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Top Prospect Alert Archive 10/8/06 - 10/16/06
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NEW:2007 Top 100 Major League Baseball Prospects

TPA Turns Two

This week marks the second anniversary of my launch of the current Top Prospect Alert. Hope everyone enjoys this special Monday, and thanks for making the last two years of Top Prospect Alert great ones. Here is a look back at some of our best.

10-16-06
Look Back At My 2005 Top Prospect Lists
Top 20 Catchers · Top 100 Infielders
Top 100 Outfielders · Top 75 Pitchers

10-16-06
Look Back At Some Of The Best
Top Prospect Alert Interviews
Mark Ellis - Oakland A's
Adrian Gonzalez - San Diego Padres
Joe Mauer - Minnesota Twins
Brett Myers - Philadelphia Phillies
Mark Prior - Chicago Cubs
Albert Pujols - St. Louis Cardinals
Chris Snelling - Seattle Mariners
Rickie Weeks - Milwaukee Brewers

10-16-06
Look Back At Some Of The Best Players In Our Prospect Photo Gallery As Submitted By Our Readers
Brian Anderson · Erick Aybar · Homer Bailey
Reid Brignac · Billy Butler · Melky Cabrera
Andre Ethier · Ryan Garko
Curtis Granderson · Luke Hochevar
Ryan Howard · Conor Jackson · Howie Kendrick
Clayton Kershaw · Ian Kinsler · Joe Mauer
Dustin Pedroia · Felix Pie · Hanley Ramirez
Joe Saunders · Chris Shelton · Huston Street
Justin Upton · Brandon Wood

10-16-06
Look Back At Our Player Journals From The 2005
(Hope To Do These Again In 2007)
Walt Nolen - Chicago Cubs
Kellen Raab - Arizona Diamondbacks

10-16-06
My First Top Prospect Alert Home Page
From October 17th, 2004

10-16-06
Houston Astros Broadcasters Brett Dolan & Dave Raymond Talk About Becoming The First Pair Of Rookies To Broadcast For A Major League Team
--Chron.com

10-16-06
Steve Lyons Fires Back At FOX After Being Fired By The Network
--USAToday.com

10-16-06
Story On St. Louis Cardinals Post Season Star Scott Spiezio
--Newsday.com

10-16-06
Indoor Baseball Facility Opens In Missouri
--FultonSun.com

10-16-06
Review Of Mario Superstar Baseball Game
--IGN.com

10-16-06
Former Baltimore Oriole Brady Anderson To Chair ABA Basketball League's Sports And Entertainment Advisory Committee
--OurSportsCentral.com

10-16-06
71 Year Old Art Neff's Hobby Is Finding Mistakes Made By The Baseball Hall Of Fame
--DailyPressAndArgus.com

10-16-06
Sportswriter Is Upset At Himself For Thinking Drew Henson Would Be A Star
--MercuryNews.com

10-16-06
Pair Of Original Stadium Seats From Tiger Stadium In Detroit
--Ebay.com

10-15-06
Prospect of the Day
Evan Longoria

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays may be bad now, they may have been awful for years, but because they have one of the best farm systems in baseball, the days of losing in Tampa Bay are going to change. 22 Year Old third base prospect Evan Longoria could very well be the best of the bunch that is on the way. The former Long Beach State star vaulted to near the top of the Devil Rays prospect heavy organization. His professional debut in 2006 crossed over three levels in 62 total games. Longoria batted a combined .315 with 18 homeruns 58 rbi's across Short Season Hudson Valley, High-A Visalia, and Double-A Montgomery. The lone knock on Longoria's debut was a 20/1 strikeout to walk ratio in Double-A. Expect Longoria to begin the 2007 back in Montgomery for a short stint before an early call-up to Durham, and a likely big league debut by seasons end.

10-15-06
Former Baltimore Orioles Pitcher Sammy Stewart Talks About His Battle With Substance Abuse & Likely Jail Sentence
--Citizen-Times.com

10-15-06
Longtime Umpire Bob Terwilliger Shares Stories From Behind The Umpire Mask
--Sun-Herald.com

10-15-06
Oakland Athletics Players, Led By Former HotHead Milton Bradley, Talk At Length To The Media Following Game 4 Defeat
--SFGate.com

10-15-06
Cleveland Indians Executive John Farrell Reported To Be Next Boston Red Sox Pitching Coach
--RedSox.com

10-15-06
Boston Red Sox Hire Former Big Leaguer Dave Magadan
--Boston.com

10-15-06
ALCS MVP Placido Polanco Talks About Being A Detroit Tiger & His Days In St. Louis
--OCRegister.com

10-15-06
Trey Hillman Talks About His Desire To Be The Texas Rangers Next Manager
--DFW.com

