SOUTHERN BASES RIGHT AT HOME IN MOBILE JUSTIN UPTON, MAX SCHERZER AND BROOKS BROWN ALL HAVE PERFORMED WELL IN THE BAYBEARS HOME UNIFORMS.

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1 SOUTHERN BASES Volume XIII, Issue 7 July 6, 2007 An Official Publication of the Southern League RIGHT AT HOME IN MOBILE JUSTIN UPTON, MAX SCHERZER AND BROOKS BROWN ALL HAVE PERFORMED WELL IN THE BAYBEARS HOME UNIFORMS.

2 1 RIGHT AT HOME IN MOBILE In a ballpark named after one of baseball s most recognized legends, a trio of former first-round picks are making names for themselves. Justin Upton, Max Scherzer and Brooks Brown - all drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in either the first round or supplemental first round since have helped the Mobile BayBears become a formidable foe at Hank Aaron Stadium. The first player off the board in the 2005 draft, Upton made his Double-A debut in Mobile on May 14 and belted a two-run homer in his first at-bat to spark the BayBears to a 10-2 triumph. He added a pair of three-run blasts in his second game and went deep again in his third. In its first week with Upton in the lineup, Mobile scored 58 runs - two more than it managed during the 15 games leading up to his promotion. Proving that his first week at the Double-A level was no fluke, Upton was named the Southern League s Hitter of the Week after batting.519 (14-for- 27) with two homers and seven RBI from May 28-June 3. Each of Upton s eight home runs and 25 of his 35 RBI through July 5 have come at Hank Aaron Stadium, where he has hit.320. Upon joining Mobile, the 19-year-old Upton became the youngest player on a Southern League roster by 13 months. Although the arrivals of Huntsville s Will Inman and Chattanooga s Jay Bruce since have trimmed the age gap, Upton still is the circuit s lone teenager. Upton certainly is not the first teenager to burst onto the scene in the Southern League. In fact, his brother B.J. batted.327 in 29 games for Montgomery at age 19 in It appears only a matter of time before both Uptons are playing in the major leagues. (Upton) aspires to get to the big leagues as quickly as he can and he works hard at it, said BayBears manager Brett Butler, who accumulated nearly 2,400 hits in the major leagues. He s got great character and integrity, he was raised the right way by his parents. He s got a way of going about his business that elevates everybody else. Testament to Upton s positive influence has been the turnaround Mobile has orchestrated at The Hank. Prior to his arrival, the BayBears were 7-10 at home while averaging only 3.7 runs per game. Since, Mobile has gone 19-7 as the home team while outscoring opponents, Arguably the biggest beneficiary of Upton s arrival has been fellow prized outfield prospect Carlos Gonzalez. Batting.203 with two homers and 14 RBI before May 14, Gonzalez has hit.297 with nine homers and 34 RBI since Upton joined the squad. When one comes in with the kind of ability that Upton has and you ve got somebody else like Carlos Gonzalez that has the same kind of ability, that is a healthy competitive nature, Butler said. Not so much against each other, but just a Hey, the two of us collectively can go out there and do it. Complementing the fruitfully healthy competition between Upton and Gonzalez has been the All-Star trio of first baseman Javier Brito, catcher Wilkin Castillo and switch-hitting middle infielder Emilio Bonifacio. Through July 5, both Brito and Castillo were among the league s top 10 in hitting and Bonifacio was second in the circuit with 28 steals and tied for second with 100 hits. Offensive prowess has not been the only factor determining Mobile s about-face at Hank Aaron Stadium, however. The BayBears have posted an ERA of 3.01 in their last 26 home games, a statistic enhanced by the recent additions of Scherzer and Brown to the staff. That duo has combined to go 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA at The Hank. Drafted 11th overall, 23 slots before Brown went in the supplemental first SOUTHERN BASES round in 2005, Scherzer held out for nearly a year before inking a $4.3 million major league contract in late May. He joined Brown in Class-A Visalia and quickly made up for lost time. In his first start in the Diamondbacks system, the 22-year-old Scherzer allowed one run and two hits in five innings on June 7. He was perfect for seven frames with 13 strikeouts five days later and registered nine more strikeouts in five scoreless innings on June 17 before receiving a promotion. Taking the field for the first time in a BayBears uniform did not provide