The Oakland Ballers (a.k.a. B's) have swung the first trade in franchise history, acquiring outfielder Austin Davis from the Ottawa Titans in exchange for cash considerations. The Titans are a Frontier League team, while the Ballers will be joining the Pioneer Leaguer for their inaugural season in 2024.
Davis, 24, spent most of his time in college playing in right field, totaling 120 games at the position. Last season with the Titans he hit .288 with a .358 OBP and 19 stolen bases in 43 games. At West Virginia in 2022, he picked up Big 12 first-team honors after hitting .330 with a .402 OBP, four home runs, and 29 steals.
The B's outfield currently has Davis, Colin Matthews, Travis Halsema, and Dondrei Hubbard.
Matthews was Kent State's centerfielder, while Halsema manned left field in the Pioneer League last season. Hubbard is the reigning Pioneer League batting champion after hitting .395 last season and will be the Ballers' franchise player this upcoming year. He has primarily been a corner outfielder in his time in the minor leagues, which will give B's manager Micah Franklin some interesting combinations to play with.
Earlier this week the Ballers added San Francisco Giants legend J.T. Snow to their coaching staff as a bench coach and a first base coach.
The Ballers will be holding open tryouts in Florida, Arizona, and one locally. The tryout in Davenport, Florida will be held from February 9-11, while the one in Scottsdale, Arizona will be from April 16-18. The local tryout will have more details at a later date.
The B's also have gear available at Oaklandish, with t-shirts and hoodies in black and green. Green snapback hats back in stock, and there is a new crop of black snapbacks currently available as well. Oaklandish expects to have fitted hats at some point soon.
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