The Somerset Patriots have won all three of their championships in odd years (2001, 2003 and 2005). But after looking at the roster of players the team is taking to Spring Training this year, it sure looks like the front office has a championship contender on their hands in 2006.

After one of the more curious off-seasons in team history that saw only a few players signed when other teams had a dozen players, the contracts are now piling up on Patriots GM Patrick McVerry’s desk.

As of now, the team has 24 players under contract, with a whopping 14 of them being pitchers. 

Leading the new signings are former big league hurlers Hector Almonte and Jason Shiell.

Almonte is a right handed relief pitcher with 50 games of big league time under his belt, with seven of them coming in a Boston Red Sox uniform in 2003. Curiously enough, six of those seven games were in Interleague play, with his lone intraleague appearance for Boston being a 1-2-3 inning against the Tigers on June 24th.

First his teammate on the famous "Cowboy Up" Red Sox team of 2003 and now in Somerset, Jason Shiell is also a righty reliever vying for a spot on the Patriots. Shiell appeared in 17 games for the team nicknamed by then Boston first baseman Kevin Millar.

Of those 17 appearances for Boston, two of them were against their arch nemesis, the New York Yankees. If this guy can strike out Derek Jeter in front of tens of thousands at Fenway Park, Patriots fans should have nothing to worry about when he sets foot on the friendly confines of Commerce Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater.

"I like the experienced staff we're bringing in," said Patriots manager Sparky Lyle, himself a former Boston reliever. "Hopefully, that will lead to a lot of wins this season."

While neither Almonte or Shiell was on the 2004 group of "Idiots" that brought Red Sox fans their first World Series title in 86 years, they both look to be key components of a Patriots squad that's looking to give their fans back-to-back Atlantic League championships.

SomerStuff: The team also signed former big league pitchers Mike Johnson and Nick Bierbrodt. Johnson is a right handed starting pitcher who compiled a 7-14 record and 6.85 ERA in 81 big league games with the Baltimore Orioles and Montreal Expos from 1997 to 2001. Bierbrodt, a former first round draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks, returns for his second season with Somerset. The southpaw went to camp with the Los Angeles Dodgers this spring, but was released prior to the start of the year.

Around The League: Jack Santora, who also went to Spring Training with the Dodgers, was among the last cut and he re-signed with the Newark Bears...Camden has yet to sign a player with any big league time...Lancaster signed three former Patriots; Alex Hernandez (2003), Cam Smith (2003 and 2004), and Manny Santana (2004)...Long Island brought in ex-big league pitchers Nelson Figueroa, Andrew Lorraine and Ryan Jensen...The Bluefish signed former Rockies outfielder Angel Echevarria.

SomerStat: 8 - The number of players the Patriots have on their roster with Major League experience.

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