MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Cardinals Announce River Bandits Roster

Published on March 30, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


After six months of planning, organizing, and preparing, the return of the Quad Cities River Bandits became reality on Sunday as the team, in conjunction with the St. Louis Cardinals, revealed the players that will forever be etched in stone as the Opening Day roster representing a new era of baseball in the Quad Cities.

"Everybody's just about ready to go and looking forward to coming up north," said River Bandits manager Steve Dillard. "They've all heard about the fans and the stadium and everybody's excited about getting it going."

"We're excited about the potential of this year's Quad Cities club," added John Vuch, the Cardinals' Director of Minor League Operations. "There's a lot of quality young talent on this year's team, and it looks like this year's River Bandits will feature a well-balanced blend of offense, pitching and defense. We're optimistic about our chances of continuing our streak of postseason teams in Quad Cities."

The initial River Bandits roster is loaded with young talent and high-ceiling prospects, headed by the Cardinals' first-round pick in the 2007 draft, 19-year-old shortstop Pete Kozma. The Oklahoma native hit .491 during his high school career, registering a school-record .553 average as a Junior and leading Owasso High School to a state championship as a Senior. In his final season he was also named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Oklahoma, while receiving national honors as the Rawlings High School Gold Glove shortstop and a second-team Louisville Slugger High School All-American on his way to becoming the 18th overall pick in the draft and the No. 7 prospect in the Cardinals organization according to Baseball America.

Kozma is one of five teenagers on the River Bandits roster. Fellow 19-year-old Beau Riportella, a 10th-round pick in last year's draft, was one of the true stars for the Cardinals' short-season affiliate in Johnson City. He hit .315 with 10 stolen bases during his 48-game professional debut with the Johnson City Cardinals last season. The River Bandits will also have a pair of 18-year-olds on the roster in third baseman Domnit Bolivar, who split the 2007 season between Johnson City and Batavia, and catcher Luis De La Cruz, who hit .281 in the Gulf Coast League last year.

Utilizing the tandem starter system for the second consecutive season, there will be a number of power arms in the Quad Cities rotation. Fifth-round pick Thomas Eager is the most high profile of the bunch, drawing comparisons by Baseball America to former Cincinnati Reds' closer and member of the "Nasty Boys," Rob Dibble.

The starting rotation will include a pair of returning players in 20-year-olds Blake King and Shaun Garceau. King, the great-nephew of Mickey Mantle, is considered by Baseball America to be the No. 26 prospect in the Cardinals organization. He is a flame-throwing right-hander who enters this season with 201 strikeouts over 173 professional innings. Garceau, who spent the entire season in the Midwest League in 2007, showed flashes of brilliance in striking out nearly a batter per inning, including a spectacular win on June 2 in which he struck out nine over four innings against Wisconsin.

"The competition in our spring training camp between players hoping to make this year's Quad Cities team was fierce, and those who ended up making this team were the ones who most showed that they deserved to be there," said Vuch. "The best thing about that type of competition is that we know there is a lot of insurance remaining in Extended Spring Training to help fill any gaps caused by promotion and/or injuries to the current Quad Cities players."

"This is a moment we have been waiting for all off-season," said team owner Dave Heller. "Our vision of the return of the River Bandits is less than one week away, and our great partnership with the St. Louis Cardinals has provided us with a young, talented group of players that will call the Quad Cities their home in 2008. The Quad Cities team has reached the playoffs each of the past three years, and this may be the best team of all. I know our players will be working hard towards their ultimate goal of reaching the major leagues, just as Rick Ankiel, Colby Rasmus, and Joe Mather have done over the last few years."

In addition to King and Garceau, infielder Jose Garcia is the lone other returning player from Quad Cities' 2007 squad. The 20-year-old Venezuelan shot through three different levels in the Cardinals organization during a productive 2007 campaign, even pitching the final inning for Quad Cities in a 16-inning loss against Lansing on July 23.

The Quad Cities River Bandits roster currently stands at 25 active players, the maximum allowed by the Midwest League. An updated roster without numbers accompanies this release.

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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