EL1 Eastern League

Eastern League news

Published on June 29, 2004 under Eastern League (EL1) News Release


All-Star Futures Game Rosters Announced

Of the 50 players selected to participate in this year's All-Star Futures Game, 10 are currently on Eastern League rosters. Two other players, David Wright and Jason Kubel, both spent significant time in the Eastern League this season before being promoted to the Triple-A level.

Complete rosters for both the U.S. and World teams are listed below. Eastern League players are listed in bold. Rosters for the sixth annual New York Mercantile Exchange All-Star Futures Game have been announced by Major League Baseball.

The game, which features the top prospects in Minor League Baseball in a United States vs. World format, will take place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas on Sunday, July 11. The game will begin at 4:00 p.m. (EDT) and will be televised on ESPN 2.

U.S. Team Roster

Pitchers
Joe Blanton - Sacramento (Pacific Coast)
Bryan Bullington - Altoona (Eastern)
Matt Cain - Norwich (Eastern)
John Danks - Clinton (Midwest)
Clint Everts - Savannah (South Atlantic)
Gavin Floyd - Reading (Eastern)
Bill Murphy - Carolina (Southern)
Kyle Sleeth - Erie (Eastern)
Tim Stauffer - Myrtle Beach (Carolina)
Brad Thompson - Tennessee (Southern)

Catchers
Koyie Hill - Las Vegas (Pacific Coast)
Jeff Mathis - Arkansas (Texas)

Infielders
Russ Adams - Syracuse (International)
Michael Aubrey - Kinston (Carolina)
Chris Burke - New Orleans (Pacific Coast)
Prince Fielder - Huntsville (Southern)
Dallas McPherson - Arkansas (Texas)
B.J. Upton - Durham (International)
Rickie Weeks - Huntsville (Southern)
David Wright - Norfolk (International)

Outfielders
Jason Kubel - Rochester (International)
Conor Jackson - Lancaster (California)
Val Majewski - Bowie (Eastern)
Jeremy Reed - Charlotte (International)
Delmon Young - Charleston (South Atlantic)

World Team Roster

Pitchers
Jose Capellan - Greenville (Southern)
Fausto Carmona - Akron (Eastern)
Jeff Francis - Tulsa (Texas)
Jairo Garcia - Kane County (Midwest)
Felix Hernandez - Inland Empire (California)
Wilfredo Ledezma - Erie (Eastern)
Arnaldo Munoz - Birmingham (Southern)
Juan Perez - Portland (Eastern)
Yusmeiro Petit - Capital City (South Atlantic)
Merkin Valdez - San Jose (California)

Catchers
Dioner Navarro - Trenton (Eastern)
Humberto Quintero - Portland (Pacific Coast)

Infielders
Andres Blanco - Wichita (Texas)
Robinson Cano - Trenton (Eastern)
Jesus Cota - El Paso (Texas)
Edwin Encarnacio - Chattanooga (Southern)
Ruben Gotay - Wichita (Texas)
Joel Guzman - Vero Beach (Florida State)
Andy Marte - Greenville (Southern)
Justin Morneau - Rochester (International)

Outfielders
Tony Blanco - Potomac (Carolina)
Shin Soo Choo - San Antonio (Texas)
Jorge Cortes - Lynchburg (Carolina)
Felix Pie - Daytona (Florida State)
Willy Taveras - Round Rock (Texas)

Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson To Play Blair County Ballpark

The Altoona Curve and Jam Productions have announced that Music legends Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson will play at Blair County Ballpark on Wednesday, August 11th. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. and show will run from approximately 6:30-10:30 p.m.

The month-long tour, called "The Bob Dylan Show", will feature the two music icons and also the Western swing act Hot Club of Cowtown. They will be playing 22 minor league baseball facilities, beginning August 8th at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, NY--the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Blair County Ballpark show will be the fifth stop on the tour. "We're excited to be able to present two living legends in the music industry as our first concert event here at Blair County Ballpark," said Curve General Manager Todd Parnell.

Tickets for the August 11th show are now on sale and will be available through the Blair County Ballpark Ticket Office or on-line at altoonacurve.com. The tour promoter, Jam Productions, has set ticket prices at $45 each, plus a $2 per ticket processing charge. Children ages 12 and under will receive free admission with a paying adult (limit one child per adult). All tickets will be General Admission and available on a first-come, firstserved basis.

For tickets and other information on "The Bob Dylan Show" tour date at Blair County Ballpark, call the Curve at (814) 943-5400 or at 1-877-99-CURVE.

Legends Thrill In Softball Game And Hitting Contest

A dozen celebrities from professional sports, college sports, and the world of movies and television competed in the annual softball game and hitting contest at Dodd Stadium on Tuesday.

Before the Navigators/Mets game the celebrities broke in to two teams, Team Hope and Team Cure, and played a game of softball, to help raise money to fight cerebral palsy.

From the world of sports former Major League Baseball players Kurt Bevacqua, Tom Candiotti, Sid Fernandez, Wally Joyner, Ken Reitz, and Mickey Tettleton competed. From the University of Connecticut Scott Burrell and Donny Marshall delighted fans. And from the NHL, Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr was on hand. Also former star of Hill Street Blues Ed Marinaro and Alfonso Ribiero of Fresh Prince of Bel Air completed the list of celebrities.

