Volume XIII, Issue 11 September 6, 2007 An Official Publication of the Southern League

Transcription

1 SOUTHERN BASES Volume XIII, Issue 11 September 6, 2007 An Official Publication of the Southern League POSTSEASON PREVIEW SHORTSTOP REID BRIGNAC ENTERS A SECOND STRAIGHT POSTSEASON WITH THE MONTGOMERY BISCUITS

2 1 POSTSEASON PREVIEW It has been three decades since the Southern League has had a repeat champion. The red-hot Montgomery Biscuits seem poised to end that drought, which began after another team from Montgomery strung together three straight titles. Fueled by a franchise-record 12-game winning streak, the Biscuits roared past the Jacksonville Suns en route to the second-half title in the South Division. The Suns owned a four-game lead entering play on August 10, but the Biscuits won 16 of their final 19 games during the month to earn a postseason berth. Culminating with a division-clinching 6-3 victory at Jacksonville on August 31, the winning streak tied for the longest in the Southern League this season. Montgomery outscored its opponents, 86-29, during a streak that surprisingly began nearly three weeks after Southern League Most Valuable Player Evan Longoria was promoted to Triple-A Durham. It was after Longoria joined the Southern League last year that the Biscuits made a run toward their first postseason berth. Following his promotion to Montgomery on August 4, the Biscuits won 20 of their final 30 regular-season games to overcome the Suns threegame lead and win the second-half title in That momentum carried into the postseason as Montgomery swept Jacksonville in the division series before winning the Southern League Championship Series in four games. Including last year s postseason, the City of Montgomery has never lost a playoff series in the Southern League. The Montgomery Rebels won five titles in the 1970s, including three in succession beginning in 1975, before the Birmingham Barons replaced them in the Western Division in The City of Montgomery, which has won a modern Southern League-most six titles, will look to extend its streak of eight straight playoff series victories dating to 1972 when it faces the first-half champion Mississippi Braves. The Biscuits won 12 of 21 regular-season meetings with the Braves, who have fallen on tough times since posting the league s best record in the first half (42-28). Mississippi won its first three games of the second half but went just the rest of the way to finish 20 1/2 games behind Montgomery. It marked the first time since the advent of the split-season format in 1976 that a team won one half and finished at least 20 games off the pace in the other. Hosting the 2007 Southern League All-Star Game on July 9, the Braves led all teams with nine players on the final roster for the midseason classic. Only three of those players - outfielder Carl Loadenthal and infielders J.C. Holt and Diory Hernandez - remain on the team entering its first postseason since relocating from Greenville in The Biscuits, on the other hand, topped all teams with five postseason All-Stars. Among those, catcher John Jaso hit.378 with four homers and 20 RBI during August and outfielder Fernando Perez batted.333 (84-for-243) with 53 runs scored over the final 61 games of the season. SOUTHERN BASES Though not selected as an All-Star, shortstop Reid Brignac was an offensive force down the stretch for the Biscuits. He batted.350 (14- for-40) with 12 RBI over the final 11 gams of the season to finish third in the league with 81 RBI. Brignac also was a key asset in Montgomery s stretch run last year, batting.300 with 16 RBI following a promotion from the California League in early August. A teammate of Brignac to begin 2006 in Visalia, Chris Mason had to wait until 2007 before making his Double-A debut. The patience paid off as he led the league with a Biscuits franchise record-tying 15 wins and a 2.57 ERA en route to Southern League Most Outstanding Pitcher honors. Montgomery won the last 11 regular-season games started by Mason, who is scheduled to start Game Three of the South Division Series at Riverwalk Stadium on Saturday, September 8. While Mason has anchored the Biscuits rotation all season, the staff has been bolstered by the second-half additions of 21-year-olds Wade Davis and Jake McGee, who are slated to start the first two games of the series. Capped by the win that clinched the second half for Montgomery, Davis went 7-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 14 starts following a promotion from advanced Class-A Vero Beach. McGee won each of his final three starts of August, allowing just three runs and striking out 24 batters in 19 1/3 innings, before taking Montgomery s first loss in more than two weeks on September 1. The Biscuits bounced back to win their final three games to emerge with the Southern League s best regular-season record (81-59) for the first time since joining the circuit in Montgomery is not the only team entering the playoffs following a franchise first. The Huntsville Stars, who took on the Biscuits in last year s Southern League Championship Series, won both halves of a season for the first time in their 23-year history. After edging Tennessee by one game on the final day of the first half, Huntsville avoided a similar scenario by clinching on the penultimate day of the second half. The Stars second-half triumph did not come without drama, however. Entering the final four games of the season, only 1 1/2 games separated Huntsville, Tennessee and the Chattanooga Lookouts. The one-half game difference between the Stars and Smokies was the result of Huntsville s regular-season home finale ultimately being canceled due to rain on August 29. All three teams in the hunt for the North Division s second-half title won on both August 31 and September 1, leaving Chattanooga s playoff hopes hanging by a thread. The Lookouts fought valiantly on the final Sunday of the regular season, scoring five times in the ninth inning for a 10-8 victory at West Tenn. However, they were eliminated upon Huntsville s 7-3 triumph at Birmingham later that afternoon. Brendan Katin hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning to give Huntsville a seven-run lead. It was the league-leading 24th blast of the season for Katin, who also topped the circuit with 94 RBI.

