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| Autographed Jeff Nettles 2005 Somerset Patriots Multi-Ad Team Set #21 Autographed Ray Navarrete 2011 Long Island Ducks Choice Team Set #16 Autographed Jeremy Owens 2005 Somerset Patriots Multi-Ad Team Set #23 Joe Gannon 2008 Southern Maryland Blue Crabs Updated Choice Team Set #2 |
Jeff Nettles was entering his third
season with the team and would go on to have the greatest career the Atlantic
League has even seen eventually setting the career marks within the league for Games
(1,006), At Bats (3,715), H’s (1,052) and RBI’s (667) and earning two
championship series MVP’s.
Although not featured in the 2005 team
card set, a Seton Hall Alumnus was entering his first year in the Atlantic
League, the only season he would play for Somerset, and he would go on to become the
league’s career leader in runs scored (635) and doubles (243). The Somerset
rookie was Ray Navarrete who went on to have the greatest Long Island Duck
career on record.
To date, both Nettles and Navarrete
remain the only players to enter the Atlantic League’s 1,000-Hit Club.
Also in his first year with both the
Atlantic League and Somerset that year was outfielder Jeremy Owens who would
lead the team with at bats (525) in 2005. Owens would eventually go on to
become the premiere franchise player for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
setting the club’s career marks in games played
(734); runs scored (422); hits (601); home runs (105); stolen bases (96);
walks (318) and RBI’s( 337).
To underscore the historic significance
of this team’s roster and the future impact these players would have on the League, these three aforementioned
players own three out of the top four slots on the Atlantic League career home
runs list. Imagine a lineup that would have featured Navarrete batting second,
Nettles third and Owens fourth for close to the next decade if this Somerset
team had stayed intact.
Position players were not the only significant
consideration for “Future Stars” on this roster. A right-handed knuckleballer out
of Buffalo was also in his first year with the Pat’s and started in two games. Joe
Gannon, also not in this card set, would go on to pitch a no hitter (8/17/04) for the Newark Bears and currently stands 3rd in all-time innings pitched (853.2), fourth in all-time wins (47) and fourth in all time strikeouts (479) in Atlantic
League history.
