Former Cougar Huston Street Sweeps Awards for AL Rookies; Other Alumni in News
November 7, 2005 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Kane County Cougars News Release
Geneva, IL - Less than two years removed from the College World Series and later the pitching mound at Elfstrom Stadium, former Kane County Cougar and current Oakland A's hurler Huston Street has emerged as a budding superstar in Major League Baseball. Today the right-hander was named the American League's Rookie of the Year for the 2005 season, which completes a trio of major accolades for the Austin, Texas, native and continues the list of Cougars alumni who are making waves in the big leagues.
After finishing the season with a 5-1 record, 1.72 ERA and 23 saves and contributing to Oakland's mid-season turnaround from 15 games below .500 to a contender for a division title, Street also received the Players Choice Award for American League's Most Outstanding Rookie of 2005 and was named Sporting News AL Rookie of the Year. His 13th save of the season came August 5 in Kansas City and set an A's franchise record for most saves by a rookie, eclipsing Rollie Fingers' 12 in 1969.
Street made his professional debut with the Cougars on July 20, 2004, at Clinton and recorded his first save days later in Geneva against Fort Wayne. He went 0-1 with four saves and a 1.69 ERA in the Midwest League before an August promotion to Double-A Midland and later a Triple-A call-up to eventual Pacific Coast League champion Sacramento in September. The 22-year-old's Major League debut arrived last April in Baltimore. Among his Oakland teammates are former Cougars Joe Blanton (2003), who finished sixth in the AL in top-rookie voting, and Mark Kotsay (1996). Tied with Blanton, A's outfielder Nick Swisher also placed sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting, and shortstop Bobby Crosby swept the awards in '04 as Street has done in '05.
Street is one of several other former Cougars who have made headlines in recent memory. White Sox outfielder Scott Podsednik (1997) not only helped win a World Series title for a franchise that hadn't done so since 1917 but also ended Game 2 against Houston with a walk-off home run, just his second round-tripper of the entire season. Florida Marlins second baseman Luis Castillo (1995) received a third straight Rawlings Gold Glove Award, joining Charles Johnson - another Cougar of the past (1993) - as the only Marlins to garner the award in three consecutive seasons. Last season Kevin Millar (1994) led Boston to a World Series championship, and several former Cougars guided Florida to the crown in 2003, including series MVP Josh Beckett (2000).
Flame-throwing Marlins left-hander Dontrelle Willis (2002) is among the candidates for the Baseball Writers Association of America's National League Cy Young Award, which will be announced Nov. 10. The All-Star southpaw went 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA and seven complete games and seeks his first major award since being named 2003 National League Rookie of the Year.
Catch the 2006 Cougars when their season begins at 4:00 p.m. on April 6 at Elfstrom Stadium against the Swing of the Quad Cities. The 16th season of Kane County Cougars baseball will feature 30 fireworks nights and fan favorites like the ZOOperstars, BirdZerk, Myron Noodleman, Jake the Diamond Dog, the Jesse White Tumblers and skydivers. Individual tickets go on sale Saturday, Nov. 19 while group tickets become available Tuesday, Dec. 6.
*****
For information on 2006 individual, group and season tickets, contact the Cougars box office at 630/232-8811 or visit the team online at www.kccougars.com.
• Discuss this story on the Midwest League message board...
Midwest League Stories from November 7, 2005
- Kernels continue to give back to community - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Former Cougar Huston Street Sweeps Awards for AL Rookies; Other Alumni in News - Kane County Cougars
- Cougars 2006 Individual Tickets on Sale Saturday, November 19 - Kane County Cougars
- Changes to Fifth Third ballpark - West Michigan Whitecaps
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.
