Even though the club said a few weeks ago that they wouldn’t sign another foreign player, the Solingen Alligators have signed the 26-year-old Australian Paul Rutgers. The former Minor Leaguer is already going to be eligible to play against the Pulheim Gophers on Sunday. The utility man signed with the Minnesota Twins in 2002 and stayed in the organization until 2005.
Afterwards Rutgers joined the Chillicothe Paints of the independent Frontier League for two seasons. He also has played in the Claxton Shield tournament in his home country and was part of two World Baseball Classic teams. In 2006 he was on the Australian roster, in 2009 on the South African team. His stint with the Alligators will be financed by a pool of private supporters according to the press release.
During the 2009 World Baseball Classic he showed off his dance moves in the outfield during a break:
