AUBURNDALE GRAD JORDAN ZIMMERMANN SIGNS MINOR LEAGUE DEAL WITH MILWAUKEE BREWERS
By Paul Lecker
For Zaleski Sports
MILWAUKEE – Jordan Zimmermann, a 2004 Auburndale High School graduate, has signed a minor league deal with his home state Milwaukee Brewers.
Zimmermann, who also pitched at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point before being drafted by the Washington Nationals in the second round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft, signed Tuesday with the Brewers and will be invited to the big league camp, which starts Friday. The first spring training games are set with split squad games against Oakland and the Chicago White Sox on Feb. 27.
Zimmermann, 34, pitched from 2009-15 with the Nationals, leading the National League with 19 wins in 2013. He posted a 70-50 record with a 3.32 earned-run average for Washington, which included playoff appearances in 2012 and 2014, All-Star game selections in 2013 and 2014, and a no-hitter on the final game of the regular season in 2014 against the Miami Marlins.
Zimmermann signed a five-year, $110 million contract, following the 2015 season with the Detroit Tigers. He pitched in 99 games with the Tigers, starting 97, compiling a 25-41 record with a 5.63 ERA as he suffered through injuries the past three seasons. Last year, in just three games, Zimmermann allowed five earned runs in 5 2/3 innings with six strikeouts.