The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

ANFERNEE Seymour’s 2022 season opened on a high note in his debut with Charleston Dirty Birds.

Seymour’s solo home run in the seventh inning keyed a 5-3 win over the Staten Island Ferry Hawks, April 21 on Atlantic Professional Baseball League opening night.

Defensively in centrefield, Seymour also had an assist to throw out Noberto Susini at home plate and prevent the game-tying run. The Dirty Birds were the only team to open the season with three consecutive wins with a 5-1 win in game one and 6-4 win in game two at Appalachian Power Park.

When Seymour signed with the club last offseason, Dirty Birds manager Billy Horn touted the presence of the veteran outfielder in the clubhouse.

“Seymour brings an explosive dynamic to our ball club,” he said. “I am looking forward to seeing him set the tone at the top of the lineup for us this year.”

The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is considered one of the most successful and highest levels of baseball among independent leagues.

It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States.

The Atlantic League operates in cities not served by Major League Baseball (MLB) or Minor League Baseball (MiLB) teams - most of its teams are within suburbs and exurbs too close to other teams in the organised baseball system to have minor league franchises of their own.

When Atlantic League professionals are signed by MLB clubs, they usually start in their Double-A or Triple-A affiliates.”

The ALPB uses a set of progressive rules such as a pitch clock and limits the time between innings in an effort to speed up the game.

Seymour spent last season with the Kane County Cougars of the American Association of Professional Baseball.

He led the league in stolen bases with 37.

On the season, he hit .231 with 71 hits, 10 doubles, four triples, 32 RBI, 50 runs scored, a .646 OPS, and 104.

At the Major League Baseball level, Seymour last appeared as a member of the Miami Marlins organisation with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp of the Double-A Southern League. In 2019, Hurricane Dorian forced a premature end to the Southern League season.

Seymour finished the season just nine hits shy of 500 for his minor league career. Following the season, he opted for free agency. He was originally drafted by the Marlins in 2014 and spent two years in the organisation before he was traded to the Braves in 2016 and returned to the Marlins for a second stint in 2018.