ryno4ever
Apr 3rd 2007, 8:02 pm
Jonathan Paplebon's brother? I remember not too long ago the Chiefs had a little brother of big leaguer Corey Patterson (Eric Patterson).... How awesome! I can't wait! I'll be spending a lot of time in Peoria this summer!
Chiefs Announce 2007 Roster
04/01/2007 9:52 PM
PEORIA, IL — The Chicago Cubs have announced the 25 players who will comprise Manager Ryne Sandberg’s 2007 Opening Day roster for the Peoria Chiefs . Former #1 draft pick Mark Pawelek joins the Chiefs along with prospects Jeremy Papelbon, Jared Lansford and Jose Ceda. Among the returning Chiefs are outfielder Yusuf Carter, infielders Dylan Johnston and Jonathon Mota and catcher Blake Lalli.
The 2006 Opening Day roster will include five players who saw action with the Chiefs last season plus one player who played in Peoria in 2005. Just five players on the roster were drafted by the Cubs in the June 2006 draft while three were drafted in 2005 and two were acquired via trade in the last eight months. Eight of the players are from Latin America while one was born in .
The infield should be among the strongest in the Midwest League in 2007. Russ Canzler anchors first base while Matt Camp will start at second. Jared Lansford mans the hot corner while returnee Dylan Johnston plays shortstop and utility infielder Jonathon Mota rounds out the infield.
Canzler set a Boise Hawks record in 2006 by crushing 16 home runs while also knocking in 61 runs with 21 doubles. He was drafted in the 30th round in 2004 out of Hazelton Area High School in Pennsylvania and spent the 2004 and 2005 seasons in Mesa .
Camp is just learning to play second base after spending last season as an outfielder in Boise . He led the Northwest League in hits in 2006 and batted .289 at the top of the order. A 13th Round pick in 2006, Matt was an All-ACC selection at North Carolina State .
Johnston returns to the Chiefs after missing the last two months of the 2006 season with an injured ankle. In 58 games with the Chiefs, Dylan batted .200 and scored 22 runs. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2005 draft out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona .
Lansford hit .255 with five homers and 35 RBI last season in Boise . He was drafted in the 6th round last June out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. His father Carney played the hot corner for 15 seasons with California , Boston and Oakland winning the AL batting title in 1981 and the World Series in 1989. His uncle Jody spent two seasons with the Padres and another uncle played in the minors.
Mota played for the Chiefs in the first half and batted .275 in 33 games. He finished the season at High-A Daytona where he hit .247 in 55 games. A Venezuelan native, Mota was signed in 2003.
The outfield features three players who have worn the Chiefs uniform before along with two newcomers. Yusuf Carter, Valerio Heredia and Alfred Joseph have all spent time in Peoria while DJ Lewis and Andrew Lopez are first time Chiefs.
Carter, a 12th round pick in 2005, hit .210 with 12 homers and 54 RBI in 78 games with the Chiefs last year. A recent convert from behind the plate, Carter will likely start the season in right field and in the middle of the lineup.
Heredia joined the Chiefs in late August 2006 and played in 10 games and the playoffs. In 10 games the speedster stole 10 bases. A Dominican native, Heredia spent the offseason transitioning from second base to centerfield.
Jospeh spent two weeks in the Chiefs outfield in 2005 when Ryan Harvey was on the DL. Last season, Alfred hit .306 in 67 games with Boise . He was drafted in the 15th round in 2004 out of Moody High School in Texas.
Lewis spent all last season in Boise where he hit .257 with five homers and 15 doubles. He hit .322 in 2005 with Mesa after being drafted out of Los Angeles Valley College in the 25th round of the 2005 draft.
Lopez is a newcomer to the Cubs organization after being acquired in a February trade from Tampa Bay . He spent the last two seasons playing for Princeton in the South Atlantic League and has a career .282 Minor League average.
The Chiefs start the season with three catchers Matt Canepa, Blake Lalli and Wellington Castillo. Canepa was behind the plate for Boise last season and hit .223 in 45 games. He was selected in the 15th round of last June’s draft and is one of three players on the Chiefs roster out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Lalli joined the Chiefs for the second half of the 2006 season and hit .191 with three doubles in 22 games. The left handed hitter was signed as a free agent in 2006 out of Gardner Webb University .
