Defendis, Grose Sign With Chatham A's
Oct 13 | Baseball
PISCATAWAY, NJ – Sophomores Johnny Defendis (Staten Island, NY) and Jeff Grose (Iselin, NJ) have signed contracts to spend the upcoming summer with the Chatham A’s of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Grose and Defendis were teammates this past summer in Danbury, CT, playing for the Danbury Westerners of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL).
As a freshman in 2002, Defendis batted .303 in 50 games with Rutgers, hitting .396 over the final 23 games of the season. Defendis started 44 games, primarily in left field, and added five doubles, five triples and three home runs. He also knocked in 28 runs and stole seven bases.
Grose served as the team’s fourth outfielder in 2002, batting .269 in 28 starts. He finished the season with three doubles, five triples, one home run and 19 RBI – while also posting a .403 on-base percentage that was aided by 22 walks.
Grose and Defendis add to a lengthy list of Scarlet Knights in the Cape Cod League, joining teammate Jeff Frazier, who was an All-Star with Chatham in 2003. Others who have played on the Cape include Val Majewski (2002), Bobby Brownlie (2001), David DeJesus and Jake Daubert (2000) and Darren Fenster (1999).
