Blue Jays announce five players signed including RHP Casey Lawrence
BUFFALO, NY - Today the Toronto Blue Jays announced the signing of several players to Minor League contracts with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. The five players signed includes RHP CASEY LAWRENCE and RHP DREW HUTCHISON. They are joined by RHP JULIAN FERNANDEZ, LHP PAUL FRY, and C
BUFFALO, NY -
Today the Toronto Blue Jays announced the signing of several players to Minor League contracts with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. The five players signed includes RHP CASEY LAWRENCE and RHP DREW HUTCHISON.
They are joined by RHP JULIAN FERNANDEZ, LHP PAUL FRY, and C ROB BRANTLY on a free agent contract. In total the players account for 508 big league games throughout their careers.
Lawrence is returning to the Blue Jays organization for the third straight season after one of the best in his 12-year professional career. The right hander returned to the Majors when his contract was selected by Toronto on May 4 and pitched in a total of six games for the Blue Jays in 2022.
The veteran starter was named the Bisons 2022 Warren Spahn Most Valuable Pitcher for his work on the mound in Triple-A, as well. Lawrence made 23 starts for the Herd, going 9-5 with a 2.79 earned run average, both ranking among the best in Triple-A last season. Lawrence led all qualified pitchers with his 2.79 ERA and was tied for seventh in wins.
Lawrence was named the International League’s Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 30-June 5. The McSherrytown, PA product logged a seven-inning complete game shutout against the Rochester Red Wings where he allowed one hit and struck out five on June 4. The victory came during a streak of five straight wins for the righty in the Bisons’ rotation that spanned May 17-June 10.
Hutchison made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays in 2012 and won 10 or more games in back-to-back seasons in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Thirty of the righty’s 38 career Major League victories have come for Toronto in his seven-year big league career.
Last year the veteran righty pitched in 28 outings for the Detroit Tigers, including 18 starts totaling 105.1 innings pitched. It marked the most innings in the big leagues for Hutchison since the 2015 campaign with the Blue Jays.
Hutchison has also appeared across parts of three seasons for the Bisons previously. The former 15th round draft pick by the Blue Jays in the 2009 MLB Draft made 18 starts for the Herd in 2016. He won six games for the Herd that season. Hutchison has spent parts of each of the last two seasons with the Toledo Mud Hens, in addition to his promotions by the Tigers.
Fry has pitched in parts of each of the last five seasons in the Big Leagues, with 13 total relief appearances between the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks last season. The south paw made is Major League debut in 2018 with the Orioles and was credited with his first MLB victory on September 30, 2018 against the Houston Astros.
The lefty spent the majority of the 2022 campaign with the Reno Aces, making 29 relief appearances in the Pacific Coast League. Fry also pitched across parts of four seasons in the International League for the Norfolk Tides. He was originally a 17th round draft pick by the Seattle Mariners in the 2013 Draft.
Fernandez was originally signed by the Colorado Rockies as a free agent in 2012 and spent his entire professional career in the Rockies organization. The 27-year-old made his most appearances as a reliever last season with 58 for the Albuquerque Isotopes in the PCL. He recorded 65 strikeouts in 57.0 innings pitched with two wins and a save, as well.
The right hander made his Major League debut last season for Colorado, on September 5, 2021 against the Atlanta Braves. Fernandez made a total of six relief appearances totaling 6.2 innings pitched for the Rockies.
Brantly is no stranger to Bisons fans, playing in parts of each of the last five seasons in the International League, in addition to his 135 career MLB games played. Last season the veteran backstop was promoted to the New York Yankees, the second straight season he was called up from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The San Diego, CA native has played across parts of 13 professional seasons after being selected in the 3rd round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. Brantly made his MLB debut in 2012 with the Miami Marlins. He has appeared in the big leagues with five teams, including the Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and San Francisco Giants, in addition to his time with the Marlins and Yankees.