB June Amateur Draft. The Twins selected Graham out of the Braves organization in this year’s Rule 5 Draft.
Graham was rated as one of baseball’s top 100 prospects by Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. After overcoming injuries the past two years, Graham has put together a solid spring with the Twins in 2015, which earned him a spot in the Twins bullpen. He has only allowed three runs in 12.2 innings pitched with seven strikeouts.
In 2009 with the Mallards, Graham was 1-2 with three saves, posting a 4.66 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched. The right-hander had an excellent season with the Mallards in 2010. He finished the season with a 2.75 ERA, tallying 28 strikeouts in 32.2 innings pitched, and a team-high seven saves. He becomes the first pitcher to make it to the big leagues from the Mallards. The Twins open the season on Monday, April 6th against the Detroit Tigers.
Mallards season ticket and group packages are on-sale now! To purchase please contact the Mallards ticket office at 608-246-4277 or email at info@mallardsbaseball.com.
The Mallards open the 2015 season at the “Duck Pond” on Tuesday, May 26th at 6:35 pm against the Kalamazoo Growlers. Mallards single game tickets go on-sale Saturday, April 25th at 9:00 am.
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The Madison Mallards are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 22nd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2015, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (BOS) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website. For more information, visit www.MallardsBaseball.com
