Friday, July 1, 2011

LFC owner Fenway Sports hire Fulham commercial director Olly Dale

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LFC owner Fenway Sports hire Fulham commercial director Olly Dale
« on: June 15, 2011, 02:35:43 PM »
Fenway Sports Management (FSM), a leading global sports sponsorship sales company, today announced that Olly Dale has joined the organization as Senior Vice President, International Sales.

FSM is the sales arm of Fenway Sports Group, parent company of Liverpool FC, the Boston Red Sox, Roush Fenway Racing and New England Sports Network (NESN).

Dale, who most recently served as Fulham FC Head of Commercial Operations, will be responsible for guiding the agency's international sales effort and generating advertising, sponsorship and other revenue driving opportunities for Fenway Sports Group owned properties and FSM's sports and entertainment client portfolio. Dale will focus on targeting companies in North, Central and South America, Europe and Asia and report directly to FSM Executive Vice President of Sales Frank Huckabone.

Coming on the heels of FSM's recent exclusive client representation agreements with two of the biggest entities in sports, Liverpool FC and LeBron James, this announcement underscores FSM's commitment to building a global sports sales enterprise that is associated with iconic clubs, brands and teams.

"We've had the opportunity to work directly with Olly and experience firsthand the successful approach he takes to sales, business development and client service and we're thrilled to have him join the FSM family," said FSM Managing Director Billy Hogan. "His extensive international relationships and vast knowledge of the global marketplace will help us continue to drive sales for our properties."

At Fulham FC, Dale was responsible for all club-controlled income and business development and managed internal teams across sponsorship, ticketing, corporate sales, retail, multi-media and international sales divisions. During his tenure, Fulham doubled club-controlled commercial income and achieved a seven-fold growth in sponsorship income, bringing world famous brands to Fulham FC including LG, Nike, FxPro and American Airlines.

"FSM has quickly become one of the world's preeminent sponsorship sales agencies, and I look forward to helping grow its international presence and driving revenue for its impressive client roster including the Red Sox, Liverpool FC, Roush Fenway Racing and NESN," said Dale. "I've had the pleasure of working directly with Sam Kennedy, Billy and Huck and I look forward to joining the FSM team."

Dale began his career in sponsorship sales and event production at Fresh Air FM, Edinburgh's Student Radio Station. He also held positions at marketing agency Biggart Donald; Capital Radio; and EMAP Advertising. Having attended Haileybury College he went on to receive his Masters in Arts at the University of Edinburgh. Dale resides in Teddington, United Kingdom.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/new-appointment-at-fsm
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Dodgers Ownership Saga

Dodgers' ownership saga

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Selig is responsible for McCourt running amok


Selig is responsible for McCourt running amok

Jeff Passan
By Jeff Passan, Jun 29, 11:59 am EDT

Seven years ago, when Major League Baseball approved Frank McCourt’s purchase of the Los Angeles Dodgers from Fox, commissioner Bud Selig sent out a memo to the other 29 teams. It reads today like a validation of McCourt the man, the businessman and the prospective owner, as complimentary as it is confident. One particular sentence stands out.
“The background investigation for McCourt,” the memo said, “revealed no known problems or any other matter that raises a question as to his qualifications or suitability to own a major league club.”
The contrast between the memo and the briefing MLB filed Tuesday in a Delaware bankruptcy court, where the fight over the Dodgers’ ownership will be settled someday, shows the depths to which the Dodgers have sunk – and to which Selig will go to sink McCourt’s claim to the franchise.

Frank and Jamie McCourt pose with Los Angeles Dodgers jerseys upon taking control of the franchise in 2004.
(AP)

