Jeff Mathis, 22, batted .276 (118-for-427) with 78 runs scored, 26 doubles, three triples, 21 home runs, 73 RBI and four stolen bases in 112 games with Salt Lake this season. The 6-foot, 180 pound catcher has a great arm behind the plate, and was recruited by Florida State University as a quarterback. Choosing baseball over football, Mathis was selected in the first round (33rd overall pick) of the 2001 draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Jeff made his first Major League stint this year when the Angels recalled him on August 12. He was optioned back to Salt Lake on August 16 after going hitless in two at-bats in three games with the Halos. The Marianna, FL native was named the Angels’ fourth best prospect for 2005 by Baseball America. He was also ranked as the third highest catching prospect.

Conor Jackson feasted in his first taste of Triple-A with the Tucson Sidewinders this season hitting .354 (118-for-333) with 9 home runs, 66 runs scored and a team leading 73 RBI’s and 38 doubles. Jackson’s impressive play enabled him to make the jump to the majors in just his second full professional season when the Arizona Diamondbacks purchased the first baseman’s contract on August 27. At the time of his promotion Jackson’s batting average ranked fifth in all of minor league baseball fueled by hits in an amazing 74 of his 93 games played this season. Jackson was selected to the prestigious Future’s Game, which took place during the Major League All-Star break in Detroit and also the Triple-A All-Star game in Sacramento in which he went 2-for-2 with a run scored, RBI and a walk.
The Diamondbacks selected Conor in the first round (19th overall) in the 2003 Amateur Draft out of the University of California. He was selected by Minor League News as the 9th fastest-moving prospect in the minor leagues in the 2005 MLN FAB50 2005 Baseball rankings.

 

Second baseman Andy Green was an offensive force in 2005, leading the PCL in numerous categories including doubles (46), triples (13), and total bases (311). Heading into September, Andy’s 182 hits and 125 runs scored not only paced the PCL, but also led all of professional baseball at both the Major and Minor League levels. Green has posted 51 multi-hit games this season and has reached base via hit or walk in all but 14 of 135 games played this season, leading a batting average of .343 and 80 RBI’s. Green’s consistent play led to a PCL season long on base streak of 54 consecutive games from June 12 through August 11. The Lexington, Kentucky native is in his third season with the Sidewinders after the Arizona Diamondbacks selected him in the 24th round of the 2000 Amateur Draft out of the University of Kentucky. His 2004 campaign led to his Major League debut on June 12 of that year. Green belted his first Major League hit in the form of a 2-run pinch-hit home run off the Yankees Jose Contreras on June 15, 2004. In addition to his All-PCL honors, Andy was named the PCL Most Valuable Player for the 2005 season on September 1, and was recalled by the Diamondbacks the next day.

Danny Klassen led his team with a .319 batting average (109-for-455), and was very solid defensively for the Round Rock Express during the 2005 season. The 29-year-old minor league veteran has bounced around plenty and has played for 10 different teams in his 12-year professional career. Danny was originally selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the second round of 1993 draft. Klassen has played in 85 Major League games with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers, posting a .226 average with 6 home runs and 23 RBI.
Born in Leamington, Ontario, Canada, Danny represented his country in the 2004 Summer Olympics as a part of Team Canada, which finished in fourth place. The 6-foot, 190-pound shortstop participated in Spring Training with the Chicago Cubs earlier this year. He was traded from the Cubs to the Houston Astros organization on April 3, 2005 for a player to be named later.

Mike Coolbaugh provided plenty of pop in the Round Rock Express lineup for much of the 2005 campaign. He led the team with 27 home runs, 101 RBI, and 250 total bases, while his home run and RBI totals were good enough to rank fourth in the circuit, respectively. Much like teammate Danny Klassen, Coolbaugh is a well-traveled veteran. Since the Toronto Blue Jays drafted him in the 16th round of the 1990 amateur draft, he has played for nine different organizations, plus a stint in the Korean Baseball Organization. After eleven seasons in the minors, Coolbaugh finally broke into the big leagues on July 16, 2001, as a 29-year-old rookie with the Milwaukee Brewers. He played in 39 major league games that season and five more the following season with the St. Louis Cardinals. Coolbaugh was also selected to participate in the 2005 Triple-A All Star Game in Sacramento, helping the PCL claim an 11-5 victory.

Outfielder Aaron Guiel worked his way into the hearts of the Kansas City Royals faithful with his scrappy play during the 2003 season when the club was in first place for much of the season. He hit .277 and had 15 homers and 52 RBIs in 99 games. Unfortunately, Guiel missed most of last season with blurred vision, playing in just 42 games for the Royals while batting .156. With his eyesight recovered, Guiel has made a remarkable comeback with Omaha in 2005. In 128 games, he piled up 30 home runs, 95 RBI, and 94 runs scored, to compliment a solid .276 batting average. The 32-year old Canadian was also stellar defensively, with 18 outfield assists and only two errors in right field this season. Aaron was rewarded for his fine play with a recall to Kansas City on August 25 when second baseman Donnie Murphy was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a small fracture on his right finger.