After the game of softball the celebrities competed in a hitting contest where points were awarded based on where balls were hit. Former All-Star pitcher Sid Fernandez won the hitting contest, but UConn star Scott Burrell thrilled the fans by hitting two softballs completely out of Dodd Stadium.

Transactions

Akron Aeros
Sent OF Franklin Gutierrez to Buffalo (AAA)
Activated OF Tyler Minges from the DL
Received LHP Chris Cooper from Kinston (A)
Sent RHP Jose Vargas to Kinston (A)

Altoona Curve
Sent INF Mike Cockrell to Hickory (A)
Received INF Ray Navarrete from Lynchburg (A)
Sent INF Tomas de la Rosa to Nashville (AAA)
Placed RHP Dave Lundquist on Temporary Inactive List
Received INF Shaun Skrehot from Nashville (AAA)
Received RHP Jason Alcala from Lynchburg (A)
Sent RHP Jason Alcala to Lynchburg (A)
Received RHP Patrick O'Brien from Lynchburg (A)
Sent RHP Patrick O'Brien to Lynchburg (A)
Received RHP Jason Alcala from Lynchburg (A)
Sent RHP Jason Alcala to Lynchburg (A)
Activated RHP Dave Lundquist from Temporary Inactive List

Binghamton Mets
None

Bowie Baysox
Received RHP Jerry Spradin
Placed RHP Sendy Rleal on the DL
Traded RHP Denny Bautista to Kansas City
Received SS Brandon Fahey
Sent SS Jose Morban to Frederick (A)
Received RHP Matt Bruback
Placed OF Matt Walker on the DL
Sent RHP Brian Finch to Delmarva (A)
Received RHP Rodney Ormond from Ottawa (AAA)
Received C Morgan Clendenin from Aberdeen (A)
Placed C Octavio Martinez on the DL
Received RHP Brian Finch

Erie SeaWolves
Placed OF Curtis Granderson on the DL
Received OF Derek Nicholson from Toledo (AAA)

Harrisburg Senators
Received RHP Darwin Marrero from Brevard County (A)
Acquired INF Greg Raymundo from Toronto
Placed LHP Rich Rundles on the DL
Received LHP Wilfredo Rodriguez from Edmonton (AAA)

New Britain Rock Cats
Received 2B Luis Maza from Rochester (AAA)
Placed RHP Jim Abbott on the DL

New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Sent RHP Adam Peterson to Toronto
Received RHP Jamie Vermilyea from Dunedin (A)
Traded 1B Matt Logan to Cincinnati
Acquired RHP Travis Thompson from Cincinnati
Sent RHP Travis Thompson to Toronto

Norwich Navigators
Sent RHP Jackson Markets to San Jose (A)
Received INF Tomas Garrido from Hagerstown (A)
Received 1B Julian Benevidez from San Jose (A)

Portland Sea Dogs
Sent P Joe Rogers to Sarasota (A)
Received RHP Charlie Zink from Lowell (A)
Received P James Johnson from Pawtucket (AAA)
Sent RHP Charlie Zink to Lowell (A)
Sent LHP Abe Alvarez to Lowell (A)
Received RHP Chris Smith from Lowell (A)

Reading Phillies
Sent Kurt Keene to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA)
Received INF Sean Walsh from Clearwater (A)
Received RHP Elizardo Ramirez from Philadelphia
Sent RHP Franklin Perez to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA)

Trenton Thunder
Activated INF Craig Wilson from the DL
Sent INF Teuris Olivares to Battle Creek (A)
Received INF Bronson Sardinha from Tampa (A)
Sent INF JT Stotts to Tampa (A)

Line of the Week

June 27, 2004
IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
9 3 0 0 0 6 0 0.00

Pat Misch, Norwich Navigators

Pat Misch of the Norwich Navigators pitched a complete game shutout Sunday against the New Britain Rock Cats to earn his third victory of the year. Misch retired the first twenty batters he faced. His perfect game was broken up by Matt Scanlon when he singled with two outs in the seventh inning.

Quote of the Week

"Think. Don't just swing. Think about the pitcher, what he threw you last time up, his best pitch, who's up next. Think."

Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox

News and Notes From Around The League
Week Ending June 27, 2004

Akron Aeros

OF Jason Cooper has a 4-game hitting streak, batting .571 (8-14) with five runs scored, one double, one triple, one home run and four RBI during the streak. In two starts last week RHP Jeremy Guthrie went 1-0 with a 1.20 ERA in 15 innings of work.

Altoona Curve

The month of June has been very kind to the Curve the past two seasons. The Curve set a franchise record for wins in a month with 19 last June and entering this week Altoona is 18-8 during the month. OF Nate McLouth's franchise-record 30-game on-base streak came to an end on Saturday.

Binghamton Mets

Sunday was the 24th anniversary (6/27/80) of pitching coach Jerry Reuss's no-hitter. Reuss was pitching for the Dodgers at the time. Manager Ken Oberkfell will be a coach during the All-Star Futures Game. Oberkfell, a Houston-area native, will return home as a coach of the World Team.