MLB lawyers belittled the same purchase Selig once vetted and approved: “When Mr. McCourt acquired the club in February 2004 for $421 million, he did so with entirely borrowed funds.”
Larded with adjectives and instigation – “Mr. McCourt has placed the [Dodgers] in their current, incredible position of not being able to make payroll less than halfway through the regular season,” the filing said – it was baseball’s rejoinder to McCourt’s decision Monday to salvage his ownership of the Dodgers through bankruptcy.
And it cast the spotlight back at Selig, the commissioner who in the last 20 months has seen three franchises – two of them jewels, the other a World Series participant last season – plunge into bankruptcy.
Only now, after he has corrupted, sullied and bled dry the Dodgers, is Frank McCourt unsuitable to own a baseball team. And only last year, once Tom Hicks had overleveraged himself and the Texas Rangers into bankruptcy, was he no longer fit to own a major league club. The Chicago Cubs, casualties of Tribune Company mismanagement, ended up bankrupt in October 2009 and were bought by another massively leveraged owner. This supposed “Golden Age” of baseball Selig so loves to crow about features a lot of empty pots.
The facts are indisputable: An ownership crisis blossomed on Selig’s watch, and no matter how his allies try to spin it, ultimately he is responsible for the sport’s well-being. The best leaders are visionaries. Selig is paid upward of $20 million a year to know and to envisage. And when he ignored his own sport’s rules to force through an owner he now admits bought the entire franchise with borrowed money, he lost any claim to hindsight.
Numerous sources in baseball laud Selig’s actions since October 2009, when McCourt’s wife, Jamie, filed for divorce and exposed the scheme that saw the couple siphon more than $100 million from the Dodgers’ coffers to finance an opulent lifestyle. Between his public reprimands of McCourt and his hard-line stance against the below-market television deal McCourt tried to push through for a quick cash infusion, Selig has played the role of commissioner well since the crisis hatched. His potential seizure of the Dodgers could represent one more power play.
[Related: Dodgers’ media rights auction dashed]
Still, if MLB wins in court, it’s really no victory; the Dodgers are back where they should’ve been in the first place, primed to be sold to a capable owner. If the court allows McCourt to use the high-interest, $150 million loan he received this week to keep the team afloat for the rest of the year and grants McCourt’s wish to recapitalize with a new media rights deal, he would wrest back control and provide Selig among the darkest marks of his tenure: beaten by a charlatan.
The narrative that has emerged from the Selig camp as the McCourt case spiraled out of control partially absolved the commissioner. Selig allies said News Corp., the parent company of Fox and owner of the Dodgers from 1998 to 2004, was losing money and desperately wanted to sell the team. That part is true. The revisionist history: Frank McCourt was the only one who wanted to buy them.
Malcolm Glazer, the owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and later the Manchester United Football Club, started as the frontrunner before the NFL and MLB rejected his bid. Billionaire real estate developer Alan Casden made an offer. Illegal campaign-money laundering by an executive at his company wrecked his candidacy. The options were limited, and McCourt emerged late in the process despite serious questions about his funding.
[Related: Notable sports bankruptcies]
About two weeks before the sale, Eli Broad, whose reported $3.8 billion net worth was nearly 10 times McCourt’s, sent a letter to News Corp. matching McCourt’s $430 million bid – and offering nearly all of it in cash. Los Angeles’ mayor and locals backed Broad’s offer. They feared the carpetbagger whose own hometown paper, the Boston Globe, had this to say about him: “Few in this town have talked the talk more and walked the walk less.”
It was too late.
“Bud was consolidating,” one high-ranking baseball official said. “He wanted people who wouldn’t rock the boat – people who owed him and would serve under his throne.”
And he didn’t want to cross Rupert Murdoch, the Fox scion who was pushing for McCourt. Ever deferential to TV’s whims, Selig supported Murdoch’s candidate, rallied support for a unanimous vote of approval on McCourt’s ownership and welcomed him to Chavez Ravine.
“Fox, myself and MLB made a horrible mistake in not doing the proper due diligence on Frank McCourt,” Bob Daly, the managing partner for the Dodgers under News Corp., told the Los Angeles Times. “I helped get him approved, and for my piece I feel very bad about it. … He has been an embarrassment to this franchise. The sooner he gets the hell out of town, the better off we’ll all be as Dodger fans.”
McCourt spoke for 30 minutes during his first day in Los Angeles. He talked about bringing “the luster back on the Dodger brand.” He promised “performance” and “not platitudes.” He also said he put a significant chunk of his own money into the purchase.
Which, of course, was a lie. The only asset McCourt used was a parking lot in Boston as collateral for a loan Fox gave him; when he didn’t repay it, Fox seized the property and sold it for around $200 million. MLB looked past its own 60/40 rule – 60 percent of a team’s value must be in its asset and only 40 percent in debt – to endorse McCourt.

