Lancaster Signs Former Big League Pitcher Bennett, And Two More

The Lancaster Barnstormers announced on Friday that they have signed former major league reliever Jeff Bennett, as well as infielders Eduardo Perez and Jaime Pedroza.

Jeff Bennett was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 19th round (658th overall) of the 1998 MLB Amateur Draft. He played five seasons in the Pirates organization, before being selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2003 Rule 5 Draft. On April 6, 2004, Bennett made his major league debut against the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing no runs and two hits over 1.1 innings. Bennett would go on to pitch in 179 major league games for the Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves and Tampa Rays from 2004 to 2009. He posted a 8-17 record with a 4.30 ERA in his major league career. Bennett started the 2011 season with the Lancaster Barnstormers, but had his contract purchased by the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 15, 2011. Bennett was released by the Diamondbacks on August 30th, after going 3-0 with a 4.29 ERA in 35.2 innings pitched. He returned to Lancaster for the end of the 2011 season. He finished with a 4-0 record and 0.82 ERA in 33 innings for the Barnstormers.

Eduardo Perez signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2005. He played all six of his professional seasons in the Dodgers organization. He had his best season in 2007 with Great Lakes(A), when he hit .311 with 14 home runs, 60 RBI, and 8 stolen bases in 116 games. He's a career .289 hitter with 51 home runs and 312 RBI in 611 games. 


Jamie Pedroza was a 9th round selection (296th overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft out The University of California - Riverside. He played all five of his professional seasons in the Dodgers organization. He had his best seasons in 2009 with Great Lakes(A), when he hit .260 with 15 home runs, 78 RBI, and 36 stolen bases. Last season, he split time between Rancho Cucamonga(A+) and Chattanooga(AA). 

Bennett is a great addition to the 'Stormers bullpen. Last season he was lights out for them. He'll most likely be use a set-up guy, but will also close some games. Perez and Pedroza will be used primarily off the bench but could also get some spot starts. Especially Pedroza, who is a threat to steal bases when he gets on.  Lancaster has such a stacked lineup, so it's tough to see where they'll actually fit in, but I'm sure Butch will utilize them.