Sports stats

Four Golden Baseball Leaguers Take Basball America All-Indy Honors

October 8, 2009 - Golden Baseball League (GBL) News Release


(San Ramon, CA. October 8, 2009) Led by the Victoria Seals, the Golden Baseball League was once again very well represented in the prestigious Baseball America All-Independent selections for the 2009 season. The league took four of the 18 position player spots and had more players selected than many more established leagues such as the American Association and Northern Leagues.

Named to the First Team were St. George Roadrunners' 1B A.J. Valentine and Calgary shortstop, also named GBL 2009 MVP, Nelson Castro. Named to the Second Team were two players from the Victoria Seals: second baseman Wilver Perez and outfielder Sergio Pedroza who was also the GBL Championship Series MVP this year. With four selections the GBL trailed just the veteran-laden Atlantic League that had six players named and the Can-Am League that had five players selected. Both the GBL and Frontier League had four players selected, the American Association and Northern League had three players recognized apiece, the United League had two players named, and the Continental League had none.

Valentine, 26, 6-6, 220 went undrafted out of Cal State Stanislaus after putting up extraordinary power numbers. He has been a prolific slugger in the GBL for two years as he was signed by the Yuma Scorpions part way through 2007 and hit 22 home runs and drove in 106 runs in 129 games in Yuma over the last two seasons. Joining St. George this year, his power numbers continue to climb and his batting average has soared as well. He led the league in RBIs with 82, was third in home runs with 17 and posted a .359 batting average as well. In addition, he is considered one of the top defensive first basemen in the league and was key to his Roadrunner's winning the first half South Division title and advancing to the playoffs for the first time.

Castro, 33, 5-10, 190 was signed out of the Dominican Republic as a 17 year old by the California Angels in 1994. After six seasons in the low minors he was traded to the San Francisco Giants and excelled in their system reaching AAA and playing there for three years. He went on to play in the Boston and Milwaukee farm systems until being released. He joined the Calgary Vipers in 2006 and this is his fourth season as their starting shortstop. He has been an All-Star the last three seasons and was the Calgary Vipers team MVP in 2008. For the 2009 GBL season he was named Player of the Month for July and had an outstanding entire season as he led the league in batting with a .410 mark, just one percentage point off the league record set by Desi Wilson in 2005. In addition, he led the league in Triples with 10, Stolen Bases with 33, Slugging Average at .646, and Hits with 123. He was second in the league with 81 RBIs and 80 Runs Scored and also pounded out 11 HR which was just one off his all-time season high. He is considered one of the top defensive shortstops in the league and was key to the Vipers winning the 2009 GBL Championship.

Pedroza, 25, 6-0, 190 was drafted in the 3rd round by the Los Angelese Dodgers out of Cal State Fullerton in the 2005 Amateur Draft. In four seasons in the L.A. farm system, the outfielder reached AA and had some fine power years hitting 28 home runs in 2006 and 22 in 2007. Released after a full season in AA Montgomery in 2008 where he hit the game winning home run as his team won the Southern League title, he joined the Victoria Seals in their inaugural season. After a slow start he became one of the most dangerous hitters in the league as he finished with a .332 batting average, led the league in Home Runs with 20, and was second in RBIs with 81. Traded late in the season to Calgary after Victoria was out of playoff contention, he went on to become the Championship Series MVP capped off with 6-RBI and grand slam peformance in the final game.

Perez, 26, 5-11, 165 was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Kansas City Royals in 2005 out of the Dominican Republic. He spent three years in their farm system, playing in High-A each season. Despite showing signs of power, high average, and speed to go along with fine defensive skills he was always in a back-up role and never had a chance to prove what he could do in a full season. Released at the end of 2008 he joined the Victoria Seals for their inaugural season as the starting 2nd baseman. He responded with a breakout year as he hit .330, clubbed 10 home runs, finished third in the league in runs scored with 79 and stole 24 bases. Traded late in the season to Calgary after Victoria was out of playoff contention, he was key to the Vipers' winning the league championship as in 8 playoff games he hit .333, scored 10 runs, and drove in 11.

"It's exciting to see the recognition of the Golden Baseball League players in these year end awards," said GBL Commissioner Kevin Outcalt. "It reflects the continually increasing attractiveness of GBL teams for top players to showcase their skills. I expect most of these players named to be signed by MLB organizations during the off-season and join the 16 players who were acquired by big league clubs during the year from the GBL as they advance their careers."



Golden Baseball League Stories from October 8, 2009


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.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central