LINCOLN — The Saltdogs have acquired former American Association All-Star OF Stephen Douglas in a trade with the Amarillo Sox.
Douglas posted near-MVP numbers in his American Association debut campaign in 2011 en route to helping Grand Prairie to its first league championship. He hit for a .378 average (second behind Lincoln’s Blake Gailen and his record-setting .406 mark) with 38 doubles, 76 RBI and 24 stolen bases combined with the AirHogs and El Paso Diablos.
In exchange for the 2011 All-Star, Lincoln sends cash and a player to be named later to Amarillo.
The 27-year old from Smyrna, Ga. was originally selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 2006 MLB draft out of East Tennessee State University. He played two seasons in the Tribe’s organization before joining the independent ranks.
Over the course of his seven-season career, Douglas has hit .296 with 96 doubles, 25 home runs, 261 RBI and 105 stolen bases.
Last year Douglas split his time between York (Atlantic League), Puebla (Triple-A Mexican League) and the Laredo Lemurs, matching a career-high with eight home runs in total.
In 2010 for Amarillo (then of the United Baseball League), Douglas hit .316 with 24 doubles, eight home runs, 56 RBI and a career-high 35 stolen bases.
Douglas was acquired by Amarillo from Laredo in exchange for cash and the reversionary rights to former Huskers infielder Jake Opitz on February 18.