3 POSTSEASON PREVIEW Brendan Katin led the Southern League with 24 homers and 94 RBI this season. Huntsville this year. Tennessee s postseason roster did get a boost from the addition of Eric Patterson, who was a postseason All-Star in the Southern League last year. Patterson, who made his major league debut on August 6, batted.297 with 14 homers, 65 RBI and 24 stolen bases with Triple-A Iowa this season. He also ranked fourth in the Pacific Coast League with 94 runs scored. Mark Holliman, who pitched a seven-inning no-hitter against Huntsville on June 21, will start the series opener for the Smokies. Holliman lost his other two starts against the Stars this year, posting a 5.54 ERA. Justin Berg is scheduled to start Game Two and former All-American wide receiver Jeff Samardzija will face the Stars for the first time in Game Three. That victory against the Barons proved to be the clincher for the Stars, as the Smokies completed the day s action with a 6-5 loss at Carolina. The Mudcats, who had lost their previous eight games, rallied for five unanswered runs to push the Smokies into a second-place tie with the Lookouts at 1 1/2 games back with one game remaining. Chattanooga, which has not won a championship in the Southern League since 1988, concluded the season riding a six-game winning streak but finished one-half game behind Huntsville. Winning the second half was the Lookouts only hope at reaching the postseason. In the event of one team winning both halves, that club s division opponent with the best overall record makes the playoffs as a wild card. Chattanooga was eliminated from wild card contention with a loss to Tennessee on August 27. Despite winning his final two regular-season starts, lefthander Donnie Veal has been dropped to fourth in Tennessee s playoff rotation. Veal was saddled with a ERA in losing all four regularseason starts against the Stars in his debut season in the Southern League. He did not last longer than three innings in either of his previous starts at Joe Davis Stadium. Scoring first could be paramount in the North Division Series, as the Smokies led the Southern League with a.778 winning percentage (49-14) after drawing first blood. The Stars ranked fourth with a.710 winning percentage (49-20) when scoring first. Both teams also proved adept at preserving leads in the final inning. Huntsville (61-0) and Tennessee (54-0) were the only two teams in the league to go undefeated when holding the lead after eight frames. Claiming the wild card with a record, the Smokies reached the playoffs for the first time since They emerged co-champions that year when when the threat of Hurricane Ivan canceled their date with Mobile in the Southern League Championship Series. Capped by a five-game sweep at Joe Davis Stadium that extended their winning streak to a franchise record-tying 12 games, the Stars won the final seven regular-season meetings with the Smokies. Overall in 2007, Huntsville won 12 of its 18 games against Tennessee while posting a staff ERA of Stars lefthanders Steve Hammond and Sam Narron combined to go 5-1 with a 1.43 ERA against the Smokies this season. Narron is slated to start the first game of the series. Tennessee s most effective hurler against Huntsville this year was Kevin Hart, who pitched 12 scoreless innings to win both starts. However, Hart was promoted to the Chicago Cubs along with outfielder Sam Fuld following the conclusion of the regular season. The Smokies also will be without several of their midseason All- Stars due to promotion. Among those is third baseman Matt Craig, who batted.322 with team highs of three homers and eight RBI vs. Montgomery (66-1) and Mississippi (54-1) ranked next in the pecking order in that category. The Braves lone loss under those circumstances came in its regular-season finale, when it surrendered four runs in the ninth inning and took a 10-9 defeat at the hands of Mobile in the 10th. It was the second time within the final week of the season that Mississippi lost a game it led by at least four runs. Although the Braves appear to be limping into the postseason, recent history points to at least one instance in which a first-half winner that flopped in the second half regrouped in time for the playoffs. In the Smokies co-championship season of 2004, they finished 19 games behind the Lookouts in the second half before defeating them in the Eastern Division Series in four games. Considered underdogs entering the 2007 postseason, Mississippi and Tennessee will attempt to prevent the same two teams from facing off in the Southern League Championship in consecutive years since the Montgomery Rebels defeated the Orlando Twins in both 1975 and The Rebels dynasty included a championship series triumph over Jacksonville in Thirty years later, the latest Southern League team to call Montgomery home, the Biscuits have designs on establishing a dynasty of their own. SOUTHERN BASES 2

