Goldeyes sign pitcher Kissock

A veteran Canadian pitcher will be joining the Winnipeg Goldeyes this season, the team announced Monday.

Right-handed thrower Chris Kissock, 27, is the ninth pitcher under contract for the upcoming year.

Kissock played his first six seasons as a pro in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, and spent parts of the last three seasons playing double-A ball for Reading of the Eastern League.

Kissock, who hails from Trail, B.C., took a rib injury last year and went 3-1 with 8.76 ERA in 16 games between Reading and the Advanced-A Clearwater of the Florida State League. Kissock was also part of the Canadian team that won gold at the Pan Am Games in 2011.

"He’s going to add a lot of experience," Goldeyes manager Rick Forney said. "We’re going to use him out of the bullpen and maybe even give him the opportunity to be our closer.

"Once pitchers get to a certain age and plateau out at the Double-A level, most organizations feel their last ditch effort of trying to get someone over the hump to becoming a Major League pitcher is to change their arm slot and become a situational type guy," Forney added.

"That didn’t work with Chris. He wasn’t able to stay consistent and wound up getting hurt because of it. He’s back to his normal arm slot, his velocity is back and he’s feeling good. He’s anxious to get back on the mound and try to recapture what he did back in 2010."