2022 Patriots In Pinstripes- Volume 1

2022 Patriots In Pinstripes- Volume 1

COMING HOME

No. 1Yankees prospect and Somerset County native Anthony Volpe takes the field on Opening Day before a true hometown crowd.

2022 SCHEDULE & PROMOTIONS

Upcoming Promotions Tuesday, April 26 @ 6:35 p.m.: NJEA Most Improved Student Night | ToppsTuesday (1 st 1,000) | UnusedTicket Exchange Date

Wednesday, April 27 @ 6:35 p.m.: NJEA Most Improved Student Night | RWJBH Baseball Bingo

Thursday, April 28 @ 6:35 p.m.: Bark In The Park

Friday, April 29 @ 6:35 p.m.: Squishy Baseballs (1 st 1,000) presented by Jag-One Physical Therapy

Saturday, April 30 @ 6:35 p.m.: Fireworks presented by Celularity | Copa de la Diversion Game featuring the Zorros de Somerset

Sunday, May 1 @ 1:05 p.m.: Unicorn Day | Kids Run The Bases presented by HBCBSNJ

Tuesday, May 3 @ 11:05 a.m.: Day Game | Topps Tuesday (1 st 1,000)

Wednesday, May 4 @ 6:35 p.m.: Reusable Bags (1 st 2,000) presented by Somerset County Division of SolidWaste with NJ Clean Communities | RWJBH Baseball Bingo | UnusedTicket Exchange Date

Thursday, May 5 @ 6:35 p.m.: GO Blue For CASA | DancingWith The Patriots

Friday, May 6 @ 6:35 p.m.: Fireworks presented by Chint Power

Saturday, May 7 @ 6:35 p.m.: ChanceToWin $10,000 presented by Heineken Light | Tyler’s Amazing Balancing Act Sunday, May 8 @ 1:05 p.m.: Mother’s Day Celebration | Kids Runs The Bases presented by HBCBSNJ

SomersetPatriots.com

BIG LEAGUE DEBUTS

Zack Britton is rehabbing in Somerset this week. The Tom River, New Jersey native impressed in Somerset last season, where he finished with a 1.82 ERA and 64 strikeouts over 39.2 innings pitched in 22 games. Marinaccio was one of three pitch r to url a no-hitter on August 8, the first in Patriots history. He continued to mow down batters after his Triple-A call up to ScrantonWilkes/Barre on August 10. He recorded another 41 strikeouts in 18 games. RHP Ron Marinaccio has followed his strong 2021 campaign with a major league call up to theYankees. After the season, Marinaccio was added to theYankees’ 40-man roster and made the major league club to start the 2022 season. He has appeared in three game so far for theYankees after making his MLB debut on April 9.

LHP JP Sears also made his MLB debut with theYankees this season.

Sears, a teammate with Marinaccio all 2021 in Somerset and Scranton/Wilkes- Barre, is another one of the top young arms in NewYork’s minor league system. He was 3-2 with a 4.09 ERA and 71 strikeouts in Somerset before dominating Triple-A after his promotion on August 3. With the RailRiders, Sears was 7-0 with a 2.87 ERA and 65 strikeouts in ten games, all as a starter. He was added to the 40-man roster at the end of the year and made the major league roster out of spring training. Sears debuted for theYankees on April 13 and recorded his first MLB win on April 16. As of April 26, he is pitching at the Triple-A level.

START TALKING ABOUT BLAKE PERKINS

BLAKE PERKINS

Patriots OF Blake Perkins had everyone talking about him after an impressive road trip in Hartford, Connecticut against the Yard Goats. This week began with Minor League Baseball announcing that Perkins has been named their Double-A Eastern League Player of theWeek for April 18 to April 24.

Perkins hit .473 (9-for-19) with a .524 OBP, a 1.326 SLG and 1.850 OPS for the week.

Out of his nine hits, seven were for extra bases. He slugged four home runs, as well as two doubles and a triple. In addition, Perkins scored eight runs and drove in nine in five games played. He has crossed the plate in each of his last seven games played.

Against the HartfordYard Goats this past week, Perkins had a two-home run game

He currently leads the Eastern league with 37 TB, a .902 SLG, 1.324 OPS and ranks among the league leaders in nearly every other offensive category. He ranks third in all of MiLB in SLG and fifth in OPS. His .902 SLG also leads all NewYork Yankees Minor Leaguers and is 319 points higher than the next-best player. The Long Beach, California native was a free agent signing of theYankees on December 15, 2021. He previously played for theWashington Nationals and the Kansas City Royals organizations. He was Washington’s second round pick in 2015.

(April 23) and went deep in three consecutive games (April 22-24).

