| PERFECT GAME CROSSCHECKER'S DAILY TOP TEN LIST |
| WEEK 9: 4/2/07 - 4/8/07 |
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| Friday, April 6, 2007 |
The 2007 minor league baseball season kicked off Thursday
night, but the team with the longest continuous affiliation with its big league
parent club won’t start playing for another 2 ½ months. The Rookie-level
Appalachian League’s Bluefield (W.Va.) Orioles aligned with the Baltimore
Orioles in 1958 and will mark their 50th year, a record, with that organization
when they kick off their season on June 19.
Following are the minor league clubs that have enjoyed the 10 longest
continuous associations with big league teams:
|
| |
| Top 10 Longest Minor League Affiliations |
| 1. |
Bluefield (Appalachian) |
Baltimore (1958) |
| 2. |
Richmond (International) |
Atlanta (1966) |
| 3. |
Lakeland (Florida State) |
Detroit (1967) |
| |
Reading (Eastern) |
Philadelphia (1967) |
| 5. |
Omaha (Pacific Coast) |
Kansas City (1969) |
| 6. |
Pawtucket (International) |
Boston (1973) |
| 7. |
Billings (Pioneer) |
Cincinnati (1974) |
| |
Elizabethton (Pioneer) |
Minnesota (1974) |
| 9. |
Johnson City (Appalachian) |
St. Louis (1975) |
| 10. |
Syracuse (International) |
Toronto (1978) |
|
| -- Allan Simpson |
| |
|
|
| Thursday, April 5, 2007 |
With 17 players on Opening Day rosters that were born in
1966 or earlier, Major League Baseball has its share of graybeards this season.
None, of course, is as old as Mets first baseman Julio Franco, who was born on
Aug. 23, 1958, making him more than four years older than Phillies lefthander
Jamie Moyer, the second-oldest big leaguer. Should Roger Clemens, who turns 45
on Aug. 4, decide to come back at some point this season, he would supplant
Moyer as No. 2.
Following are the 10 oldest players to begin the 2007 major league season:
|
| |
| Top 10 Oldest Big Leaguers |
| 1. |
Julio Franco, 1b, Mets |
48 years, 7 mos. |
| 2. |
Jamie Moyer, lhp, Phillies |
44 years, 5 mos. |
| 3. |
David Wells, lhp, Padres |
43 years, 10 mos. |
| 4. |
*Randy Johnson, lhp, Diamondbacks |
43 years, 7 mos. |
| 5. |
Barry Bonds, of, Giants |
42 years, 8 mos. |
| 6. |
*Kenny Rogers, lhp, Tigers |
42 years, 5 mos. |
| 7. |
Roberto Hernandez, rhp, Indians |
42 years, 5 mos. |
| 8. |
Steve Finley, of, Rockies |
42 years, 1 mo. |
| 9. |
Craig Biggio, 2b, Astros |
41 years, 4 mos. |
| 10. |
*Mike Timlin, rhp, Red Sox |
41 years, 1 mo. |
|
| *On disabled list |
| -- Allan Simpson |
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|
|
| Wednesday, April 4, 2007 |
Of the 849 players that were on major league rosters to
begin the 2007 season, 245 were born outside the United States. That rate of
29.0 percent is up from 27.4 percent a year ago and near the record of 29.2
percent set in 2005. The New York Mets (15) had the most foreign-born players
for the second year in a row.
The list of players includes all those on 25-man rosters, as well as disabled
and suspended lists. Following are the top 10 producers of foreign talent:
|
| |
| Top 10 Producers, Foreign Talent |
| 1. |
Dominican Republic |
98 |
| 2. |
Venezuela |
51 |
| 3. |
Puerto Rico |
28 |
| 4. |
Canada |
19 |
| 5. |
Japan |
13 |
| |
Mexico |
11 |
| 7. |
Panama |
7 |
| 8. |
Cuba |
6 |
| 9. |
South Korea |
3 |
| 10. |
Colombia |
2 |
| |
Taiwan |
2 |
|
| -- Allan Simpson |
| |
|
|
| Tuesday, April 3, 2007 |
James Madison junior outfielder Kellen Kulbacki (24),
Clemson senior first baseman Andy D’Alessio (23) and Vanderbilt sophomore third
baseman Pedro Alvarez (22) were the nation’s top three returning home run
hitters from 2006, but none ranks among the top 10 this year as the college
season swung into April. Kulbacki and Alvarez, both with 10, are knocking on
the door of the top group, but D’Alessio has produced only three homers.
Two unlikely candidates have ascended to the top of the leader board at the
midpoint of the 2007 season. Louisiana Tech junior outfielder Brian Rike, who
had eight homers a year ago, and Texas sophomore outfielder Kyle Russell, who
had 10 but was on the rebound from a disastrous season last summer in the Cape
Cod League, share the national lead with 17. But nipping at their heels with 13
is a familiar face, Florida senior first baseman Matt LaPorta, who led the
nation with 26 homers. He has been on a recent home run tear after hitting 13
all of last year.
Following are the nation’s top 10 home run hitters through games of Sunday:
|
| |
| Top 10 Home Run Hitters, 2007 |
| 1. |
Brian Rike, of, Louisiana Tech |
17 |
| |
Kyle Russell, of, Texas |
17 |
| 3. |
Matt LaPorta, 1b, Florida |
13 |
| |
Brandon Waring, 3b, Wofford |
13 |
| 5. |
Allan Dykstra, 1b, Wake Forest |
12 |
| 6. |
Danny Bomback, 2b, Florida Atlantic |
11 |
| |
Corey Brown, of, Oklahoma State |
11 |
| |
Charlie Kingrey, of, McNeese State |
11 |
| |
Clint Robinson, 1b, Troy |
11 |
| |
Brett Wallace, 1b, Arizona State |
11 |
|
| -- Allan Simpson |
| |
|
|
| Monday, April 2, 2007 |
At 29-2, Florida State owns the best record among Division
I college teams. Appropriately, the Seminoles, who won their first 23 games of
the season, have climbed to the top of PG Crosschecker’s weekly top 50 rankings
for the first time this year.
Following are the Division I teams with the 10 best overall records, through
weekend games. Their ranking in this week’s PG Crosschecker top 50 is noted in
parentheses:
|
| |
| Top 10 College Teams, Winning Percentage |
| 1. |
Florida State (1) |
29-2 |
.935 |
| 2. |
Coastal Carolina (15) |
27-3 |
.900 |
| 3. |
Vanderbilt (2) |
26-4 |
.867 |
| 4. |
Kentucky (19) |
24-4 |
.857 |
| 5. |
Virginia (3) |
27-5 |
.844 |
| 6. |
North Carolina (6) |
25-5 |
.833 |
| 7. |
Charlotte (33) |
22-5 |
.815 |
| 8. |
Ohio State (36) |
17-4 |
.810 |
| 9. |
Arizona (12) |
25-6 |
.806 |
| |
Texas A&M (8) |
25-6 |
.806 |
|
| -- Allan Simpson |
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