Oakland B's Announce First Player Signing
The Oakland Ballers (a.k.a. B's) have announced the first-ever member of their team, and he's also the reigning Pioneer League batting champion, Dondrei Hubbard.
Hubbard, 28, hit .395 last season with a .456 OBP, 11 home runs, and 17 stolen bases. Typically in the Pioneer League, the cutoff for players is three years of professional experience, but with Hubbard headed to Oakland, he has been deemed the team's first-ever "franchise player" which means the rules do not apply.
While being a tremendous first addition to the roster, Hubbard will also be serving as the club's hitting coach.
Manager Micah Franklin said of the addition of Hubbard, “I am so excited to have Dondrei with us, this guy is the definition of a baller. He’s going to be a big bat in our lineup, driving guys in, and hitting the ball out of the ballpark. I got to coach him while he was in the Washington system, this guy is going to be a big piece for us. He also is going to bring a great veteran presence to our clubhouse and he’ll be able to help out some of the younger guys as a coach as well.”
While in the Nationals' system in 2022, he played in 46 games in Double-A Harrisburg, batting .257 with a .300 OBP. He also hit three home runs and stole three bases.
The Ballers will be Hubbard's third Pioneer League team. He was originally signed by the Grand Junction Rockies in 2021 and smacked 20 homers for them that season while batting .338. This past season he spent in Missoula, Montana and was one of the best bats in the league.
The B's also said that they have signed a total of ten players to contracts thus far, and will be making a player announcement each day for the next week or so. Local clothing company Oaklandish has also announced some new drops on B's gear, this time in black. They are still waiting on the hats to come in stock, but are accepting pre-orders.