Castillo played in just 10 games last season split between Mesa and Boise . A Dominican native, Wellington begins the season at the young age of 19.
The Opening Day roster consists of 12 pitchers although not all five starters are set in stone. Jose Ceda, Rafael Dolis, Billy Muldowney, Mark Pawelek, Jose Pina, Julio Castillo and Marco Carrillo are all in the mix to start games and Al Albuquerque could also be in the rotation.
Ceda will likely start the Chiefs’ season opener in Wisconsin on Thursday and throws as hard as 97 MPH. He started last season in the Arizona League playing for the Padres organization before he was acquired in exchange for Todd Walker in July. He was 1-0 in eight starts in the Cubs organization split between Mesa and Boise . A Dominican native, Ceda will not turn 20 until November.
Dolis is another youngster from the Dominican making his full season debut with Peoria this season. He turned 20 in January and is another hard thrower at the front of the Chiefs rotation. Dolis made three starts in 13 appearances for Mesa last season and was 0-2.
Muldowney was 1-3 with a 2.68 ERA in 11 games and eight starts last season with Boise in the Northwest League. In 43 2/3 innings he struck out 42 batters and walked just 11. An 8th round pick last June, Muldowney was the first pitcher drafted out of the University of Pittsburgh in the first eight rounds in the last 25 years.
Pawelek was the Cubs #1 pick in the 2005 draft out of Springville High School in Utah . He made his pro debut in the Arizona League in 2005 and made one start in Boise that season. The left-hander spent the entire 2006 season in Boise and has a career record of 3-8 with a 2.52 ERA in 30 games.
Pina also spent the entire 2006 season with Boise making 14 starts and throwing 64 2/3 innings. Over the last two seasons in Mesa and Boise , the 21 year old right-hander is 3-10 with a 4.67 ERA.
Castillo is yet another hard-throwing teenager on the Chiefs pitching staff. He made just three starts in 15 appearances for Mesa in 2006 going 2-6 with an 8.73 ERA.
Carrillo finished the 2006 season with the Chiefs making one start and throwing three innings in August. Before heading to Peoria , the Mexican native was 4-0 with an 1.73 ERA in 13 games for Mesa . He led Mesa in games, wins and was second in strikeouts last season.
After missing the entire 2005 season due to injury, Albuquerque made five starts in eight appearances last season for Mesa . He struck out 15 batters in 12 2/3 innings and was 0-2. A 20-year old Dominican native, Albuquerque was 4-1 with a 1.57 ERA in 13 games in 2004 in the Dominican Summer League.
The bullpen will consist of three pitchers from the above list along with Alessandro Maestri, Jeremy Papelbon, Jayson Ruhlman and closer Rocky Roquet.
Maestri is the first Italian born player to sign a professional baseball contract and also pitched for in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. In 22 games last season in Boise , Maestri went 4-3 with a 3.80 ERA and he struck out 35 batters while walking just 13.
Papelbon, a left-hander, comes from a baseball-rich family and is one of the top prospects on the Chiefs Opening Day roster. His older brother Jonathan is an All-Star closer with the Boston Red Sox and his twin brother Josh pitches in the Red Sox minor league system. Last season, Jeremy was a NWL All-Star going 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA in 18 games after being drafted in the 19th round last year out of the University of North Florida.
Ruhlman, another left-hander, spent the entire 2006 season in the Boise bullpen going 3-1 with a 3.79 ERA in 20 appearances. He was drafted in the 23rd round in 2005 out of Central Michigan University.
Roquet is the third member of the Chiefs roster to play college baseball at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The right-hander recorded three saves in 19 appearances for Boise in 2006 and struck out 31 batters while walking just five in 19 2/3 innings.
The Chiefs players and coaches are expected to arrive from Mesa, Arizona on Monday April 2nd and will practice at O'Brien Field on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The first game in against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Thursday April 5th at 6:35 PM with live streaming audio available through Minor League Baseball via www.peoriachiefs.com. The Chiefs regular season home opener is scheduled for Friday April 13th at 6:30 pm against the Burlington Bees. For more information about the Peoria Chiefs or O’Brien Field or to see the complete 2007 schedule, visit the team website at www.peoriachiefs.com.
