SL1 Southern League

Futures Games Rosters Announced

Published on July 1, 2003 under Southern League (SL1) News Release


Rosters for the 5th Annual RadioShack All-Star Futures Game were announced by Major League Baseball in conjunction with Minor League Baseball and Baseball America on Monday.

The All-Star Futures Game will feature the top U.S. and International minor league prospects competing against each other as part of RadioShack All-Star Sunday on July 13 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. The game will start at 5:30 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPN2.

Of the 50 players selected to play in the Futures Game, 11 are currently on Eastern League rosters and two are Eastern League alumni, 2002 Eastern League Chase MVP Victor Martinez and former Harrisburg Senator and Trenton Thunder pitcher Seung Song.

Portland's Ron Johnson was named as a coach for the World Team and Akron's Brad Komminsk and Altoona's Jeff Andrews were selected as coaches for the U.S. squad.

U.S. Team Roster

Pitchers
Neal Cotts (CWS) Birmingham (AA)
J.D. Durbin (MIN) New Britain (AA)
Gavin Floyd (PHI) Clearwater (A)
Zack Greinke (KC) Wilmington (A)
Dan Haren (STL) Memphis (AAA)
Edwin Jackson (LA) Jacksonville (AA)
Preston Larrison (DET) Erie (AA)
John Maine (BAL) Delmarva (A)
Clint Nageotte (SEA) San Antonio (AA)
Royce Ring (CWS) Birmingham (AA)
John Van Benschoten (PIT) Altoona (AA)
Catchers
Jeff Mathis (ANA) Rancho Cucamonga (A)
Joe Mauer (MIN) New Britain (AA)
Infielders
Josh Barfield (SD) Lake Elsinore (A)
Chris Burke (HOU) Round Rock (AA)
Khalil Greene (SD) Portland (AAA)
J.J. Hardy (MIL) Huntsville (AA)
Ryan Howard (PHI) Clearwater (A)
Adam LaRoche (ATL) Richmond (AAA)
Chad Tracy (ARI) Tucson (AAA)
Kevin Youkilis (BOS) Portland (AA)
Outfielders
Dave Krynzel (MIL) Huntsville (AA)
Laynce Nix (TEX) Frisco (AA)
Grady Sizemore (CLE) Akron (AA)
Stephen Smitherman (CIN) Chattanooga (AA)

World Team Roster
Pitchers
Denny Bautista (FLA) Carolina (AA)
Travis Blackley (SEA) San Antonio (AA)
Jorge De La Rosa (BOS) Portland (AA)
Angel Guzman (CHC) West Tenn (AA)
Rich Harden (OAK) Sacramento (AAA)
Shawn Hill (MON) Brevard County (A)
Ervin Santana (ANA) Rancho Cucamonga (A)
Seung Song (MON) Edmonton (AAA)
Chin-Hui Tsao (COL) Tulsa (AA)
Merkin Valdez (SF) Hagerstown (A)
Chien-ming Wang (NYY) Trenton (AA)
Catchers
Justin Huber (NYM) St. Lucie (A)
Guillermo Quiroz (TOR) New Haven (AA)
Infielders
Robinson Cano (NYY) Tampa (A)
Jose Castillo (PIT) Altoona (AA)
Edwin Encarnacion (CIN) Potomac (A)
Andy Marte (ATL) Myrtle Beach (A)
Victor Martinez (CLE) Buffalo (AAA)
Ramon Nivar (TEX) Frisco (AA)
Rene Reyes (COL) Colorado Springs (AAA)
Outfielders
Alexis Gomez (KC) Omaha (AAA)
Franklin Gutierrez (LA) Vero Beach (A)
Felix Pie (CHC) Lansing (A)
Alexis Rios (TOR) New Haven (AA)

Trenton Welcomes 4,000,000th Fan in Franchise History

On Wednesday, June 25, the Trenton Thunder welcomed the 4,000,000th fan in the team's history at Waterfront Park. The Thunder became the fastest team in Double-A Baseball or below to reach this historic milestone.

