Blue Jays add to scouting staff

TORONTO , Nov. 12 /CNW/ - The TORONTO BLUE JAYS announce the following appointments; GARY RAJSICH to the position of Professional Crosschecker, BRANDON MOZLEY as Regional Crosschecker, BRIAN PARKER to the position of Professional Scout & DAN COX as an Area Scout. TOM BURNS, DAN CHOLOWSKY & MATT BRIGGS have been promoted to the position of Regional Crosscheckers.

RAJSICH, was recently a professional scout with the Texas Rangers over the past three seasons. The Youngstown , Ohio native previously spent 12 seasons as an Amateur and Professional Scout for the Boston Red Sox and was credited with the signing of Jon Lester . Rajsich spent four seasons in the big leagues, from 1982-85 as an outfielder with the Mets, Cardinals, and Giants.

MOZLEY, returns to the Blue Jays scouting department after three seasons with the Chicago Cubs as an Area Scout. Was an Area Scout with the Blue Jays from 2004-06, most notably signing Travis Snider in 2006.

PARKER, was recently the Director of Baseball Operations with the Washington Nationals, assisting in all phases of baseball operations. The Arlington, Virginia resident spent seven seasons with Washington and Montreal , serving as the Director of Scouting from 2005-08. During the Expos final season in 2004, Parker was the Coordinator of Scouting and made the move with the club to Washington.

COX, has been an Area Scout for the past five seasons, initially with the Minnesota Twins (2005-08) and most recently the Atlanta Braves (2009). The Honolulu , Hawaii native graduated from the Major League Scout Development Program in 2000 and has 13 years experience in baseball, working for Anaheim for three seasons and another four with Major League Baseball's Scouting Bureau. Cox will be responsible for scouting Southern California in addition to Hawaii.

BURNS, has been with the Blue Jays since 2004 and has signed several players currently in the system, most notably LHP Brett Cecil. Burns was the recipient of the Al LaMacchia Award in 2004, representing dedication, success & work ethics of Blue Jays baseball operations personnel.

BRIGGS, also has been a key member of the scouting staff since 2004, signing key players such as J.P. Arencibia, Brad Emaus & most recently 2009 1st round pick Chad Jenkins . He also was an Al LaMacchia Award winner, earning the honours this past season.

CHOLOWSKY, began his career with the Blue Jays in 2006 and has signed players such as LHP Brad Mills . The former University of California product has a wide array of experience in baseball, as a player, agent & coach, prior to joining the scouting ranks.

For further information: Toronto Blue Jays Communications Department, Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]