Sonoma Stompers return two key veteran players

The Sonoma Stompers welcome back two very familiar faces to help defend their 2016 title in their fourth season. Designated hitter Joel Carranza and pitcher Mike Jackson Jr. have both agreed to terms, and will join the Stompers for their fourth seasons with the club. Both players have been a part of the Stompers since the team’s inaugural season, and they were contributors on the 2016 Pacific Association Champion squad.

Carranza had one of the best individual seasons in franchise history in 2016. The Pembroke Pines, Florida native headlined a dominant offensive attack on his way to his first Most Valuable Player Award in the Pacific Association. He led the league in batting average at .316 and was second in home runs with 15. It was a long time coming for Carranza, who is the franchise leader in home runs with 44 in three seasons.

Carranza spent part of the 2015 and 2016 seasons with the Trois-Rivieres Aigles of the Canadian-American Association before returning to Sonoma on June 8, Carranza is looking forward to once again calling Sonoma home as the Stompers defend their title.

“Sonoma has always felt like a home away from home to me,” Carranza said. “Since day one, everyone in town and the Sonoma Stompers organization has supported me and made me feel like family. With such a great support system between the front office, my host family and all the fans, it makes coming back to Sonoma an easy decision. I’m looking forward to the season, seeing the team again and doing everything I can to help this organization win another championship.”

A veteran right-hander, Jackson had one of the best seasons of his professional career in his third season in Sonoma as the ace of the pitching staff. The Pittsburgh product lead the Pacific Association in wins (8-2) and was second in ERA at 2.84. Jackson had one of the most dominant stretches of any pitchers in the league in the second half of last season.

Jackson dominated the league, going 5-0 with a 1.49 ERA in his last five starts of the season. He finished the season with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League after being called up on Aug. 15. Despite missing the last few weeks of the regular season, Jackson still finished second in the Pitcher of the Year voting behind San Rafael’s Patrick Conroy. The Sonoma fan favorite will return to the mound in Sonoma with hopes of building upon what he accomplished last season with the club.

Team president and general manager Theo Fightmaster said he was thrilled to bring back two important pieces of the 2016 team.

“It’s hard to describe just how important these guys are to our organization,” Fightmaster said. “They’ve both been here since day one. They’re integral to what we’ve accomplished, and what we hope to accomplish this season.”

Sonoma begins its season on June 2 against the Pittsburg Diamonds.