You asked for it, so we have it!
The 2008 Gulf Coast League Post-Season All-Star Team has been announced with
Cardinals outfielder Ryde Rodriguez among the 11 players chosen.
The 20-year-old Cuban native, now
living in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, stood out during his first regular
season action as a professional. Rodriguez finished fourth in the circuit in
batting average (.329) and tied for ninth in RBI (28) for a 17-38 Cardinals club
that had the second-poorest record in the league and the third lowest-scoring
offense.
After 41 games in the GCL, the
powerfully-built (6-foot-3, 232 pounds) right-handed hitter was promoted to the
Johnson City Cardinals, where he went 5-for-15 (.333) in the Appalachian League
to close out a most successful rookie campaign.
Cardinals
Vice President of Amateur Scouting and Player Development Jeff Luhnow is excited
about what he saw this season and plans to keep pushing the talented
outfielder.
“I think he is going to be a
tremendous baseball player. His work ethic is certainly there, his body is
there. We just need to challenge him,” explained the farm
director.
Coming up soon, we will
run an in-depth article for Scout.com subscribers outlining Rodriguez’ progress
as a professional as Luhnow and coach Mike Shildt offer much more on their views
of the talented outfielder.
We’ll also be looking into another
high-ceiling prospect from the 2008 Gulf Coast League Cardinals, shortstop
Yunier Castillo. Subscribe now so you don’t miss out!
The 2008 Gulf Coast League All-Star
Team
| Pos |
Name |
Org |
T |
Ht |
Wt |
Age |
WL |
IP |
H |
K |
BB |
ERA |
SV |
| SP |
Nelson Pereira |
Pit |
L |
5-11 |
194 |
19 |
6-2 |
50 |
41 |
46 |
10 |
1.62 |
|
| RP |
Ryan Bergh |
Phi |
R |
6-4 |
220 |
23 |
3-1 |
28.1 |
25 |
26 |
4 |
0.64 |
9 |
| Pos |
Name |
Org |
B/T |
Ht |
Wt |
Age |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
HR |
BI |
| C |
Jonathan Talley |
Tor |
L/R |
6-4 |
225 |
19 |
140 |
18 |
42 |
7 |
6 |
29 |
| 1B |
Justin McClanahan |
Tor |
R/R |
6-1 |
200 |
22 |
163 |
33 |
46 |
8 |
8 |
32 |
| 2B |
Robert Brooks |
Atl |
R/R |
6-1 |
180 |
20 |
155 |
30 |
51 |
7 |
3 |
20 |
| 3B |
Juan Sanchez |
Min |
R/R |
5-11 |
181 |
21 |
137 |
26 |
43 |
12 |
2 |
17 |
| SS |
Esmailyn Gonzalez |
Was |
S/R |
5-11 |
183 |
18 |
181 |
42 |
62 |
12 |
2 |
33 |
| OF |
Aaron Hicks |
Min |
S/R |
6-2 |
175 |
18 |
173 |
32 |
55 |
10 |
4 |
27 |
| OF |
Ryde Rodriguez |
StL |
R/R |
6-3 |
232 |
20 |
143 |
19 |
47 |
9 |
0 |
28 |
| OF |
Chris Curran |
Was |
L/R |
5-9 |
150 |
20 |
209 |
55 |
65 |
8 |
1 |
22 |
| DH |
V. De Los Santos |
Phi |
R/R |
6-1 |
176 |
21 |
187 |
32 |
47 |
11 |
10 |
45 |
Manager of the Year Tom Prince of
the Pirates led his club to the Southern Division title with a league-best .661
winning percentage.
Most Valuable Player Esmailyn Gonzalez hails from the Eastern Division-winning Nationals.
The Phillies, represented on the
All-Star Team by reliever Ryan Bergh and designated hitter Vladimir De Los
Santos, were awarded the 2008 GCL Championship as they took two of three games
from the Nationals.
In terms of All-Star selections,
the Phillies, Nationals, Twins and Blue Jays dominated the team, with two
players each.
| Organization |
All-Stars |
Reg Season |
Champs |
| Phillies |
2 |
Division |
League |
| Nationals |
2 |
Division |
Runner-up |
| Twins |
2 |
Wild Card |
|
| Blue Jays |
2 |
|
|
| Pirates |
1 |
Division |
|
| Cardinals |
1 |
|
|
| Braves |
1 |
|
|
| Dodgers |
0 |
|
|
| Marlins |
0 |
|
|
| Mets |
0 |
|
|
| Tigers |
0 |
|
|
| Yankees |
0 |
|
|
| Indians |
0 |
|
|
| Red Sox |
0 |
|
|
| Reds |
0 |
|
|
| Orioles |
0 |
|
|
Brian Walton can be reached via
email at brwalton@earthlink.net.
© 2008
stlcardinals.scout.com. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or
redistributed.