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SAL1 Charleston RiverDogs

Eleven Former Charleston Players Grace MLB Playoff Rosters

October 7, 2009 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston RiverDogs News Release


CHARLESTON, SC - With the Major League Baseball playoffs just a few days away, one does not have to look far to see the impact of former Charleston ballplayers in this year's World Series quest. In all, 11 players on the eight playoff teams called the Holy City home at some point during their professional careers.

Among the players involved are pitchers Phil Coke, Mike Dunn, Chad Gaudin and Phil Hughes and outfielder Brett Gardner (who played for the College of Charleston) from the New York Yankees, the RiverDogs current affiliate. Others include outfielders Rocco Baldelli and Joey Gathright of the Boston Red Sox, outfielder Delmon Young and pitcher Carl Pavano from the Minnesota Twins, pitcher Scott Eyre of the Philadelphia Phillies and pitcher Jason Hammel of the Colorado Rockies.

Coke, the Yankees' 26th round selection in 2002 who played for the RiverDogs in 2005 and '06, has seen time with the Yankees in each of the last two seasons after being called up from AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre. The California native enjoyed a solid 2009 campaign in The Bronx appearing in 65 games and sporting a 4-3 record with a 4.91 ERA.

Dunn began his career as an outfielder for the Gulf Coast League Yankees in 2005 after being drafted in '04. The former College of Southern Nevada standout made a full transition to the mound in '07 and blossomed into one of the RiverDogs best starting pitchers having posted a 12-5 record with a 3.42 ERA in 27 starts. The 24-year-old has made three appearances with the Yankees since his September call-up.

Gaudin called the Lowcountry home when the organization was still an affiliate of the then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2002. The 5-11 right-hander appeared in 26 games (17 starts) for the RiverDogs and registered a 4-6 record with an impressive 2.26 ERA. A native of Louisiana, Gaudin made his major league debut in 2003 with Tampa Bay and has a 33-35 overall record in seven major league seasons.

Hughes had all the pedigree out of Foothill High School in Santa Ana, Cal. when the Yankees selected him in the first round of the 2004 Draft. In '05, Hughes notched an amazing 7-1 record for the RiverDogs with a 1.97 ERA in 12 starts and was named to the South Atlantic League Midseason All-Star Team. Hughes found himself making 13 starts for the Yankees in '07, but a plague of injuries saw him briefly return to Charleston in '08, recording a 2-0 record in two relief appearances. In '09, Hughes has been one of the most reliable firemen for the Bronx Bombers, going 7-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 43 appearances (that include seven starts).

Although Brett Gardner never wore a RiverDogs uniform, he still left an indelible mark on the College of Charleston Cougars as a two-time all-Southern Conference selection and a third-team All-American in 2005, when his .447 average ranked third in the nation and his 122 hits tied for the most in the country. The Holly Hill, S.C. native was the Yankees third round selection in '05 and was quickly noticed due to his speed. Gardner has played in 134 games for the Yankees over the last two years and collected 34 stolen bases. Gardner has the distinction of scoring the final run in the history of the old Yankee Stadium.

Baldelli was a first round pick of the Rays in the 2000 Draft and spent the 2001 campaign in Charleston, hitting .249 in 113 games with 23 doubles, eight home runs, 55 RBI and 25 stolen bases. The Rhode Island native played his first five professional seasons with Tampa Bay before signing with Boston as a free agent January '09.

Gathright joined Gaudin in the 2002 RiverDogs lineup and hit .264 with 22 steals in only 59 games played. Much like Gardner and Baldelli, the ability to run has been the hallmark of Gathright's success with 80 stolen bases to his credit in stints with Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Boston.

Young spent the 2004 season with the Charleston RiverDogs and enjoyed one of the best seasons in the history of professional baseball in the Holy City. The former No. 1 overall selection by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft, Young hit .322 in 131 games, which ranks him second all-time in Charleston professional baseball history. The Camarillo, CA native also set a single-season record with 116 RBI, tied a single-season record with 25 home runs, and was named the South Atlantic League's Most Outstanding Major League Prospect. Delmon made his Major League debut with Tampa Bay in the 2006 season, appearing in 30 games with three home runs and 10 RBI. In 2007, he played in all 162 games for the Rays, hitting .288 with 13 home runs and 93 RBI. Young was traded to the Minnesota Twins as part of a six-player deal that involved former RiverDog Jason Pridie, before the start of the 2008 season.

After missing a majority of the 2007 season due to injury, Carl Pavano joined the RiverDogs along with Phil Hughes, making just two rehab starts before his departure. A World Series champion with the Florida Marlins in 2003, the 6-5 right-hander was originally drafted by the Red Sox in 1994, but was traded to Montreal in 1997 in a deal that included Pedro Martinez. While Pavano has missed parts of five seasons due to a litany of injuries, the New Britain, Conn. native has found success when healthy, notching a 77-75 career record over 11 MLB seasons.

Charleston fans may need to push the recall button to remember southpaw Scott Eyre on the hill. A ninth round pick by Texas in 1991, Eyre donned the uniform of the Charleston Rainbows in 1993 when the team was still a Texas Rangers affiliate. Eyre started 26 games and posted an 11-7 record with a 3.45 ERA. He was traded to the White Sox the very next season and would taste his first major league action with Chicago in 1997, still primarily as a starter. In 1999, the Inglewood, Cal. native made the switch to the bullpen and has consequently pitched 13 seasons in the majors with five separate teams. He has appeared in two World Series, winning his first with the Phillies in '08.

Greenville, S.C. native Jason Hammel rounds out the list and is currently in his fourth major league season and first with the Rockies while fashioning a 10-8 record and a 4.38 ERA in 33 games (30 starts). The right-hander got his feet wet with the RiverDogs in 2004 and finished 4-7 with a 3.23 in 18 starts before a mid-season promotion. The 6-6 fireballer went 7-15 as a starter in parts of three seasons with Tampa Bay after debuting with the Rays in '06.

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