Jason Van Meetren and Rik Currier Named GBL Players of the Month
September 5, 2006 - Golden Baseball League (GBL) News Release
(Pleasanton, CA. September 5, 2006) The Golden Baseball League announced today that Jason Van Meetren of the Chico Outlaws and Ben Thurmond of the Reno Silver Sox are the winners of the Player and Pitcher of the Month Awards for August.
Jason Van Meetren, Chico Outlaws outfielder, was selected based on his outstanding offensive performance during the month. He led the GBL with 26 RBIs in August, was third in batting average as he hit .351, and was in the top five in runs, doubles, walks, stolen bases, and on-base percentage. He was a key player in Chico's strong second half not only with his bat, but with his glove as well. The 26 year old from Las Vegas was originally drafted in the 13th round out of Stanford University by the Seattle Mariners in 2001. Acquired by the New York Yankees in 2003 he reached the High-A level in the minor leagues before being released. Joining the Chico Outlaws in 2005 he quickly became a starter and then had a breakout season this year as he finished near the top of the GBL with his .311 average and 51 RBIs. In addition to this award, Van Meetren was named to the GBL All-Star team and also won the All-Star Game MVP award with a game winning home run.
Other position players considered for the award were Fullerton's Hector Zamora, Chico's Desi Wilson and Craig Kuzmic, Yuma's Henry Calderon, and San Diego's Nick Guerra and Joey Huskins.
Despite a record of 2-2 in August, Long Beach starting pitcher Rik Currier was easily the top pitcher in the GBL during the month. In five starts and one relief appearance, Currier had an ERA of 0.44 in 41 innings pitched as he struck out 41 batters and only walked nine. He had two complete games, which included a 1-hit shutout and a 4-hitter, and took a no-hitter into the ninth in another start. He finished the season with a 1.41 ERA that not only led the GBL, but all of the Independent Leagues as well. The 27 year-old righthander was originally a 6th round pick by the New York Yankees out of the University of Southern California in 2001. He reached as high as Double-A for two years with New York before being released last year. In addition to this award, he has also won a GBL Player of the Week Award.
Other pitchers who received consideration for Pitcher of the Month include: Chico's Nick Singleton and Brian Kroll, Fullerton's Reed Dickert, Reno's Scott Schneider, Mike McTamney, and Ben Thurmond, Long Beach's Andre Simpson, and San Diego's EJ Shanks.
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Golden Baseball League Stories from September 5, 2006
- Jason Van Meetren and Rik Currier Named GBL Players of the Month - GBL
- Reno Silver Sox Win 2006 Golden Baseball League Championship - Reno Silver Sox
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