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Valley baseball pro Everidge signs with independent Lancaster

 

Getting back into the professional baseball swing after a lengthy layoff in search of a team to hook up with in his quest to return to the Major Leagues, Glen Ellen’s Tommy Everidge, who recently changed agents, decided to take the independent-league route and signed last week with Pennsylvania’s Lancaster Barnstormers.

Everidge – a 2001 Sonoma Valley High School graduate and former Dragon star prep player and collegiate All-American at Sonoma State University – has played in three Major League organizations, including the Oakland A’s, who originally drafted him in the 10th round of the 2004 draft, Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros. 

In his brief stay with Oakland’s Major League club, Everidge, who turned 28-years-old on Wednesday, hit a pair of home runs in 24 games for the A’s, with both long-balls coming off two of the American League’s finest pitchers – Kansas City relief ace Joakim Soria and former Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia of the Yankees.

The Lancaster Barnstormers – who are currently holding their spring training – compete in the Atlantic League and are managed by former major-leaguer Butch Hobson, who was excited about signing the hard-hitting first-baseman.

“I needed a right-handed bat, and (Tommy) has had really strong career numbers. He’s a run producer,” said Hobson.