10-15-06
Los Angeles Dodgers 1977 NLCS Champions Ring
--Ebay.com

10-14-06
Prospect of the Day
Chad Spann

The Boston Red Sox fifth round pick out of a Georgia high school back in 2002, Chad Spann certainly has not been rushed by the organization. However, what he has done is put up solid seasons at every stop, and has moved up a level each season since his 2002 debut in the Gulf Coast League. Spann just completed the 2006 season as the every day third baseman for the Double-A Portland Seadogs. In a season shortened to 99 games due to a late season injury, Spann batted .294 with 10 homeruns, 50 rbi's and a career high 28 doubles in 360 at-bats. Expect Spann, who is currently destroying Arizona Fall League pitching, to debut at Triple-A Pawtucket and have a chance to crack the big league roster sometime during 2007 season if their is an injury in Boston.

10-14-06
Top Prospect Alert Photo Gallery Pictures
Mark Carroll · Mike Costanzo

10-14-06
Former Baseball Star Lenny Dykstra Talks About His Booming Car Wash Business
--ModernCarCare.com

10-14-06
Former Negro Leaguer & Oldest Living Baseball Player Silas Simmons Turns 111 Today
--SPTimes.com

10-14-06
Chicago Cubs First Baseman Derrek Lee & Boston Celtics Owner Wyc Grousbeck Start "Project 3000" To Raise Money For Leber's Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) Which Causes Blindness In Children
--BostonHerald.com

10-14-06
Former Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Johnny Callison Dies At Age 67
--ZWire.com

10-14-06
Preston Wilson Talks About Facing The Team He Broke Into The Big Leagues With
--NYTimes.com

10-14-06
Mark Kiger Becomes First Player In Major League History To Make His Big League Debut In The Post Season
--OaklandAthletics.com

10-14-06
Story On The Arizona Fall League
--AZCentral.com

10-14-06
Over 10,000 Pay Their Respects To Buck O'Neil
--SignOnSanDiego.com

10-14-06
Detroit Tigers Items Flying Off The Shelves
--ToledoBlade.com

10-14-06
Former Philadelphia Phillies Pitcher Don Carman Catches Up On 16 Year Old Fan Mail
--6ABC.com

10-14-06
2003 New York Yankees ALCS Championship Ring
--Ebay.com

10-13-06
Prospect of the Day
Alex Gordon

Alex Gordon is the face of the baseball prospect. The Kansas City Royals second overall pick in the 2005 draft out of Nebraska is expected by many to be the next big thing in baseball. Gordon has all the tools. He can hit for average, he can hit for power, he can run, he can throw, and he can do them all very well. He was the Golden Spike Award winner as the best collegiate player in the country his final season at Nebraska batting .372 with 19 homeruns, 66 rbi's, and 23 stolen bases. In his first season as a pro Gordon blistered Double-A pitching. He batted .325 with 29 homeruns and 101 RBI's while adding 32 doubles, 111 runs scored, 72 walks, and 22 stolen bases. Earlier in the year it appeared to be a sure bet to see Gordon in the big leagues on Opening Day, however with Mark Teahen, despite having late season shoulder surgery, having a banner year, it may give Kansas City the option of starting Gordon in Omaha to begin 2007. Regardless, expect Gordon to make an All-Star type impact when he does become an every day major league baseball player.

SPECIAL BONUS
Alex Gordon's 2005 Interview With Top Prospect Alert Contributor Jason Blasco

10-13-06
Look At Detroit Tigers Fans' Superstitions
--Freep.com

10-13-06
Seattle Mariners Shake Up Minor League Staff & The Fired Coaches Don't Know Why
--OregonLive.com

10-13-06
Roy Halladay Asked For But Was Refused A Clause In His 2004 Contract With Toronto That Would Have Allowed Him To Fly Planes
--RockyMountainNews.com

10-13-06
$25 Bounty To Bean Autistic Player To Cost Coach One To Six Years In Jail
--IndyStar.com

10-13-06
Proposed Little League Baseball Pitch Count Rule Passes
--Ledger-Enquirer.com

10-13-06
Ivan Rodriguez Helped Change Attitude In Detroit
--MiamiHerald.com

10-13-06
Los Angeles Dodgers VP Of Scouting Roy Smith Resigns
--LATimes.com

10-13-06
Hank Aaron To Campaign For Wisconsin Governer Jim Doyle
--WinonaDailyNews.com

10-13-06
American Military & Japanese 11-12 Year Old Teams Play Friendship Tournament
--Okinowa.USMC.mil

10-13-06
Former Minor Leaguer Quan Cosby Is Becoming A Leader On The Football Field For The Texas Longhorns
--WacoTrib.com

