ValleyCats announce new signings, trades
>> The Tri-City ValleyCats announced on Wednesday a flurry of moves, including news that 2023 ValleyCats third baseman Ian Walters and left-handed pitcher Caden O’Brien have both signed an extension for the upcoming season. Meanwhile, outfielder Javeyan Williams, and infielders Kyle Novak, and Tyson Gingerich are all in agreement to join the ‘Cats this year. Tri-City also picked up outfielder Kenny Oyama from the Boise Hawks in a threeteam interleague trade with the Pioneer Baseball League that sent outfielder Tanner Smith to the Northern California expansion team.
Walters was a mid-season acquisition for the ValleyCats last year. He joined the team on June 15 from the Washington Wild
Things in exchange for a player to be named later. Left-handed pitcher Tanner Propst was traded to Washington on Jan. 9, 2024, to complete this trade as the player to be named later. In 50 games down the stretch, Walters flashed the leather at the hot corner and batted .297 with nine homers and 43 runs batted in.
O’Brien is entering his third professional season, and second with Tri-City. He latched on with the Joliet Slammers in 2022 and played in their organization until he was sent over to the ‘Cats on July 16, 2023. The southpaw was often utilized as a multi-inning reliever last season and is expected to play a key role for the club out of the bullpen this year.
Williams played with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) under ValleyCats manager Greg Tagert
in 2023. Williams made his indy ball debut with the Gary SouthShore RailCats in the AAPB in 2022 after spending three years in the San Francisco Giants organization. He was selected by San Francisco in the 22nd round of the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft out of Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, LA, and reached High-A Eugene in 2021.
Novak spent five seasons at Division I James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He batted a crisp .317 with the Dukes and compiled 80 walks to 65 strikeouts in 202 games. The Oakton, Va. product led the team in batting average with a .357 clip in his senior season. The left-hand hitter made his professional debut with Joliet in 2023 and appeared in six games.
Gingerich was electric on the basepaths for Division II Malone University. He swiped 130 bases in 151 attempts across five seasons in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The middle infielder had a career .297 batting average and batted a whopping .437 in his final season with the Pioneers. The Berlin, Ohio native also demonstrated a great eye at the plate, finishing his tenure at Malone with exactly 114 walks to 114 strikeouts in 204 games.
Oyama put up solid numbers in his first professional season in 2023. He racked up 10 stolen bases and hit .297 along with a .371 OBP for Boise. The 24-year-old previously played at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Calif., and earned West Coast Conference Second-Team honors in 2021. After graduating from LMU, Oyama transferred to UCLA as a Graduate Student and served as the Bruins starting left fielder in 2022 while stealing a team-best 20 bases.