The Long Island Ducks have signed a pair of players: first baseman Rixon Wingrove and catcher Aaron Antonini, for the upcoming 2024 Atlantic League campaign, today the team announced on X.
Each player brings a strong skill set to an already competitive squad going into the 2024 season, Ducks manager Lew Ford said.
“Rixon adds power from the left side of the plate and a strong defensive presence at first base. Aaron does a great job behind the plate and has a terrific arm,” Ford said on LIDucks.com. “We are excited to add both players to our team.”
Rixon, 23, just spent this past winter with the Adelaide Giants of the Australian Baseball League (AUBL), batting .297 with four home runs and 31 RBI in 138 at-bats in 35 games. He has played a total of six winter campaigns with the Giants (five) and Sydney Blue Sox (one).
Additionally, the Australia native played with the Philadelphia Phillies’ Reading Fightin Phils (AA) and Jersey Shore BlueClaws (A+) affiliates, posting 16 longballs and 66 RBI in 413 at-bats and 116 contests between both stops in 2023. He suited up for a total of five seasons of baseball with the Phillies organization.
As for Antonini, he joins Long Island after playing four seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He spent last year with the Memphis Redbirds (AAA) and Springfield Cardinals (AA) smacking six home runs and 34 RBI in 136 at bats in 41 tilts.
Defensively for his minor league career, the 25-year-old proved outstanding, compiling a .988 fielding percentage while throwing out 42 percent of runners attempting to steal.
The Cardinals selected Antonini in the 18th round of the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft out of Division I Middle Tennessee State University.
— Jerry Del Priore
Photo: Long Island Ducks’ X account.
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