WINNIPEG GOLDEYES DAILY CLIPPINGS FRIDAY, JULY 24th , 2020 - Goldeyes Add Former MLB Pitcher Brandon Cumpton—Winnipeg Sun, 7/24/20 - RedHawks Pitcher Hagens Has Wife and Daughter Virtually in His Corner This Summer as He Racks Up Strikeouts—INFORUM (Eric Peterson), 7/24/20 - Goldeyes Win Double Header in Fargo—Winnipeg Goldeyes (Steve Schuster), 7/23/20 - Goldeyes Sweep Doubleheader—Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, 7/23/20 - July 23 rd Game 2 Highlights (Video Link)—Winnipeg Goldeyes (Jason Young, 7/23/20 - July 23 rd Game 1 Highlights (Video Link)—Winnipeg Goldeyes (Jason Young), 7/23/20 - RedHawks Drop Double Header to Winnipeg (Audio Link)—KFGO Fargo (Josh Lynnes), 7/23/20 - Goldeyes Relievers Making a Big Contribution—Winnipeg Sun, 7/23/20 - Goldeyes Sign Former Major Leaguer Cumpton—Winnipeg Goldeyes (Steve Schuster), 7/23/20 - Goldeyes Aim to Tighten Defence as Runs Pile Up League-Wide—Winnipeg Sun, 7/22/20 - Kash Beauchamp Interview (Audio Link)—TSN 1290 Winnipeg (Darrin Bauming), 7/20/20 - Baseball in Middle America: Fans Are In, Autographs Are Out—New York Times (Tim Arango), 7/20/20 GOLDEYES ADD FORMER MLB PITCHER BRANDON CUMPTON WINNIPEG SUN – FRIDAY, JULY 24 th The Goldeyes bolstered their pitching staff in a big way on Thursday with the addition of former major-league right-hander Brandon Cumpton. Cumpton pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2013-14. After Tommy John surgery sidelined the 31-year-old during the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Cumpton returned all the way back to the majors in 2018 with the Toronto Blue Jays. “We started out slow with our starting pitching, and needed to make some decisions and try to find someone with experience,” Goldeyes manager Rick Forney said. “Brandon wants to work, and he’s anxious to pitch and compete. He stretched himself out at home and was looking for a place to play, so I’m glad we have him in here. Hopefully that veteran experience can help us stabilize the starting rotation a little bit.” Cumpton totaled 102.1 innings at the major-league level, compiling a 4.05 ERA and a 3.06 FIP (fielding independent pitching), a metric scaled to ERA that strictly measures the factors within a pitcher’s control. The 6-foot-2 righty is one of several players who recently signed in the American Association following the cancellation of the Mexican League season. Cumpton had signed with the Diablos Rojos del Mexico in January. Former American Association all-stars Nate Samson and Alonzo Harris signed with the St. Paul Saints last week due to similar circumstances. Last year, Cumpton logged 83.0 innings for the Atlantic League’s Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, posting a 4.88 ERA and a 3.86 FIP. During his major-league debut on June 15, 2013, Cumpton struck out five batters over five innings in a no-decision versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. Just over a month later, Cumpton threw seven shutout innings on just three hits against the St. Louis Cardinals to record his first major-league win. Cumpton helps round out a Goldeyes rotation that includes returnees Mitchell Lambson, Kevin McGovern, and Kevin Hilton, as well as newcomer Frank Duncan. The first three have all been American Association all-stars within the past three years, while Duncan was a Can-Am League all-star in 2019 and pitched seven scoreless innings in a win at Fargo-Moorhead on Tuesday. The Goldeyes entered Thursday second in the six-team American Association with a 4.68 team ERA. Excluding the six innings this season in which the Goldeyes have surrendered five or more runs, Winnipeg is averaging just 3.1 runs per game across the remaining 140.0 innings. REDHAWKS PITCHER HAGENS HAS WIFE AND DAUGHTER VIRTUALLY IN HIS CORNER THIS SUMMERAS HE RACKS UP STRIKEOUTS ERIC PETERSON – INFORUM – FRIDAY, JULY 24 th Newman Outdoor Field is more than 1,600 miles from Chandler, Ariz., the Phoenix suburb where Bradin Hagens makes his offseason home. The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks pitcher has used technology to help close that distance gap between him and his wife, Tasha, and Mila, their 18- month-old daughter. Hagens tries to FaceTime his family at least one hour per day since he arrived in Fargo for the American Association baseball season that started late in early July due to the coronavirus pandemic. “It definitely helps for sure, being able to see my daughter do some funny things and witness it