Ports Announce 2008 Opening Day Roster
Published on March 31, 2008 under California League (CalL1)
Stockton Ports News Release
STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Ports have announced their 2008 Opening Day roster in preparation for Opening Day on Thursday. Due to off-season trades made by the Oakland A's resulting in a wealth of incoming prospects, the Ports are expected to be one of the strongest teams in all of Minor League Baseball.
Among the top prospects acquired in the Dan Haren/Nick Swisher deals, Stockton will be home to pitchers Brett Anderson and Fautino De Los Santos, as well as outfielder Chris Carter.
Both Anderson and Carter were acquired by the A's from Arizona in the deal for Haren. Anderson was a second round selection of the Diamondbacks in the 2006 draft. The 6'4'' left-hander was drafted out of Stillwater (Okla.) High School, and saw time in the California League last season with the Visalia Oaks. Carter, originally a Chicago White Sox product, spent all of last season with Low-A Kannapolis. He made the South Atlantic League All-Star team, and hit .291 for the season with 25 home runs and 93 RBI. He was traded to Arizona, and subsequently sent to Oakland as part of the package for Haren.
De Los Santos, who was acquired from the White Sox in the deal for Swisher, spent most of last season with Kannapolis and also made five appearances for High-A Winston-Salem. The Dominican Republic native was signed by Chicago in 2005 and quickly established himself as one of the game's best young pitching prospects. He was named the South Atlantic League's Most Outstanding Major League Prospect in 2007, and also named to the South Atlantic League All-Star team after going 9-4 with a 2.40 ERA for the Intimidators. He also pitched for the World Team in the 2007 Futures Game at AT&T Park in San Francisco.
In addition to the team's new prospects, there are seven players from seasons past returning to Stockton. Among the returnees from last season are pitchers Pat Currin, Sam Demel, and Jared Lansford. Also returning are infielders Michael Affronti, Darryl Lawhorn, and Frank Martinez.
The early-season feel-good story is the return of catcher Jed Morris. Morris, who spent most of the 2005 season with the Ports, is making his way back through the A's farm system after battling acute lymphocytic leukemia. He was diagnosed with the disease halfway through the 2006 season, and missed considerable time due to chemotherapy treatments.
In addition to the prospects acquired via trades, the A's have two home-grown pitching prospects beginning the season with the Ports. Trevor Cahill and Henry Rodriguez will be two big pieces in the Ports rotation. Cahill spent all of last season in Kane County and went 11-4 with a 2.73 ERA. Rodriguez, who made the A's 40-man roster after just three professional seasons, also spent '07 in Kane County and went 6-8 with a 3.07 ERA. In 25 starts as a professional, he has 192 strikeouts in 165.2 innings (10.43 per nine innings).
Other notable prospects on the Ports roster include outfielders Matt Sultenic (3rd round selection, 2006) and Jermaine Mitchell (5th round selection, 2006), infielder Sean Doolittle (41st overall pick, 2007), and pitchers Andrew Carignan (5th round selection, 2007), and Arnold Leon, a Mexican League standout who was signed this past November.
The Ports will play a home-and-home exhibition series with the Sacramento River Cats beginning on Tuesday at Banner Island Ballpark. Opening Night is Thursday, when the Ports will host the rival Modesto Nuts at 7:05 p.m. Season tickets, mini plans, and individual tickets can be purchased in person at the Ports Box Office, online at stocktonports.com, or by calling (209) 644-1900.
California League Stories from March 31, 2008
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- Ports Announce 2008 Opening Day Roster - Stockton Ports
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