Hokie ClubAnnounced yesterday by a pair of Major League clubs, a pairof former Hokies – Joe Saunders and Wyatt Toregas – signed baseball contracts.
The Arizona Diamondbacks avoided arbitration and agreed toterms with the left-handed pitching Saunders on a one-year contract for 2011. Saunders,29, compiled an overall record of 9-17 with a 4.47 ERA (101 ER in 203.1 IP) in33 starts last season with the D-backs and Angels.
He posted a 3-7 record and 4.25 ERA in 13 starts for theD-backs last season after being acquired in the five-player trade that sent DanHaren to the Angels on July 25. Saunders struck out a career-high 114 battersin a career-high 203.1 innings. His 15 quality starts last season were thesecond-highest total of his career.
Selected by Los Angeles Angles with the 12th pickin the 2002 draft out of Virginia Tech, Saunders has posted a 57-39 record witha 4.29 ERA during his six-year Major League career, posting at least 30 or morestarts in each of his four full seasons. He was an All-Star in 2008 in themidst of compiling a career-best 17-7 record and 3.41 ERA.
Also, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced they agreed to termswith catcher Toregas on a minor league contract. Toregas, 28, was a member ofCleveland's 40-man roster in spring training last year and spent the 2010season in the Indians farm system.
Originally selected by Cleveland in the 24th round of the2004 First-Year Player Draft out of Virginia Tech, Toregas made his big leaguedebut with the Indians in 2009 and made 19 appearances behind the plate for theTribe that season.