One Third Of The Topps Double-A All-Star Team Is Made Up Of Montgomery Biscuits

MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com – ST. PETERSBURG, FL— The Following is the amended version of the Topps Double-A All-Star Team release with the following correction. Gio Gonzlaez was originally drafted by the White Sox, then traded to the Phillies and then re-acquired by Chicago. One third of the Topps’ Double-A All-Star Team is made up of Montgomery Biscuits. Tampa Bay farmhands Evan Longoria, John Jaso, Chris Mason and Dale Thayer are the quartet of Biscuits named to the 12-man all-star team. The best performances in all Minor League

Baseball classifications are again being honored by the Topps Company of New York, NY, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball.

Jordan Brown (23) of Vacaville, CA, led the Double-A classification in batting average (.333) while playing for the Akron Aeros. The first baseman was voted the league’s Rookie of the Year and its Most Valuable Player (MVP). Brown was named the Topps Carolina League Player of the Year in 2006. The Cleveland Indians selected him in the fourth round out of the University of Arizona in 2005.

German Duran (23) of Ft. Worth, TX, ranked among the top five in the Texas League (TL) in batting average, homers, RBIs, hits, slugging percentage and extra base hits. The Frisco RoughRiders second baseman was drafted in the sixth round in 2005 by the Texas Rangers out of Weatherford (TX) College.

Evan Longoria (22) of Downey, CA, continues to impress the Tampa Bay Rays, who selected him

with the third overall pick out of Long Beach State University in 2006. The third baseman was among the

top five leaders in six offensive categories in the Southern League (SL). Longoria was named the Topps

SL May Player of the Month on his way to claiming MVP honors in the league.

Asdrubal Cabrera (22) of Anzoategui, Venezuela, played in 96 games for the Akron Aeros before the

Cleveland Indians promoted him to Triple-A. After just nine games in Triple-A, Cabrera was brought up

to Cleveland, where he became an integral part of the team as it won its division and advanced to the AL

Championship Series. Cabrera was acquired in a 2006 trade with Seattle, who had originally signed him

as a free agent in 2002.

John Bowker (24) of Sacramento, CA, led the EL in total bases (273) and finished among the top five

in the circuit in extra-base hits, hits, RBIs, doubles and slugging percentage for the Connecticut

Defenders. The outfielder’s .307 batting average was eighth best in the EL. The San Francisco Giants

tabbed Bowker in the third round in 2004 out of Long Beach State University.

Colby Rasmus (21) of Phenix City, AL, hit 29 homers for the Springfield Cardinals to lead all Double-

A players in that category. He also led the Texas League in runs (93) and extra-base hits (69), while

ranking second in total bases and slugging percentage. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Rasmus in the

first round (28^th overall) out of Russell County (AL) H.S. in 2005.

Justin Upton (20) of Chesapeake, VA, began his season in Class A and ended it in the Major Leagues

with the Arizona Diamondbacks. In between, the #1 overall pick in the 2005 draft out of Great Bridge

(VA) H.S. starred for the Mobile BayBears in the SL. Upton hit four homers in his first three games for

Mobile on his way to being named to the mid-season and end of year All-Star teams in the league,

despite only playing in 71 SL games.

(more)

John Jaso (24) of McKinleyville, CA, hit .316 for the Montgomery Biscuits, tops among all Double-A

catchers and second best in the SL. He also drew 59 walks resulting in a .408 on-base percentage, third

best in the league. The Tampa Bay Rays selected Jaso, the August Topps Player of the month in the

SL, in the 12^th round in 2003 out of Southwestern (CA) College.

Christian Colonel (25) of Pocatello, ID, smacked a Double-A leading 163 hits and 47 doubles while

playing for the Tulsa Drillers. After a slow April (.221) Colonel didn’t hit below .303 in any month for the

rest of the season. The Colorado Rockies picked him in the fifth round out of Texas Tech in 2003.

Chris Mason (23) of Gastonia, NC, won the Double-A prize of the Most Spectacular Pitcher Award,

sponsored by VYTORIN® (ezetimibe/simvastatin), for having the lowest earned run average (2.54) in the

classification. His 15 wins for the Montgomery Biscuits tied for the third most in Minor League Baseball

and also earned him the SL Pitcher of the Year Award. The Tampa Bay Rays grabbed Mason in the

second round in 2005 out of UNC Greensboro.

Gio Gonzalez (22) of Hialeah, FL, struck out a Minor League-leading 185 batters in 150.0 innings for

the Birmingham Barons. Gonzalez’s 3.18 ERA led all Double-A southpaws. The Chicago White Sox

re-acquired Gonzalez in a trade with Philadelphia last December. The White Sox originally drafted him

with a sandwich pick (#38 overall) in 2004 out of Monsignor Pace (FL) H.S. and then traded him to the

Phillies in 2005.

Dale Thayer (26) of Huntington Beach, CA, led the Southern League with 21 saves. The

Montgomery Biscuits reliever won nine games and held batters to a .187 average, third-best among

relief pitchers in Double-A. The Tampa Bay Rays traded for Thayer with San Diego, who originally

signed him as a free agent, in September, 2006.

2007 TOPPS/MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL DOUBLE-A ALL-STAR TEAM

POSITION PLAYER CLUB/LEAGUE AFFILIATE AVG. HR RBI

First Base Jordan Brown Akron/EL Cleveland .333 11 76

Second Base German Duran Frisco/TL Texas .300 22 84

Third Base Evan Longoria Montgomery/SL Tampa Bay .307 21 76

Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera Akron/EL Cleveland .310 8 54

Outfield John Bowker Connecticut/EL San Francisco .307 22 90

Outfield Colby Rasmus Springfield/TL St. Louis .275 29 72

Outfield Justin Upton Mobile/SL Arizona .309 13 53

Catcher John Jaso Montgomery/SL Tampa Bay .316 12 71

Des. Hitter Christian Colonel Tulsa/TL Colorado .309 17 84

W L ERA

RH Pitcher Chris Mason Montgomery/SL Tampa Bay 15 4 2.57

LH Pitcher Gio Gonzalez Birmingham/SL Chicago-AL 9 7 3.18

Relief Pitcher Dale Thayer Montgomery/SL Tampa Bay 9 0 2.26 21 saves

(Statistics do not reflect players’ performances in other leagues)

NEXT—Class-A All-Stars will be announced on Nov. 20