Commissioner Bud Selig and Dodgers owner Frank McCourt talk before a National League Division Series game at Dodger Stadium in 2006.
(Getty Images)

In the original memo sent to MLB owners, Selig said part of McCourt’s ownership was contingent upon his needing to raise an additional $30 million in equity over the next two years through real-estate sales or taken on partners. McCourt did neither, and Selig did nothing.
The lesson: When you make the rules you can ignore them.
After all, McCourt’s public image was improving. In his first season, the Dodgers won the NL West. They made the playoffs three more times over the next five years and oversaw a Dodgers renaissance that turned them into a cash cow. Today the Dodgers are worth $800 million, according to Forbes.
More than 50 percent of that is debt, no surprise considering the sport-wide reliance on borrowed cash. Selig’s acceptance of leveraged ownership mimicked the country’s; money was cheap and easy to get, and baseball’s own financial crisis was bubbling under Selig’s nose.
The lack of ownership oversight burned him the most. McCourt splintered off the Dodgers into more than a dozen different companies; he spun off two parking lots in 2006, borrowed $60 million against them and kept $48 million for himself, according to court documents. Had his marriage not soured and brought their fleecing of the Dodgers into the divorce proceedings, surely the McCourts would have continued pillaging to this day.
Since Selig took over as commissioner 20 years ago, he has used the sale of teams to shape his ideals. Selig hand-picked owners, delivering John Henry to Boston (good), Jeffrey Loria to Florida (bad) and McCourt to the Dodgers (disastrous). There were more successes (Mark Attanasio and Stuart Sternberg) than failures (Tom Hicks). Well-capitalized owners were offset by those like the Ricketts family, which is still carrying nearly $600 million worth of debt after buying the Cubs in 2009, according to Forbes. The New York Mets, another eminent franchise, needed $200 million from hedge-fund manager David Einhorn to bail out owner Fred Wilpon, whose entanglements with Bernie Madoff threaten his long-term sustainability in baseball.
One MLB source said the league is considering additional oversight of its owners, though such a measure would require the approval of the very owners it looks to keep in check. Selig isn’t afraid of invoking his best-interests-of-the-game clause – he did it numerous times in Tuesday’s court filing – but to so waylay his constituency would take finesse and consensus-building skills even he might lack.
For now, all Selig can do is fight McCourt. He privately admits remorse, much like he did with steroids, and Selig’s tack with MLB’s worst owners certainly exceeds that of the NBA, which acts like its beleaguered franchises aren’t in trouble.
This isn’t about remorse, unfortunately. It’s about a problem that keeps cropping up again and again: Selig letting the wrong people into his club.
Perhaps he’s just got a soft spot for the underdog. On April 1, 1970, a man walked into bankruptcy court and bought the Seattle Pilots for $10.8 million. He moved them to his hometown of Milwaukee, renamed them the Brewers and reaped the benefit of ownership for the next two decades.
His name: Bud Selig.
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
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Jeff Passan is a national writer for Yahoo! Sports. He is the co-author of the new book "Death to the BCS: The Definitive Case Against the Bowl Championship Series." Follow him on Twitter. Send Jeff a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
Updated Jun 29, 11:59 am EDT
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July 1, 2011

David Cloninger
GamecockCentral.com Staff Writer

South Carolina baseball is as famously hot as Columbia.

Several thousand garnet and black-clad fans jammed Main Street and the steps of the Statehouse on Friday as the back-to-back national champions enjoyed their second straight victory parade through the Capital City. The Gamecocks were applauded by waves of fans on each side of the street as they inched along through the 94-degree heat, and were again issued congratulations and appreciation from mayor Steve Benjamin and other personnel.

The heat affected a few fans but the others willingly stuck it out to welcome their conquering heroes home. Not many ever figured that little USC would ever win the big one; now the Gamecocks have won two in as many years.

"They've transformed what they used to say - 'Wait til next year,'" USC President Harris Pastides said. "They now say, 'We'll do it again next year!'"

Signs and posters were abundant, some with the "famously hot" slogan slipped in between "national champions," many with "battle" inscribed upon them. Flashbulbs popped and video cameras whirred as the champs were handed proclamations and framed keepsakes, before giving away a few of their own.

Benjamin was presented with an autographed baseball, and coach Ray Tanner accepted a key lime pie from Florida Governor Rick Scott in lieu of the real winner, Governor Nikki Haley. Haley bet Scott a barbecue dinner from Hudson's Smokehouse against a key lime pie from Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shoppe that the Gamecocks would win; Scott had to pay up for the second time in a month after he also bet a key lime pie on the Miami Heat to win the NBA championship.

