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SAL1 Greenville Drive

Red Sox Prospects Ready to Launch 2007 Season in Greenville

April 2, 2007 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greenville Drive News Release


Greenville, S.C. - The Greenville Drive will kick-off the new season on April 5th with an abundance of exciting young talent. New manager Gabe Kapler will have several of the organization's top young prospects and a member of the 2006 Boston Red Sox on a Major League rehab assignment at his disposal as the 2007 Drive roster has been announced. Highlighting the Drive roster will be nine players who saw action in Greenville during the 2006 season, and 10 players who were selected in last season's First-Year Player Draft, including the Red Sox top selection.

Jon Lester, who is scheduled to be the Drive's Opening Day starter on April 5th in Charleston, saw his stellar rookie campaign with the Red Sox in 2006 cut short after being diagnosed with a treatable form of anaplastic cell lymphoma in late August. At the time he was 7-2 in 15 starts after his June 10 call-up. Despite only making 15 starts, Lester was tied for 4th among American League rookies with 7 wins, and became the first Red Sox rookie to win 7 starts since Aaron Sele in 1993. After undergoing treatment, Lester was pronounced cancer-free in December.

First baseman Lars Anderson will be embarking in his first season in professional baseball after being selected by the Red Sox in the 18th round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft. Baseball America rates Anderson as the number 5 prospect in the organization, the number 2 position player, as well as the best power hitter in the Red Sox farm system. During his senior year at Jesuit (CA) High School, Anderson batted .423 with 14 homers, 33 RBI, and 39 runs scored in 29 games.

The Drive roster will also feature some homegrown talent in the form of outfielder Jason Place. The former Wren High School standout was the Red Sox first selection, 27th overall, in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft and had an immediate impact with the rookie-level GCL Red Sox. Place, who is ranked as the 10th best prospect in the Red Sox farm system by Baseball America, batted .292 with 4 home runs, 21 RBI, and 14 runs scored in 33 games. During his tenure at Wren High School, Place batted .463 with 36 homers, 124 RBI, 174 runs scored, 90 stolen bases in 136 career games, while being named the 2006 Gatorade High School Player of the Year.

Joining Lester on the Drive pitching staff will be Eric Beattie, Travis Beazley, Adam Blackley, Jordan Craft, Kyle Fernandes, Chris Jones, T.J. Large, Joshua Papelbon, Dustin Richardson, Jorge Rodriguez, Brian Steinocher, and Miguel Socolovich. Fernandes and Jones spent the entire 2006 seasons with the Drive, while Large appeared in three games for Greenville. Despite spending two stints on the disabled list, Chris Jones was named a mid-season South Atlantic League All-Star after winning his first four decisions. Papelbon, the younger brother of Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, finished 4th in the Red Sox minor league system with 13 saves and held opponents without an earned run in his first 12 games as a pro.

Assuming the catching duties will be Jonathan Egan and Jon Still. Egan batted .319 with 4 home runs, 20 RBI, and 24 runs scored between stints with the Lowell Spinners and GCL Red Sox during his second pro campaign. Still, a 2006 4th selection from NC State, batted .220 with 2 homers, 27 RBI, and 23 runs scored with Lowell after signing on June 11.

The Drive infield will be comprised of Manny Arambarris, Mike Chambers, Argenis Diaz, Zak Farkes, Kris Negron, and Pedro Vasquez, as well as Anderson. All but Farkes and Vasquez will be new to the Drive roster, as both players saw limited action in Greenville during 2006. Farkes, who finished 5th in the Red Sox farm system with a .294 average during stints with three affiliates, batted .256 in 13 contests with the Drive. Vasquez, who spent the majority of 2006 with the GCL Red Sox, appeared in 11 games with Greenville.

Joining Place in the outfield will be Reid Engel, Carlos Fernandez, and Mickey Hall. Only Hall saw time with the Drive in 2006, where he batted .236 with 2 homers, and 21 RBI in 51. Both of the former 2nd round selection's long balls came in his first outing with the Drive on July 12 vs. Asheville.

For the 2007 season, South Atlantic League rosters will remain at 25 players for the entire season. Greenville will begin the season with 29 players, three of whom will start the season on the disabled list - pitcher Ryan Phillips, infielder Christian Lara, and outfielder Yahmed Yema, all of whom spent 2006 with the Drive. Lester does not count against the Drive's 25-player limit since he is making a Major League rehab assignment.

Opening Day at West End Field is Monday, April 9th, as the Drive are slated to host the Columbus Catfish at 7:05 PM. To purchase single-game tickets or one of the Drive's many season ticket packages, visit the Drive's website at www.GreenvilleDrive.com or by calling the front office at (864) 240-4500.

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South Atlantic League Stories from April 2, 2007


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.

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