10 Apr Miners Ink Two More Arms
Thornton Returns, Hitt Signs To Further Strengthen Staff
April 10, Augusta, NJ – Just before the Easter holiday arrived, the Miners treated themselves to two more arms in preparation for the upcoming season. On Thursday, Sussex County signed right-handed pitcher Robbie Hitt, and they followed that up with a Friday re-signing of right-handed pitcher Tyler Thornton.
Hitt spent five seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Drafted by the Brew Crew in the 24th round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Quinnipiac, the 26-year old Hartford, CT native showed steady progress from when he was drafted up through 2021. His best seasons were bookends of the pandemic, when he came out of the bullpen and had ERAs of 2.90 in 2019 with Glendale (Single-A) and Carolina (Advanced-A) and a 2.98 ERA with a WHIP of 1.25 in 2021 with Biloxi (Double-A). All told, in five Minor League seasons and 174 appearances, Robbie went 11-11 with a 3.81 ERA, a WHIP of 1.47, and a K/9 ration of 9.0.
Thornton returns to Skylands Stadium after having been acquired in a trade with the Windy City ThunderBolts last season. Once he arrived in Augusta, Tyler turned his season around. Thornton sported a 1.61 ERA and a WHIP of 0.67 in 22 1/3 innings, while having a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.50, all out of the bullpen. The 27-year old out of Varnville, SC has spent his entire 5-year professional career on the Independent/Partner League circuit, all in the Frontier League. With stops at Traverse City, Windy City, and Sussex County, Tyler has a 20-24 record, 3.86 ERA, and a 1.24 WHIP in 86 appearances, with 52 of those being starts.
The 2023 Miners season begins on Friday, May 12th with a three-game series at the Joliet Slammers. The Miners will then return to Skylands Stadium for their home opener against the Tri-City ValleyCats on Tuesday, May 16th at 7:05 pm. Tickets for all Miners games can be purchased at the box office, or online at scminers.com.
Photo Credit: Phil Hoops (@HoopsApproved)