INF Jermy Acey and RHP Ricardo Rodriquez Named GBL Players of the Month for August
Published on September 14, 2008 under Golden Baseball League (GBL) News Release
(Dublin, CA. September 13, 2008) The Golden Baseball League (GBL) announced today that Orange County infielder Jermy Acey and Edmonton starting pitcher Ricardo Rodriguez have been named GBL Safeway Players of the Month for the final month of the season.
Acey, 27, 5-11, 190 lbs is n infielder who was drafted in the 23rd round out of Skyline College in the San Francisco Bay Area by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2003 amateur draft. He played three years in their farm system, reaching the Single A New York - Penn League before being released before the 2006 season. For the Blue Jays he had a .298 career batting average and was also named to the Appalachian League All-Star team while playing for the Pulaski farm club in 2003. Signed by Edinburgh of the United League to begin the 2006 season, he played for the Coyotes and then was traded to the Rio Grande Valley Whitewings in the same league to finish the year as he hit a combined .276 for the season. In 2007 he started with Rio Grande Valley and then was traded to the Nashua Pride of the Can-Am League midway through the campaign, he hit a combined .311 for the season. He came to the Flyers in a trade before this season and has anchored the Orange County infield and offense throughout the season. Named to the GBL All-Star team in July, he went on to have a monster season at the plate as he hit .374 for the season, clubbed 21 home runs, and set a new GBL RBI record with 97 runs driven in. With minor injuries to a number of the Flyers' leading hitters in August as he hit .385 with 7 home runs and knocked in 35 runs during the month.
Rodriquez, 30, 6-3, 195 lbs is a right-handed starting pitcher for the Edmonton Cracker Cats who was signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1996 our of Guayubin in the Dominican Republic. One of 26 former major league players in the GBL this season, he began his pro career by rocketing up through the Dodger's farm system based on spectacular strikeout numbers and miniscule E.R.A.'s. He was named to minor league All-Star teams in 2000 and 2001 and was the Pioneer League Star of Stars as selected by ESPN Sports Ticker in 2001. In mid-2002 he was pitching for the Dodger's AAA team in Las Vegas when he was packaged with fellow pitchers Terry Mulholland and Francisco Crucera and traded to the Cleveland Indians for pitcher Paul Shuey. Cleveland had him in the big leagues later that year and he was a regular in the Indians rotation the next season when he was dealt to the Texas Rangers with teammate Shane Spencer for OF Ryan Ludwick. He spent the next three seasons in the majors for Texas before being sent to AAA for 2006 and 2007. An unsigned free agent, he joined the Edmonton Cracker Cats early in the season and went on to anchor their staff as he posted an 8-2 record and 3.84 E.R.A for the season. During the month of August he was key to the Cracker Cats taking the second half title of the North Division as he went 4-0 with a 2.72 E.R.A. and struck out 38 while walking only 8 in 43 innings pitched.
Golden Baseball League Stories from September 14, 2008
- INF Jermy Acey and RHP Ricardo Rodriquez Named GBL Players of the Month for August - GBL
- Vipers Force Game Five - Calgary Vipers
- Sergent propels Calgary past Orange County to force Game Five - Orange County Flyers
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