Press Releases

Two Bolts' All-Stars Sold to Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles have purchased the contracts of a pair of 2012 Windy City ThunderBolts all-stars. Shortstop Chris Wade and pitcher Mike Recchia will be reporting to Orioles spring training this spring. They are the third and fourth members of the 2012 roster to join big league organizations.

Wade became the first ThunderBolts position player to be signed by a Major League organization when he joined the Orioles on December 7. In two years with Windy City, he played on two all-star teams. He was a mainstay at shortstop over that time, playing in 177 games total. Primarily known around Crestwood for his defense, Wade added a prolific offensive attack to his game in 2012, when he improved in nearly every statistic, hitting .301 with a .375 on-base percentage, five home runs and 38 RBIs. He stole 20 bases.

Wade excelled in the little things while with the ThunderBolts. In 2011 he tied the Frontier League record with 21 sacrifice bunts and again led the league with 16 last year. He made highlight reel plays regularly at shortstop and committed just 11 errors in two years, good for a .985 fielding percentage. The second highest fielding percentage in the Frontier League for a regular shortstop over that period was .967.

Wade previously played in the Florida Marlins system, where he hit .240 over two seasons, reaching as high as Class A-Advanced Jupiter.

Recchia is coming off arguably the best season ever for a ThunderBolts pitcher. He became the franchise’s first Brian Tollberg Award winner, given to the league’s top pitcher, when he finished 11-3 with a 2.51 ERA. He set league records with five shutouts and 177 strikeouts and also had two scoreless streaks reach 26 innings. The Crestwood native was pitching as a starter for the first time in his career and led the league in complete games with six and innings pitched at 150.1. He also saved one game out of the bullpen.

Recchia was honored as a midseason all-star, a postseason all-star, the Frontier League pitcher of the year and a Baseball America Independent League All-Star in 2012.

Like Wade, it will be his second stint in affiliated ball. He was a member of the New York Yankees farm system in 2010 and 2011, going 6-4 with a 3.37 ERA in 53 relief appearances. His highest level reached was Class A Charleston.

Wade and Recchia are the first two ThunderBolts ever to be signed by the Orioles.

The Windy City ThunderBolts open their 15th Frontier League season on Monday, Memorial Day, May 27th vs. the Frontier League Greys featuring a post-game fireworks show!  Season tickets, flex plans and group outing opportunities are available now!  Call 708-489-BALL or check out wcthunderbolts.com for more information! 

 



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