the same instant success for Scherzer as it did for Upton. He allowed five runs - three earned - in five innings of a loss at Montgomery on June 22. However, the full effects of his sinking fastball, which Butler likens to that of former major league star Kevin Brown, were evident in his first outing at The Hank. The flame-throwing righthander allowed just two hits and struck out 11 batters in six innings of a 4-0 win against West Tenn on June 27. You can understand why (the Diamondbacks) gave him all the money, Butler said of Scherzer. He s got tremendous energy. He s a bulldog whose got this competitive fire about him.... He wants the ball everyday, and when it gets to a point where it s time to take him out of the game, he doesn t want to come out. Though garnering less notoriety than Scherzer, Brown was fourth in the California League with 80 strikeouts at the time of his promotion on June 20 - his 22nd birthday. Making his debut for Mobile on June 23, Brown gave up one run and four hits in five innings and left with a 4-1 lead. However, things turned bizarre for the BayBears long after Brown s departure. With the lead down to 4-3 in the eighth inning, righthander Matt Elliott was summoned to pitch. Elliott surrendered the tying run, which was unearned due to a throwing error, before visiting the team bathroom at the end of the frame. Although he was slated to return for the ninth, Elliott was nowhere to be found. I kinda just went into the bathroom and shut the door, Elliott said. The door locked for some reason.... It was the weirdest thing I ve ever seen. I ve never seen a door just lock and you can t get it open. It wasn t until after a home run leading off the bottom of the 10th inning gave the Biscuits a 5-4 victory that the Montgomery fire department freed Elliott from his hour-long confinement. It took quite some time, at least 20 minutes after the game to get the door finally open, Elliott said. It was a little hot in there, but there was nothing I could do about it. After being denied a win in what turned out to be a unique first game in the Southern League, Brown was locked in during his first home start for the BayBears on June 28. The University of Georgia product allowed one run and struck out five batters in six innings, helping Mobile establish a seasonhigh five-game winning streak with a 4-1 triumph. That streak reached eight games before being broken on June 2. Like Scherzer, Brown is a fierce competitor who consistently wants to battle for his team. In his most recent start at Jacksonville on July 3, Brown took a wicked line drive off the wrist of his pitching arm but insisted on staying in the game. It nearly took force to remove Brown from the contest with the anticipation of swelling looming. Naturally, Brown expects to make his next start. A swell of excitement recently has engulfed fans in Mobile with Hank Aaron himself being scheduled to throw out the first pitch of the International Friendship Series between the United States and China there on July 22. With help from Upton, Scherzer and Brown, those fans have good reason to be excited during every BayBears homestand.

3 PLAYER OF THE MONTH KEVIN HART - TENNESSEE SMOKIES Tennessee Smokies righthander Kevin Hart has been named the Topps Player of the Month for June, as selected by the Southern League field managers. The Topps Company of New York, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, presents the award each month to the top performer in each of the 10 full-season leagues. Kevin Hart stood tall in June, going 4-0 with a 2.54 ERA in six starts. Hart was the only Southern League pitcher to win as many as four games without taking a loss in June. Making six starts during the month, he ranked second in the circuit with 38 strikeouts and 10th with a 2.54 ERA. On the heels of a month during which he went 0-4 with a 7.58 ERA in six starts, the 24-year-old Hart opened June by allowing two runs in seven innings of a 10-3 win against Birmingham. He put forth a clutch performance 11 days later, limiting West Tenn to three runs and five hits in seven innings of a 6-3 victory that moved Tennessee within one-half game of first place in the North Division with three days remaining in the first half. Although the Smokies fell one game short of a first-half title, Hart got the team headed in the right direction in the second half with a 4-2 win against the Stars on June 20. The Plano, TX resident allowed just a pair of unearned runs and five hits in six innings, giving Tennessee its first victory of the second half and triggering a three-game winning