Bowie Baysox

RHP Denny Bautista was traded to the Kansas City Royals on Monday. Bautista was 3-5 with Bowie and was third in the Eastern League with 72 strikeouts. Three days after being hit in the jaw by a pitch, OF James Lofton returned to the lineup and had his best game with the Baysox. Lofton went 3-for-4 with his first home run of the year.

Erie SeaWolves

LHP Wilfredo Ledezma hurled his first career shutout when the SeaWolves played the Curve Saturday night at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Ledezma scattered two hits with no walks and five strikeouts to earn the victory. OF Kurt Airoso hit two home runs this past week.

Harrisburg Senators

The Senators 12-11 win in 11 innings on June 27 vs. Reading was their first win this season when trailing after seven innings. OF Juan Camilo homered in three consecutive games last week from June 21-June 23. Last week RHP Daniel Rueckel was 2-0 out of the bullpen.

New Britain Rock Cats

This past week OF Matt Scanlon hit .400 (10-for-25) with three doubles, one home run and four RBI. OF Kevin West drove in six runs last week. In his one start last week RHP Scott Baker pitched seven innings giving up two runs, one earned, on five hits while striking out five batters.

New Hampshire Fisher Cats

RHP Todd Ozias, RHP Cameron Reimers, and LHP Gustavo Chacin have all won seven games this season. Over the last ten games 2B Dominic Rich is hitting .378 (14-for-37) with a team leading nine RBI.

Norwich Navigators

OF Bryan Carter has hit safely in his last seven games. When INF Derin McMains hits in the leadoff spot he is batting .309 (38- for-123 in 29 games). In two starts last week LHP Patrick Misch went 1-0 with a 0.56 ERA and held opposing batters to a .161 batting average.

Portland Sea Dogs

SS Kenny Perez has an 8-game hitting streak, during which he is 13-for-28. C Jeff Bailey has an 8-game hit streak. Bailey has seven extra-base hits and six RBI during the eight game span. Last week OF George Lombard hit .423 (11-for-26) with two home runs, seven RBI and six runs scored.

Reading Phillies

Since C John Castallano joined the club the R-Phils are hitting .283 as a team. Castallano has not gone consecutive starts without a hit since he joined the R-Phils. OF Kevin Barker hit .552 (16- for-29) last week with seven doubles, four home runs and 8 RBI. Barker also scored a league high 14 runs last week.

Trenton Thunder

This past week 2B Robinson Cano hit .462 (12-for-26) with one home run and six RBI. 3B Bronson Sardinha hit .393 (11-for-28) with two home runs and four RBI. In his only start last week RHP Javier Ortiz pitched a complete game shutout. News and Notes From Around The League Week Ending June 27, 2004 Official Eastern League Sponsors

Eastern League Player of the Week

RYAN HOWARD, a first baseman for the Reading Phillies, is the Eastern League's Player of the Week for the week ending June 27th. The Wildwood, Missouri native hit .444 (12- for-27) with two doubles, six home runs, five walks scored and a 1.185 slugging percentage in seven games for the R-Phils last week. The 6'4'', 230 lb. slugger scored eight runs while driving in a league high 16 runs last week. Howard is currently leading the league in home runs (28), RBI (76), slugging percentage (.669) and extra-base hits (44). Ryan currently has a five game hitting streak and has reached base in 21 of his last 24 games. The 24-year old was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies out of Southwest Missouri State University in the fifth round of the June 2001 draft.

Ryan Howard's Batting Line for the week ending June 27, 2004:
G Avg. AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R SB BB SLG%
7 .444 27 12 2 0 6 16 8 0 5 1.185

Year to Date:
G Avg. AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R SB BB SLG%
73 .305 275 84 16 0 28 76 52 0 29 .669

Eastern League Pitcher of the Week

WILFREDO LEDEZMA, a left-handed pitcher for the Erie SeaWolves, has been named the Eastern League's Pitcher of the Week for the week ending June 27th. The Maracay, Venezuela native was 2-0 with a 0.52 ERA and eight strikeouts in a pair of starts last week. In his first appearance of the week the 23-year old gave up two runs, one earned, on 11 hits and two walks while striking out three batters in eight and a third innings of work to earn a win against the Portland Sea Dogs at Jerry Uht Park. In his second start of the week, the 6'3", 150 lb. hurler struck out five batters and did not issue a walk while tossing a complete game two-hit shutout. Ledezma, who currently leads the league in wins (9) and ERA (2.01), was acquired by the Detroit Tigers from the Boston Red Sox in the Rule 5 draft on December 16, 2003.

Wilfredo Ledezma's Statistics for the week ending June 27, 2004:
G W L S IP H R ER K BB ERA
2 2 0 0 17.1 13 2 1 8 2 0.52

Year to Date:
G W L S IP H R ER K BB ERA
15 9 2 0 98.2 81 28 22 83 22 2.01

Check out the Eastern League Statistics

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Eastern League Stories from June 29, 2004


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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