Chiefs Announce 2007 Roster
04/01/2007 9:52 PM
PEORIA, IL — The Chicago Cubs have announced the 25 players who will comprise Manager Ryne Sandberg’s 2007 Opening Day roster for the Peoria Chiefs . Former #1 draft pick Mark Pawelek joins the Chiefs along with prospects Jeremy Papelbon, Jared Lansford and Jose Ceda. Among the returning Chiefs are outfielder Yusuf Carter, infielders Dylan Johnston and Jonathon Mota and catcher Blake Lalli.
The 2006 Opening Day roster will include five players who saw action with the Chiefs last season plus one player who played in Peoria in 2005. Just five players on the roster were drafted by the Cubs in the June 2006 draft while three were drafted in 2005 and two were acquired via trade in the last eight months. Eight of the players are from Latin America while one was born in .
The infield should be among the strongest in the Midwest League in 2007. Russ Canzler anchors first base while Matt Camp will start at second. Jared Lansford mans the hot corner while returnee Dylan Johnston plays shortstop and utility infielder Jonathon Mota rounds out the infield.
Canzler set a Boise Hawks record in 2006 by crushing 16 home runs while also knocking in 61 runs with 21 doubles. He was drafted in the 30th round in 2004 out of Hazelton Area High School in Pennsylvania and spent the 2004 and 2005 seasons in Mesa .
Camp is just learning to play second base after spending last season as an outfielder in Boise . He led the Northwest League in hits in 2006 and batted .289 at the top of the order. A 13th Round pick in 2006, Matt was an All-ACC selection at North Carolina State .
Johnston returns to the Chiefs after missing the last two months of the 2006 season with an injured ankle. In 58 games with the Chiefs, Dylan batted .200 and scored 22 runs. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2005 draft out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona .
Lansford hit .255 with five homers and 35 RBI last season in Boise . He was drafted in the 6th round last June out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. His father Carney played the hot corner for 15 seasons with California , Boston and Oakland winning the AL batting title in 1981 and the World Series in 1989. His uncle Jody spent two seasons with the Padres and another uncle played in the minors.
Mota played for the Chiefs in the first half and batted .275 in 33 games. He finished the season at High-A Daytona where he hit .247 in 55 games. A Venezuelan native, Mota was signed in 2003.
The outfield features three players who have worn the Chiefs uniform before along with two newcomers. Yusuf Carter, Valerio Heredia and Alfred Joseph have all spent time in Peoria while DJ Lewis and Andrew Lopez are first time Chiefs.
Carter, a 12th round pick in 2005, hit .210 with 12 homers and 54 RBI in 78 games with the Chiefs last year. A recent convert from behind the plate, Carter will likely start the season in right field and in the middle of the lineup.
Heredia joined the Chiefs in late August 2006 and played in 10 games and the playoffs. In 10 games the speedster stole 10 bases. A Dominican native, Heredia spent the offseason transitioning from second base to centerfield.
Jospeh spent two weeks in the Chiefs outfield in 2005 when Ryan Harvey was on the DL. Last season, Alfred hit .306 in 67 games with Boise . He was drafted in the 15th round in 2004 out of Moody High School in Texas.
Lewis spent all last season in Boise where he hit .257 with five homers and 15 doubles. He hit .322 in 2005 with Mesa after being drafted out of Los Angeles Valley College in the 25th round of the 2005 draft.
Lopez is a newcomer to the Cubs organization after being acquired in a February trade from Tampa Bay . He spent the last two seasons playing for Princeton in the South Atlantic League and has a career .282 Minor League average.
The Chiefs start the season with three catchers Matt Canepa, Blake Lalli and Wellington Castillo. Canepa was behind the plate for Boise last season and hit .223 in 45 games. He was selected in the 15th round of last June’s draft and is one of three players on the Chiefs roster out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Lalli joined the Chiefs for the second half of the 2006 season and hit .191 with three doubles in 22 games. The left handed hitter was signed as a free agent in 2006 out of Gardner Webb University .