At 6:06 p.m., Kevin Burch of Flemington, NJ became the 4,000,000th fan to pass through the gates of Waterfront Park. Burch was honored on the field and presented with a Trenton Thunder prize package that included season tickets, Yankee tickets, lunch with Thunder manager Stump Merrill, a guest appearance on the Trenton Thunder radio broadcast, a 2003 Trenton Thunder autographed team baseball, a collection of Trenton Thunder merchandise from Thunder Company Store and his picture on the Trenton Thunder website.

"Passing the four million fan mark is helping to make our 10th Anniversary season even better," said Thunder General Manager Rick Brenner. "This milestone wouldn't have been possible without the tremendous support we've received over the last ten years from our fans."

R-Phils Induct Two Teams Into Hall of Fame

On Thursday, June 26th, the Reading Phillies held a special ceremony at FirstEnergy Stadium to induct the 1983 Reading Phillies and the 1953 Reading Indians into the Reading Baseball Hall of Fame.

The ‘83 team had the best winning percentage in Reading minor league history (.686) and the ‘53 squad still holds the Eastern League and Reading franchise record for the most wins in a season with 101.

The event concluded with the unveiling of a bronze plaque in memory of former Reading owner Joe Buzas, who passed away on March 19th. The plaque will be placed outside the main entrance at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Line of the Week

June 28, 2003
AB 1B 2B 3B HR R RBI BB
5 1 2 1 0 1 3 0

Gabe Kapler, Boston Red Sox

After going 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored for the Portland Sea Dogs in their doubleheader against Altoona on Friday night, Gabe Kapler went 4-for-5 and was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle in his debut with the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night. Kapler went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs in his second game with the Red Sox on Sunday.

Quote of the Week

"I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it."

Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers

News and Notes From Around The League
Week Ending June 29, 2003

Akron Aeros

OF Grady Sizemore currently has a seven-game hitting streak over which he is batting .483 (14-for-29) with one double, one triple, six runs scored and four RBI. The Aeros completed a sweep of Erie on Sunday, marking their fifth series sweep of the 2003 season. RHP Francisco Cruceta tossed a complete game four-hitter against the SeaWolves on Friday, tying him for the league lead in complete games with two.

Altoona Curve

OF Shawn Garrett tied a club record by stealing three bases in the Curve's 10-6 win at Portland on Saturday. Garrett hit .379 with two homers, seven RBI and four runs scored in seven games last week. Following their 12-6 win at Portland on Sunday, the Curve are now a club-record 12 games above the .500 mark and 28-18 away from Blair County Ballpark.

Binghamton Mets

1B Craig Brazell did not draw a walk in 20 consecutive games, from May 19-June 25 (24-78, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 1 SB). Brazell is currently ranked sixth in the league in batting (.317) and is also ranked fourth in the league in slugging percentage (.514). The B-Mets were swept by Trenton over the weekend and have lost five games in a row.

Bowie Baysox

2B Mike Fontenot went 2-for-4 on Sunday against Harrisburg to extend his streak of reaching base safely by hit or walk to 38 straight games. SS Ivanon Coffie hit .350 with one double, two home runs, six RBI and five runs scored in six games last week.

Erie SeaWolves

C Maxim St. Pierre currently has a 10-game hitting streak. During the streak St. Pierre is batting .333 (12-for-36) with two doubles, two home runs, three RBI and five runs scored. RHP Brian Schmack has saved the SeaWolves last five victories and currently leads the league in saves with 18. LHP Rob Henkel is 2-0 with seven strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA over his last two starts.

Harrisburg Senators

LHP David Maust has not allowed a run during his first five appearances (12 IP) out of the Harrisburg bullpen. LHP Chad Bentz has an ERA of 1.35 for the month of June and RHP Chris Schroeder is at 1.61 for the month. OF Noah Hall had his streak of reaching base safely snapped this week at a franchise season-best 23 games. Hall had a streak of 19 straight games earlier this season.

