The season may be three months away, but the Bridgeport Bluefish are in full game-on mode. On Wednesday, the Bluefish announced the signings of two more players, including one former major leaguer, Luis Exposito.
Exposito (Twitter:@Expo2323), who played in the majors for the Baltimore Orioles, is a 29-year-old catcher. While this will be his first season in the Atlantic League, Exposito is a seasoned veteran with 10 years of professional baseball experience on his resume.
In 2014, he split time with the Toledo Mud Hens, the Detroit Tigers’ AAA affiliate, and AAA the Sacramento River Cats, the Oakland A’s AAA team. He played in a combined 48 games, compiling a .228 batting average with three home runs, 12 RBIs, and 18 runs scored. After being selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 31st round of the 2006 MLB Draft, Exposito spent the first seven seasons of his professional career with Boston organization, including a career year in 2009 with AA Portland Sea Dogs of the Eastern League. There, he batted .260, hit 11 home runs, drove in 94, had 39 doubles, and scored 65 runs in 125 games. A native of Miami, the 6-3, 210 lb. backstop first reached the AAA level in 2011 with the Pawtucket (Red Sox), and was traded to the Baltimore organization in 2012. That year, he made his MLB debut, appearing in nine games with the Orioles. In 658 career minor league games, Exposito has a .261 batting average with 63 home runs, 340 RBIs and 295 runs scored.
The ’Fish also announced that they have acquired pitcher David Kubiak from the Joliet Slammers of the independent Frontier League for a player to be named later. Kubiak will be making his first appearance in the Atlantic League in his fifth season overall in pro ball. A Riverhead, NY, native, Kubiak will be making his Atlantic League debut with the Bluefish in 2016—his fifth season overall in professional baseball. Last year, he appeared in 33 games in Joliet, where he compiled a 7-6 record with a 2.16 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 95.2 innings.
The 26-year-old Kubiak (Twitter:@DavidKubiak24) made his pro debut in 2011 after being selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 36th round of the MLB Draft, appearing with two Rookie League (short-season A) teams in the Rays’ organization. The following season, he left organized ball and made his independent league debut the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League. After taking 2014 off, he returned to the Frontier League in 2014, playing for both the Southern Illinois Miners and Joliet. Primarily a reliever, the 6-7, 245-lb. right-hander made seven starts last year for Joliet. Overall, in 100 career minor league games, Kubiak has earned a 17-11 record with a 2.40 ERA, 13 saves and 223 strikeouts in 199.0 innings of work. Prior to turning pro, Kubiak played college ball at SUNY Albany.
“Luis is very experienced playing at higher levels, and David has proven to be very dominant on the mound,” says Bluefish Manager Luis Rodriguez, who, until last year, was the Bluefish catcher. “We are very happy to have them both on board and we’re excited to see them be successful here in Bridgeport.”
With the signing of Exposito and Kubiak, Bridgeport now has six players signed for the 2016 season. The Bluefish, charter members of the Atlantic League, widely recognized as the nation’s top independent circuit, will play their 2016 home opener against their new in-state rivals, the New Britain Bees, on Thursday, April 26. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. For information on 2016 season tickets and mini-plans, as well as individual game tickets, please visit www.bridgeportbluefish.com.