Castillo played in just 10 games last season split between Mesa and Boise . A Dominican native, Wellington begins the season at the young age of 19.
The Opening Day roster consists of 12 pitchers although not all five starters are set in stone. Jose Ceda, Rafael Dolis, Billy Muldowney, Mark Pawelek, Jose Pina, Julio Castillo and Marco Carrillo are all in the mix to start games and Al Albuquerque could also be in the rotation.
Ceda will likely start the Chiefs’ season opener in Wisconsin on Thursday and throws as hard as 97 MPH. He started last season in the Arizona League playing for the Padres organization before he was acquired in exchange for Todd Walker in July. He was 1-0 in eight starts in the Cubs organization split between Mesa and Boise . A Dominican native, Ceda will not turn 20 until November.
Dolis is another youngster from the Dominican making his full season debut with Peoria this season. He turned 20 in January and is another hard thrower at the front of the Chiefs rotation. Dolis made three starts in 13 appearances for Mesa last season and was 0-2.
Muldowney was 1-3 with a 2.68 ERA in 11 games and eight starts last season with Boise in the Northwest League. In 43 2/3 innings he struck out 42 batters and walked just 11. An 8th round pick last June, Muldowney was the first pitcher drafted out of the University of Pittsburgh in the first eight rounds in the last 25 years.
Pawelek was the Cubs #1 pick in the 2005 draft out of Springville High School in Utah . He made his pro debut in the Arizona League in 2005 and made one start in Boise that season. The left-hander spent the entire 2006 season in Boise and has a career record of 3-8 with a 2.52 ERA in 30 games.
Pina also spent the entire 2006 season with Boise making 14 starts and throwing 64 2/3 innings. Over the last two seasons in Mesa and Boise , the 21 year old right-hander is 3-10 with a 4.67 ERA.
Castillo is yet another hard-throwing teenager on the Chiefs pitching staff. He made just three starts in 15 appearances for Mesa in 2006 going 2-6 with an 8.73 ERA.
Carrillo finished the 2006 season with the Chiefs making one start and throwing three innings in August. Before heading to Peoria , the Mexican native was 4-0 with an 1.73 ERA in 13 games for Mesa . He led Mesa in games, wins and was second in strikeouts last season.
After missing the entire 2005 season due to injury, Albuquerque made five starts in eight appearances last season for Mesa . He struck out 15 batters in 12 2/3 innings and was 0-2. A 20-year old Dominican native, Albuquerque was 4-1 with a 1.57 ERA in 13 games in 2004 in the Dominican Summer League.
The bullpen will consist of three pitchers from the above list along with Alessandro Maestri, Jeremy Papelbon, Jayson Ruhlman and closer Rocky Roquet.
Maestri is the first Italian born player to sign a professional baseball contract and also pitched for in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. In 22 games last season in Boise , Maestri went 4-3 with a 3.80 ERA and he struck out 35 batters while walking just 13.
Papelbon, a left-hander, comes from a baseball-rich family and is one of the top prospects on the Chiefs Opening Day roster. His older brother Jonathan is an All-Star closer with the Boston Red Sox and his twin brother Josh pitches in the Red Sox minor league system. Last season, Jeremy was a NWL All-Star going 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA in 18 games after being drafted in the 19th round last year out of the University of North Florida.
Ruhlman, another left-hander, spent the entire 2006 season in the Boise bullpen going 3-1 with a 3.79 ERA in 20 appearances. He was drafted in the 23rd round in 2005 out of Central Michigan University.
Roquet is the third member of the Chiefs roster to play college baseball at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The right-hander recorded three saves in 19 appearances for Boise in 2006 and struck out 31 batters while walking just five in 19 2/3 innings.
The Chiefs players and coaches are expected to arrive from Mesa, Arizona on Monday April 2nd and will practice at O'Brien Field on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The first game in against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Thursday April 5th at 6:35 PM with live streaming audio available through Minor League Baseball via www.peoriachiefs.com. The Chiefs regular season home opener is scheduled for Friday April 13th at 6:30 pm against the Burlington Bees. For more information about the Peoria Chiefs or O’Brien Field or to see the complete 2007 schedule, visit the team website at www.peoriachiefs.com.