Infielder Acquired From Sioux Falls to Complete Andrew Woeck Trade
WASHINGTON, Pa. (Jan. 10) - Today, the Sioux Falls Canaries of the American Association and the Wild Things completed the trade that sent RHP Andrew Woeck to Sioux Falls on January 18, 2017. The original trade sent Woeck to the Canaries for a player to be named. Wednesday, it was announced shortstop Brett Marr is the player that closes the trade, bringing the former Rockhurst University standout to Washington.
Marr was teammates with newly-signed Wild Things' infielder Louis Mele with the Canaries, after a stellar four-year career at Division II Rockhurst. With the Hawks, Marr had a career batting average of .343, with 131 runs scored, 98 RBI, 46 extra-base hits and nine home runs.
The Warrensburg, Missouri, native also flashed the leather for four seasons, as he had a .964 fielding percentage during his tenure at Rockhurst. The glove-work received national attention, as he was awarded the Division II National Gold Glove Award after his junior season.
His senior season was recognized as well in conference, as he was named to the All-GLVC First Team after leading the Hawks with a .359 batting average and sporting a .968 fielding percentage. He struck out just 19 times in 212 plate appearances that year, and reached base safely in his final 23 games.
From Rockhurst, Marr went on to sign a professional contract with Sioux Falls, and played in 59 games for the team in 2017. He hit his way to a .225 batting average and a .324 on-base percentage in his first pro season, and had two home runs, while continuing to show off his defensive ability, playing both middle infield positions. He made just seven errors in more than 250 chances, which put his fielding percentage at .973. He was named Sioux Falls' Defensive Player of the Year on the team's postseason awards release.
"We targeted our middle infield as an area to address for 2018. Adding Brett will hopefully stabilize our shortstop position. Defensively, he was noted as one of the best in the country in college and earned significant praise during his time with Sioux Falls," said general manager Steven Zavacky. "We feel we can tap into his aggressiveness offensively, but he has shown a knack for being a persistent table setter and consistently producing quality at-bats."
Zavacky continued, "There is a maturity to Brett's game that we are excited to see. He certainly is embracing the role we are outlining and eager to put his hand in the pile for a deep playoff push."
Marr is excited to come to Washington.
"I am very excited to come to Washington after the successful run they had in 2017 and hopefully we can continue that success into 2018," said Marr. "I'd love to help this team continue the success from the last season. I see my role involving playing shortstop and being a table setter for the lineup, helping [it] score as many runs as possible."
The jump to professional baseball came with adjustments needing to made, but Marr said it was also "amazing" to get to play baseball at the pro level.
"[It] was a dream come true," said Marr. "The biggest adjustment was the speed of the game and the quality of pitching we would face night in and night out."
On the field, Marr said he just loves playing the game and tries to enjoy every moment on the field.
"I take pride in my defense and there is no better feeling than making a web gem," he said. "Offensively I consider myself a table setter. I battle through every at bat."
The trade sending Andrew Woeck is now complete, with Marr becoming the third acquisition in as many days for the Wild Things this week.
