Baseball America reports that former Orioles and Rays first round pick Wade "Pete" Townsend has agreed to a minor league contract with Toronto and so has organizational soldier Howie Clark.
Wade Townsend, flanked by Jeff Niemann to his left and Phillip Humber to his right.
Townsend, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound righty from Rice, was taken by Baltimore with the eighth pick in the 2004 amateur draft but did not sign a deal. Due to the fact he had an agent represent him, he could not go back to Rice. However, he was taken eighth overall in 2005 by Tampa Bay. Townsend has been ineffective in the minors with a lifetime record of 7-21 with a 5.58 ERA. His career WHIP is 1.547 and his walks per nine innings is 5.8.
Townsend missed the 2006 campaign with Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and shoulder problems caused him to miss part of 2008 and most of 2009. The highest level he reached was Double-A Montgomery in 2008 but he struggled to a 1-2 mark with a 7.66 ERA in 13 appearances.
That's a far cry from the impressive numbers he put up in 2004 with Rice when he was a perfect 12-0 with a 1.80 ERA with two saves. He was part of the celebrated Rice troika of pitchers in which fellow righties Phillip Humber and Jeff Niemann were taken in the top eight picks of the 2004 draft. The Austin, Texas native will turn 27 on February 22.
Howie Clark with John McDonald.
Howie Clark is back for another kick at the can in the Jays organization. Clark, who turns 36 on February 13th, batted .313 with six homers and 50 runs batted in with Triple-A Las Vegas in 2009. The San Diego native spent parts of 2003, 2004 and 2007 with Toronto and hit .357 in 38 games with the Jays in 2003.
