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EL1 Trenton Thunder

Thunder Make Flurry Of Roster Moves

April 25, 2009 - Eastern League (EL1)
Trenton Thunder News Release


(Trenton, NJ)- The Trenton Thunder, Double-A Affiliate of the New York Yankees, have announced that RHP Noel Castillo, RHP Amaury Sanit have been promoted to Trenton from Tampa (High-A). INF Kevin Smith has been transferred from Staten Island (SS) to Trenton. INF Chris Malec, RHP Jose Valdez, and RHP Eric Hacker have been promoted to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Also, OF Edwar Gonzalez has been placed on the Disabled List with an upper-body injury.

Castillo was 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA in four games this season for Tampa. In 8.1 IP, he struck out seven and walked four. Castillo split the 2008 season between Charleston and Tampa. He was 7-8 with a 3.90 ERA in 25 games (21 starts) for Charleston. He was 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in one start for Tampa. He ranked fourth among Yankees minor league pitchers in total strikeouts with 126. Castillo was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Yankees on 9/16/04.

Sanit was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in four games for Tampa. In six total innings, he had struck out five and not walked a batter. Last season, he appeared in two games for the DSL Yankees 2, and was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA with one save. He pitched for the Tigers del Licey in the Dominican Baseball League following the season and had a 5.19 ERA in seven relief appearances.

Smith was transferred from Trenton to the roster of the Staten Island Yankees on Thursday. He had a .233 BA with three RBI in 10 games for the Thunder including a double and a triple. In 2008, he hit .290 with five home runs and 62 RBI for Tampa. He led the team in games, average, hits, doubles and RBI. He ranked 2nd in the Florida State League in doubles and 9th in average. He led all Florida State League first baseman with a .994 fielding percentage. He was originally selected in the 39th round of the 2006 draft out of the University of Oklahoma.

Malec had a .375 BA for the Thunder in 13 games with six RBI. He was third in the Eastern League in Batting Average, and second in On-Base Percentage (.479). During 2008, he hit .291 with five home runs and 52 RBI (career-high) in 119 games (career-high) with Trenton. He also set career highs in hits (118), runs (65), doubles (28), triples (3), and walks (57). He was selected to the 2008 Eastern League All-Star Game. Malec finished third in the Eastern League in OBP (.407). Malec was selected by the Yankees in the 16th round of the 2005 draft. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Law & Society prior to joining the Yankees in 2005.

Valdez was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and four saves in five appearances so far this season with the Thunder. He had struck out nine and allowed just one hit in 6.1 IP. During 2008, he split the season between Tampa (High-A) and Trenton. He was 6-2 with a 2.75 ERA in 27 games for Tampa including three saves. Valdez was 1-0 with a 2.22 ERA and four saves in 17 games for Trenton. He earned the save vs. POR in Game #2 of the NDCS. He was signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent by the Yankees on 10/5/2000.

Hacker is 1-1 with a 4.11 ERA in three starts for the Thunder so far this season. He combined to go 9-6 with a 2.43 ERA in 26 starts between Tampa and Trenton in 2008. He ranked second among Yankees minor leaguers and 13th in the minor leagues in ERA. He went 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA in two post-season starts for the Thunder including wins in both Game #1 of the NDCS vs. Portland and Game #1 of the ELCS at Akron. Hacker is a member of the Yankees 40-man roster. He was originally selected by the Yankees in the 23rd round of the 2002 draft.

Gonzalez is hitting .326 with the Thunder in 13 games with nine RBI. He had an eight-game hitting streak from 4/10-4/21. He split his 2008 season between Tampa (High-A) and Trenton. With the Thunder, Gonzalez hit .295 with 14 home runs and 67 RBI. He had a .279 BA for Tampa in 27 games with 6 HR and 18 RBI. He was signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent 6/12/02. Gonzalez was originally selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 27th round of the 2001 draft.

Trenton and New Britain play the third game of the four-game series on Saturday night. RHP Ryan Pope (1-0, 2.38) will start for Trenton against New Britain RHP Matthew Fox (0-1, 6.97). Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. For tickets call 609-394-3300 or you can order online at www.trentonthunder.com.

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