Jeff Johnson, Nate Peden and Jack Weinberger Sign Deals to Join the Frederick ALPB Club

Frederick, MD – March 27, 2023 – The new soon-to-be-named Frederick Atlantic League Professional Baseball (ALPB) Club is excited to announce the signings of three pitchers: Jeff Johnson, Nate Peden and Jack Weinberger. All these pitchers will add depth in the bullpen.

Johnson was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the tenth round of the 2011 MLB June Amateur Player Draft from California Polytechnic State. He began his professional pitching career with the Indians organization and reached Columbus (AAA) in 2016. Johnson is a veteran bullpen arm and has accumulated 89 career professional saves.

“We are happy to have Jeff in our bullpen this upcoming season. Jeff was the most consistent arm for the Lexington Legends last season and brings veteran leadership to the backend of our bullpen,” said Manager, Mark Minicozzi.

Peden was drafted by the New York Mets in the thirteenth round of the 2017 MLB June Amateur Player Draft from the University High School in Orlando, Florida. He appeared in 31 games in three seasons in the Mets organization. Following the 2020 season, Peden signed with the Milwaukee Brewers and appeared in 17 games with the Carolina Mudcats (High A). He is a versatile pitcher who can start, pitch in long relief and pitch in late innings. His fastball velocity reached 95+ MPH and he has developed into a dependable arm in the Atlantic League.

“We are excited to have Nate in our bullpen. He has the stuff that MLB teams are looking for and has continued to develop as one of the youngest pitchers in the Atlantic League,” said Minicozzi.

Weinberger pitched for Springfield College and appeared in 30 games during his collegiate career. He is a side-arm pitcher that throws his fastball in the mid 90’s. Weinberger spent last season with the Wild Health Genomes and compiled a 4.30 ERA and finished with 4 saves. He also represented Team Israel in the latest World Baseball Classic.

“Jack has all the tools to pitch at the next level and last year made huge strides in his development and ability to pitch late in games. We are excited to have Jack in our Frederick bullpen this season,” said Minicozzi.

Season tickets for the 2023 season are now on sale. For more information or to shop the Frederick Club team store visit https://frederickatlanticleague.com.