Beloit, WI- The Beloit Snappers are pleased to announce the signing of a two-year player development contract with the Oakland Athletics. The contract will run through the end of the 2014 season.

"We are thrilled to begin our new affiliation with the A's", said Dennis Conerton, Chairman of the Beloit Professional Baseball Association, which operates the Snappers. "Oakland is a very successful and well respected organization that has developed a progressive system for analyzing player talent. Their record speaks for itself and their farm system is highly regarded among the best in Major League Baseball. They have an experienced Player Development Staff that has been together for a long time comprised of quality individuals who will be a real pleasure to work with."

The Oakland Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball’s American League, and uphold a rich history of success. Oakland’s General Manager, Billy Beane, and the organization’s baseball philosophy were the subject of Michael Lewis’ best-selling book, ‘Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.’ The book was recently made into the full-length motion picture, ‘Moneyball,’ featuring Brad Pitt.

“We are delighted to welcome Beloit to our minor league system with today’s announcement,” said A’s Vice President and General Manager Billy Beane. “It is an established Single-A market with a strong baseball community and management team. We look forward to a very successful partnership.”

Oakland will be only the third Major League affiliate for the Snappers in its 31-year history. Previous affiliations were with the Milwaukee Brewers and most recently the Minnesota Twins.

Besides Beloit, the other Oakland A’s minor league affiliates are Triple-A Sacramento (Pacific Coast League), Double-A Midland (Texas League), Single-A Stockton (California League), Short-Season A Vermont (New York-Penn League) and Rookie League Arizona (Arizona League).

The Beloit Snappers will open the 2013 Midwest League season on the road on Thursday, April 4th at 6:35 PM against the Cedar Rapids Kernels, the Class-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.