10-13-06
Florida Gators Baseball Player Brandon McArthur To Star In Reality TV Show
--SPTimes.com

10-13-06
Chien-ming Wang Is Hero In His Native Taiwan
--ABCNews.com

10-13-06
New York Mets Great Keith Hernandez Recalls His Role On Seinfeld
--STLToday.com

10-13-06
Review Of The New Book "A Well Paid Slave" Which Focuses On Curt Flood's Battle Against Baseball For Free Agency
--TheSentinal.com

10-13-06
Former USC Baseball & Basketball Star Tom Riach Dies At Age 77
--PressTelegram.com

10-13-06
Joe Girardi To Work Middle Three World Series Games As Broadcaster For FOX
--NYPost.com

10-13-06
Pitcher Jimmy Anderson Donates His 2004 World Series Ring For Breast Cancer Auction
--Ebay.com

10-12-06
Top Prospect Alert paused it's normal coverage to bring the latest news throughout the day on the death of New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle.
We have made a special section on the website featuring over 60 links with news, information, and reaction to the tragedy.
We at Top Prospect Alert wish to express our condolences to friends, fans, and family of Cory Lidle during this difficult time.

Special Cory Lidle Section

10-11-06
Prospect of the Day
Jamie D'Antona

A one time college star at Wake Forest, and highly talked about prospect as recently as 2004, Jamie D'Antona seemed to fall off the prospect radar in 2005 when he batted just .249 with only 9 home runs in 125 games at Double-A Knoxville. With players from his 2003 draft class debuting as stars at the big league level, D'Antona found himself stuck back in Knoxville to begin 2006. Rather than give up on himself and his career, D'Antona, the Arizona Diamondbacks second round pick, a career third baseman, learned how to catch, and also relearned how to hit. The 24 year old had a breakout 2006 season posting his beat numbers as a pro. D'Antona batted .310 with 17 homeruns, and 66 rbi's, while posting a career high 54 walks against 88 strikeouts in 461 at-bats. His numbers were good enough for second in the Southern League in batting and tied for fifth in home runs. Expect D'Antona to get a shot at Triple-A to begin the season, and have a chance to be a productive mid-season call-up as a power hitting catcher/utility man.

10-11-06
Three Australian Baseball Players Suspended After Cannibus Comes Up On Their Drug Test
--TownsvilleBulletin.news.com.au

10-11-06
Luis Gonzalez Talks About His Broadcast Debut As Analyst For Fox's NLCS Coverage Tonight
--AZCentral.com

10-11-06
Key Player Involved In Investment Scam That Hired Steve Garvey As Their Pitchman To Plead Guilty In Case
--LATimes.com

10-11-06
Oakland A's Fans Share Decades Worth Of Athletics Memorabilia
--ContraCostaTimes.com

10-11-06
American Players Getting Mixed Reviews In Japan Playoffs
--JapanTimes.co

10-11-06
Milwaukee Brewers Send Top Prospect To Etiquette School
--AZCentral.com

10-11-06
NC State 6'9" Pitcher Andrew Brackman Decides To Forgo Basketball For His Baseball Career
--ZWire.com

10-11-06
Look At The Pros/Cons Of Trading Alex Gordon For Alex Rodriguez
--LJWorld.com

10-11-06
Missouri State Offices Fly Flags At Half-Mast In Honor Of Buck O'Neil
--ESPN.com

10-11-06
Story On Oakland A's Director Of Scouting Bryn Alderson
--MarinIJ.com

10-11-06
Q&A With Oakland GM Billy Beane
--InsideBayArea.com

10-11-06
Marketing Expert Weighs In On Naming The New Triple-A Franchise In Allentown PA
--MCall.com

10-11-06
Story On The 1972 Detroit Tigers Team That Lost To Oakland In The ALCS
--Freep.com

10-11-06
Former Phillips University Baseball Coach Joe Record Recalls A Chance Meeting With Buck O'Neil
--EnidNews.com

10-11-06
Ivan Rodriguez Talks About Being A Detroit Tiger
--RutlandHerald.com

10-11-06
Not Baseball, But A Combination That Just Made Me Laugh
--Ebay.com

10-10-06
Prospect of the Day
Garrett Olson

Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles as the final picks of the supplemental first round in the 2005 draft, Garrett Olson has made a quick rise through the organization. The left handed pitcher out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo finished his second minor league season in the Eastern League after a mid-season promotion Single-A. Combined between Frederick and Double-A Bowie, Olson posted a 10-9 record with a 3.10 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 165.2 innings pitched. Expect Olson, who turns 23 in a couple of weeks, to begin the 2007 season back in Bowie with a Triple-A call-up likely by July.

