Miners complete trade with Kansas City T-Bones

The 2019 Can-Am League Regular Season Champion Sussex County Miners announce the acquisition of outfielder and former Boston Red Sox farmhand Danny Mars from the Kansas City T-Bones (American Association) in exchange for right-handed pitcher Tyler Fallwell.

Fallwell came over to the Miners in a five-player trade with the Sioux City Explorers (American Association, Independent) on December 23, 2019.

“Danny is a hell of a player who I’ve been trying to get all winter. He hits for a high average, gets on base and runs,” Sussex County Miners manager Bobby Jones said. “Our goal is to have three centerfielders in our outfield who can cover a lot of ground and he can do that, especially in a big ballpark like ours. He’s a guy who just wants to play. I’m really excited to get him.”

Mars was drafted by the Boston Red Sox out in the sixth round of the 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Chipola College (Marianna, Florida) where he hit .380 with four home runs, 35 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. Coincidentally, Bobby Jones also played at Chipola College before he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 44th round of the 1991 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Spending five years in the Red Sox farm system, Mars is a two-time all-star who was named to the New York Penn-League (Short Season Single-A) and Eastern League (Double-A) mid-season squads in 2014 with the Lowell Spinners and 2017 with the Portland Sea Dogs, respectively. Making his Double-A debut with Portland in 2017, the speedy switch-hitter authored the best year of his professional career thus far by leading all qualifying Red Sox minor leaguers with a .304 batting average (145-477) while ranking among the league leaders average (5th) and hits (145, 3rd). He also led the Sea Dogs in games played (119), stolen bases (12), runs (tied, 62) and hitting with runners in scoring position (.340, 32-94).

Fallwell is a four-year veteran who spent two seasons with the Sioux City Explorers (American Association) where he was a vital contributor to the team’s formidable bullpen. The 24-year old Tucson, Arizona native authored a dominant 2019 season that propelled his being named to the American Association All-Star Team. Along with ranking ninth in the league in strikeouts (104), he ranked among the club leaders in wins (8, tied for 1st), ERA (3.13, 3rd), appearances (36, tied for 3rd) and opposition batting average (.208, 4th). In 2018 he was third on the Explorers in appearances (23) and posted a 2-1 record and two saves along with logging a minuscule 0.64 ERA which ranked second on the team. Fallwell’s contract was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies organization on July 16 and he went onto play for the Single-A Lakewood BlueClaws where he posted a 6.75 ERA over 12 appearances and he logged 21.1 innings with 21 strikeouts while walking just six batters. Fallwell was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 19th round of the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft from Cochise Community College (Douglas, AZ). He spent two years in the Royals farm system.