Hawaii Winter Baseball Lands Trio of 2007 First-Round Draft Picks
September 17, 2008 - Hawaii Winter Baseball 2 (HWB 2) News Release
Andrew Brackman, the 30th overall selection in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, will make his professional debut in Hawaii Winter Baseball when the league opens its eighth season on Sept. 27. The New York Yankees' prospect missed the last two seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but the right-handed pitcher will get his first tosses in as a member of the Waikiki BeachBoys.
Fellow 2007 draft pick Todd Frazier (Cincinnati Reds, No. 34 overall) will join Brackman on the BeachBoys squad as a shortstop, while Corey Brown (Oakland Athletics, No. 59 overall) will roam the outfield for the North Shore Honu.
The league plans to release the complete set of rosters later this week as soon as they are approved by the participating leagues. Of the 30 Major League Baseball organizations, 23 are sending players to HWB. Six teams from Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball organization will send players, as will the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization.
Brackman was a top prospect coming out of North Carolina State University, but his stock fell prior to the draft when he suffered an elbow injury in May of 2007. However, the Yankees signed him to a major league contract with the hope that the 6-foot, 10-inch hurler would regain his form and 100 mile-per-hour fastball potential. While he wasn't expected to pitch until the 2009 campaign, Brackman's rehabilitation will allow him to make his pro debut in Hawaii.
Frazier is listed as a utility infielder, but he is expected to focus on shortstop in his time with Waikiki. The New Jersey native made his way to Cincinnati via Rutgers University, and carries with him the notoriety of leading his home-state Toms River squad to the Little League World Series title in 1998. Frazier spent most of 2008 with the Reds' high-A club in Sarasota, Fla. and collected 20 doubles, three triples and 12 home runs while driving in 54 through 100 games.
Despite originally being recruited out of high school as a wide receiver in football, Brown went on to excel at Oklahoma State University on the diamond. He has become one of Oakland's top outfield prospects, and while he currently plays center field, his strong arm could warrant a move to right field. Brown spent 2008 between low-A Kane County and high-A Stockton and notched 27 doubles, 30 home runs and 83 RBIs on the year.
The HWB schedule features 81 games between the University of Hawaii's Les Murakami Stadium and Waipahu's Hans L'Orange Park. The league's schedule for its 2008 campaign runs from Saturday, Sept. 27 through Sunday, Nov. 16 and includes 23 games at Murakami Stadium and 58 contests at Hans L'Orange.
Each of the league's four teams-the two-time defending champion North Shore Honu, West Oahu CaneFires, Waikiki BeachBoys and Honolulu Sharks-is scheduled to play 40 games. The champion from both the HWB West (Honu and CaneFires) and HWB East (BeachBoys and Sharks) will meet on Nov. 16 at Murakami Stadium to decide the overall league championship.
General admission ticket prices range from $3 (children ages 4-12) to $6 (adults) at both stadiums, and season ticket, group and fundraiser packages are also available. There are also stadium-specific season ticket packages available.
For more information on the league and ticket inquiries, call 973-RBIS (7247). Also, log on to www.HawaiiWinterBaseball.com for more information, player and league news, and to shop for authentic HWB merchandise.
Hawaii Winter Baseball is an organized professional baseball league sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB). It provides a setting for top young professional ball players to play against top-notch U.S. and international competition to accelerate U.S. player progress through their respective major league farm systems, and to give top young Asian players opportunities for international competition.
Some distinguished HWB alumni include: Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki (Hilo Stars, 1993); the Yankees' Jason Giambi (Kauai Emeralds, 1993) and Joba Chamberlain (West Oahu, 2006); the Cubs' Derrek Lee (Maui Stingrays, 1993); and Colorado's Todd Helton (Stingrays, 1995). Stay tuned for upcoming community events, clinics and festivities...Catch the Dream!
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