Captains make three more big trades

Published on August 17, 2009 under American Association (AA)
Shreveport-Bossier Captains News Release


SHREVEPORT, La. - If the Shreveport-Bossier Captains ultimately do not make the playoffs this season, it will not be because they didn't try to get the best players possible to make a run. Over the weekend, the Captains kept dealing heading into a three-game series with Pensacola this week that will go a long way to determine their fate.

First, Shreveport-Bossier dealt All-Star closer Justin Dowdy to Wichita for lefty Richard Salazar, who will start the first game against the Pelicans. This season, Salazar is 3-0 with three saves for the Wingnuts, with a 3.44 ERA and .255 opponent's batting average. The lefty has been used mostly as a reliever this season, making only three starts out of 29 total appearances. However, in his three starts he has only allowed four runs in 15 innings, winning two of the three games.

In his career, the native Venezuelan was an occasional starter in seven seasons in the Orioles organization, rising to as high as Triple-A in 2007. With Wichita last year, Salazar started 12 games, going 5-5 with a 3.70 ERA in those games. The 28-year-old has held opponents to a .243 opponent's batting average in his career, with a 3.59 ERA and more than twice as many strikeouts as walks.

On Sunday, the Captains acquired 22-year veteran Jorge Alvarez from El Paso in return for outfielder Jonathan Reynoso and cash, getting arguably the best hitter in the history of independent baseball. After spending a very productive seven-year career in the Dodgers and Marlins organizations, including four years in Double-A, from 1988-1994. Then, the Dominican-born Alvarez embarked on his indy-ball odyssey, starting in Laredo in the Texas-Louisiana League in 1995.

Alvarez played in Laredo, Amarillo (TX-LA), Somerset (Atlantic League), Cordoba (Mexico), President (Mexico), Alexandria (Central League), San Angelo (Central League) and even spent two years in Shreveport, in 2003 and '04. Alvarez, who turns 41 in October, has spent the last three seasons and all of this year with El Paso, and this year has been as productive as ever. Spending time at first, second, outfield, and designated hitter, Alvarez is hitting .319 with eight home runs and 64 RBIs (sixth in the league). He is also third in the league in hits, with 113.

In his 14 previous independent seasons, Alvarez has hit at least .300 in 12 of them, and has a minor league career average of .312, with 176 home runs and 1,190 RBIs. Alvarez has played in more than 1,900 professional games.

Finally, the Captains opened up another roster spot by trading lefty Logan Williamson to Grand Prairie for future considerations.

The Shreveport-Bossier Captains return home on Monday, August 17 for Jose Cuervo Presents Margarita Monday, with half-priced margaritas all night long for the start of a pivotal three-game series against first-place Pensacola. Game time is at 7:05 p.m. All games are broadcast on ESPN Radio, KRMD-1340 AM and streamed live on supertalk1340.com, with streaming video provided by NiftyTV on www.sbcaptains.com for all home games and select road games. For information on tickets, promotions, advertising, and other opportunities with the Captains, check out the team's Web site at www.sbcaptains.com, or call the Fair Grounds Field office at (318) 636-5555.

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