GAME TIME

The Patriots have been selected for the inaugural MLB Pipeline Game of the Month on Thursday, April 28. The Patriots will take on the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) at TD Bank Ballpark at 6:35 p.m. The game will be streamed live on both MLB.tv and MiLB.tv. As part of each MLB Pipeline Game of the Month, a correspondent will be on-site to highlight some of the game’s best prospects and everything MiLB.tv has to offer its subscribers. MLB Pipeline provides the premier coverage of the future stars of Major League Baseball. MLB Pipeline’s Sam Dykstra will join Somerset’s broadcaster Steven Cusumano in the booth for the game. Dykstra has covered Minor League Baseball for both MLB.com and MiLB.com since 2012. He collaborates with Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo on Top 100 and organizational prospect rankings and co-hosts the weekly Minor League podcast, “The Show Before the Show,” with Tyler Maun and Benjamin Hill. Some other highlights of the event will be featured player segments, Instagram Lives, a tour of TD Bank Ballpark with Patriots President/General Manager Patrick McVerry, and more surprises throughout the game. The Patriots game that day will follow a Yankees 1:05 pm game versus the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium.

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HOLA, ZORROS

The Patriots will make their debut as the Zorros de Somerset as part of Minor League Baseball’s Copa de la Diversion program on Saturday, April 30. The Zorros de Somerset will take on the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) using their Copa identity, the Alces de Maine. The game features a postgame fireworks show presented by Celularity. TD Bank Ballpark will feature traditional Hispanic cuisine from Patriots partner Brisas , a Colombian bakery and restaurant with locations in North Plainfield, Elizabeth, and Englewood. Kids will be able to create “Spanish Tiles” with the colors of the Zorros de Somerset at an activity table on the main concourse.

The artwork will be displayed as part of a mosaic at the end of the season gathered from each Copa game. The evening’s National Anthem will be performed by Argentinian-American singer/songwriter and global activist Sophia Angelica. Music by Latin artists will be played throughout the game as part of the festivities. There will also be recognition of the Latin players on the team and information about their home countries. The Zorros de Somerset will be raffling off autographed baseballs by some of the team’s Latin stars during the event.

HOLA, ZORROS

Zorros de Somerset, Spanish for Somerset Foxes, is a nod to a fox that frequently visited TD Bank Ballpark throughout 2020. The elusive animal was only seen on security camera footage and pictures from afar until it made a grand entrance right before the start of the Patriots press conference announcing the partnership with theYankees.

“Copa de la Diversión," or "Fun Cup," is a season-long event series specifically designed to embrace the culture and

values that resonate most with participating teams' local U.S. Hispanic/Latino communities.

Each game will include entertainment, music, food, and activities to showcase Latin culture at the ballpark.

SCHEDULE

Saturday, April 30th at 6:35 pm vs. Alces de Maine (Portland Sea Dogs)

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Friday, May 20th at 6:35 pm vs. Luchadores de Reading (Reading Fightin Phils) Sunday, June 26th at 1:05 pm vs. Chivos de Hartford (HartfordYard Goats) Thursday, July 7th at 7:05 pm vs. Cangrejos Fantasmas de Chesapeake (Bowie Baysox) Friday, August 26th at 7:05 pm vs. Gatos Feroces de New Hampshire (New Hampshire Fisher Cats)

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CLICK TO GET YOUR ZORROS GEAR!

Portland will also be featuring the No. 1 LHP prospect in the farm system in 25- year-old BrandonWalter . Drafted in the 26 th round of the 2019 draft, Walter has started in three games this season, recording an ERA of 1.06 and 22 strikeouts in 17.0 innings of work. In total, Walter has allowed just 10 base runners without walking a batter. In total, the Sea Dogs’ starting pitching rotation is composed of five of the top eight pitching prospects with Boston. The Patriots enter the week having split their six games against the HartfordYard Goats, capping the weekend with a 9-1 win in the series finale.

PORTLAND PREVIEW

The future stars of the greatest rivalry in sports will be taking the field at TD Bank Ballpark this week as the Portland Sea Dogs, the Boston Red Sox Double-A affiliate, visit the Somerset Patriots in a six- game series between April 26 to May 1. The two teams split the season series in 2021, 6-6, with each side winning four games on the road.

Bryan Bello (Photo Courtesy: Portland Sea Dogs)

The Sea Dogs bring six top-30 prospects to Bridgewater, highlighted by the No. 1

Derek Dietrich (Photo Courtesy: Mike Ashmore

pitching prospect in the Red Sox organization, RHP Brayan Bello .

Amongst top performers for Somerset was OF Blake Perkins who batted 9-for- 19 in five games with nine RBI and seven extra base-hits, including four home runs. Somerset’s latest addition, 2B Derek Deitrich , was another key contributor, batting 7-for-19 with five RBI and a home run. No. 1 overall prospect, SS Anthony Volpe , also homered in the series, his second of the season.

Through three starts on the young season, the 22-year-old has posted a 2-1 record with a 2.35 ERA and 24 strikeouts. In his lone start against the Patriots last year, Bello allowed two earned runs in 1.2 innings of work before being taken out.

LEADING PATRIOTS

BATTING:

PITCHING:

Stats as of 4/26/22

PICTURE PERFECT

No. 12 Yankees prospect Luis Medina takes a stab at game day photography.