Lake Monsters games VT

BURLINGTON, VT — 2012 Lake Monsters shortstop Addison Russell has been promoted to the Major Leagues with the Chicago Cubs, becoming the 77th former Vermont player to reach the Major Leagues all-time and the first who played with the Lake Monsters as an Oakland Athletics Minor Leaguer, the New York-Penn League team announced today.

Russell was the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft and joined the Lake Monsters on August 2nd, going 3-for-4 with a double and solo home run in his debut with Vermont. Russell then went 4-for-5 with a triple two days later in his third game for the Lake Monsters. In 13 total games with Vermont before being promoted to the Burlington Bees of the Midwest League, Russell hit .340 (18-for-53) with nine runs, two doubles, two triples, one homer and seven RBI.

After being traded along with 2013 first-round pick Billy McKinney to the Chicago Cubs last summer, Russell began the 2015 season with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. He was 11-for-37 (.297) with seven runs, two doubles, one homer and seven RBI in nine games for Iowa before being promoted to Chicago for Tuesday’s game at Pittsburgh, where he will start at second base and hit ninth.

Of the 77 former Lake Monsters who have reached the Major Leagues, the first 76 played for Vermont as members of the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals organization. Russell is the first former Lake Monster to reach the Majors after having played for Vermont as a farmhand of the Oakland Athletics, who have been Vermont’s Major League affiliate since 2011. Russell is also the 17th different former Lake Monster on a Major League active roster this season.