Tanner held the pie, encased in a Styrofoam cooler, aloft as third baseman Adrian Morales took the microphone and asked for something else. "On behalf of the players," Morales said, looking at Benjamin, "can we get a key?"

Friday was declared Gamecock Baseball Back-to-Back National Championship Day in the state of South Carolina and Ray Tanner and Gamecock Baseball Day by the city of Columbia. Senator John Courson (R-Richland County) again publicly proclaimed his wish for USC to re-name Carolina Stadium as Ray Tanner Field, and catcher/designated hitter Brady Thomas had the line of the afternoon.

"I think this is probably a little bit better than Clemson's parade, isn't it?" the senior from Anderson asked to the delight of the crowd.

The Gamecocks, as they have all season, managed to trademark the celebration with their own tags. Bryan Harper wore a life-size replica of the former World Championship Wrestling championship belt while Scott Wingo held his smaller plastic version, emblazoned with "Back-to-Back Nnational Champions" on it. Just before the parade began, Morales picked up the title trophy and dropped it, the two-foot fall and the cushioned surface of the parade float preventing any damage but earning him plenty of ribbing.

Michael Roth wasn't there, after leaving Friday morning for Alicante, Spain, where he will spend the next six weeks learning Spanish and windsurfing. "We tried to get him as far away from the Cleveland Indians (who drafted Roth) as we could," Tanner joked, and then let Wingo, Thomas and Morales handle the players' thank-yous.

Through it all, USC's players seemed as comfortable and relaxed as they did on the field at TD Ameritrade Park for the past two weeks. Some are off to play summer-league ball, some will relax this summer, some will head to the professional ranks.

All will be champions, today and forever.

"It doesn't get any better than this!," Tanner shouted.

After leading the crowd in a group cheer of "Three-Peat," Benjamin agreed.

"We're gonna see you guys again here next year!"
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BIG LEAGUE STEW

Fri Jul 01 04:45am EDT

Video: ‘Baseball instincts’ save Zambrano from wayward softball

By David Brown

Despite suffering an on-the-job injury earlier in the day, Chicago Cubs right-hander Carlos Zambrano kept his appointment to throw out the first pitch at the Chicago Bandits professional softball game Thursday night.
As the humorous and slightly scary video shows, Zambrano ducked out of the way during an interview when he realized a foul ball was coming for his head.
Zambrano can be viewed telling a story about a softball pitcher from his native Venezuela, an Olympian, who had struck him out three or four times when — whatever, it's not important because LOOK OUT, CARLOS!
What a "Cubbie Occurrence" getting hit would have been, were it not for his — as Zambrano put it:
"Baseball instincts."
Thankfully, Big Z used his Spidey Sense and apparently heard the ball coming. It made a ruckus upon impact, briefly stunning everyone in the area. Zambrano, though he kept checking behind himself for more foul balls, laughed it off.
You know what we can all laugh off? That shirt he's wearing!
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  • Big League Stew
    Fri Jul 01 03:35am EDT

    Cool: Houston’s Jason Michaels hits ‘snow cone double’ into stands

    By David Brown




    Everyone knows that nothing goes better with baseball than an ice cream cone, especially on a warm day after a big win.
    But what if there's no ice cream man around to summon? Further, what if you happen to still be batting?
    On Thursday night, Jason Michaels of the Houston Astros solved this problem — a cone-nundrum, if you will — by lacing a double to right field that hopped into the stands at Minute Maid Park and bounced off the tray of a snow cone vendor.
    No desserts appeared to be harmed as the ball ricocheted back into the field of play. After a huddle, umpires called it a ground-rule double. Michaels' hit was key in a four-run fifth inning for the Astros, who must have been in good humor after cruising to a 7-0 victory against the Texas Rangers.
    Astros broadcaster Jim Deshaies made the announcement:
    "It hit the snow cone man! It's a snow-cone double. You don't see that every day."
    A moment later, Deshaies went Sabean and jokingly called for change:
    "I want to implement a new rule. Anything that hits off the vendor is in play."
    Sorry, Jim, this ain't golf. (Although golf does have a refreshment cart.)
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  • Big League Stew
    Thu Jun 30 01:52pm EDT

