PCL1 Sacramento River Cats

Harden, DeFrancesco Selected To All-Star Futures Game

June 23, 2003 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Sacramento River Cats News Release


WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Sacramento River Cats pitcher Rich Harden and manager Tony DeFrancesco have been selected to participate in the 2003 Radio Shack All-Star Futures Game. The announcement was made today by Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball and Baseball America.

The Radio Shack All-Star Futures Game will be held July 13 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago as part of the festivities for the 74th Major League Baseball All-Star Game (June 15). The seven-inning game will feature the top American-born prospects, and they will play the top international prospects. Rosters for the game were selected by Major League Baseball, in conjunction with Baseball America and the 30 clubs that comprise Major League Baseball. Each major league club will be represented in the game, and all players from full-season minor league teams were eligible for selection.

Harden, 21, will participate in the game as a member of the World Team. A native of Victoria, British Columbia (Canada), he was the Oakland Athletics' 17th-round selection in the June 2000 Draft. In 12 games (11 starts) with Sacramento this season, he is 8-2 with a 2.88 ERA. Harden has recorded 71 strikeouts in just 68.2 IP. He is 4-0 with a 1.42 ERA in four games (three starts) at Raley Field and is 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA in four starts in June.

He began the season with Midland (Double-A), where he went 2-0 and allowed no runs, hits or bases on balls in two starts (13.0 IP). In three seasons of professional baseball, he is 24-12 with a 2.91 ERA in 60 games (55 starts). He becomes the second River Cats player selected to participate in the All-Star Futures Game, as pitcher Barry Zito represented Sacramento in the game in 2000.

DeFrancesco will participate in the All-Star Futures Game as a coach on Carlton Fisk's staff for the U.S. Team. This season marks his first as manager of the River Cats, his 10th as a manager in the A's organization. Sacramento enters tonight's game with a 50-28 record, the best mark in Triple-A. In 10 seasons as a manager, including four seasons as manager at Midland (Double-A), DeFrancesco has a 572-552 record.

A ninth-round selection of the Boston Red Sox in the 1984 Draft, he played eight seasons of professional baseball between the Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds organizations. A catcher, he had his best professional season in 1984 when he batted .299 and was named a New York-Penn League All-Star with the Elmira Pioneers (Rookie).

The River Cats will play the seventh game of an eight-game homestand tonight against the Omaha Royals. Tickets for all River Cats home games are available at the Raley Field Ticket Office, on the internet at www.rivercats.com and at all Tickets.com outlets (select Raley's & Bel Air stores). Fans can also purchase tickets by phone at 916-371-HITS.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from June 23, 2003


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