MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Carpenter, Samuel Receive First QC Call-Ups Of The Year

Published on April 21, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


The Quad Cities River Bandits watched their first 2008 call-ups climb the St. Louis Cardinals' organizational ladder on Monday, as catcher Dave Carpenter and pitcher Francisco Samuel were promoted to the High-A Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League.

Carpenter, a 22-year-old with a strong arm, was off to an impressive start with the River Bandits. The West Virginia native was hitting .280 with five RBI and a .400 on-base percentage while gunning down five of 10 would-be base stealers through his first eight games of the year. A 12th-round pick out of the University of West Virginia in 2006, Carpenter played the role of hero on April 14 in Clinton, delivering a two-run single with two strikes and two outs in the ninth inning to lead Quad Cities to a thrilling, 6-5 come-from-behind victory.

Joining Carpenter on the flight to Florida is Samuel, a flame-throwing 21-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic. Samuel went 2-0 with one save and a 1.23 ERA in five appearances as the River Bandits' closer, striking out nine batters while allowing just four hits and one earned run over 7.1 innings of work.

In a pair of corresponding moves, catcher Paul Vasquez and pitcher Eduardo Sanchez were transferred from Extended Spring Training to the active Quad Cities roster.

Vasquez, a 23-year-old that was born in Puerto Rico and resides in Columbus, Georgia, was signed by the Cardinals as a non-drafted free agent out of Auburn University at Montgomery in 2007. In his Junior season, he hit .416 for the Senators with a school-record 25 doubles while throwing out 43 percent of would-be basestealers. Vasquez split his pro debut between the Johnson City Cardinals and the Batavia Muckdogs in 2007, hitting .373 in his first 14 games for Johnson City before moving to the New York-Penn League.

Sanchez, 19, will take over as the River Bandits' closer. A native of Maracay, Venezuela, the righty was signed by St. Louis in 2005 and made his American professional debut last season, going a combined 2-2 with a 1.27 ERA, eight saves, and 29 strikeouts over 21.1 innings pitched between the Gulf Coast League and the Johnson City Cardinals of the Appalachian League.

The River Bandits roster currently stands at 25 active players, the maximum allowed by the Midwest League. An updated roster accompanies this release.

UP NEXT: The River Bandits return to Modern Woodmen Park for a season-long nine game homestand beginning on Tuesday, April 22, with a Noon game against the Burlington Bees featuring two-for-one tickets and a special Book Buddies Day. Wednesday's game will be full of great prizes on Price is Right Night, while Thirst-Day Thursday will double as Irish Night in a nod to Irish culture. The Great Lakes Loons come in for the weekend, which will include ‘90s Night on a Fireworks Friday, a Pedometer giveaway sponsored by the Heath Alliance on the first Rockin' Saturday of the year - featuring a live post-game concert from "Superfly" - and Soccer Day on a U.S. Bank Family Sunday. The homestand concludes with three more games against the Lansing Lugnuts, highlighted by Chiropractor Appreciation Night on April 28, another Noon Book Buddies Day on April 29, and Ladies Night featuring a Teeth Whitening Giveaway and FREE MANICURES on Wednesday, April 30. Merchandise featuring the new team name and logo is currently available by visiting the Modern Woodmen Park team store, and season ticket packages, mini-packages, and the popular You-Pick-10 Plan are on sale at the park or by calling (563) 3-BANDITS!

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from April 21, 2008


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