January 27, 2021

By Steve Schuster

Winnipeg Goldeyes

WINNIPEG, MB – The Winnipeg Goldeyes added three players to their roster on Wednesday, signing catcher Lucas Herbert, right-handed pitcher Eduard Reyes, and outfielder Liam Scafariello.

Herbert played 11 games last season in the Yinzer Baseball Confederacy, a pop-up independent league hosted by the Frontier League’s Washington Wild Things. Herbert was 10-for-39 (.256) with two home runs and eight RBIs, splitting time with the host Wild Things and the Steel City Slammin’ Sammies.

The Danbury, Con., native opened the 2019 season with the Frontier League’s version of the Wild Things, and hit .290 with 10 RBIs in 17 contests before having his contract purchased by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 24-year-old hit a combined .311 with 14 RBsI in 20 games at four levels of the Diamondbacks’ system, including an eight-game stint with the triple-A Pacific Coast League’s Reno Aces. Defensively, Herbert was 5-for-16 (31 percent) in throwing out opposing base stealers during his time with the Diamondbacks.

“Lucas throws well, and he’s got some pop in his bat,” said Goldeyes’ manager Rick Forney. “The skill set is there, and you can see why he was drafted so high. I’m hoping he can come in and hold down that catching job for us.”

Herbert was a second-round draft pick by the Atlanta Braves out of San Clemente High School (San Clemente, California) in 2015, and is entering his seventh season of professional baseball. A right-handed batter and fielder, Herbert has thrown out 34 percent of opposing base stealers in his career, and finished at 31 percent or higher in each of his five seasons in the affiliated minor leagues. In both 2018 and 2019, Baseball America rated Herbert as the best defensive catcher in the Braves’ organization. The 6-foot, 200-pound Herbert is a lifetime .226 hitter, and has averaged 57 runs scored, 27 doubles, 12 home runs, and 71 RBI per 162 professional games.

Reyes was 4-1 with a 1.67 ERA in seven starts and two relief appearances last season while pitching in the All-American Baseball Challenge (another pop-up independent league comprised of Frontier League teams). Reyes pitched for the New Jersey Jackals, and captured the AABC’s pitching triple crown by finishing first in wins, first in ERA, and tied for first in strikeouts (53). Reyes also pitched for the Jackals in 2019 (then members of the Can-Am League) where he was 9-4 with a 3.71 ERA in 17 starts, and was selected to the Can-Am League All-Star Game. The 6-foot, 175-pound Reyes finished tied for fourth in the league in wins in 2019, eighth in ERA, 11th in strikeouts (88), ninth in innings pitched (106 2/3), and helped New Jersey win what proved to be the final championship in Can-Am League history.

“Eduard is a good starting pitcher that has had some success in the Can-Am League,” said Forney. “He’s a strike-thrower, and I think he’ll be a nice addition to our rotation. He threw really well in that makeshift league in New Jersey last year, and in 2019, he won nine games and threw over 100 innings. He’s the kind of guy I’m going to be counting on to give us 20 starts, hopefully throw 120 innings, and give us a chance to win some ballgames.”

Reyes is entering his seventh season of professional baseball, and was originally signed by the Milwaukee Brewers as an international free agent in 2010. The 30-year-old right-hander is 22-18 in his career with a 3.42 ERA in 69 appearances, 50 of them as a starting pitcher. In 339 1/3 professional innings, Reyes has averaged 9.0 strikeouts per nine, versus 3.2 walks and 0.6 home runs.

Scafariello (pronounced skaff-uh-ree-ELL-oh) split time in 2020 with the All-American Baseball Challenge’s Rockland Boulders and the Liberation League’s (a pop-up independent league based in Huntingburg, Indiana) Baseball Resume Bandits. The Southington, Con., native hit a combined .193 with 20 runs scored, eight doubles, three home runs, 16 RBI, and 16 walks in 26 games. A right-handed batter and fielder, Scafariello made his professional debut in 2019 when he appeared in five games for the Can-Am League’s Ottawa Champions.

“Liam is a young, big outfielder that (hitting coach) Kash (Beauchamp) raves about,” Forney said. “Kash was able to see and work with Liam for a couple of weeks at a camp. Liam is very toolsy for a big guy. He runs well, throws well, and he has a lot of power in his bat. He has all the ingredients you’re looking for in a young player that can be productive in our league, so we’re hoping he can come in and hold down a rookie job for us.”

Scafariello was drafted by the Braves in the 38th round out of Southington High School in 2015, but elected to attend college—first at San Jacinto College (Pasadena, Texas) as a freshman in 2016, and then at Quinnipiac University (Hamden, Connecticut) from 2017-19. During his three seasons at Quinnipiac, the 24-year-old Scafariello slugged a Bobcats’ record 45 home runs, while hitting .234 with 121 RBI in 161 games. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound outfielder also contributed 25 stolen bases at Quinnipiac, and was voted First Team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in 2017 and 2018.

The Goldeyes now have six players under contract for the 2021 season. American Association clubs may carry up to 28 players during spring training, which is scheduled to begin in May.

2021 Winnipeg Goldeyes Signings

RHP Ryan Dull

C Lucas Herbert

RHP Josh Lucas

1B Kyle Martin

RHP Eduard Reyes

OF Liam Scafariello

The 2021 American Association season is scheduled to begin May 18th. A full schedule will be released in the coming weeks.