    Photo: Toronto’s Jose Bautista shrinks to pre-adolescent size

    By David Brown




    Everybody knows that, after a meandering start to his baseball career, slugger Jose Bautista found his groove in his late 20s and became a star with the Toronto Blue Jays.
    Well, the young Jays fan pictured above has no such interest in waiting that long. Curtis Hopkins knows who he is, and probably without having reached puberty yet.
    He's Joey Minibats!
    Baby J-Bau!
    Li'l Jose Bautista!
    Whatever you call him — and Dustin Parkes of Getting Blanked has gone with "Li'l Bautista" — young Hopkins has perfectly patented the Bautista look. From the reflecting shades, to the million-dollar hobo facial hair, to the batting gloves. (Gotta have the batting gloves.)
    And I'm pulling for Hopkins on the upcoming season of "Bambinos and Ballplayers." Li'l Ron Washington was so 2010!
    Check below for a side-by-side comparison of Bautisti:
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  • Big League Stew
    Thu Jun 30 12:55pm EDT

    Ian Kinsler’s third inning: Hit by pitch in groin, home run

    By 'Duk




    Ian Kinsler redefined "taking one for the team" on Wednesday night.
    While we usually think of that adage in Rudi Stein terms when it comes to being hit by a pitch, the Texas Rangers second baseman didn't receive the benefit of reaching first base after apparently being hit in his, uh, l'il Lone Stars by Houston Astros pitcher Brett Myers.
    Instead, Kinsler had to resume his at-bat after unsuccessfully arguing that he was not in the process of trying to bunt. It wasn't a bad continuation: Four pitches later, Kinsler hammered a Myers pitch into the left-field stands for his second home run of the game and the decisive run in a 3-2 victory at Minute Maid Park.
    From the Associated Press:
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  • Big League Stew
    Thu Jun 30 10:47am EDT

    Take this to Vance: Ejected manager autographs, gives away first base

    By Mark Townsend




    We've seen our share of managerial meltdowns that included a base being used as a prop. Whether it was kicked, covered with dirt, outright stolen, or even hammer tossed to release a little anger and frustration, it's always a good source of unexpected entertainment for those in attendance. But I don't think we've ever seen one end with the base becoming an immediate addition to one lucky fan's memorabilia collection.
    That was until Sunday, when former Boston Red Sox player and manager, now skipper for the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League, Butch Hobson, was tossed during the second game of their doubleheader against the Somerset Patriots.
    In the fourth inning, infielder Gilberto Mejia dragged a bunt up the first-base line and was called out on a bang-bang play. Mejia immediately argued and was tossed by umpire Chris Rick. Not far behind was Hobson, who decided if Mejia couldn't have the base he felt he earned, no one else on the field should have it either.
    Out on his way out the door, he added his signature to the base and handed it to a very happy lady seated next to Lancaster's dugout:
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  • Big League Stew
    Thu Jun 30 10:01am EDT

    Vance Worley asks for Dustin Pedroia’s autograph, gets denied

    By 'Duk
    Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Vance Worley recorded a signature victory against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night, pitching seven strong innings in a big 2-1 win.
    Indeed, the rookie righthander was so good — allowing one run and striking out five — that it was easy to see his John Hancock written all over this one.
    You might say that even the disappointed Red Sox clubhouse had to endorse the effort.
    Yes, the penmanship puns are everywhere this morning as Worley beat the Red Sox for Philly's second straight win in the big series and then related the story of how he had been rebuffed by Boston's Dustin Pedroia when he sent a clubbie to ask for an autograph before the game. According to Worley, his chances were hurt by two violations of protocol.
    From the Associated Press:
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  • Big League Stew
    Thu Jun 30 09:12am EDT

