HobbsDailyReport.com
BRADENTON, Fla. – After just one appearance with the Class A Rome (Ga.) Braves, former Bandys High lefty Hayden Deal is back in Florida.
After being assigned to Rome on Wednesday and pitching four innings in relief to gain a win, Deal was reassigned on Friday to play again for the Gulf Coast League (GCL) Braves.
He is in his first season in the Atlanta organization after signing an on-the-spot deal with the Braves after a workout at Bandys.
Deal, who played college baseball at Presbyterian, previously pitched in 12 games with the GCL Braves, a rookie league team in Bradenton, Fla. He went 2-2 with an ERA of 4.30 and two saves, pitching 23 innings, walking eight and striking out 19. Opponents hit .284 against him.
The Braves, 29-25 after Saturday’s victory over the GCL Tigers-East, are a half-game up on the GCL Yankees-East in the Northeast Division with six games to go in the regular season.