4 SOUTHERN LEAGUE NOTES The Barons finished the season with three pitchers ranking in the Southern League s top five in ERA. RHP Jack Egbert finished third in the league with a 3.06 ERA, followed by All- Star LHP Gio Gonzalez (3.18) and LHP Ryan Wing (3.24). Gonzalez and Egbert concluded the season 1-2 in the league with 185 and 165 strikeouts, respectively. Gonzalez, who also topped the entire minor leagues in that category, became the first Baron to lead the Southern League in punchouts since Scott Ruffcorn struck out 141 batters in DH Cory Aldridge doubled in each of the final two games of the season to tie Mobile s Carlos Gonzalez for the Southern League lead in that category with 33. Aldridge batted.327 with 10 doubles in August after hitting just.236 through the first four months of the season.... 2B Chris Getz, who missed 2 1/2 months with a leg injury, returned to bat.290 in August. Getz connected for a three-run homer in the season finale on September 3, marking the first time he went deep since leading off both ends of a doubleheader with a home run at Mobile on April 11. The Mudcats dropped both ends of a doubleheader at Montgomery on August 28, falling to 0-8 in doubleheader games this season. It marked the first time in modern Southern League history that a team concluded the season without winning at least one doubleheader game in a minimum of six tries.... RHP Chris Volstad, considered by many to be the top pitching prospect in the Florida Marlins organization, finished the season with wins in four of his final five starts. In the season finale, Volstad allowed three runs - two earned - in five innings to outduel fellow top prospect Jeff Samardzija in a 4-3 win against Tennessee.... OF Frank Moore capped a four-run seventh-inning rally with a game-tying, two-run triple on September 2. An inning later, 2B Eric Riggs drove in the go-ahead run with a single as the Mudcats ended an eight-game skid with a 6-5 triumph. After leading the Southern League with a.395 average in August, Riggs collected four hits in September to finish the season with a team-leading.293 average overall. 1B Adam Rosales concluded the season riding a nine-game hitting streak, which began with a pair of solo homers in a 5-2 victory at Tennessee on August 26. It was Rosales second nine-game hitting streak since being promoted from Class-A Sarasota at midseason. The 24-year-old Rosales topped the Southern League with 69 total bases while tying teammate OF Danny Dorn and Birmingham s David Cook for the circuit lead with eight home runs in August. Rosales and Dorn, who spent the first four months of the season with Sarasota, accounted for half of the Lookouts home runs during August. Following a three-start stretch in which he surrendered 19 runs and 22 hits, RHP James Avery concluded the season by winning his final two starts. On August 30, Avery allowed just one run and three hits in seven innings of a 2-1 win at West Tenn. It was the ninth time in 27 starts that Avery gave up one run or fewer. Avery finished the season fifth in the Southern League with 11 wins.... RHP Johnny Cueto allowed two runs in seven innings of a 7-5 win against the Diamond Jaxx on September 3 as the Lookouts matched their season high with a sixgame winning streak. Cueto struck out 28 batters in his final three starts. After striking out as a pinch hitter on his 23rd birthday - June 29-2B Hernan Iribarren batted.374 (79- for-211) over the final 52 games of the season. Iribarren authored a torrid 12-game hitting streak from August 7-20, during which he batted.442 (23-for-52) with 10 multihit games. Iribarren, who was hitting just.256 at the end of June, finished the season seventh in the Southern League with a.307 average.... Soft-tossing LHP Lindsay Gulin finished the season tied for second in the league with 12 victories, including a 7-3 triumph that clinched a second-half title for the Stars on September 2. Gulin and RHP Mark DiFelice, who both pitched in the independent leagues last year, combined to go 18-7 with a 2.70 ERA for the Stars in The first 1,000 fans entering Joe Davis Stadium for both Game One and Game Two of the North Division Series (September 6-7) will receive a special Stars playoff pennant. In addition, the Stars will hold a Salute to the Tide and Tigers in which any fan wearing Alabama or Auburn apparel or presenting a ticket for either the Tide s game against Western Carolina or the Tigers contest against Kansas State on September 1 will receive a special 2-for-1 ticket discount. 