somewhat live is awesome,” Hagens said. “I’m definitely not there, but it puts a closer feel to being there when she is doing stuff and playing around.” Hagens leads the American Association in strikeouts through his first five appearances, including four starts. He has 39 strikeouts in 24 innings and has struck out at least nine batters in each of his four starts. He scheduled to make his next start Saturday, July 25, at Newman Outdoor Field. “I would say it’s almost a lot out of the norm for me, but I would like it to become the new norm,” Hagens said of the high strikeout rate. Hagens is averaging 14.6 strikeouts per nine innings this season, while his professional career average at all levels over 12 seasons is 6.2 strikeouts per nine. He pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks, appearing in two games during the 2014 season, and was with Class Triple-A Reno for a season last summer. “I think the reason why he strikes out guys is because when you watch him without a radar gun it looks like it’s about 88 maybe 89 (mph) and the ball is moving every different direction and then the radar gun will show 93, 94," RedHawks manager Chris Coste said. "I think that’s why he’s able to surprise guys.” Hagens features a five-pitch blend with three different fastballs, a changeup and a curveball, and has the ability to locate all pitches to both sides of the plate. “I like to be in the zone, I like to throw strikes, but I also try to move the ball around and change speeds on them. All those kinds of things benefit me as a pitcher,” said Hagens, who is 1-2 with a 4.13 ERA. “There’s definitely things that I can improve upon, but that’s never going to change in the game of baseball. If you feel like you’ve got it figure out, you’re in the wrong spot.” Coste added: “He’s got so many weapons that he can throw at any given time and then the deceiving velocity, that’s a recipe for strikeouts.” Hagens said it wasn’t too tough a decision to come play in Fargo this summer amid the COVID-19 pandemic with the safety precautions the American Association and RedHawks have in place. The 31-year-old added it helped having a strong support system behind him with his wife and family. “They were pushing me to do what I love to do and keep trying to get back to the big leagues,” Hagens said. “My wife was in full support of me coming out here.” Hagens cherishes the daily video calls he makes with Tasha and Mila, especially since his daughter can have “somewhat of conversation” with him, more than she could a year ago. “When I ask her to give me a hug and (Mila) takes the phone and she hugs the phone, that gives me good feelings,” Hagens said. “It brings me closer to being there even though I am not.” Hagens said this shortened American Association season has felt closer to normal than he expected, despite the COVID-19 guidelines in place to keep players and fans healthy. The 60-game regular season started July 3 and is slated to run through Sept. 10. The American Association usually starts in May with a 100-game regular season. “The baseball side of it feels pretty normal,” Hagens said. “It’s more of the off-the-field requirements as far as taking precautions with a mask and the testing and social distancing while you’re out and all that kind of stuff. That’s the difference.” Hagens said he hasn’t gone out to eat too much during the season in an effort to stay safe. At the gym, he tries to keep his physical distance while getting in his workouts. “If the gym is crowded, sometimes I feel like I’ve got to be in a corner, taking care of myself, getting my stuff in,” Hagens said. “Wearing a mask while working out is kind of different for me, but it’s something I’ve gotten used to now. Not a huge deal once you get in a groove.” Major League Baseball started its 60-game season Thursday, July 23, while there is no Minor League baseball this season. Hagens said that could provide an opportunity for American Association players who are having strong seasons. “You just never know where a team is going to have to go to get someone who is game ready. That’s definitely a motivation there,” Hagens said. “It does bode well for us to be able to have that live game action and be used to the adrenaline and reading swings being out there on the mound. “I think it’s a good option for teams to go to. I think there could be numerous guys who have chances to get picked up out of this league this year and I hope it happens. We are ready. That’s what we’re here for.