streak. Hart allowed only an unearned run in six innings on June 25, but the Smokies were dealt a 2-1, 11-inning defeat at Carolina. The 6-4, 215-pounder struck out seven batters, including All-Star third baseman Lee Mitchell three times. Helping the Smokies conclude June on a positive note, Hart allowed four runs and five hits in seven innings of a 5-4 win against Mississippi on June 30. Hart issued just one walk and recorded nine strikeouts, his most since registering a career-high 11 strikeouts for advanced Class-A Frederick of the Carolina League on April 30, Baltimore's 11th-round pick in the 2004 draft, Hart went with a 4.51 ERA in three seasons in the Orioles system before being traded to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Freddie Bynum in December. Hart already has matched his win total from last year (6) and needs just three more to tie the career high he established while with Class-A Delmarva in SOUTHERN BASES 2

4 SOUTHERN LEAGUE NOTES In his first game since joining the Barons from Triple-A Charlotte, SS Kenny Perez was guilty of three errors in a 6-1 loss to Jacksonville on June 25. Two days later, Perez had three more miscues in a 15-7 loss to the Suns but was far from the lone culprit. The Barons were charged with eight errors in that game, falling one shy of the Southern League record they established on April 17, After going 1-4 with a Southern League-high 7.26 ERA in June, RHP Adam Russell logged six strong innings in his first start of July, a 5-2 win against West Tenn on Independence Day. Russell carried a shutout into the sixth before giving up a leadoff homer and RBI double in that frame. Saturday, July 7 will be Used Car Night presented by the Alabama Telco Credit Union. Up to nine cars donated by local dealers will sporadically be given away to lucky fans during the game between the Barons and West Tenn. Fans need only to provide their information at a sign-up table in order to have a chance at driving away a winner. The Mudcats broke a franchise-record 15-game road losing streak with a 14-2 victory at Chattanooga on June 30. OF Jai Miller emerged the offensive hero with a career-high six RBI, falling just one shy of matching the franchise mark. Miller drilled a three-run homer in the second inning and added a three-run double as part of a six-run seventh.... After managing only one RBI in his previous 17 games, 1B Grant Psomas went 5-for-5 with a pair of homers and five RBI in a 10-5 victory against the Lookouts on July 2. It marked the first time Psomas homered since he connected for a pair of solo shots against Montgomery on June 4. The world famous ZOOperstars will entertain fans at Five County Stadium on Saturday, July 21, when the Mudcats host the finale of a fivegame series against the Montgomery Biscuits. It will be an historic event as the ZOOperstars never before have performed during a Mudcats game. All-Star 2B Drew Anderson hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 14th inning to give the Lookouts an 8-7 win over Birmingham on June 22. Anderson s blast made a winner out of 1B Caonabo Cosme, who gave up a run after being summoned to pitch the top of the 14th. During the next series at Huntsville, Cosme put his bat to work. The 28-year-old native of the Dominican Republic went 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBI in a 10-1 victory. The next night, Cosme added three more hits, including another home run, and two RBI in a 6-3 win. With five homers through July 5, Cosme needs only one more to match his total from When the Lookouts host the Carolina Mudcats on July 12, it will be $1,000 Thursday. One lucky fan will leave AT&T Field with $1,000 while others will receive coupons for discounts around the stadium. The middle of the fivegame series against the Mudcats will be Hat Night on Friday, July 13. The first 1,000 fans arriving for the game will receive a free replica Lookouts hat. That evening will be capped by a fireworks display. In his second start since being promoted from Huntsville to Triple- A Nashville, LHP Manny Parra pitched just the eighth perfect game in the history of the Pacific Coast League. Parra struck out 11 in the masterpiece, which marked the first individual perfect game in that league since John Wasdin did it on April 7, RHP Mark DiFelice allowed a two-run single with one out in the seventh inning against Tennessee on July 4, ending his scoreless streak at 36 frames. DiFelice s streak fell 13 innings shy of matching the longest ever recorded in the Southern League, a mark established by Tennessee s Brad Thompson in A reliever to begin this season after spending 2006 in the independent Atlantic League, DiFelice has gone 1-0 with a 1.10 ERA in three starts for the Stars. His fourth start of 2007 will come in the Southern League All-Star Game. Friday, July 20 will be Scout Night at Joe Davis Stadium with local Boy Scouts being invited to camp out on the field following the Stars game against Tennessee. Campers will receive a tour of the ballpark from members of the Stars. The first 1,000 kids ages 14 and under arriving to the game the next night will receive a Stars youth jersey. 