EL1 Eastern League

Eastern League news

June 22, 2004 - Eastern League (EL1) News Release


Where Are They Now?

Alexis Rios

In 2003 Alexis Rios was named the most valuable player of the Eastern League. While playing for the New Haven Ravens (now the New Hampshire Fisher Cats) Rios hit 11 home runs and drove in 82 runs. He finished first in the Eastern League in batting average (.352), hits (181), and triples (11). He also finished in the top five in slugging percentage (.521), on-base percentage (.402), extra base hits (54), and doubles (32). This season Alexis started out at AAA Syracuse, where he hit .259 and drove in 23 runs. Alexis has since made his Major league debut with the Toronto Blue Jays. While appearing in 22 games for the Blue Jays, he has hit .244 with 5 doubles and 9 runs scored in 78 at bats.

Sean Burnett

In 2003 Sean Burnett was named pitcher of the year in the Eastern League. While playing for the Altoona Curve Burnett went 14-6 with an ERA of 3.21 in 27 starts. Sean's 14 wins were the most in the Eastern League last year. This year Sean started out at AAA Nashville, but has since made his Major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In two starts with the Pirates this year Sean is 0-1 with 6 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.35.

Victor Martinez

In 2002 Victor Martinez was named the most valuable player of the Eastern League. While playing for the Akron Aeros Martinez hit 22 home runs while driving in 85 runs. Martinez finished in the top-5 in eight offensive categories, including batting average (.336), on-base percentage (.417), and slugging percentage (.576). Martinez is now in his second year with the Cleveland Indians. Last year Martinez split his time between AAA Buffalo and Major League Cleveland. He played in 49 games with the Indians hitting .289 with 1 home run and 16 RBI. In Victor's 73 games with Buffalo he hit .328 with 7 home runs and 45 RBI. This year Martinez has blossomed at the Major League level, hitting .305 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI.

Ryan Madson

In 2002 Ryan Madson was named pitcher of the year in the Eastern League. While playing for the Reading Phillies Madson went 16-4 with 132 strikeouts and had an ERA of 3.20 in 26 starts. Last year Ryan played for AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre posting a record of 12-8 and an ERA of 3.50 in 26 starts. This year Madson has been converted into a reliever for the Philadelphia Phillies. He has appeared in 26 games with a record of 4-2 with 30 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.72.

Rock Cats Set New Weekend Attendance Mark

The New Britain Rock Cats established a new three-game weekend attendance record by drawing 19,409 fans to New Britain Stadium for their threegame series against the Norwich Navigators that concluded on Sunday, June 20. Sunday afternoon's Father's Day gathering of 5,704 patrons - in combination with the 13,705 fans who passed through the turnstiles for Friday and Saturday night's back-to-back sellouts – enabled the team to break the previous record of 18,221, established just last year.

The Rock Cats set a second attendance record on this homestand for the largest attendance over four consecutive home games. This was made possible by adding last Thursday night's attendance - 4,592 - to the weekend total, for a four consecutive game total of 24,001.

Rock Cats' General Manager Bill Dowling commented on the record setting crowds by again thanking the baseball fans of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts for providing the New Britain team with such outstanding support. "We view this Club as a dynamic partnership between the team, the fans, and management. We are enormously grateful to our patrons for their strong support and pledge to keep working hard to justify its continuation".

Fisher Cats Hold Name The Mascot Contest

The naming of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats mascot will be a two part process beginning on Friday, June 18, and ending on Thursday, July 8.

The first part of the naming process will occur at Gill Stadium from June 18-June 27. An idea for the mascot name can be submitted to the State Farm Fan Services Booth at the stadium. The second part of the naming process will occur when the top suggestions submitted at the stadium are put in an online poll at the Fisher Cats web site, www.nhfishercats.com. Voting will be open between June 28-July 8. The winning name will be unveiled before the Fisher Cats take on the Harrisburg Senators Friday, July 9.

Transactions

Akron Aeros
Released INF Oscar Salazar
Received 2B Scott Youngbauer from Philadelphia
Placed RHP Andrew Brown on the DL
Received RHP Fausto Carmona from Kinston (A)
Sent RHP Jake Dittler to Lake County (A)
Received RHP Adam Hanson form Lake County (A)
Sent RHP Adam Hanson to Lake County (A)
Sent C Armando Camacaro to Kinston (A)
Sent C Javier Herrera to Kinston (A)
Sent 2B Rodney Choy Foo to Kinston (A)
Placed RHP Jake Dittler on the DL
Received C Brian Luderer from Buffalo (AAA)
Received 1B Michael Aubrey from Kinston (A)
Received C David Wallace from Kinston (A)
Received RHP Dan Denham from Kinston (A)
Received C Josh Bard rom Cleveland
Received OF Ryan Ludwick from Cleveland