New Britain Rock Cats

The Rock Cats have won 11 of their last 14 games and four straight series and are now only 6.5 games out of first place and three games out of second place in the Northern Division. Stan Cliburn needs only four more wins to become the winningest manager in New Britain franchise history. RHP Willie Eyre has yet to allow a run since converting to a starting pitcher (26 IP).

New Haven Ravens

OF Gabe Gross currently has a nine-game hitting streak over which he is 16-for-36 (.444). Gross has reached base by a hit or walk in 20 straight games. The Ravens have won 10 of their last 14 games and are only 3.5 games out of first place in the Northern Division standings. OF Alexis Rios is batting .359 and currently has a 21 point lead over former Raven 3B Simon Pond in the Eastern League batting race.

Norwich Navigators

1B Alejandro Freire is currently leading the league in slugging percentage (.551) and is tied for the league lead in home runs (15). Freire is also among the league leaders in batting average (.319), RBI (49) and extra-base hits (31).

Portland Sea Dogs

The Sea Dogs sold out six straight games (6/23-6/29) for the first time since August of the 2001 season and the first time since Hadlock Field expanded to 6,975 seats. 3B Kevin Youkilis has reached base in 37 straight games, the longest streak by a Sea Dog since Kevin Millar (71 games) in 1997. Former Sea Dog pitcher Nate Bump made his Major League debut on Saturday for the Florida Marlins and earned a win against the Boston Red Sox.

Reading Phillies

OF Jeff Inglin is on a season-high eight-game hitting streak over which he is 12-for-35 (.343) with two home runs and eight RBI. OF Garry Maddox II had his second two home run game of the season on Friday at New Haven. Maddox has eight home runs in 22 games at Reading this season.

Trenton Thunder

LHP Brad Halsey is 1-1 with a 2.57 in two starts with Trenton after going 10-4 with a 3.43 ERA in 14 starts for Class-A Tampa earlier in the season. 1B Aaron Rifkin had his nine-game hitting streak snapped in the Thunder's 7-2 win over Binghamton on Saturday. During the streak Rifkin was 14-for-35 (.400) with one home run, four runs scored and nine RBI.

Chevrolet Player of the Week

MITCH JONES, an outfielder for the Trenton Thunder, is the Eastern League's Chevrolet Player of the Week for the week ending June 29th. Jones, a native of Orem, Utah, had an outstanding week, batting .560 (14-for-25) with six doubles, two home runs, 10 runs scored, 10 RBI, two stolen bases, four walks and a 1.040 slugging percentage in seven games. The 25-year old had five multi-hit games last week, including a four-hit performance in the Thunder's 10-4 win over Binghamton on Friday. The former Florida State League All-Star raised his batting average by 27 points last week and is currently ranked among the league leaders in home runs (11) and RBI (52). Jones was selected by the New York Yankees in the 7th round of the June 2000 draft out of Arizona State University.

Chevrolet Pitcher of the Week

FERNANDO RIJO, a right-handed pitcher for the Bowie Baysox, is the Eastern League's Chevrolet Pitcher of the Week for the week ending June 29th. The La Romano, Dominican Republic native was 1-0 with seven strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA last week. In his first and only start of the week the 25-year old struck out seven batters and walked one while tossing a complete game one-hit shutout at Harrisburg, to improve his record to 3-6 and lower his ERA to 4.82 on the season. The 5'11", 150 lb. hurler has a record of 2-1 and a 3.41 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 31.2 innings pitched in five starts during the month of June and is 2-2 with a 3.43 ERA on the road during the 2003 Eastern League season. Rijo was signed by the Baltimore Orioles as a minor league free agent on November 16, 2002.

Check out the Southern League Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Southern League Stories from July 1, 2003


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