SAL1 Charleston RiverDogs

RiverDogs welcome back Battle, Nunez and Vechionacci

Published on May 18, 2006 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston RiverDogs News Release


CHARLESTON, SC - The New York Yankees announced Thursday that Tim Battle, Eduardo Nunez and Marcos Vechionacci, have been assigned to the Charleston RiverDogs from the Tampa Yankees of the Florida State League (FSL). In addition, the Yankees announced that Wilkins de la Rosa and Jonathan Poterson have been assigned to Staten Island in the New York-Penn League (NYP), and that Chris Malec has been promoted to Tampa.

Battle and Vechionacci were each major contributors to the 2005 RiverDogs playoff team. They join Ben Jones and Irwil Rojas as members of last season's squad who have returned to Charleston in the past two weeks.

Battle spent the entire 2005 season with the RiverDogs, and was named the South Atlantic League All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player. As Charleston's everyday center fielder in 2005, Battle led the SAL with in runs scored and triples while finishing in the top five in stolen bases and extra base hits.

Battle's total of 16 home runs last season was the RiverDogs' team high. The 20-year-old native of Riverdale, Ga., who was batting .133 with eight RBI in 36 games with Tampa, was originally drafted in the third round of the 2003 draft by the Yankees.

Vechionacci returns to Charleston after batting .186 in 37 games with Tampa. As an everyday player at shortstop and third base for the RiverDogs in 2005, the then 18-year-old hit .252 with 26 doubles and 62 RBI and quickly became a fan favorite.

Originally signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela in 2002, this season is Vechionacci's fourth as a professional in the Yankees organization. Prior to the 2006 season he was rated as the Yankees' seventh-best prospect by Baseball America.

Nunez, an 18-year-old infielder, joins the RiverDogs after playing in 37 games with Tampa. He was batting .184 with four home runs and 26 RBI in the advanced-A Florida State League. Originally signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2004, Nunez is in his third professional season after spending 2004 with the Yankees' Dominican Summer League team and last season with the New York-Penn League champion Staten Island Yankees.

Entering the 2006 season, Nunez was rated the Yankees' sixth-best prospect by Baseball America.

With these player additions, the RiverDogs' roster lays claim to five of the Yankees' Top-10 prospects as ranked by Baseball America entering this season (No. 3 Jose Tabata, No. 4 C.J. Henry, No. 5 Austin Jackson, No. 6 Nunez and No. 7 Vechionacci).

Malec moves up to Tampa after batting .262 in 36 games -- primarily at third base -- for the RiverDogs. The 23-year-old, who was leading all SAL third-basemen in fielding percentage (.942), was selected in the 16th round of last year's amateur draft that followed his senior season at UC-Santa Barbara.

De la Rosa has been assigned to short-season Staten Island after batting .220 in 28 games with the RiverDogs. The 21-year-old outfielder is in his fifth season in the Yankees organization after being signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2001.

Poterson, a Yankees first-round pick (37th overall) in the 2004 draft, was playing his second season for Charleston. In 24 games, Poterson was hitting .167 with one home run and five RBI. The 21-year-old is in his third season of professional baseball.

The second-place RiverDogs go for the four-game sweep of visiting Savannah Thursday night at 7:05 p.m., and welcome in first-place Rome for four games beginning Friday. The new players are expected to play in Thursday night's game.

To order tickets to any RiverDogs game, please call 843/577-DOGS (3647) or log on to www.riverdogs.com.

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South Atlantic League Stories from May 18, 2006


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