GASTONIA, N.C. – The Gastonia Ghost Peppers have signed INF Jack Reinheimer and OF Kevin Watson Jr. for the 2025 season, announced by general manager Brady Salisbury on Monday.
Gastonia welcomes back both Reinheimer and Watson Jr., who played for the Baseball Club last season.
Reinheimer, 32, has played for Gastonia since 2022. The Charlotte native was drafted by the Mariners in 2013 and played in the big leagues for the Diamondbacks and Mets in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Reinheimer is Gastonia’s all-time leader in several categories, including hits (267), doubles (58), stolen bases (104), runs (193), and he’s tied for the most games played (236).
Watson Jr., 25, was drafted by the Diamondbacks in 2017. He spent three years in Arizona’s system, and then another three years with the Angels organization, reaching High-A Tri-City in 2021. The Beaverton, Oregon, native played 98 games for Gastonia last season, hitting .302 with an .877 OPS to go along with 40 stolen bases. Watson Jr.’s 40 steals rank fourth all-time in Gastonia history for swiped bags in a single season.
With the addition of these two returners, the Ghost Peppers have now signed 17 players for 2025.
The players who have signed so far are:
RHP Jimmie Sherfy
RHP Parker Kruglewicz
RHP Ryne Inman
RHP Matt Hartman
RHP Nick Snyder
LHP Nick Horvath
LHP Ryan Hennen
LHP Kevin Smith
C Gavin Stupienski
C Luis Aviles
INF Jake Hoover
INF Alan Alonso
INF Ethan Skender
INF Braxton Davidson
INF Jack Reinheimer
OF Eric De La Rosa
OF Kevin Watson Jr.
The team will complete the player signing announcements over the next two weeks.
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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.
The Ghost Peppers open the 2025 season on Friday, April 25 against the York Revolution. Game time is set for 7 p.m. Single game tickets are currently on sale. Contact the Ghost Peppers office at 980-415-2255, or visit www.ghostpeppersbaseball.com for more information.
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About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) – Celebrating its third decade, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. Over its 26-year history, the ALPB has sent over 1,400 players to MLB organizations while drawing over 47 million fans to its 10 family-friendly ballparks that stretch from New York to North Carolina. Please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.