Devil Rays' Baldelli Named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year
Published on September 10, 2002 under International League (IL1)
Durham Bulls News Release
DURHAM, N.C.--Rocco Baldelli, who opened the season in Class A and is finishing it in the Triple-A International League playoffs, is Baseball America's latest Minor League Player of the Year.
Baldelli, 20, becomes the first Devil Rays prospect to win the award in the organization's short history, and the first position player to win it since Athletics third baseman Eric Chavez in 1998.
"That's just an honor," Baldelli said. "Those kind of honors don't come around too often. It's a credit to so many who put in so much time to help me out."
Baldelli blossomed into one of the best prospects in baseball this season after getting off to a slow start in his professional career. He was the sixth overall pick in the 2000 draft after a standout career as an all-around athlete in high school in Rhode Island. His physical skills were unmistakable, but he had to adjust to playing baseball full-time.
He opened the season at Class A Bakersfield and hit .333 to earn a promotion to Double-A Orlando in July. Just three weeks later, he moved up again to Triple-A Durham. The Bulls wanted him as their leadoff hitter as they pushed for the playoffs, and Baldelli has sparked them to the International League finals, which begin tonight in Buffalo. He hit a combined .331 with 19 home runs, 71 RBIs and 26 steals this season.
Baldelli is the 20th different player to win the award, which originated with Baseball America's inception in 1981. (Gregg Jefferies and Andruw Jones each won it twice.) Of the 19 previous winners, all have played in the big leagues and 12 have been major league all-stars. Six have won rookie of the year awards, two have been MVPs and one has won the Cy Young Award.
International League Stories from September 10, 2002
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