    The Juice: Everyone buy Chrysler! Mets score and score at Detroit

    By David Brown
    Nine innings, nine items to get you going. Ladies and gentleman of the Stew, take a sip of morning Juice.
    1. Vroom, vroom: The NY-Mets collected 20 hits and drew seven walks against the Tigers in a 16-9 victory on Wednesday night. Angel Pagan (his name is good and evil personified) and Daniel Murphy each had four hits and four RBIs. The defense did its job, too, holding Detroit to three Jason Hanson field goals.
    The Mets, who have compiled 30 runs the past two games in the Motor City, might be channeling the ghosts of the '86 champions. Those boys could hit. How better to explain their offensiveness lately? Over the past four games, the Mets have accumulated a team-record 52 runs, along with 69 hits.
    The only one of five Tigers pitchers to escape unscathed was Don Kelly (who is not a pitcher). The utility man with the 1950s name tossed a perfect third of an inning, getting the last out of the ninth after spinning this "curveball" to Scott Hairston.
    2. Arm abusers? Because of a limited bullpen, St. Louis Cardinals cognoscenti Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan let right-hander Chris Carpenter throw 132 pitches in a 5-1 victory at Baltimore. Carpenter swears he felt as strong at the end as he did the beginning — which is key, because throwing pitches while tired is a surefire way to get hurt. He says he wasn't tired. It's just that he's thrown 590 pitches combined in the past five starts.
    3. Sign this, swing at at that: Phil-in starter Vance Worley had a clubhouse guy ask Dustin Pedroia for an autograph and then he goes out and shuts down the Red Sox in a 2-1 victory for the Phillies. Philly goes for the World Series in June sweep today.
    4. Pitchers with clam sauce: Ricky Nolasco > Guillermo Moscoso in a confrontation of pitchers whose names sound Italian, but aren't. Nolasco pitched a five-hitter in Florida's 3-0 victory at Oakland.
    5. Hey, Chicago, whaddya say?: I was going to complain about manager Mike Quade taking out Ryan Dempster in the ninth when he had a shutout going on 83 pitches, but the Cubs came back to beat the Giants 2-1 anyway, so I don't care anymore.
    6. Cleveland rocking right now: And ... the Cleveland Indians are in first place on the last day of June after winning 6-2 at Arizona.
    Read More »
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  • Big League Stew
    Thu Jun 30 02:01am EDT

    Video: Alex Rodriguez loves how Cameron Diaz handles popcorn

    By David Brown

    If you thought the last kernel had popped on this love affair, you were premature. Not before Alex Rodriguez(notes) gives the final word on what being fed popcorn by Cameron Diaz is like.
    In an exclusive video interview with Yahoo! Sports, the New York Yankees superslugger said getting caught on camera at Super Bowl 45 as his hot babe of a famous actress girlfriend stuffed popcorn in his face was a highlight of his offseason.
    Of course it was.
    And what about David Letterman using Diaz on his talk show to poke fun at A-Rod? Totally cool, the Centaurian said.
    "It was really funny when she fed David Letterman popcorn; I thought that was a kick.
    "I thought it was one of the coolest things that happened to me all offseason. My daughters kept making fun of me and they wanted to keep feeding me popcorn. It was a great moment at the All-Star game* and we really enjoyed it.
    "It was all fun, and it was actually funnier the way she fed Letterman than the way she fed me [laughs]."
    Wait a minute! Diaz fed A-Rod at the All-Star game, too? Get a popcorn cart, you two!
    [*Editor's note: He means the Super Bowl.]
    Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook
    Follow Yahoo! Sports on Facebook and be the first to know about the most interesting stories of the day.
    Other popular Yahoo! Sports stories:
    • Online tool turns down volume of tennis grunting
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  • Big League Stew
    Wed Jun 29 05:35pm EDT

    Mascot fail: Amarillo’s stiff Sock sent back to wash

    By 'Duk

    The Amarillo Sox, an independent minor league team in Texas, were expecting to have a huge hit on their hands by unveiling a new team mascot over the weekend.
    Instead, they got this ... this ... this monster!*
    *Shields eyes of nearby child, collapses into sobs
    As a result, the Sox are trying out the mascot return policy by sending the dirty Sock back to his — yes, I'm pretty sure it's a him — creator for some alterations. I'm just guessing here, but the fixes could be as simple as a bucket of cold water or picturing Don Zimmer taking batting practice.
    From the Amarillo Globe-News:

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    Track the top 2011 Draft picks

    Track the top 2011 Draft picks
    Check here to see when picks sign and where they're headed
    MiLB.com Staff
    06/29/2011 12:09 AM ET

    Hudson Boyd was selected by the Twins with the 55th overall pick.
    Hudson Boyd was selected by the Twins with the 55th overall pick. (Mike Janes/Four Seam Images)
    Looking for information on 2011 Draft picks? Look no further. Here's a grid displaying information on early picks and notable players, including where they came from, when they've signed and where they've debuted.Check back often for the latest updates, and go to MLB.com for the complete Draft Tracker.


