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MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Big-leaguer Bigbie to rehab with Swing

July 12, 2006 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Larry Bigbie will join the Swing and play six games with team while on a major league rehab assignment, the Swing of the Quad Cities announced on Wednesday. Bigbie, acquired by St. Louis in an off-season trade with Colorado, will step foot inside John O'Donnell Stadium for the second time after greeting Swing fans at the Cardinals Caravan in January.

Bigbie will begin his stint with Quad Cities as a designated hitter before moving into the outfield, and is expected to be hitting seventh in the lineup for Wednesday night's 7:00 p.m. game against Beloit. To make room on the active roster, A.J. Van Slyke has been transferred to State College of the New York-Penn League (Short Season-A).

The 28-year-old native of Hobart, Indiana, has had an injury-plagued start to the season. Bigbie suffered a stress fracture to his left foot during spring training, forcing him to spend three weeks rehabbing with Triple-A Memphis before making his Cardinals debut on May 9. He was hitting .240 through just 25 at-bats, including 4-for-8 as a pinch-hitter, when he landed back on the Disabled List in early June after being diagnosed with an umbilical hernia. He underwent surgery for the hernia on June 8, and will begin his rehabilitation process with Quad Cities Wednesday. The oft-injured outfielder has spent time on the DL in every season since 2003.

Bigbie was originally a first-round pick (21st overall) by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1999 draft out of Ball State. He spent his first six seasons with the Orioles' organization, reaching the big leagues for the first time in 2001 and putting up his best numbers in 2004, when he batted .280 with 15 home runs in 139 games. In July of 2005, Baltimore traded Bigbie to Colorado in exchange for outfielder Eric Byrnes. That set the stage for St. Louis to add Bigbie and second baseman Aaron Miles in a trade for Ray King on December 7, 2005.

Entering the 2006 season, Bigbie had a career batting average of .268 through 375 major league games, including 31 home runs and 136 RBI. He hit .271 in 352 games with Baltimore before playing just 23 contests with the Rockies at the end of the 2005 campaign. Bigbie had a .296 batting average as a minor leaguer in the Orioles' farm system.

In a corresponding move, Van Slyke has been transferred to the State College roster. A 22-year-old outfielder, Van Slyke was hitting .223 with 20 runs batted in over 63 games with the Swing. The 23rd round pick out of Kansas hit .365 during his pro debut in 2005 before having his season cut short by shoulder surgery. He is the son of three-time major league All-Star Andy Van Slyke, whose 13-season big-league career included a trip to the World Series with St. Louis in 1985.

The Swing of the Quad Cities roster currently stands at 25 active players, the maximum allowed by the Midwest League. An updated roster accompanies this release.

UP NEXT: The Swing of the Quad Cities return home for a three-game set with the Beloit Snappers on Wednesday, as LHP Tyler Norrick (0-1, 3.29) is scheduled to pitch the opener against RHP Kyle Waldrop (6-2, 3.62). First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and coverage on Progressive Talk AM-1270 will begin at 6:45 p.m.

NEXT HOMESTAND: The Swing will return to the Quad Cities for a quick three-game homestand against the Beloit Snappers from July 12-14.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS: The homestand from July 12-14 will coincide with the first Pepsi Kid's Camp of the summer, as Swing players and coaches will be teaching baseball skills to youngsters for the first three-day session of the summer. Call (563) 324-3000 for more information. The game on Thursday, July 13 will be a Pluckers/97 Rock Thirsty Thursday. Stick around after the game on Friday, July 14 for post-game fireworks courtesy of i-wireless, KWQC, and WLLR.

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics



Midwest League Stories from July 12, 2006


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