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Guzman, Billingsley selected as Dodgers' 2004 Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year

September 30, 2004 - Florida State League (FSL1)
Vero Beach Devil Rays News Release


LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced today that shortstop Joel Guzman and right-hander Chad Billingsley have been selected as the organization's 2004 Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, according to Kim Ng, Dodger Vice President and Assistant General Manager.

Guzman and Billingsley each started the season with Single-A Vero Beach before earning July promotions to Double-A Jacksonville. They will be introduced on the field at Dodger Stadium on Saturday prior to the Dodgers' 1:10 p.m. game with the San Francisco Giants.

In a combined 133 games for the two clubs, the 19-year-old Guzman batted .297, collecting 23 home runs, 11 triples, 33 doubles, 86 RBI and 77 runs scored. He was the leader among Dodger minor leaguers in games played, at-bats (511) and triples. For Vero Beach, he hit .307 with 14 homers, eight triples, 22 doubles, 51 RBI and 52 runs in 87 contests. The right-handed-hitting Guzman, who turns 20 on Nov. 24, was the youngest player in the Southern League in 2004. In 46 games with Jacksonville, the Dominican Republic native batted .280, compiling nine home runs, three triples, 11 doubles and 35 RBI.

Billingsley, the Dodgers' No. 1 pick in the June 2003 First-Year Player Draft out of Defiance (OH) High School, celebrated his 20th birthday on July 29 and was the Southern League's youngest pitcher this season. In 26 starts between Vero Beach and Jacksonville, he was 11-4 with a 2.55 ERA, allowing just 100 hits and 71 walks while striking out 158 batters in 134.1 innings. He led all Dodger full-season minor leaguers in ERA and strikeouts and tied for the top spot in wins. Billingsley won his final 10 decisions of the campaign (six for Vero Beach, four for Jacksonville) after a lack of run support resulted in him posting a 1-4 record, despite a 2.53 ERA in his initial nine starts for Vero Beach. Overall with Vero Beach, he made 18 starts and went 7-4, sporting a 2.35 ERA, yielding 68 hits and 49 walks with 111 strikeouts in 92.0 innings and limiting opponents to a .202 batting average. For Jacksonville, Billingsley was 4-0 with a 2.98 ERA, giving up 32 hits, 22 walks and striking out 47 in 42.1 innings.

Guzman started for the World Team in the 2004 New York Mercantile Exchange All-Star Futures Game on July 11 in Houston and also played in the Florida State League All-Star Game. In addition, he was named to the season-end FSL All-Star Team. Baseball America named him as the best Major League prospect among minor league shortstops and also recognized him as the No. 1 prospect in the Florida State League and the No. 2 prospect in the Southern League.

Among Guzman's season highlights was an 18-game hitting streak he put together from May 31-June 23 during which he batted .426 (29-for-68), compiling two homers, three triples, seven doubles, 14 RBI and 11 runs scored. He also had a pair of 11-game hitting streaks, from May 9-19 for Vero Beach and Aug. 14-26 for Jacksonville.

Overall in May, Guzman hit .342 (40-for-117) with seven homers, 21 RBI and 21 runs scored in 30 games. He followed that by batting .356 (31-for-87) in 23 June contests. After going 0-for-4 in his Double-A debut, he proceeded to go on an eight-game hitting streak, compiling 15 hits in his next 35 at-bats (.429).

The 2004 season was Guzman's third in professional baseball after signing with the Dodgers at age 16 as a non-drafted free agent in July 2001. He split the 2003 season with Single-A South Georgia and Vero Beach. In 2002, he played for both the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Dodgers and Rookie-level Great Falls.

Billingsley, selected by USA Today as its 2004 Dodger Minor League Player of the Year, was tabbed by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in the Florida State League. He was chosen to pitch for the East Division team in the FSL All-Star Game. In its annual "Best Tools" issue, Baseball America named Billingsley as the FSL's best pitching prospect and as having the best control in the circuit.

In five June starts for Vero Beach, Billingsley was 4-0 with a 2.10 ERA before going 2-0 and posting a 2.28 ERA in four July starts. In his first week at Jacksonville, he was chosen as the Southern League's Pitcher of the Week for July 23-29 after he was 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA in his first two starts. Making his Double-A debut on July 23 at Mobile, Billingsley pitched 6.0 shutout innings, allowing four hits and no walks with six strikeouts in the club's 6-0 win. He hurled a season-best 7.0 shutout innings on Aug. 2 in a victory vs. Greenville. His season high in strikeouts was 11 in 5.0 innings for Vero Beach on May 6 vs. Brevard County.

Billingsley made 11 starts and was 5-4 with a 2.83 ERA, striking out 62 batters in 54.0 innings, for Rookie-level Ogden in 2003, his first professional campaign.



Florida State League Stories from September 30, 2004


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