Staten Island, NY – The New York Yankees purchased the contracts of former Staten Island Yankees left-hand pitchers Brandon Claussen and Alex Graman from the Norwich Navigators of the Double-A Eastern League this past Monday. They also bought the contract of Marcus Thames.
Both Claussen and Graman played for Staten Island in the 1999 inaugural season.
A 34th-round pick in the 1998 draft, Claussen finished 2001 with a 9-2 record and a 2.13 ERA in 21 starts for Norwich. Prior to the Navigators, Claussen started eight games for Class-A Tampa, posting a 5-2 mark and a 2.73 ERA. He led all minor league pitchers with 151 strikeouts. While in Staten Island, the southpaw posted a 6-4 record and a 3.38 ERA in 72.0 innings. He fanned 89.
Graman has enjoyed similar success. Picked in the third round in 1999, he was 12-9 with a 3.52 ERA and 138 strikeouts for Norwich this season. He was 6-3 with the Baby Bombers with a 2.99 ERA. Graman was just behind Claussen with 85 strikeouts.
