Five BayBears named to SL All-Star Team

June 29, 2005 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
South Alabama Bounce News Release


Mobile, AL-The Mobile BayBears will be well represented at the 2005 Southern League All-Star Game on their home field at Hank Aaron Stadium. Five current BayBears and two former BayBears have been named to the 2005 Southern League All-Star Team, a team that will be coached by the BayBears coaching staff. The five BayBears players named to the All-Star Team announced today include: Pitcher Mike Thompson, Shortstop Ronnie Merrill, Relief Pitcher Craig Breslow, Set up man Nathanael Mateo, and Closer Dale Thayer. Also named to the team is two members of the 2004 Southern League Champion BayBears Todd Donovan, now with the Jacksonville Suns, and Rico Washington, now with the Montgomery Biscuits.

The South Team Roster will also include many of Minor League Baseball's Top Prospects such as:

Delmon Young (Montgomery) is the #3 prospect in all of baseball and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays top minor league prospect. Young is currently leading the Southern League in Home Runs (18), RBI's (65), Hits (100), and Slugging Percentage (.588)

Jeff Francour (Mississippi) is the #14 prospect in all of baseball and the Atlanta Braves Top Prospect. Jeff is hitting .272 with 11 homeruns and a slugging percentage of .478.

Joel Guzman (Jacksonville) is the #5 prospect in all of baseball and the Los Angeles Dodgers Top Prospect. Guzman is currently hitting .296 with 12 homeruns and 54 RBI's.

The five BayBears named to the South all Star Team:

Craig Breslow is in his first season with the BayBears in 2005. The left handed pitcher is 2-1 with a 2.70 era in 31 games for Mobile this season. Craig is a 2002 graduate of Yale with a degree in Biochemistry.

Natanael Mateo is in his first Double-A season with the BayBears in 2005. Mateo is 3-2 with a 2.14 ERA's. He has appeared in a league leading 38 games this season all out of the bullpen.

Ronnie Merrill is in his second season with the BayBears. Merrill is currently leading the BayBears with seven homeruns. Ronnie started the season at second base them moved to shortstop, he was voted in as a utility player.

Dale Thayer is in his first full season with the BayBears after appearing in 8 games in 2004. Dale has been the closer for the entire 2005 campaign. He has appeared in 35 games which in third in the Southern League. He is 2-5 with 15 saves, which is also third in the Southern League.

Mike Thompson spent all of last season in Mobile where he was 10-2 on the Southern League Championship team. In 2005 he is 5-5 with two complete games. He is leading the Southern League in innings pitched , with 102.

The Southern League All-Star game will be held on July 13th at Hank Aaron Stadium. Tickets are still available by calling 251.479.2327 or at www.mobilebaybears.com.

Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.



American Basketball Association Stories from June 29, 2005


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