San Diego Marlins sign undrafted Defenseman for upcoming season

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Marlins Make Another Splash 

Sign Defenseman Fradin McGryer

 

     

 

  Well, San Diego went out to sea and certainly did not come back to port empty handed. Signing as of the release of this article, three free agents off of waivers ahead of this upcoming season. The biggest catch of the day being right handed defenseman Fradin McGryer to a league standard ($1,500,000) contract. McGryer was hardly in free agency for long. The young potential star was thought to have committed to his High School passion, Rugby. Now weighing in at roughly two hundred and forty pounds at six foot four inches in height, it's hardly a stretch to see why he was such a dominant Right Prop at a young age. 

An unusual sport for certain in the States, but that was part of the draw according to him. An active participant in school councils, performing fundraisers for the lesser known sports like Rugby to keep their funding in his district was something the young talent was known for. Everything from bake sales to the cliché's of car washing. Even going as far as to help coach a peewee team in the summers, hoping that exposing the sport to those even younger than him would help it grow along with the players. 

 

In the offseason he would play a sport more natural within his home state of Massachusetts. You would find him on the second pairing or more often the top penalty kill line for a hotheaded raiders team. For a team that constantly had deep playoff runs elude them, Fradin still managed to lead the league in blocked shots and was often fighting for the top five spots in plus/minus. A physically gifted athlete for sure, but who is this player out of a uniform? The following statement was taken from a video the young star posted to his social media after finalizing the signing with San Diego.

 

Fradin - "I'm excited, you know, to be so graciously welcomed in by this team that really, had no footage that made me stand out I think from any of the other guys out there. I'm ready to work hard and really prove I belong as a Marlin...and I don't think i'll be showing that by stacking up personal accolades. I'd much rather be remembered as a glue for the guys in that locker room. Those have always been the players I've looked up to in Hockey. The guys who show up and play hard not for their jobs, but for their team and the fans who show up wearing the same logo on their back. Guys like Kevan Miller or Johnny Boychuk...-".

There's certainly a case to be made for many of the prospects the Marlins picked up today. But with a thin blue line as of current on their active roster, an eager young player who's already willing instinctually to take up as much of the ice as he can should certainly ease the minds of both management and Goaltender Olivier Gauthier. Gauthier had a .890 save percentage last year with 2.71 GAA in the VHLM. If he has any chance of putting up better numbers this season, it certainly starts on the back end. The addition of McGryer shows the competency of management with their ability to also see this and quickly get some much needed help for their potential breakout netminder. 




555 Words II Week ending in 4/9

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Review:

I liked this article as I don't really follow much of the VHLM. These sort of articles are a good way for me to get information on what's happening. It was a well written piece, lots of information and quote from the signed player which is great. The only thing I would add is maybe a picture to help the article stand out a little more. Well done and keep up the great work! 9/10