GASTONIA, N.C. – The Ghost Peppers’ Narciso Crook, Brian O’Grady and Nick Snyder all had their contracts purchased by teams in the Mexican League this weekend.
Crook had his contract picked up by Monclova on Friday, while O’Grady and Snyder were both acquired by Laguna on Saturday.
Crook, a 30-year-old OF/1B, had a stellar season with the Ghost Peppers. The former Chicago Cub hit .320 with a 1.007 OPS, crushing 14 homers and driving in 48 runs. Crook led the team with 71 hits in 61 games.
O’Grady, 33, had reached base safely in all 33 games he played with Gastonia. The lefty slugger had the longest active on-base streak entering the weekend. O’Grady played in the big leagues for the Reds, Rays and Padres before his Ghost Peppers tenure. In the 33 games for Gastonia, he hit .339 with a 1.109 OPS and 25 RBIs.
Snyder, 29, is headed to Laguna along with O’Grady. The right-hander posted a 2.17 ERA in 29 innings with the Peppers, recording a team-high six saves. Coming into this season, Snyder hadn’t pitched professionally since 2022, when he was in the major leagues with the Rangers.
The Ghost Peppers now have six players get their contracts purchased this season, with these three joining INF Richie Martin (Rangers), C Patrick Mazeika (Mexico City) and LHP Justus Sheffield (Monterrey).
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Gastonia Ghost Peppers begins its second season of operations with Zawyer Sports & Entertainment – a sports ownership group with professional teams operating in the U.S. and the fifth season for the franchise at CaroMont Health Park in the FUSE District of Gastonia. The Ghost Peppers have made the ALPB Playoffs for three consecutive seasons, setting the league record for highest win percentage in a three-year span (.651 from 2022-2024.)
In their inaugural season, the Ghost Peppers had seven players with contracts purchased by other leagues, whether that be MLB-affiliated clubs or leagues outside the country. They also had two former players make their MLB debuts in 2024 — Spencer Bivens (Tigers) and Bryan Sammons (2024.) Bivens is on the Giants’ 26-man roster in 2025. J.C. Escarra, who played for Gastonia in 2023, is currently on the Yankees’ 26-man roster.
Single game tickets for the Gastonia Ghost Peppers are currently on sale. Contact the Ghost Peppers office at 980-415-2255, or visit www.ghostpeppersbaseball.com for more information.