3 SOUTHERN BASES With a victory in their season finale, the Suns would have become the first team in Southern League history to miss the postseason despite posting the circuit s best overall record. Jacksonville endured a 13- inning loss to Montgomery on September 3, falling one game behind the Biscuits in the overall standings.... A minor consolation to being eliminated from playoff contention on August 31, the Suns fanned seven batters that night to break their own league record for most strikeouts in a season. LHP Clayton Kershaw s third-inning strikeout of Reid Brignac was Jacksonville s 1,145th of the season, topping the team s previous mark of 1,144 established in Overall, the Suns pitching staff racked up 1,188 strikeouts, along with a league-leading 575 walks, in OF Anthony Raglani topped the Southern League with 85 walks and tied for third in the circuit with 21 home runs. Raglani s previous career highs were 60 walks and 19 homers, both established while playing for Class-A Vero Beach in C Alberto Concepcion concluded the season riding a modest five-game hitting streak, during which he recorded six hits. He had managed just six hits in his previous 15 games, batting.118 (6-for-51) with 17 strikeouts.

5 SOUTHERN LEAGUE NOTES The Braves finished the season with a league-leading 159 stolen bases, 86 more than they recorded last year. OF Carl Loadenthal led the way with 40, followed by SS Diory Hernandez (22) and 2B J.C. Holt (20). Holt hit safely in each of his final seven regular-season games to raise his average to.312, which ranked third in the league. Hernandez (.307) and Loadenthal (.300) also finished the season within the league s top 10 in batting average.... After OF Brandon Jones was promoted to Triple-A Richmond on July 20, Mississippi managed just 11 home runs in its final 41 games. The Braves had 73 homers in their first 98 contests.... In his final four starts of the season, RHP Ryan Baerlocher went 2-0 with a 1.52 ERA. Baerlocher came within one out of pitching Mississippi s first complete game of the season on August 21, allowing one run and four hits in a 3-1 win at Jacksonville. There will be a Friday Night Fireworks Extravaganza following Game Two of the South Division Series on September 7. 2B Josh Asanovich batted.364 (24-for-66) in his final 18 games of the season, raising his overall average from.218 to.242. Asanovich assembled an 11-game hitting streak from August and concluded the campaign riding a six-game streak. Asanovich s hot hitting could carry into the postseason, as he hit safely in nine of 10 games at Trustmark Park during the regular season.... Beginning with a six-hit shutout against Mobile on June 22, LHP Mike Prochaska went 5-0 with a 1.39 ERA and two complete games in his final seven regular-season starts for the Biscuits. All-Star 2B Emilio Bonifacio finished the season with a Southern Leagueleading 41 stolen bases, edging Mississippi s Carl Loadenthal by one. Bonifacio became the first BayBear to lead the league in that category since Bernie Castro swiped 53 bases in Bonifacio, who was named the 2007 BayBears Most Popular Player, also led the league with 157 hits. Two days after being promoted to the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 1, Bonifacio walked as a pinch hitter in his first major league plate appearance.... RHP Esmerling Vasquez put together a personal eight-game winning streak before losing his final two starts of the season. The 23-year-old Vasquez ended the season ranked second in the Southern League with a 2.99 ERA and third with 151 strikeouts. His 10 wins in 2007 equaled his total from 2005 and 2006 combined.... OF Chris Rahl concluded his season on a high note, scoring the go-ahead run in the 10th inning as the BayBears posted a thrilling come-from-behind 10-9 victory at Mississippi. Rahl s single leading off the 10th was his fifth hit of the game for Mobile, which trailed by six runs after four innings. OF Aaron Cunningham highlighted a five-run fifth inning with a three-run homer. After ranking in the middle of the pack with 549 runs scored in 2006, the Biscuits topped the Southern League with 695 runs this season. Montgomery also led the circuit with 1,284 hits, 164 more than it accumulated last year.... 1B Chris Nowak collected at least two hits in each of his final eight games against Jacksonville in 2007, batting.447 (17-for- 38) with three homers and 14 RBI over that span. In the opener of a five-game series on August 31, Nowak drove in four runs with a homer and a triple. 