For Immediate Release

January 13, 2010

 

RED SOX ROOKIE PROGRAM AUTOGRAPH SESSION

SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 18 AT BEST BUY FENWAY

Players Participating in 2010 Red Sox Rookie Program Expected To Attend Signing, which will benefit the Red Sox Foundation

 

BOSTON, MA–An autograph session with participants of the 2010 Red Sox Rookie Program will take place on Monday, January 18 from 3:30 until 5:00 p.m. at Best Buy Fenway located in the Landmark Center on 401 Park Drive, Boston MA.  Best Buy is the Official Consumer Electronics Retailer of the Boston Red Sox.

 

The signing will benefit the Red Sox Foundation and for a donation of $10.00 to the Foundation, fans will have the opportunity to receive autographs from  Boston’s top upper level prospects. The players are taking part in the Red Sox 2010 Rookie Program, a two-week session designed to expose the players to the expectations of being in the major leagues for the Red Sox.

 

The autograph session will be open to fans of all ages on a first come, first served basis. There will be a limit of one autograph of each player attending per person. Fans are requested to bring their own items to have signed.

 

The players attending the Rookie Program who are expected to take part in the autograph session are:

 

Casey Kelly, RHP – Boston’s 2009 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, the 20-year-old right-hander was named a South Atlantic League All-Star and represented the U.S. Team in the 2009 All-Star Futures Game. Boston’s first overall selection in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, Kelly ranks as the No. 2 prospect, No. 1 pitcher, in the Red Sox farm system according to Baseball America.

 

Randor Bierd, RHP – Bierd went 3-1 with a 4.55 ERA (31 ER/61.1 IP) in 25 appearances (seven starts) at Triple-A Pawtucket in 2009, his first season in the Red Sox organization after being acquired from the Orioles last January. He participated in the Arizona Fall League and led Mesa in wins (three), starts (seven) and innings pitched (25.1).

 

Felix Doubront, LHP – Doubront spent the 2009 season with Double-A Portland, going 8-6 in a club-high 26 starts. He finished second in the Eastern League in ERA (3.35), fourth among league starters in strikeouts per nine innings (7.51) and fifth in opponent average (.255).

 

Luis Exposito, C – A 31st-round selection in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Exposito combined to hit .287 (109-for-380) with nine home runs and 57 RBI between Single-A Salem and Double-A Portland, posting career-highs with 29 doubles and 27 walks.

 

Jose Iglesias, SS – Signed by the Red Sox on August 22, Iglesias currently ranks as the No. 9 prospect, No. 7 position player and best defensive infielder in the Red Sox farm system according to Baseball America.  He played 75 games for los Vaqueros de La Habana of Cuba’s major league Serie Nacional during the 2007-08 season, batting .322 (101-for-314) with 11 doubles, four triples and 39 RBI.

 

Ryan Kalish, OF – Boston’s 2009 Minor League Offensive Player of the Year, Kalish combined to hit .279 (141-for-506) while setting career–highs with 18 home runs and 77 RBI between Single-A Salem and Double-A Portland. He hit .301 (22-for-73) with one homer and 15 RBI in 21 games in the Arizona Fall League and is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect, No. 4 position player, in the Red Sox farm system.

 

Che-Hsuan Lin, OF – Lin was named to the Carolina League’s year-end All-Star Team and ranked third in the Red Sox farm system with a club-high 26 stolen bases and tied for fifth in the league with a team-best 66 walks.  A right-handed hitter, Lin was rated as having the best strike-zone discipline and as being the best defensive outfielder in the Red Sox system in Baseball America‘s 2010 Best Tools survey.

 

Ryne Miller, RHP – Miller, 24, tied for second among Red Sox farmhands with 10 wins, tops among organizational relievers, and was named to the California League All-Star Team after posting a 2.77 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 55.1 innings with Salem to begin the season.

 

Yamaico Navarro, SS – Navarro, 22, made his Double-A debut last season, combining to hit .240 (60-for-250) with 6 homers and 30 RBI between Single-A Salem, Double-A Portland and Short-Season A Lowell. He also played six games with Licey of the Dominican Winter League. The shortstop was selected as an All-Star in both 2007 (New York-Penn League) and 2008 (South Atlantic League).

 

Junichi Tazawa, RHP – A native of Yokohama, Japan, Tazawa made his Major League debut over the last two months of the 2009 season after signing with the Red Sox on December 3, 2008. He was named an Eastern League All-Star and represented Team World in the 2009 All-Star Futures Game.  Tazawa, 23, is rated by Baseball America as the No. 6 prospect, No. 2 pitcher, in the Red Sox system.

 

Kyle Weiland, RHP – A six-foot-four, 195-pound right-hander, Weiland pitched for Single-A Salem in 2009 and posted a 3.46 ERA, good for seventh in the Carolina League. The right-hander also ranked fourth in the league in opponent average (.240) and second among Red Sox farmhands with 112 strikeouts.

 

About the Red Sox Foundation: The official team charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Red Sox Foundation is committed to using the power of Red Sox Nation to support community partnerships that will improve the lives of children, adults and families across New England.  The Foundation’s efforts are primarily focused on four cornerstone programs, and the new Home Base Program.  A 501(c)3 nonprofit, the Red Sox Foundation raises most of its funds through special events with Red Sox owners, players and their wives,  donations and fundraising activities. Founded and initially funded by Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry, Chairman Tom Werner, President/CEO Larry Lucchino and their partners, the Red Sox Foundation has won numerous awards for its innovative programs and impact in the community including the 2009 Patterson award for Sports Philanthropy also known as the “Best Sports Charity” award given by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Sports Philanthropy  Project. For more information about the Red Sox Foundation, please visit www.redsoxfoundation.org.

 

— RED SOX —