3 SOUTHERN BASES The Suns ran their winning streak to 12 games before enduring a 3-2 loss to Birmingham on June 24. Jacksonville went a Southern League-best 22-7 in June, providing further evidence that the Suns shine their brightest during the month of the summer solstice. Jacksonville won its first 14 games last June en route to a 20-8 mark that month. The team also staged a six-game winning streak to open June in 2005, sparking the team to a 17-9 record for the month.... Since joining the Suns rotation in May, RHP Joey Norrito has gone 5-0 with a 2.86 ERA in nine starts. He had made just two career starts prior to this season. Norrito worked a career-high eight innings against Mobile on July 3, allowing two runs and five hits in a 3-2 win. He did not issue a walk in that game and has allowed just two free passes in 56 2/3 innings as a starter this year. The first 3,000 fans arriving for the game against Birmingham on Saturday, July 14 will receive a bobblehead of former Sun Tug McGraw courtesy of Jiffy Lube, the Mayo Clinic, SCOTT Brand Products and the New 99.1 WQIK. McGraw spent parts of three seasons with the Suns in the late 1960s before enjoying a distinguished career in the majors.

5 SOUTHERN LEAGUE NOTES Among six Braves in the starting lineup for the All-Star Game, OF Brandon Jones took over the league lead in RBI by July 5 with 62 - two more than fellow All-Star OF Matt Esquivel. Another All-Star starter, OF Carl Loadenthal, leads the league with 29 steals. Good seats still are available for the 2007 Southern League All-Star Game and surrounding festivities at Trustmark Park. The pregame celebration on Sunday, July 8 will include a cocktail reception at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum from 5-7 p.m. CDT, immediately followed by the All-Star Gala next door at the Sparkman Auditorium. The gala will feature live music from The Voltage Brothers. The schedule of events for Monday, July 9 include the All- Star Game Awards Luncheon at Crystal Springs Ford Lincoln Mercury Cafe from 12-2 p.m. The Home Run Derby will commence at 6 p.m., followed by the Southern League All-Star Game at 7:05. There will be a spectacular fireworks show after the game and the Baseball Post Game All-Star Party. RHP Mike Prochaska combined with two relievers on an 8-0 blanking of Mississippi on June 28. Prochaska worked the first six innings, extending his scoreless streak to 21 frames dating to June 16. In the 10 innings prior to his scoreless streak, Prochaska gave up 17 runs.... RHP Juan Salas, who did not allow an earned run in 34 2/3 innings with Montgomery last year, surrendered three earned runs, two hits and a pair of walks while retiring just one batter in his return to the Biscuits on June 26. He allowed another run four days later before moving up to Triple A. RHP Billy Petrick was promoted to the Chicago Cubs on June 27 and made his major league debut that day. In the 12 1/3 innings leading up to his promotion, Petrick recorded 18 strikeouts and allowed just an unearned run and four hits.... LHP Donnie Veal needed just five innings to record a season-high 11 strikeouts at Carolina on June 27. Veal, who allowed one run and two hits, was not involved in the decision as the Smokies did not score the deciding run until SS Carlos Rojas executed a successful squeeze play to score All-Star OF Jake Fox.... Fox shook off a.198 batting average in June by collecting five hits, including a pair of home runs on July 3, in his first eight at-bats of July. With 17 home runs through July 5, Fox was tied with two others for the top spot in the Southern League. SS Ronnie Merrill batted.309 with 12 extra-base hits, including five homers, and 17 RBI in June. In the first two months of the season, he hit just.222 with nine extra-base hits and 14 RBI.... RHP Esmerling Vasquez pitched six scoreless innings against Montgomery on July 5, extending his streak to 11 consecutive starts with two earned runs allowed or fewer. Vasquez ranks seventh in the league with a 3.08 ERA and third with 98 strikeouts, 