Febuary 17, 2020, Bridgewater, NJ - The Somerset Patriots have re-signed four-year Major League left-handed pitcher Brett Oberholtzer for the 2020 season. 

 

“I’m excited to get back to Somerset and see all of the guys again,” said Oberholtzer. “I’ve been able to use my time with the Patriots to showcase my ability and advance my career, so I look forward to another opportunity to come in there and compete.” 

 

Oberholtzer technically enters his second season with the Somerset Patriots and second in the Atlantic League, though he did spend spring training with the Patriots in 2018. He was pegged as the Opening Day starting pitcher that year before his contract was purchased by the Colorado Rockies organization prior to the start of the season. There, he won seven games over 24 games (23 starts) with 91 strikeouts over 132.2 innings of work. 

 

The Christiana, Delaware native performed well in his first true action for the Patriots last year. The southpaw went 7-1 with a 3.49 ERA over 14 starts, including 70 strikeouts across 77.1 innings of work. Oberholtzer struggled to begin the season, but found his grove once the calendar hit June. Once May ended, Oberholtzer enjoyed a stretch of seven starts over which he went 5-0 with a 1.63 ERA (eight earned runs over 44.0 innings pitched). The southpaw ultimately made just three starts in July before his contract was purchased by Chinatrust Brothers (CPBL), where he finished his 2019 campaign. 

 

“We’re happy to be teaming up with left-handed starting pitcher Brett Oberholtzer again,” said Somerset Patriots manager Brett Jodie. “Brett has been with us for parts of two seasons and has been picked up each time. Brett is a true competitor on the mound. He takes pride in working fast and pounding the strike zone. Oberholtzer is a joy to have in the clubhouse as well. He is a great teammate who guys enjoy being around.” 

 

Oberholtzer has four years of service in the Majors, including three with the Houston Astros (2013-15) and one split between the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2016). In his first season with the Astros, Oberholtzer posted four wins and a 2.76 ERA over 13 games (10 starts) with two complete games and one shutout. Additionally, he only walked 13 batters over 71.2 innings of work. 

 

The Seminole Community College product took over as a full-time starting pitcher for the Astros the next season, striking out 94 batters against just 28 walks over 24 starts. He later made eight starts for Houston in 2015 before making 37 combined appearances (two starts) for the Phillies and Angels in 2016. The southpaw has won 14 games with a 4.36 ERA and 220 strikeouts over 324 innings pitched in his four seasons in the big leagues. 

 

The Somerset Patriots will be back in action on Friday, May 1st for Opening Day at TD Bank Ballpark. Single Game Tickets will go on sale on Monday, March 2nd, but fans can purchase Ticket Packages and Flex Tickets now to get their seats early. Stay up to date on all the team news throughout the offseason online; on all of our social media platforms, and on our mobile app. For more information, visit www.somersetpatriots.com.