3B Kyle Reynolds collected 12 RBI in his final 26 at-bats of the regular season, giving him 35 RBI in as many games following a promotion from advanced Class-A Daytona. Reynolds did not record his 35th RBI in the Florida State League this year until his 61st game.... OF Jorge Cortes hit a three-run homer in the third inning against Chattanooga on August 25. It was just the second home run of the season and first since May 10 for Cortes, who had connected for 25 homers over the previous three seasons.... The Smokies endured a season-high six-game losing streak from August but rebounded to win five of their next six games. LHP Donnie Veal was credited with the first and last win of that spurt, completing the regular season with a 1.93 ERA in his final four starts.... Despite not having an individual qualifier in the top 10, Tennessee posted the Southern League s highest team batting average in The Smokies.271 average was just.0004 better than Mobile s mark. Tennessee s solid average helped offset a pitching staff that led the circuit with 131 home runs allowed. LHP Paul Schappert tied for the league lead by surrendering 19 blasts in just 76 2/3 innings. Schappert was sent to Daytona after going 0-4 with a ERA in July. The Diamond Jaxx matched a Southern League record by striking out 22 batters in a 13-inning, 6-4 loss to Chattanooga on August 31. RHP Andy Baldwin recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts through the first seven innings but left trailing, 2-1. West Tenn tied the score on a passed ball in the eighth inning, ultimately forcing extras. RHP Chris Jakubauskas struck out eight batters in the final four innings but surrendered four runs in the 13th to take the loss. The last time 22 strikeouts were recorded by one team in a game was on April 16, 1992, when both Knoxville and Birmingham did it in a 17-inning affair. Baldwin tied for third in the Southern League with 34 strikeouts in August.... The Diamond Jaxx were swept by the Lookouts in a five-game series at Pringles Park to conclude the season tied with the Birmingham Barons for the league s worst home record (31-39). It marked the first time West Tenn posted a losing record at home since joining the league in OF Charlton Jimerson, who led the team with 23 home runs and 30 stolen bases despite playing in just 82 games in the Southern League, was promoted to the Seattle Mariners on September 1. In his first at-bat in the American League, Jimerson connected for a pinch-hit single at Yankee Stadium on September 4. SOUTHERN BASES 4

6 WEEKLY AWARDS SOUTHERN LEAGUE HITTER AND PITCHER OF THE WEEK AUGUST 13-19, 2007 HITTER OF THE WEEK MARSHALL HUBBARD ~ WEST TENN DIAMOND JAXX With seven of his nine hits going for extra bases during the week, first baseman Marshall Hubbard led the Southern League with a slugging percentage and helped West Tenn win a five-game series against North Division-leading Huntsville. The 25-year-old Hubbard tripled and drove in three runs to lead the Diamond Jaxx to a 7-3 victory on August 15. After belting a solo home run the following evening, Hubbard doubled and homered to power West Tenn to a 4-2 triumph on August 17. It was the fourth consecutive two-hit game for Hubbard, who scored what proved to be the deciding run in the fourth inning. On August 18, Hubbard ripped an RBI double during a three-run third inning as the Diamond Jaxx prevailed in the series rubber match, 7-5. It was the seventh straight game with an extra-base hit for the resident of Ashland, VA. Hubbard tied for second in the Southern League with 24 RBI and 65 total bases during August. AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB Hubbard PITCHER OF THE WEEK JAKE McGEE ~ MONTGOMERY BISCUITS Three days after his 21st birthday, lefthander Jake McGee appeared overwhelmed in his Double- A debut. However, his ensuing start on August 15 left little doubt that he could handle pitching in the Southern League. Six days removed from giving up four runs and issuing a Biscuits recordtying six walks in just two innings, McGee allowed just one hit and two walks in 6 1/3 innings of a 7-0 win against the Jacksonville Suns. McGee retired the first 14 batters before a two-out walk in the fifth inning spoiled his bid for perfection. After surrendering a single to the next batter, the native of Sparks, NV set down five straight batters until a one-out walk in the seventh inning ended his evening. McGee recorded seven strikeouts, including four in a row at one point, during the outing. Including his four months at Class-A Vero Beach, McGee allowed two hits or fewer in six of his first 23 starts of the season. W-L SV ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR McGee SOUTHERN BASES