    2011 Draft Picks
    PickPlayerTeamSchoolStatus
    1Gerrit Cole, RHPPiratesUCLAUnsigned
    2Danny Hultzen, LHPMarinersVirginiaUnsigned
    3Trevor Bauer, RHPD-backsUCLAUnsigned
    4Dylan Bundy, RHPOriolesOwasso (Okla.) HSUnsigned
    5Bubba Starling, OFRoyalsGardner Edgerton (Kan.) HSUnsigned
    6Anthony Rendon, 3BNationalsRiceUnsigned
    7Archie Bradley, RHPD-backsBroken Arrow (Okla.) HSUnsigned
    8Francisco Lindor, SSIndiansMontverde Academy (Fla.)Unsigned
    9Javier Baez, SSCubsArlington (Tex.) Country Day SchoolUnsigned
    10Cory Spangenberg, 2BPadresIndian River (Fla.) State CollegeSigned 6/10; debuted 6/17 with Eugene
    11George Springer, OFAstrosUConnUnsigned
    12Taylor Jungmann, RHPBrewersUniversity of TexasUnsigned
    13Brandon Nimmo, OFMetsCheyenne East (Wy.) HSUnsigned
    14Jose Fernandez,
    RHP    		MarlinsBraulio Alson (Fla.) HSUnsigned
    15Jed Bradley, LHPBrewersGeorgia TechUnsigned
    16Chris Reed, LHPDodgersStanfordUnsigned
    17C.J. Cron, 1BAngelsUtahSigned 6/28; assigned to Orem
    18Sonny Gray, RHPAthleticsVanderbiltUnsigned
    19Matt Barnes, RHPRed SoxUConnUnsigned
    20Tyler Anderson, LHPRockiesOregonUnsigned
    21Tyler Beede, RHPBlue JaysLawrence Academy (Mass.)Unsigned
    22Kolten Wong, 2BCardinalsHawai'iSigned 6/25; debuted 6/27 with Quad Cities
    23Alex Meyer, RHPNationalsKentuckyUnsigned
    24Taylor Guerrieri, RHPRaysSpring Valley (S.C.) HSUnsigned
    25Joe Ross, RHPPadresBishop O'Dowd (Calif.)Unsigned
    26Blake Swihart, CRed SoxV. Sue Cleveland (N.M.) HSUnsigned
    27Robert Stephenson, RHPRedsAlhambra (Calif.) HSUnsigned
    28Sean Gilmartin, LHPBravesFlorida StateUnsigned
    29Joe Panik, SSGiantsSt. John'sSigned 6/11; debuted 6/17 with Salem-Keizer
    30Levi Michael, SSTwinsUNCUnsigned
    31Mikie Mahtook, OFRaysLSUUnsigned
    32Jake Hager, SSRaysSierra Vista (Nev.) HSSigned 06/21; assigned to Princeton
    33Kevin Matthews, LHPRangersRichmond Hill (Ga.) HSSigned 6/16
    34Brian Goodwin, OFNationalsMiami Dade CC SouthUnsigned
    35Jacob Anderson, OFBlue JaysChico (Calif.) HSUnsigned
    36Henry Owens, LHPRed SoxEdison (Calif.) HSUnsigned
    37Zach Cone, OFRangersGeorgiaSigned 6/17; debuted 6/21 with Spokane
    38Brandon Martin, SSRaysSantiago (Calif.) HSUnsigned
    39Larry Greene, OFPhilliesBarren County (Ga.) HSUnsigned
    40Jackie Bradley, OFRed SoxSouth CarolinaUnsigned
    41Tyler Goeddel, 3BRaysSt. Francis (Calif.) HSUnsigned
    42Jeffrey Ames, RHPRaysLower Columbia CollegeSigned 06/21; assigned to Princeton
    43Andrew Chafin, LHPD-backsKent StateUnsigned
    44Michael Fulmer, RHPMetsDeer Creek (Okla.) HSUnsigned
    45Trevor Story, SSRockiesIrving (Texas) HSUnsigned
    46Joseph Musgrove, RHPBlue JaysGrossmont (Calif.) HSSigned 6/22; assigned to GCL Blue Jays
    47Keenyn Walker, OFWhite SoxCentral Arizona CollegeUnsigned
    48Michael Kelly, RHPPadresWest Boca Raton (Fla.) HSUnsigned
    49Kyle Crick, RHPGiantsSherman (Texas) HSUnsigned
    50Travis Harrison, 3BTwinsTustin (Calif.) HSUnsigned
