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MWL1 Cedar Rapids Kernels

Local boy makes good

March 30, 2003 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Cedar Rapids Kernels News Release


CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Alex Dvorsky, a prep baseball star at Marion High School who went on to play at the University of Iowa and Northern Iowa, is among the 25 players on the Cedar Rapids Kernels' roster to open the 2003 Midwest League season.

The Kernels report to Cedar Rapids Monday from spring training in Arizona. They are scheduled to arrive at the Eastern Iowa Regional Airport at 1 p.m. The Kernels open the season Thursday at Quad City.

Dvorsky was a 26th round pick of the Anaheim Angels last June out of Northern Iowa. He batted .321 with nine home runs and 52 RBI last season in 65 games for Provo in the Pioneer (Rookie) League. He was the Pioneer League all-star catcher and was selected by Baseball America as the catcher on its all-Rookie League team.

Dvorsky will split his time between catcher and designated hitter, Kernels Manager Todd Claus said.

Claus is back for his second year as Kernels manager. He was the Midwest League Manager of the Year last season after guiding the Kernels to an 81-58 overall record, second half division title and playoff berth.

Claus cautioned Kernels fans to stay patient with the club during the first half.

"If we're .500 by the end of May, I'll be happy,'' he said. "By the time the second half rolls around, I think we're going to have a pretty good chance to be a good ball club, but the first half we're probably going to have a few rough spots. You have to remember, last year's team lost nine in a row during the first half and they turned out pretty good.''

Claus said he is especially excited about the double-play combo of shortstop Eric Aybar and second baseman Alberto Callaspo. Both players hit better than .325 last season at Provo and were named to the Pioneer League All-Star team.

Callaspo, who batted .338 with 10 triples and 13 stolen bases, joined Dvorsky on Baseball America's Rookie League all-star team.

Aybar, 19, and Callaspo, 19, are two of seven top prospects assigned to the Kernels by the parent Anaheim Angels. They are joined by catcher Jared Abruzzo, outfielder Quan Cosby and right-handed pitchers Rafael Rodriguez, Kevin Jepsen and Phil Wilson.

Abruzzo and Wilson previously played for the Kernels.

Abruzzo, 21, was a second-round draft pick in June 2000. He batted .241 in 87 games for the Kernels in 2001. He played last season at Rancho Cucamonga in the California League and batted .244 with 16 home runs in 101 games.

Wilson, 22, was a third-round pick in the June 1999 draft. He pitched for the Kernels in 2000 and was 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 21 starts. He split both of the last two seasons between Rancho Cucamonga and Arkansas of the Class AA Texas League. He will start the season on the disabled list.

Cosby, 20, was a sixth-round pick of the Angels in June 2001 out of high school in Mart, Texas. He turned down a football scholarship from the University of Texas to sign a baseball-only contract with the Angels, receiving an $850,000 signing bonus. He batted .302 with 22 stolen bases last season at Provo.

Rodriguez, 18, split last season between Provo and Mesa in the Arizona (Rookie) League. He compiled a 3-2 record with a 4.78 ERA, striking out 75 batters in 64 innings.

Jepsen, 18, was the Angels' second round pick in last June's draft out of high school in Sparks, Nev. He was 1-3 with a 6.84 ERA in eight appearances for Mesa last season.

The Kernels have two players back from last season, outfielders Ransel Melgarejo and David Gates. Melgarejo, 22, was a defensive specialist a year ago when he patrolled center field. He batted .237 and stole 19 bases in 118 games. Gates, 23, hit .220 in 29 games playing a reserve role.

Also with the Kernels is infielder Jake Mathis, the older brother of Jeff Mathis, who was the Kernels' Most Valuable Player last season. Jake Mathis was a college teammate of Gates at Alabama-Huntsville.

Claus said Jake Mathis and Matt Brown will shore up the corners of the infield. Mathis, 23, batted .262 with four home runs and 28 RBI in 45 games for Provo. Brown, 20, batted .361 in 28 games for Mesa, and .296 in 32 games at Provo last summer. He was a 10th round pick of the Angels in June 2001 out of high school in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho.

Joining Cosby, Melgarejo and Gates in the outfield is veteran Sergio Contreras, who batted .271 each of the past two seasons for Rancho Cucamonga.

"Our offense is going to be OK,'' Claus said. "It's just a matter of whether we can throw the ball over the plate.''

Joining Rodriguez and Jepsen in the rotation are right-handers Hector Astacio, Brett Cimorelli and Jean Toledo. Astacio, 19, was 6-3 with a 4.72 ERA in 17 games (six starts) for Provo last season. Cimorelli, 21, was a placekicker on Florida State's football team the past two seasons. He was 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA in 10 relief appearances at Provo last summer. Toledo, was 3-5 with a 4.47 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts) at Mesa. He also appeared in 13 games as a reliever for Rancho Cucamonga with no record and a 5.25 ERA.

Claus said it was too early to say for sure who the closer in the bullpen might be, but said he had been pleasantly surprised by right-hander Austin Bilke, who was 2-2 with six saves and a 4.93 ERA last season at Provo.

Other bullpen candidates are right-hander Daniel Arias, who was 1-2 with 15 saves and a 1.20 ERA last season at Mesa; right-hander Ozzie Lugo, 0-2, 4.28 at Provo; and right-hander Rich Thompson, an 18-year-old Australian who was 2-0 with one save and a 2.70 ERA at Mesa.

The lone southpaw on the staff is Hayden Gliemmo, a former Auburn star who sat out all last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Gliemmo won 26 games his first two seasons at Auburn and pitched in the rotation ahead of Chris Bootcheck, the last pitcher cut by the Angels in spring training.

Claus said most of the players from last year's team will be playing for Rancho Cucamonga this season. The only Kernels to make the jump to Double-A Arkansas were relievers Joel Peralta and Steve Andrade. However, Andrade likely will start the season at Rancho Cucamonga after missing time because of a sore arm.

Check out the Cedar Rapids Kernels Statistics



Midwest League Stories from March 30, 2003


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