Stompers trade to bring back fan-favorite catcher

Sonoma Stompers acquire the rights to popular catcher Isaac Wenrich.|

The Sonoma Stompers acquired the rights to catcher Isaac Wenrich in a trade with the Cleburne Railroaders of the American Association last week. The five-year veteran will begin his second stint in Sonoma after spending much of the 2015 season with the Stompers.

“We’re excited to have Isaac back. We’ve been lucky with the catching position over the years, and we’ve grown to expect a lot from that position,” said Stompers president and general manager Theo Fightmaster. “Isaac will do a great job for us this season.”

The West Lawn, Pennsylvania native began his professional career with the Vallejo Admirals in 2014. After a successful season, he joined the Stompers in 2015 and became one of the team’s most productive offensive players. Wenrich batted .296 with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs in 58 games. His contract was purchased in August of 2015 by the Florence Freedom of the Frontier League. Wenrich started in 55 games at catcher for the Freedom last summer.

“I couldn’t be more excited to come back to Sonoma,” Wenrich said. “This is a place where my teammates drive me every day to work harder. Having a manager like Takashi Miyoshi who shows confidence in me, but is also stern with me is great because it makes me a better player and a better man.”

Wenrich will fill the void behind the plate left by 2016 Defensive Catcher of the Year Mason Morioka. Wenrich proved in his time with the Stompers in 2015 that he is more than capable of doing just that. He was named the Defensive Catcher of the Year himself in 2015. He had a .988 fielding percentage with 42 assists that season.

The Franklin Pierce University product looks forward to once again playing in front of the Stompers faithful.

“I’ve been so fortunate to have been received so well by the city and fans of Sonoma,” Wenrich said. “They make it easy to play here. This season is the year for me. I am more focused than I’ve ever been on my purpose in this game, and Sonoma will be a great place to take the first step towards the next step in my career.”

The Stompers kick off their season on the road on June 2 against the Diamonds at Winter Chevrolet Stadium in Pittsburg.

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