TOWSON, Md. – Former Towson University baseball player John Cristino signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees on March 24, 2025, announced on Minor League Baseball (MiLB) transactions.
 
Cristino played for the New England Knockouts, now the Brockton Rox, of the Frontier League in the 2024 season. He hit a league-best 26 home runs and added 72 runs batted in, planting him fourth among league leaders in the category.
 
The New Jersey native earned a Frontier League All Star nod and was named the league's catcher of the year after the season. Cristino slashed .293/.367/.583, adding 20 doubles, a triple and 65 runs scored in 89 games played with the Knockouts before being traded to the York Revolution of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), where he helped the team win the league championship. Prior to the 2024 season, Cristino played for the Kane County Cougars of the American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) following the conclusion of the 2023 Towson baseball season.
 
Other former Tiger professional assignments include Ethan Pecko, Richie Palacios and Elijah Dickerson.
 
Pecko was assigned to the Opening Day roster for the Corpus Christi Hooks, the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, after being named the 2024 Astros Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Pecko quickly rose through the ranks in his first full season with the organization, finishing 4-6 with a 3.47 ERA, 125 strikeouts and 37 walks across stops at Low-A, High-A and Double-A.
 
Palacios is on the Tampa Bay Rays 40-man roster to begin the season for the second year in a row but will start the season on the 10-day injured list due to a right ring finger fracture. Palacios ranked 24^th in the American League a season ago with 19 stolen bases in just 92 games played. The Brooklyn native has found a home with the Rays, where he played more games in 2024 than his previous stints with Cleveland and St. Louis combined.
 
Dickerson recently signed with the Northern Colorado Owlz of the Pioneer League, an official Major League Baseball (MLB) Partner League. Dickerson played the 2024 season for the Frederick Keys of the MLB Draft League, where he slashed .282/.325/.340 with six doubles, one home run and 18 RBIs in 39 games played.