The Southern Illinois Miners announce that they have signed first baseman Jerrud Sabourin for the 2015 season.
Sabourin comes to the Miners following four seasons in the Cleveland Indians organization, reaching Double-A Akron this past season. Much of his success has come at the Class A-Advanced level with the Carolina Mudcats in the Carolina League, where he hit a combined .275 with eight homers and 99 RBIs along with 42 doubles in 2013 and 2014, including a .295 average in 89 games this past season.
In 2013, Sabourin hit .260 with 23 doubles and 54 RBIs on his way to being named a Carolina League All-Star. In his four years as a pro combined, he has a .272 batting average with 82 doubles, five triples, 11 homers and 195 RBIs, while compiling an on-base percentage of .349. He has also shown a prowess on defense, with just 32 errors in 3,246 chances for a fielding percentage of .991.
The southern California native played his college baseball at Indiana University where he hit a whopping .373 with a .943 OPS. In his junior year, after flirting with .400 for most of the season, he finished second in the Big Ten in average and hits. On April 17th, 2011, Sabourin became Indiana’s all-time hits leader with his 306th career base knock while also starting 208 consecutive games. He was also a teammate of new Miners outfielder Michael Earley.
“We are very excited to add Jerrud to the Miners’ family,” Miners manager Mike Pinto said. “He has been a successful hitter throughout his college and professional career. He can be an impact player for us. He also had a lot of teams pursuing him, and I’m happy he chose to continue his career with the Miners.”