Altoona Curve
Placed RHP Brandon Agamennone on the DL
Sent INF Ray Navarrete to Lynchburg (A)
Received INF Tomas de la Rosa from extended spring training
Activated RHP Jeff Miller from Temporary Inactive List
Received C Chris Snusz from Nashville (AAA)
Activated RHP Dave Lundquist from Temporary Inactive List
Sent LHP Mike Connolly to Williamsport (A)
Sent C Rudy Pena to Lynchburg (A)
Sent RHP Blake Stein to Nashville (AAA)
Sent RHP Matt Bimeal to Williamsport (A)
Received LHP Mike Connolly from Williamsport (A)
Signed RHP Ediie Candelario as minor league free agent

Binghamton Mets
Placed C Jimmy Gonzalez on the DL
Activated C Javier Cardona from the DL
Received 2B Jose Reyes from St. Lucie (A)
Sent C Javier Cardona to Norfolk (AAA)
Received C Jimmy Anderson from St. Lucie (A)
Placed RHP Jeremy Hill on the DL
Sent 2B Jose Reyes to New York
Received INF Chris Basak from Norfolk (AAA)
Received OF Joe Jiannetti from St. Lucie (A)

Bowie Baysox
Placed OF Eugene Kingsale on the DL
Received OF Matt Walker
Received INF/OF James Lofton
Sent INF Gary Cates to Aberdeen (A)
Received LHP Brian Forystek from Ottawa (AAA)
Sent RHP Cory Morris to Frederick (A)

Erie SeaWolves
Activated RHP Rick Kirsten from the DL
Placed LHP Felix Sanchez on the DL
Received RHP Kyle Sleeth from Lakeland (A)
Sent RHP Rick Kirsten to Toledo (AAA)

Harrisburg Senators
Traded RHP Saul Rivera to Milwaukee
Received RHP Jon Searles from Brevard County (A)
Sent RHP Shawn Hill to Montreal

New Britain Rock Cats
Activated C Bryan Kennedy from the DL
Sent INF Luis Maza to Rochester (AAA)
Received RHP Colby Miller from extended spring training
Received INF/OF Kualana Kuhaulua from Ft. Myers (A)
Received RHP Kevin Cameron from Ft. Myers (A)
Received RHP Henry Bonilla from Rochester (AAA)
Sent C Elvis Corporan to Ft. Myers (A)
Released RHP Jason Richardson
Released RHP Ronnie Corona

New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Activated 1B Mike Snyder from the DL

Norwich Navigators
Received RHP Matt Cain from San Jose (A)
Received 3B Julio Cordido from San Jose (A)
Placed 3B Mike Cervenak on the DL
Placed INF Jay Pecci on the DL
Sent LHP Jack Taschner to Fresno (AAA)
Received RHP Chris Begg from Fresno (AAA)
Sent RHP Julio Pavon to San Jose (A)
Received RHP Jeremy Accardo from San Jose (A)

Portland Sea Dogs
Placed 3B John Hattig on the DL
Activated RHP Joe Nelson from the DL
Received LHP Kason Gabbard from Sarasota (A)
Received LHP Joe Rogers from Sarasota (A)
Sent RHP Charlie Zink to Lowell (A)
Sent RHP Chris Smith to Lowell (A)
Acquired OF Mike Lockwood from Oakland
Sent OF Eric Johnson to Sarasota (A)

Reading Phillies
Received Chris Cosbey from Clearwater (A)
Placed OF Jim Deschaine on the DL
Traded IF Scott Youngbauer to Cleveland
Received 2B Brian Hitchcox from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA)

Trenton Thunder
Sent RHP Carlos Reyes to Columbus (AAA)
Sent RHP Buddy Carlyle to Columbus (AAA)
Activated RHP Ramon Ramirez from the DL
Received RHP Justin Pope from tampa (A)

Line of the Week

June 20, 2004
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
9 8 2 2 1 6 0 2.00

Shawn Hill, Harrisburg Senators

Shawn Hill of the Harrisburg Senators pitched the first complete game victory of the season for the Senators on June 17 against the Altoona Curve. Hill also helped out the team offensively with an RBI single. Shawn was promoted to Montreal after Harrisburg's game on Sunday.

Quote of the Week

"Pitching is the art of instilling fear by making a man flinch."

Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher

News and Notes From Around The League

Week Ending June 20, 2004

Akron Aeros

SS Brandon Pinckney hit .400 (12-for-30) with six runs, one home run and seven RBI last week. RHP Jeremy Guthrie gave up one earned run on seven hits in six innings while striking out nine on June 17 against Binghamton. OF Franklin Gutierrez hit .455 last week with two triples, one home run and 9 RBI.

Altoona Curve

The Curve set a franchise record for attendance over a three game series when 24,277 fans packed the stadium last week. 2B Jeff Keppinger hit .538 (14-for-26) last week, his season average is now a league best .408. RHP Ian Snell set a franchise record with twelve strikeouts Friday.

