Current Contract:
Contract rewewable through 2008.

Became a Cardinal:
Selected in the 13th round of the June, 2002 First-Year Player Draft.

2006 Season:
Gorecki split the season between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis. He hit .251 with 16 home runs and 51 RBI and was a mid-season Texas League All-Star, but experienced difficulty in his first taste of Triple-A competition, batting just .162 in 74 at-bats.

Career Notes:
In 2004, Gorecki was named Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year. He spent most of that season with Palm Beach where he hit .277 with eight home runs, stealing 23 bases in 34 attempts in 118 games. He was called up to Double-A Tennessee for the last seven games of the season and hit .320 in seven games. He also played in the Arizona Fall League after the season. The Cardinals purchased his contract and added him to the 40-man roster on November 23, 2004.

He began the 2005 season as the starting center fielder for Double-A Springfield, but after hitting only .182 in 46 games he was sent down to high Class A Palm Beach on May 31. On June 25, he went on the disabled list with a stress fracture in his left foot and remained there for nearly a month. He finished the season with Palm Beach, hitting .286/.374/.457 with six home runs and 41 RBI in 61 games.

Photo: Victor Baldizon/Getty Images