If you look at the numbers, it is easy to see the impact that outfielder Todd Linden has made in San Francisco Giants farm system ever since making his professional debut in 2002. The former 1st round pick has compiled a .290 career avg. with 250 runs, 80 doubles, 49 HR, and 193 RBI over 395 minor league games. This year with the Fresno Grizzlies, Linden finally put all the pieces together and it looks as if the 2005 season may be his last in the minor leagues. He was among the Pacific Coast League leaders in almost every offensive category; including homeruns (30), RBI (80), batting average (.321), slugging percentage (.682) and on-base percentage (.437), before the Giants recalled him on August 12. The 25-year-old Washington native was a force on both offense and defense, as he boasted one of the strongest arms in the league from his right field position. The switch-hitter also became the new Fresno franchise career home run hitter, surpassing former Grizzlies infielder Damon Minor, with 67 home runs over parts of four seasons in Fresno. Linden was selected by Minor League News as the 18th fastest-moving prospect in the minor leagues in the 2005 MLN FAB50 2005 Baseball rankings.

When it’s all said and done, the 2005 campaign will be viewed as a great success for outfielder Brandon Watson, as he climbed from Double-A, up the ladder through Triple-A, to eventually make his major league debut with the Washington Nationals. He began the season with the Double-A Harrisburg Senators before a promotion sent him to New Orleans on May 16, where he excelled in his first foray into Triple-A ball. In 88 games for the Zephyrs, Watson hit a huge .355 average (132-for-372), ranking him third in the Pacific Coast League. The Nationals front office took notice and gave Brandon a chance to prove his worth in the majors, recalling him on August 8. At the time of his promotion, he was leading all Minor League Baseball in hits with 150 and was tied for second in the PCL with 27 stolen bases. He finished the minor league season with 15 doubles, 3 triples, a home run and 25 RBI. The Los Angeles, CA, native is a career .305 (876-for-2872) hitter with 92 doubles, 23 triples, 6 home runs and 210 RBIs in 718 minor league games. He was selected by Montreal in the ninth round of the 1999 draft.

Rick Short is a perfect choice as the 2005 All-PCL Designated Hitter, because, well, he was simply the best hitter in the league this year. Boasting a .383 batting average that topped the circuit, Short had been flirting with hitting the.400 mark for much of the season. The national exposure Short received for his quest to become the first pro player to reach the immortal mark in 44 years may have helped the career minor leaguer to finally realize his dream of playing in the big leagues. The 32-year-old Short had been in the minor leagues for 11-plus seasons before being called up by the Washington Nationals on June 9. Before the promotion, Rick had hit over .300 with 1,235 hits, 84 home runs and 583 RBI in 1,106 career minor league game. Rick’s first major league home run on September 7 was a memorable one as he took Dontrelle Willis deep, the lone bright spot in a 12-1 rout where Willis won his 20th game of the season for the Florida Marlins.

To say Felix Hernandez has had a break out season in 2005 would be a gross understatement. His stock has taken off like a rocket, and it truly seems like the sky is the limit for the 19-year-old phenom from Valencia, Venezuela. The accolades have rolled in for Hernandez practically all season. Felix was selected by Minor League News as the top prospect in the minor leagues in the 2005 MLN FAB50 2005 Baseball midseason rankings. He also becomes the first player to be named both the PCL Rookie and Pitcher of the Year in the same year. Felix had a 9-4 record with a 2.25 ERA with the Tacoma Rainiers before he made his major league debut with the Seattle Mariners on August 4. In his 88.0 innings at Triple-A, he struck out 100 batters, allowed just 24 runs, 22 earned, and kept his opponents average to a measly.196. Hernandez was selected to the PCL All-Star team and went 3-0 with a 1.05 ERA in his final eight appearances in the PCL. "He's a very, very talented young man,'' Tacoma manager Dan Rohn said of Hernandez. "As he has shown in the majors he is well deserving and wise beyond his years, pitching wise.'' Since joining the Mariners, Hernandez has continued his success, posting a superb 1.59 ERA with 50 strike outs in 51 innings of work.

Matt White, a 28-year-old lefty, had a strong 2005 season for New Orleans, and was one of the workhorses in the Zephyrs pitching staff. White’s 125.2 innings pitched ranked second on the squad, behind only teammate Brian Powell’s 157.2, while his 3.72 ERA ranked fourth in the Pacific Coast League. The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder posted an 8-6 record and only gave up 45 walks while striking out 102 batters. Hailing from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Mike was selected out of Clemson University by the Cleveland Indians in the 15th round (453rd overall) of the 1998 amateur draft.

Relief Pitcher Jermaine Van Buren continued to made huge strides in 2005, setting a single-season record for the Iowa Cubs with 25 saves. In 52 games this season, Van Buren was 2-3 with a 1.98 ERA. He had 65 strikeouts in 54.2 innings pitched and ranked second in the league in saves. Van Buren was drafted out of high school in 1998, selected in the second round by the Colorado Rockies. That year, he went 7-2 in 12 games with a 2.22 ERA for Tucson in the Rookie League. However, despite the promising start to his career, he never got above the Class-A level in four subsequent years with the Rockies. Jermaine ended up in the independent Central League in 2003 where he went 9-4 with a 3.07 ERA in 18 starts for the Fort Worth Cats. The Cubs signed him as a free agent in December 2003, and he resurrected his major league possibilities as a reliever. In 2004, he made stops in Lansing (A), West Tennessee (AA) and Iowa (AAA) while compiling the first 22 saves of his pro career, and finishing the year with a 2.05 ERA. The 25-year-old right–hander recently made his major-league debut, with two shutout innings on August 31, 2005 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.