    51Dante Bichette, SSYankeesOrangewood Christian (Fla.) HSSigned 6/17; debuted 6/20 with GCL Yankees
    52Blake Snell, LHP RaysShorewood (Wash.) HSSigned 6/17; assigned to GCL Rays
    53Dwight Smith, OFBlue JaysMcIntosh (Ga.) HSUnsigned
    54Brett Austin, CPadresProvidence Sr. (N.C.) HSUnsigned
    55Hudson Boyd, RHPTwinsSouth Fort Myers (Fla.) HSUnsigned
    56Kes Carter, OF RaysWestern KentuckySigned 6/14; debuted 6/18 with Hudson Valley
    57Kevin Comer, RHPBlue JaysSeneca (N.J.) HSUnsigned
    58Jace Peterson, SSPadresMcNeese StateSigned 6/11; debuted 6/17 with Eugene
    59Grayson Garvin, LHP RaysVanderbiltUnsigned
    60James Harris, OFRaysOakland Tech. Sr. (Calif.) HSSigned 6/21; debuted 6/27 with GCL Rays
    61Josh Bell, OFPiratesJesuit Prep (Texas)Unsigned
    63Anthony Meo, RHPD-backsCoastal CarolinaUnsigned
    64Jason Esposito, 3BOriolesVanderbiltUnsigned
    67Dillon Howard, RHPIndiansSearcy (Ark.) HSUnsigned
    73Alex Santana, 3BDodgersMariner (Fla.) HSSigned 6/11; debuted 6/21 with AZL Dodgers
    74Daniel Norris, LHPBlue JaysScience Hill (Tenn.) HSUnsigned
    79Charles Tilson, OFCardinalsNew Trier (Ill.) HSUnsigned
    82Austin Hedges, CPadresJSerra (Calif.) HSUnsigned
    86Andrew Susac, CGiantsOregon StateUnsigned
    91Alan Dickerson, OFPiratesIndianaUnsigned
    96Matt Purke, LHPNationalsTexas ChristianUnsigned
    99Jack Armstrong, RHPAstrosVanderbiltUnsigned
    109Charles McElroy, OFCardinalsClear Creek (Texas) HSUnsigned
    116Ricky Oropesa, 1BGiantsSouthern CaliforniaUnsigned
    134Ryan O'Sullivan, RHPDodgersOklahoma CityUnsigned
    185Nicholas Delmonico, INFOriolesFarragut (Tenn.) HSUnsigned
    203Kyle Gaedele, OFPadresValparaisoSigned 6/11; debuted 6/17 with Eugene
    204Derek Fisher, OFRangersCedar Crest (Pa.) HSUnsigned
    208Dereck Rodriguez, OFTwinsMonsignor Pace (Fla.) HSUnsigned
    219Trevor Gretzky, 1BCubsOaks Christian (Calif.) HSUnsigned
    245Johnny Ruettiger, OFOriolesArizona StateUnsigned
    253Daniel Oliver, RHPMarlinsSeminole CCUnsigned
    309Daniel Lockhart, SSCubsHebron Christian Academy (Ga.)Unsigned
    339Shawon Dunston Jr., OFCubsValley Christian (Calif.) HSUnsigned
    360Cameron Seitzer, 1BRaysOklahomaSigned 6/17; debuted 6/21 with Princeton
    481Ryan Garvey, OFPhilliesPalm Desert (Calif.) HSUnsigned
    487Deion Williams, SSNationalsRedan (Ga.) HSSigned 6/16; debuted 6/21 with GCL Nationals
    667Travis Henke, RHPNationalsArkansas-Little RockSigned 6/16; debuted 6/19 with Auburn
    797Colin Kaline, 2BTigersFlorida SouthernSigned 6/10; debuted 6/17 with Connecticut
    881David Lucroy, RHPBrewersUmatilla, Fla.Unsigned
    907Bryan Harper, LHPNationalsSouth CarolinaUnsigned
    911Trent Boras, 3BBrewersJSerra (Calif.) HSUnsigned
    1276Brett Geren, CAthleticsSan Ramon Valley (Calif.) HSUnsigned
    1365Matthew Scioscia, 1BAngelsCrespi Carmelite (Calif.) HSSigned 6/19
    1399Shane Farrell, LHPBlue JaysMarshallUnsigned


    This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

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