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MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Cory Doyne to Swing into AFL

August 26, 2005 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


Former Swing of the Quad Cities reliever Cory Doyne headlines a list of eight former Quad Cities players and four St. Louis Cardinals prospects that will be participating in the Arizona Fall League. The league, described by Major League Baseball as "an elite graduate school for baseball's top prospects," will begin play on October 4.

Doyne, a former eighth round pick by the Houston Astros in the 2000 draft, began the 2005 season with the Swing by tossing 2.1 perfect innings and fanning five of the seven batters he faced to receive a quick promotion to Palm Beach. After nine more scoreless innings and 11 more strikeouts in the Florida State League, he was then bumped up the Double-A where he has been playing since. For Springfield, the right-handed 24-year-old has gone 1-0 with 16 saves, sporting a 1.78 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 50.2 innings of work. He will be playing for the AFL's Surprise Scorpions.

Also participating in the league will be four members of the Swing's 2004 team, all of whom are Minnesota Twins farmhands that will be suiting up for the Grand Canyon Rafters. 3B Matt Moses hit .306 with seven home runs and OF Denard Span hit .339 to begin the 2005 season with High-A Fort Myers, and both have since been promoted to Double-A New Britain. While Moses has started slowly with a .222 average for the Rock Cats, Span has hit the ground running to the tune of a .300 clip and 43 runs scored through 58 games.

Minnesota pitcher Glen Perkins has also joined his former Swing teammates in promotions from Fort Myers to New Britain this season, having gone 3-4 with a 5.40 ERA in nearly two months of Double-A ball. Two-year Quad Cities veteran Ricky Barrett will also play for the Rafters, currently owning a 4-4 record and a 7.16 ERA for Triple-A Rochester.

Other former Quad Cities players in the Twins' organization who will be playing for the Rafters are Travis Bowyer and Garrett Jones from the 2002 River Bandits. Aaron Williams, who was released from the Swing in 2003 before joining the Astros' organization, will be playing alongside Doyne on the Surprise Scorpions' roster. Williams began the year by dominating the Low-A Carolina League with 17 saves and a 2.34 ERA, and has since gone 2-1 with a 2.60 ERA for Double-A Corpus Christi.

Besides Doyne, the St. Louis Cardinals will be sending three other notable prospects to the league. Gabe Johnson, Travis Hanson, and Cody Haerther will also be playing for Surprise. The Scorpions coaching staff will be comprised of manager Ron "Pop" Warner, currently the manager of the Palm Beach Cardinals, pitching coach Kernan Ronan, currently filling that position for the Cedar Rapids Kernels, and bench coach P.J. Forbes, currently of the Phillies organization and formerly a Quad Cities River Bandits player back in 1992.

Current Washington Nationals bench coach Eddie Rodriguez, who has managed more games then anybody else in Quad Cities franchise history (412, from 1987-89), is expected to lead the Peoria Saguaros this fall, and former trainer Tony Leo (2001) will be working with the Grand Canyon squad.

UP NEXT: The Swing will open up a four game series with the Kane County Cougars on Friday night, with Nick Webber (0-2, 5.68) taking the hill against southpaw Ryan Ford (12-7, 4.37). First pitch is scheduled for 7:00, and pregame coverage on Progressive Talk AM 1270 will begin at 6:45.

PROMOTION: Friday night will be Keep Scott County Beautiful Night at John O'Donnell Stadium, featuring post-game fireworks sponsored by i wireless, WOC, WFXN, and KWQC-TV6. For more information about Swing promotions or tickets, log onto www.swingbaseball.com. Tickets are also available for all Swing games by calling (563) 328-2000.

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