BUFFALO — Former Canisius closer Jon Fitzsimmons was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft today (Dec. 8).
Arizona used the seventh overall pick in the Triple-A Rule 5 Draft to take Fitzsimmons, who was previously a member of the Cleveland Indians organization.
In 2016, the London, Ontario native appeared in 10 games for the Lake County Captains, the Class-A affiliate of the Indians. He had a record of 1-0 with a 3.31 earned run average and 25 strikeouts in 16.1 innings of work. Opposing hitters batted just .158 against Fitzsimmons, and he ended his season with a 1.10 WHIP.
Fitzsimmons, a two-time MAAC Relief Pitcher of the Year, made 56 career appearances as a Golden Griffin from 2010-13, where he posted 22 saves with a 7-3 record and a 1.88 ERA. In 67 innings, Fitzsimmons recorded 85 strikeouts and allowed the opposition to hit just .185. In 2013, his final year with the Canisius program, he was 4-0 with 10 saves and a 1.16 ERA in 21 appearances out of the bullpen. He pitched the final inning of the Griffs’ combined no-hitter of Iona March 29, 2013, the first nine-inning no-hitter in program history.
After the 2013 season, Fitzsimmons signed a free-agent contract with the Kansas City Royals. Fitzsimmons joins former Canisius shortstop Sean Jamieson as a member of the Arizona farm system. Jamieson, who was drafted by Oakland in the 2011 MLB Draft, played 77 games for Arizona’s Triple-A team in Reno, Nevada, where he hit .244 with seven doubles, two triples, a home run and 18 RBI.
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