11 more than All-Star teammate RHP Matt Green. Although the Fourth of July fireworks display proceeded as scheduled following the BayBears Independence Day game against Montgomery, the threat of inclement weather resulted in several interested fans missing the show. Those fans will get another chance on Friday, July 6 as the BayBears will produce an Independence Weekend Fireworks Show at Hank Aaron Stadium. The Friday Night Fireworks Show is being transformed into a Patriotic Concert in The Sky presented by Southern Ford Dealers. The fireworks show will be accompanied by a video appearing on the scoreboard. When the Biscuits conclude a fivegame series against Mississippi on Sunday, July 15, it will be Kids Day at Riverwalk Stadium. Kids will be greeted with balloons at the gate and will be invited to run the bases afterwards. In between, they will be entertained by jugglers and balloon artists and, of course, the game against the Braves. Players will be depicted as cartoon characters on the video board upon being announced for their at-bats. For example, Evan Longoria is dressed as Popeye. SS Chris Minaker delivered a oneout RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give West Tenn a 10-9 victory over Huntsville in the first game of a doubleheader July 2. The victory snapped a season-high seven game losing streak for the Diamond Jaxx, who managed only 12 runs during the skid. Minaker again was the hero in the second game of the twinbill as he singled home OF Charlton Jimerson with the winning run with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. The 7-6 victory by the Diamond Jaxx kept alive a unique league-wide streak in Each of the first eight doubleheaders in the Southern League this season have entailed one team sweeping both games from the other.... Since homering in back-to-back games May 25-27, OF Prentice Redman has gone deep just once in his last 35 games through July 5. The first 1,000 fans arriving for the game against Mobile on Friday, July 13 will receive a 2007 Smokies team photo courtesy of U.S. Cellular. During the game, the world famous ZOOperstars will be on hand to entertain fans. After the final out, there will be a fireworks extravaganza presented by Pepsi, Miller Lite, WIVK and WVLT. Thursday, July 12 will mark the first of four Sara Lee Bread Giveaway nights at Pringles Park this season. Sara Lee Bakery has teamed with Minor League Baseball to give away 25,000 loaves of bread over four dates, including July 26, August 15 and August 30. Wilson Sporting Goods also will be sponsoring a giveaway at Pringles Park on July 12. SOUTHERN BASES 4

6 WEEKLY AWARDS SOUTHERN LEAGUE HITTER AND PITCHER OF THE WEEK JUNE 18-24, 2007 HITTER OF THE WEEK EVAN LONGORIA ~ MONTGOMERY BISCUITS Leaving a disappointing conclusion to the first half behind, third baseman Evan Longoria led the Biscuits to a tie for the Southern League's best record in the first week of the second half. Including an 0-for-20 drought at Mobile from June 7-11, Longoria managed just six hits in his final 36 at-bats of the first half. However, he opened the second half with a home run to give the Biscuits a 1-0 triumph against the BayBears in the first game of a doubleheader on June 19. The 21-year-old then went 3- for-3 with a double and an RBI in the second game as Montgomery posted an 8-0 victory. Three days later, Longoria produced an RBI single and a two-run homer in a 10-0 win over the BayBears, against whom he went 9-for-24 (.375) in the six-game series. In the opener of a six-game series at Mississippi on June 24, Longoria had three hits, including a double, and three RBI as Montgomery moved into a tie for first place in the South Division with a 7-0 triumph. The third player chosen in the 2006 draft, Longoria was selected to participate in the 2007 Futures Game held in San Francisco - a six-hour drive from his hometown of Downey, CA. AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB Longoria PITCHER OF THE WEEK MARK HOLLIMAN ~ TENNESSEE SMOKIES Righthander Mark Holliman etched his name into the Southern League record books during the week, pitching a seven-inning no-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader against Huntsville on June 21. Holliman, who issued one walk and recorded three strikeouts, needed only 81 pitches to become the first Southern Leaguer to throw a no-hitter since Carolina's Nic Ungs on July 29, The 23-yearold Holliman also became the first member of the Smokies to accomplish the feat since Leo Estrella did it on May 27, As if pitching a no-hitter wasn't enough, Holliman also emerged the offensive star of the game by hitting a two-run homer that completed the scoring in the 3-0 triumph. A native of Germantown, TN, Holliman was selected to play in the Southern League All-Star Game on Monday, July 9. W-L SV ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR Holliman SOUTHERN BASES

