Crushers Swing Deal with New Jersey for All-Star Infielder

by Zane Bloom

Crushers Roster Updates Presented by BCT Alarm Services, Inc.

Avon, OH - December 23, 2025 - The Lake Erie Crushers have processed a trade that will send RHP Leonardo Rodriguez to the New Jersey Jackals in exchange for 2025 All-Star INF Luis Acevedo. Crushers roster updates are presented by BCT Alarm Services, Inc.

Luis Acevedo is 5-foot-10, 180lbs and an alumnus of Webber International University where he hit .303 with 185 hits in 170 collegiate games. Acevedo got his professional start in 2023 in the USPBL with the East Side Diamond Hoppers before joining the New Jersey Jackals in 2024. With the Jackals he hit .321 and stole 12 bases in an abbreviated 29 game stint. Then, in his first full season with New Jersey in 2025, Acevedo hit .306 and scored 44 runs in 72 games. Additionally, his strikeout to walk ratio has been nothing short of incredible. Across his collegiate and professional career, Acevedo has walked 160 times while striking out just 133 times. His bat-to-ball skills are also paired with an incredible infield glove. In a full season at second base, he committed just two errors with a .993 fielding percentage.

The combination of leadoff hitter attributes and solid infield play culminated in Acevedo making the 2025 Frontier League All-Star Game. Jared Lemieux adds another prime infielder to the fray to go along with Davie Morgan and Jarrod Watkins. While Acevedo exclusively played second base with New Jersey, he also has experience playing shortstop and third base, giving Lemieux options as to how to utilize the Crushers’ new acquisition.

Going back to New Jersey is Lake Erie’s RHP Leonardo Rodriguez, who returns to the team he started with in the Frontier League back in 2022. In two seasons with Lake Erie, Rodriguez - affectionately referred to as “Leo” - sported a 4.00 ERA between starting, long relief, and closing roles with 101 strikeouts in 96 ⅔ innings. Rodriguez was given Frontier League Pitcher of the Week honors in 2025 after 5 ⅓ scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and no walks, making him the first reliever to win the award since 2023.

Off the field, Leo was an excellent role model in the community, being the driver for Crushers Youth Baseball Camps. He worked greatly with the kids in a teaching role, and Leo will undoubtedly be a great coach if he decides to pursue that route down the road. The Crushers wish Leo the best in the next step in his baseball career and look forward to reuniting when the Crushers travel to New Jersey in late July.

The Lake Erie Crushers will open their 17th season at newly named ForeFront Field in Avon on Friday, May 8th, 2026 in a playoff rematch against the Schaumburg Boomers. For information on season ticket memberships visit lakeeriecrushers.com, and be sure to follow our socials @LECrushers on Instagram/Facebook/X.

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About the Lake Erie Crushers

The Lake Erie Crushers are a professional baseball team based in Avon, Ohio, just 18 miles west of Cleveland at ForeFront Field. They compete in the Frontier League, a proud MLB Partner League, and have brought a family-friendly, fan-oriented baseball experience to Northeast Ohio since 2009. As Lorain County’s only professional sports franchise, the Lake Erie Crushers are the largest economic driver in Lorain County, hosting more than 200 events per year that include over 50 baseball games, concerts, charity functions, and other events that bring the community of Avon together. Len Komoroski is the Crushers Chairman and Managing Partner, and the team is led by President Vic Gregovits. Jared Lemieux, a Maine Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, is in his fourth season as field manager.