TEXAS RANGERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH RHP A.J. GRIFFIN
ON MINOR LEAGUE CONTRACT WITH SPRING TRAINING INVITATION
Elvis Andrus and Dean Palmer to be honored at Dr Pepper Awards Dinner on January 22
Arlington, Texas – The Texas Rangers today announced that the club has agreed to terms with free agent right-handed pitcher A.J. Griffin on a 2016 minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training camp.
Griffin turns 28 years old on January 28 and has spent his entire professional career in the Oakland organization since being selected in the 13th round of the 2010 June draft. He did not pitch in the major leagues in 2014-15 following ‘Tommy John’ ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow on April 30, 2014. The San Diego native had a brief injury rehabilitation assignment in June 2015, going 0-1 with a 3.77 ERA (6 ER/14.1 IP) over 4 games/starts for High-A Stockton and Triple-A Nashville in his only professional action over the last two seasons.
He was placed on the disabled list on June 20 with a right shoulder strain and was sidelined for the duration of the year. He was designated for assignment by Oakland on November 20 and given his unconditional release on November 30. Griffin is undergoing a throwing program during the off-season and is expected to be ready for spring training.
Griffin reached the majors in just his third professional season in 2012, and has a career 21-11 record with a 3.60 ERA (113 ER/282.1 IP) over 47 games/starts in MLB, all with Oakland in 2012-13. He had a 14-10 mark with a 3.83 ERA for the A’s in 2013, when he ranked among American League leaders in opponents on-base percentage (4th, .280), opponents batting average (5th, .226), and wins (8th). He has a career 1.59 ERA (2 ER/11.1 IP) in 2 starts in Arlington.
ELVIS ANDRUS WINS 2015 HAROLD McKINNEY GOOD GUY AWARD;
DEAN PALMER NAMED RECIPIENT OF 2016 MARK HOLTZ ALUMNI AWARD
The Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America today announced that shortstop Elvis Andrus is its recipient of the 2015 Harold McKinney Good Guy Award. Andrus batted .258 with 7 homers, 62 RBI, and 25 stolen bases in 160 games with Texas in 2015, his seventh season with the club. He is Texas’ all-time leader with 217 stolen bases.
In addition it was announced that former Rangers slugging third baseman Dean Palmer is the recipient of the 2016 Mark Holtz Alumni Award. Palmer had 154 homers and 451 RBI with a .470 slugging percentage in 774 games with the Rangers from 1989-97. The right-handed batter clubbed 33 homers and 96 RBI in 1993 and produced 38 homers and 107 RBI for the 1996 A.L. West Division champs. Traded to Kansas City in July 1997, Palmer had 275 homers and 849 RBI in 1357 career games with the Rangers, Royals (1997-98), and Tigers (1999-03).
Andrus and Palmer will receive their awards at the 2016 Dr Pepper Texas Rangers Awards Dinner on Friday, January 22 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine. Tickets for the dinner, which will honor a number of baseball personalities and feature appearances by Texas Rangers past and present, are on sale at www.texasrangers.com/awards. Other 2015 Rangers award recipients include: Player of the Year—Prince Fielder; Pitcher of the Year—Shawn Tolleson; Rookie of the Year—Delino DeShields; Richard Durrett Hardest Working Man—Rougned Odor.
