(March 28, 2019) — The York Revolution have re-signed Major League veteran lefty Ross Detwiler and power-hitting first baseman Telvin Nash for the 2019 season. The moves were announced by Revs manager Mark Mason live on Tuesday evening’s episode of “Revs Hot Stove Weekly presented by Shipley Energy” on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK.
Detwiler returns after going from York to the Majors last season. The lefty went 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA in six starts for the Revs to begin the season before having his contract purchased by the Seattle Mariners on June 1. Detwiler posted a 4.89 ERA in 16 outings (13 starts) in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League for the Tacoma Rainiers and was called up to Seattle, where he worked a strong six-inning relief appearance on August 21 against the Houston Astros, giving up just three runs.
“We’re thrilled to have him back and hopefully he’ll get the same results as last year,” remarked Mason. “Hopefully he’ll come in and dominate our league and get picked up by a Major League team and stick there.”
The 33-year-old worked five shutout innings of two-hit ball followed by an 11-strikeout performance in his final two starts with York before heading to the Pacific Northwest. He would ultimately become the 10th Revs alumnus to go from York to the Majors and the fourth to do so in the same season.
Last season marked the 10th year that Detwiler has reached the big leagues. The St. Louis native was drafted sixth overall by the Washington Nationals in 2007 and was called up that season, his first of seven years in the Majors spent with Washington. His best season came in 2012 when he went 10-8 with a 3.40 ERA over 33 appearances (27 starts) for the National League Eastern Division champions. The 6-foot-3 southpaw has appeared in 190 Major League games (89 starts) for Washington, Texas, Atlanta, Cleveland, Oakland, and Seattle, owning 23 wins, 354 strikeouts, and a 4.36 ERA.
Nash returns to York as one of the most accomplished hitters in Revs history. The 2019 season will mark his fifth spent with the club, having suited up for parts of each of the last four years in York. Originally a third-round draft pick of the Houston Astros out of Griffin (GA) High School in 2009, Nash slugged 102 home runs as an Astros farmhand, reaching Double-A Corpus Christi in 2014-15. Nash first came to York in the middle of the 2015 season, bashing 13 long balls in 64 games. He opened the 2016 season with the Revs, clobbering 15 more home runs in 54 games before having his contract purchased by the Chicago White Sox. Nash returned to the Revs in 2017 and slammed 16 dingers in 48 regular season contests, and pounded three more in the postseason including a walk-off winner in Game One of the Division Series vs. Southern Maryland, and the go-ahead championship-winning shot in the clinching Game Three of the Championship Series vs. Long Island, claiming Playoff co-MVP status.
Nash rejoined the Revs last August, batting .338 with nine homers and a .443 on-base percentage in 39 games. Overall in his Revs career, the 28-year-old has batted .287 with 53 home runs, 132 RBI, and a .393 on-base percentage in 205 games. His 53 home runs are 13 shy of Andres Perez’ franchise record of 66, and six short of Chris Nowak’s 59, which rank second most all-time.
“It doesn’t matter what the result is of the at-bat, it’s almost like must-watch TV,” commented Mason. “You have to watch his at-bat because you never know what’s going to happen there. If he touches it, it can go anywhere. He has an approach to hitting, and he’s a student of the game.”
The Revs now have 22 players under contract for the 2019 season and will unveil more signings on the next episode of “Revs Hot Stove Weekly presented by Shipley Energy”, airing next Tuesday, April 2 at 6 p.m. on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK, online at 989woyk.com, and on The New WOYK app.