7 WEEKLY AWARDS SOUTHERN LEAGUE HITTER AND PITCHER OF THE WEEK JUNE 25-JULY 1, 2007 HITTER OF THE WEEK JOHN JASO ~ MONTGOMERY BISCUITS Biscuits catcher John Jaso was a model of consistency during the week, stringing together four consecutive multi-hit games and producing run and RBI streaks of five and four games, respectively. The 23-year-old Jaso collected three hits and scored twice in a 9-5 victory at Mississippi on June 26. Two days later, the native of McKinleyville, CA singled, doubled and drove in two runs to lead the Biscuits to an 8-0 triumph over the Braves. Jaso belted a two-run homer in an 8-2 victory against Mississippi on June 29 and capped the month with two hits, including an RBI double, in a 4-3 loss to Birmingham. Jaso, who leads all full-season minor league catchers with a.335 average, was selected to play for the South Division in next week's Southern League All-Star Game. It marked the fourth time since he was chosen in the 12th round of the 2003 draft that Jaso received the distinction of being a league All-Star. AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB Jaso PITCHER OF THE WEEK JOHNNY CUETO ~ CHATTANOOGA LOOKOUTS Righthander Johnny Cueto made a splash in his first two starts in the Southern League, recording a circuit-best 19 strikeouts during the week. In his first start since being promoted from Class-A Sarasota, Cueto allowed one run and five hits in six innings of a 10-1 win at Huntsville on June 26. Five days later, on an afternoon when the Lookouts welcomed their 2,000,000th fan, the 21-year-old Cueto matched the Southern League-high for strikeouts in a game this season with 13 against Carolina. In a game that was suspended with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Cueto allowed only three hits in seven frames to run his scoreless streak to 13 innings since surrendering a homer to the first Double-A batter he faced. A native of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic, Cueto was tied for second in the minor leagues with three shutouts and tied for sixth with 15 wins last year. W-L SV ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR Cueto SOUTHERN BASES 6

8 ALL-STAR GAME APPROACHING TRIVIA QUESTION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TRIVIA ANSWER The Mississippi Braves will host the 2007 Southern League All-Star Game at Trustmark Park on Monday, July 9 at 7:05 p.m. CDT. Don t miss any of the festivities! For ticket information, please visit the Braves web site at or call (601) Which player selected to play in the 2007 Southern League All-Star Game led the league in fielding percentage at a different position in a previous season? Writer, Managing Editor and Graphic Designer Joe Barbieri Editor Lori Webb Photo credits chip English (Cover) Southern Bases would like to thank the following people for their assistance: Paul Kennedy (Birmingham Barons), Alexandra Briley (Carolina Mudcats), Pete Intza (Chattanooga Lookouts), Matt Price (Huntsville Stars), Tim Hagerty (Mobile BayBears) and Jesse Goldberg-Strassler (Montgomery Biscuits). Copyright 2007, The Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of Southern Bases, in whole or part without the expressed written consent of the Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs, Inc., is strictly prohibited. Casey McGehee of the Tennessee Smokies will play catcher for the North Division in the 2007 Southern League All- Star Game. In 2005, McGehee led all league qualifying third basemen with a.953 fielding percentage. Lee Mitchell of the Carolina Mudcats was tabbed to start at third base for the North Division after leading all players at that position with a.972 fielding percentage last year. TOP PROSPECTS SETS ARE HERE! The 2007 Southern League Top Prospects sets have arrived! The sets include 2007 Southern League All- Stars Brandon Jones, Matt Harrison, Gaby Hernandez, Gio Gonzalez, Jack Egbert, Jake Fox and Matt Tuiasosopo. Also featured are 2007 Futures Game selectees Justin Upton, Evan Longoria, Chin-Lung Hu and Rick Vanden Hurk. To order your Southern League Top Prospects set, visit and find the SL Souvenir Stand in the General Info. drop down menu. Sets also can be found on sale at each Southern League ballpark. Don t miss out! Only limited quantities are available! SOUTHERN BASES 7