Binghamton Mets

New York Mets 2B Jose Reyes completed a four game rehab assignment with the B-Mets on Friday. Reyes was 2-for-18 with three stolen bases during the rehab stint. The B-Mets have had at least 10 hits in nine of their last twelve games. OF Angel Pagan hit .538 last week with seven RBI.

Bowie Baysox

1B Walter Young went 10-for-25 this past week with two home runs, three doubles and four RBI. RHP Denny Bautista had a 1-1 record last week. He only allowed three earned runs over 12 innings while striking out seventeen.

Erie SeaWolves

The Erie pitching staff last week struck out 33 batters while only walking nine in fifty four innings of work. OF Kurt Airoso hit .368 last week with a pair of home runs. RHP Preston Larrison gave up no runs in seven innings during his only start last week. He limited opposing hitters to a .125 batting average.

Harrisburg Senators

OF Jason Belcher extended his hitting streak to eight games Sunday during a fifteen inning game, the second longest game in franchise history. Last week Jason hit .400 with one home run and five RBI. 1B Larry Broadway's 12-game hitting streak was snapped Saturday.

New Britain Rock Cats

Last week in his only start RHP Scott Baker pitched 8.1 innings and struck out seven batters. Baker limited his opponents to a .161 batting average. RHP Jim Abbott gave up no runs in seven innings in his only start of last week.

New Hampshire Fisher Cats

New Hampshire recorded its second and third sellout of the season Saturday and Sunday against Trenton. SS Aaron Hill's 13-game hitting streak was snapped Sunday. RHP Cameron Reimers extended his scoreless innings streak to 15.1 innings Sunday.

Norwich Navigators

The Navigators have won four games in a row, and 10 of their last 12. 10 of OF Doug Clark's last 18 hits have been for extra bases (five doubles, three triples, two home runs). Clark also made three diving catches on June 19 to help shutout New Britain.

Portland Sea Dogs

INF Joe Kilburg became the third Sea Dog in franchise history to have five hits in a game when he did it against Binghamton on June 20. Luis Castillo (1996) and Adrian Gonzalez (2002) also accomplished the feat. After going more than a year without having a comeback after eight innings, the Sea Dogs had three last week.

Reading Phillies

1B Ryan Howard's twelve game hitting streak was snapped on June 17. The R-Phils have won six in a row to extend their season long winning streak. C John Castallano has not gone consecutive starts without a hit since he joined the R-Phils.

Trenton Thunder

Of the sixty seven games played by Trenton this year, 38 have been decided by two runs or less (16-22 in those games). The Thunder are just 4-13 against New Hampshire this season, but are 13-10 against the rest of the Northern Division. INF Andy Cannizaro hit .458 last week with 5 RBI. OF Mitch Jones hit four home runs, drove in eight and scored six times last week.

Eastern League Player of the Week

YURENDELL DECASTER, a third baseman for the Altoona Curve, is the Eastern League's Player of the Week for the week ending June 20th. The Curacao, Netherlands native hit .455 (10-for-22) with one double, four homers, seven runs scored and a 1.045 slugging percentage in six games for the Curve last week. The 6'1'', 200 lb. slugger hit safely in all six games he played in last week. Yurendell is currently batting .294 with nine homers, 24 RBI and 30 runs scored in 58 games with the Curve this season. DeCaster, who will be a member of the Dutch National Team for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the minor league phase of the Rule Five Draft on December 11, 2000.

Yurendell DeCaster's Batting Line for the week ending June 20, 2004:
G Avg. AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R SB BB SLG%
6 .455 22 10 1 0 4 8 7 0 1 1 .045

Year to Date:
G Avg. AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R SB BB SLG%
58 .294 194 57 8 1 9 24 30 2 11 .485

Eastern League Pitcher of the Week

LANDON JACOBSEN, a right-handed pitcher for the Altoona Curve, has been named the Eastern League's Pitcher of the Week for the week ending June 20th. The Canova, South Dakota native was 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA and 11 strikeouts in a pair of starts last week. In his first appearance of the week the 25-year old tossed seven shutout innings and allowed just three hits to earn a win against the Harrisburg Senators at Commerce Bank Park. The 6'3", 210 lb. hurler struck out seven batters and gave up just one earned run in his second start of the week to earn a no-decision against the Erie SeaWolves at Blair County Ballpark. Jacobsen left the game with a 7-2 lead but was denied his fifth straight victory when the SeaWolves rallied for a 9-8 win. Landon was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 50th round of the June 1999 draft.

Landon Jacobsen's Statistics for the week ending June 20, 2004:
G W L S IP H R ER K BB ERA
2 1 0 0 13 10 2 1 11 1 0.69

Year to Date:
G W L S IP H R ER K BB ERA
14 4 2 0 65.1 80 42 36 41 19 4.96

Check out the Eastern League Statistics



Eastern League Stories from June 22, 2004


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