7 WEEKLY AWARDS SOUTHERN LEAGUE HITTER AND PITCHER OF THE WEEK AUGUST 20-26, 2007 HITTER OF THE WEEK GABRIEL MARTINEZ ~ MONTGOMERY BISCUITS A key to the Biscuits rattling off eight straight victories, first baseman Gabriel Martinez paced the Southern League with 13 hits during the week to extend his hitting streak to eight games. The 24- year-old Martinez collected four hits, including a pair of homers, and four RBI as Montgomery rallied from a three-run deficit to post a 7-3 victory at Birmingham on August 21. That victory, combined with a loss by Jacksonville, moved Montgomery into a tie for first place in the South Division. On August 24, Martinez produced his fourth consecutive multi-hit game as the Biscuits moved into sole possession of first place with a 10-5 victory over the Barons. His RBI single capped a six-run rally in the top of the ninth inning, helping Montgomery complete its first five-game series sweep in exactly a year. A resident of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, Martinez ignited a four-run, seventhinning uprising with a one-out single. That rally paved the way for Montgomery's eighth straight triumph, a 4-0 win against Carolina on Sunday. AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB Martinez PITCHER OF THE WEEK CLAYTON KERSHAW ~ JACKSONVILLE SUNS Lefthander Clayton Kershaw offered a glimpse of his tremendous promise during the week, allowing just four hits and striking out 18 batters in 13 innings. The 19-year-old Kershaw recorded his first win at the Double-A level on August 20, allowing just two hits in six innings of a 3-0 victory against Mississippi. The native of Dallas, TX recorded eight strikeouts and retired nine of the final 10 batters he faced. The momentum carried into Kershaw's next start, as he carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning at Mobile on August 25. A one-out double in the seventh spoiled the no-hit bid, and an RBI single by the next batter broke up the shutout before Kershaw completed his outing with back-to-back strikeouts. They were the ninth and 10th strikeouts of the night for Kershaw, who departed with a two-run lead that the bullpen was unable to preserve in a 4-3 setback. The seventh player taken in the 2006 draft, Kershaw went 1-1 with a 2.95 ERA in his first four starts following a promotion from Class-A Great Lakes. W-L SV ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR Kershaw SOUTHERN BASES 6

8 WEEKLY AWARDS SOUTHERN LEAGUE HITTER AND PITCHER OF THE WEEK AUGUST 27-SEPTEMBER 3, 2007 HITTER OF THE WEEK A.J. ELLIS ~ JACKSONVILLE SUNS Catcher A.J. Ellis did his best to help the Suns reach the postseason for a third consecutive season, belting four home runs and nine RBI in his final seven games of It was the second weekly honor of the season for Ellis, who also received the award for his efforts during the final week of the first half. The 26-year-old Ellis went 4-for-4 with a game-tying two-run homer in the fifth inning on August 27, but Mobile scored 10 runs in the bottom of the frame en route to a 15-7 victory. Two nights later, Ellis connected for a three-run homer in the 10th inning to lead the Suns to an 8-6 victory in the series finale against the BayBears. Ellis collected three hits in the opener of a five-game series against the Montgomery Biscuits on Friday, but the Suns were dealt a 6-3 setback that eliminated them from playoff contention. With Jacksonville needing a victory on Monday to finish the 2007 season with the Southern League's best record, Ellis produced a double and a solo home run. However, the Suns completed their season with a 7-3 defeat in 13 innings as the Biscuits claimed the league's best record. A native of Lexington, KY, Ellis hit seven homers in his final 19 games of 2007 after managing just one in his previous 90 contests. AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB Ellis PITCHER OF THE WEEK CARLOS TORRES ~ BIRMINGHAM BARONS Righthander Carlos Torres provided tremendous middle relief for the Barons during the final eight days of the season, pitching 7 2/3 scoreless innings and striking out more than half of the 26 batters he faced. Summoned from the bullpen with two runners on base and no outs in the fifth inning at Mississippi on August 27, Torres recorded a strikeout and induced an inning-ending double play to preserve a two-run lead. The 24-year-old Torres then struck out the side in order in the sixth inning and emerged the winning pitcher in Birmingham's 8-4 triumph. With Birmingham trailing by four runs after three innings two nights later, Torres sparked a momentum swing by striking out four batters in two scoreless frames. The Barons scored five unanswered runs thereafter in a 6-5 victory. A resident of Manhattan, KS, Torres concluded his season by allowing just one hit and fanning four more batters in three scoreless innings against Huntsville on September 2. W-L SV ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR Torres SOUTHERN BASES