10-10-06
Top Prospect Alert Photo Gallery Pictures
Pedro Alvarez · J.P. Arencibia
Craig Frydendall · Dave Krynzel
David Price · Jemile Weeks

10-10-06
Oakland Farmhand Mark Kiger Was Enjoying His Off Season This Past Week When The A's Called And Told Him To Get Ready For The ALCS
--SFGate.com

10-10-06
Isiah Thomas Talks About Joe Torre's Longevity In The Wake Of The Knicks Having Seven Coaches Since Torre's Been In New York
--NJ.com

10-10-06
Kenny Rogers Son Mistakenly Pops $120 Bottle Of Dom Perignon During Detroit Tigers Clubhouse Celebration
--USAToday.com

10-10-06
Ever Wonder What Goes On During A Playoff Off Day
--SFGate.com

10-10-06
Detroit Tigers Players Love Jim Leyland
--MercuryNews.com

10-10-06
Preview Of MLB 2K7 Video Game
--IGN.com

10-10-06
Public Memorial For Buck O'Neil To Be Held Saturday In Kansas City
--KansasCity.com

10-10-06
Frontier League Outfielder Al Roach Raises Exotic Turtles
--TwinCities.com

10-10-06
Look At The History Of Sports Curses
--TheOlympian.com

10-10-06
Philadelphia Sports Writer & Former Yankees Special Assistant Frank Dolson Dies At 73
--WNBC.com

10-10-06
Handwritten Letter From Ty Cobb In 1953
--Ebay.com

10-9-06
Prospect of the Day
Dexter Fowler

The only thing missing from Dexter Fowler's game is power, and that is developing. The Colorado Rockies 14th round pick in 2004 could develop into one of the minor league's most exciting prospect very soon. The 20 year old outfielder batted .296 with 8 homeruns & 46 rbi's in 99 games for Asheville in 2006. He also finished third in the South Atlantic League with 92 runs scored, and was among the league's top 10 in doubles (31), triples (6), and stolen bases (23). Look for Fowler to make his 2007 debut with High-A Modesto and do not be surprised if he finishes the season at Double-A Tulsa.

10-9-06
Tom Candiotti Tells A Story About Jeff Kent Being Hit By Pitches In 1992 Because Of Implications To Candiotti's Rotisserie Baseball Team
--SFGate.com

10-9-06
State Of Minnesota Had 800 Town Baseball Teams In The 1950's
--WinonaDailyNews.com

10-9-06
Former Negro Leaguer Ernest Westfield Is Now A Poet
--Daily-Journal.com

10-9-06
Story On Canadian Junior National Player Brett Lawrie
--LangleyTimes.com

10-9-06
Winner Of American Library Association's Step Up To The Plate Contest On His Way To Cooperstown
--EagleTribune.com

10-9-06
Would A Team Of Ex-Phillies Beat The Current Philadelphia Philles
--PhillyBurbs.com

10-9-06
Review Of Joshua Prager's New Book On Bobby Thomson's Shot Heard Round The World
--BuffaloNews.com

10-9-06
Story On Some Of The Minor League Affiliation Changes This Off-Season
--MaineToday.com

10-9-06
Chicago Cubs Great Ron Santo Talks About His Battle With Diabetes
--DailyHerald.com

10-9-06
Joel Zumaya Reflects On His Ability To Hit 100+ On The Radar Gun
--ChicagoSports.com

10-9-06
One Of A Kind Lou Gehrig Autographed Baseball Card Selling For Over $12,000
--Ebay.com

10-8-06
Prospect of the Day
Jeremy Hellickson

Jeremy Hellickson is another one of many huge prospects in the Tampa Bay Devil Ray organization. With Hudson Valley of the New York Penn League, the 19 year old Iowa native went 4-3 with a 2.43 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 77.2 innings of work. Most impressive was his 0.91 WHIP while holding opposing batters to a .193 average. Hellickson prepped at Hoover High School in Des Moines where he was an AFLAC All American his senior year. Look for Hellickson to begin the 2007 season at Low-A Columbus with a chance to reach High-A Vero Beach by season's end.

10-8-06
Los Angeles Dodgers Catcher Russell Martin Talks About His Move From Third Base To Behind The Plate In An In-Depth Article
--Sports.Yahoo.com

10-8-06
Review On A New Book On Former St. Louis Cardinal Curt Flood
--WashingtonTimes.com

10-8-06
Former Manager Bobby Valentine Wonders Why The U.S. Can't Win In International Competition In Team Sports
--OxfordPress.com

10-8-06
Look At This Seasons Weak Free Agent Crop
--MercuryNews.com

10-8-06
Sean Casey Is Psyched To Be A Detroit Tiger
--CincyPost.com

10-8-06
Tiger Stadium Final Game Print Signed By Over 60 Former Detroit Players
--Ebay.com

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Prospect Picture Gallery
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