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SIOUX CITY – The Sioux City Explorers announced today that they have re-signed OF Eliezer Mesa whom was a member of the X’s in 2013 and have also added INF Ryan Court for the upcoming season, which will mark the teams 23^rd season in Siouxland.

Mesa, the 26-year-old product from Azua, Dominican Republic returns to the X’s for the 2015 campaign after playing the 2014 season with Ciudad Del Carmen in the Mexican league where in 49 games, the speedy outfielder collected 57 hits while batting .308.  In 2013 as the X’s leadoff hitter, Mesa hit .293 and collected 113 hits in 91 games while stealing 26 bases in 34 attempts.  Prior to joining the X’s in 2013, Mesa spent five seasons between the Colorado Rockies and Oakland Athletics farm systems.

For his career, Mesa has a career batting average of .284 in 1,959 at-bats, while collecting 557 hits in 510 games with 80 doubles and 31 triples. For his 7 year career, he has stolen 110 bases in 147 attempts (75%).  Defensively, the 5’11” right-hander has played all three positions in the outfield and in 982 chances he has 930 put-outs to go along with a .975 fielding percentage.

Court was drafted in the 23rd round of the 2011 MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks out of Illinois State University in Normal, IL.  Court began his career in 2011, where he appeared in 70 games for the D-Backs Pioneer League team in Missoula, MT.  For the year, he collected 74 hits in 70 games, while producing 14 doubles, 7 homeruns and 33 RBI’s, while hitting .271.  In 2012, Ryan spent the entire season in South Bend in the Midwest League, where he produced 101 hits in 102 games, while collecting 34 extra base hits and 53 RBI’S to go with a .264 batting average. 

Court had his best statistical season in 2013 while appearing for the Diamondbacks affiliates in South Bend (29 games), Visalia (39 games) and playing the final 59 games of the season for the Dbacks Double-A affiliate in Mobile, AL.  On the season, Ryan had 134 hits in 127 games, while hitting 38 doubles, 11 homeruns and collecting 72 RBI’s to go along with a .315 batting average. The 2014 season saw Court split time between the Dbacks Visalia and Mobile affiliates and on the year he accumulated a .259 batting average, while racking up 80 hits, 25 doubles, 6 homeruns and 37 RBI’s.

In other team news, the Los Angeles Angels organization has acquired recently signed C Matt Koch.

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