9 PLAYER OF THE MONTH JOHN JASO - MONTGOMERY BISCUITS Montgomery Biscuits catcher John Jaso has been named the Topps Player of the Month for August, 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. Jaso's efforts both at the plate and behind it helped boost the Biscuits to the league's best record during August (20-7) and into the playoffs for the second straight season. The 23- year-old Jaso ranked fourth in the Southern League with a.378 average and handled a pitching staff that topped the circuit with a 3.58 ERA during the month. He also produced a.449 on-base percentage in August, accumulating more walks (14) than strikeouts (10). Rebounding from a frustrating July in which he ranked fourth from the bottom in the Southern League with a.169 average, Jaso opened August with two hits at Tennessee and began an 11-game hitting streak two days later. Amid the hitting streak, Jaso reached base safely in seven consecutive plate appearances from August 4-6. He went 3-for-3 with a home run, a pair of walks and a season-high four runs scored in an 11-8 victory against the Smokies on August 5. A resident of McKinleyville, CA, Jaso homered on consecutive days against Jacksonville before completing his hitting streak on August 16. Two days later marked the beginning of both a new hitting streak for Jaso and a franchise-record 12-game winning streak for the Biscuits. Jaso ignited a six-run second inning with a leadoff single as the Biscuits cruised to a 12-2 victory against the Suns on August 18. It was the first of seven consecutive games with at least one hit and one run scored for Jaso, who scored eight times and drove in 10 runs during that stretch. On August 31, Jaso scored what proved to be the deciding run in a 6-3 victory at Jacksonville that clinched a second consecutive second-half title in the South Division for the Biscuits. It also completed Montgomery's 12-game winning streak, which was tied for the longest in the league this season. Selected as both a midseason and postseason All-Star, Jaso finished the campaign second in the Southern League with a.316 average and third with a.408 on-base percentage. He also established career highs with 62 runs scored and 71 RBI in AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB Jaso SOUTHERN BASES 8

10 FANS IN ACTION The winner of a Southern League cap and shirt will be revealed in the final Southern Bases edition to be released following the conclusion of the Southern League Championship Series. Those eligible had submitted photos that appeared on the final page of Southern Bases throughout the season. The price for a 2007 Southern League Top Prospect Sets has been slashed! Please visit the SL Souvenir Stand at to order yours today! TRIVIA QUESTION On August 30, Evan Longoria became the second member of the Montgomery Biscuits to receive Southern League Most Valuable Player honors since the franchise entered the circuit in Who was the only member of the Montgomery Rebels to emerge Southern League MVP during that team s 16-year tenure? ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writer, Managing Editor and Graphic Designer Joe Barbieri Editor Lori Webb Photo credits marvin Gentry (Cover), Tom Priddy (Page 2) Southern Bases would like to thank the following people for their assistance: J. Colter McElree (Chicago White Sox), Bryan Neece (Huntsville Stars), Kirk Goodman (Jacksonville Suns), Nick Skinner (Mississippi Braves), Jesse Goldberg-Strassler (Montgomery Biscuits) and Jon Zeitz (Tennessee Smokies). 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. TRIVIA ANSWER Shortstop Alan Trammell claimed Southern League MVP honors in 1977 after hitting.291 with a league-record 19 triples. Trammell, who currently serves as bench coach for the Chicago Cubs, went on to bat.285 with over 1,000 RBI in nearly 2,300 games with the Detroit Tigers. A five-time American League All-Star, Trammell was named World Series MVP in 1984 after the Tigers defeated the San Diego Padres in five games. SOUTHERN BASES 9