Round #22:
Maels Rodriguez
RHP
6'0
215 lbs.
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Top Cuban Pitcher Maels Rodriguez Defects
Associated Press
MIAMI -->
Rodriguez and another player, Yobal Duenas, were reported missing by Cuban authorities Saturday and they both apparently left the island in a speed boat.
"They're safe," said Joe Garcia, executive director of the Cuban American National Foundation. He declined further comment.
Rodriguez, a 24-year-old right-handed pitcher, is one of Cuba's top pitchers, but recent rumors have signaled he may have injured his pitching arm. Cuban media report Rodriguez' fastball regularly tops 100 mph.
He set the single-season strikeout record in Cuba with 263 in 178 1/3 innings three years ago. This season, he was 8-3 in 113 innings with 117 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.11. Cuban officials left him off the Pan American Games and Olympic qualifying teams, blaming arm and back injuries for the loss of 15 mph off his fastball.
"I'll demonstrate ÛI'm healthyÝ," Rodriguez said in an interview Thursday on Miami Spanish-language radio station WQBA-AM. "I'm going to demonstrate that I can still throw 100. These are things that they invent to cut a little off the careers of some athletes."
Orioles | More on Maels - from
www.KFFL.com
Wed, 2 Mar 2005 09:31:27 -0800
The Baltimore Sun's Roch Kubatko reports Cuban defector P Maels Rodriguez hasn't pitched in two years after defecting from Cuba and suffering an injury. A pulled muscle near his rib cage has led Rodriguez to lower his elbow and lose velocity and movement. He still isn't close to throwing at his normal speed. "He was one of the best pitchers in the whole world," Baltimore Orioles scout Chu Halabi said. "His fastball is always around 96, 97. He has a great curveball. He's a great competitor. And he's a legitimate 25 years old. He's the real, real deal. We might be lucky."
Orioles | Cuban Defectors Rodriguez Brothers Work Out - from
www.KFFL.com
Wed, 2 Mar 2005 09:25:55 -0800
The Baltimore Sun's Roch Kubatko reports the Baltimore Orioles worked out Cuban defector pitchers Maels Rodriguez and Jose Rodriguez. Maels was a hot prospect last offseason but interest thinned due to a shoulder injury. "At this point, we've had multiple teams inquire about Maels and some also about Jose. They've all expressed interest in working out both brothers," agent Barry Praver said.
Red Sox | Rodriguez Underwhelming - from
www.KFFL.com
Fri, 23 Jan 2004 22:50:47 -0800
The Boston Herald reports the Boston Red Sox are unlikely to sign Cuban free-agent P Maels Rodriguez, as he underwhelmed the team during his El Salvador tryout on Thursday.
MLB | Rodriguez Workout Update - from
www.KFFL.com
Fri, 23 Jan 2004 08:06:48 -0800
The AP's Marcos Aleman reports free agent SP Maels Rodriguez proved his arm was healthy in a recent workout but did not top 90 mph despite reports that he could get his fastball up to 100 mph.
Mariners | Scout, Former GM To Watch Cuban - from
www.KFFL.com
Thu, 22 Jan 2004 08:41:27 -0800
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports the Seattle Mariners will have their chief Latin American scout, Bob Engle, and former general manager Pat Gillick on hand Thursday, Jan. 22, in San Salvador when Cuban defector P Maels Rodriguez throws for big-league scouts.
Rangers | Team To Send Two Scouts For M. Rodriguez - from
www.KFFL.com
Wed, 21 Jan 2004 13:07:47 -0800
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports the Texas Rangers will send two scouts to El Salvador for Cuban P Maels Rodriguez's workout Thursday, Jan. 22. Rodriguez defected from Cuba late last year and was recently granted free agency by Major League Baseball. But Rangers assistant general manager Grady Fuson isn't sure how strong the club's interest is. "We're not going down there with the intention of signing this guy," Fuson said. "We're going down there with the intention of scouting him, just like any other guy who's a free agent."
Red Sox | Team Looking At Cuban Pitcher - from
www.KFFL.com
Mon, 19 Jan 2004 11:44:58 -0800
Jeff Horrigan, of the Boston Herald, reports free agent P Maels Rodriguez, who defected from Cuba in October, is expected to audition for big league scouts in El Salvador on Thursday, Jan. 22, and the Boston Red Sox plan to be on hand. The 24-year-old was declared a free agent by Major League Baseball last week after establishing legal residency in El Salvador. "We'll have guys there to watch him but that's all I'll say,'' Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said. Rodriguez's fastball has reportedly reached 100 mph in the past, but Cuban officials said after his defection that he'd lost up to 15 mph last year.
MLB | M. Rodriguez to Audition - from
www.KFFL.com
Wed, 14 Jan 2004 09:03:56 -0800
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's John Hickey reports Cuban-defector SP Maels Rodriguez (pronounced "Miles") will audition for MLB scouts Thursday, Jan. 22, in San Salvador, El Salvador. Rodriguez, 24, is the only pitcher in Cuban baseball since Fidel Castro's rise to power to throw a perfect game and has a fastball that has been clocked at 100 mph.
MLB | Rodriguez Defects from Cuba - from
www.KFFL.com
Sat, 1 Nov 2003 09:52:55 -0800
ESPN.com reports Cuban National Team P Maels Rodriguez was reported missing by authorities Saturday, Nov. 1. Rodriguez, 24, set the single-season strikeout record in Cuba with 263 in 178 1/3 innings three years ago. This season, he was 8-3 in 113 innings with 117 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.11. Cuban officials left him off the Pan American Games and Olympic qualifying teams, blaming arm and back injuries for the loss of 15 mph off his fastball. "I want to play the best baseball, and that's in the United States," Rodriguez said. "It's a difficult step because you know how things are in Cuba. So when Yobal (Duenas) and I made this decision, it was the most important one in our careers."
Cuban Refugees
By Bryan Smith
Yesterday, two Cuban pitchers took the mound in front of Major League scouts in an attempt to attract a large offer. One is a 24-year-old flamethrower that would be a 'rookie' in 2004, while the other is a 38-year-old five-year veteran. The latter has accumulated more than 50 wins during that time, including a 17-win 1999. Both have large injury concerns, the younger was said to lose 10mph off his fastball last year, while the elder didn't pitch in 2003.
So, that begs the questions, where will Maels Rodriguez and Orlando Hernandez pitch in 2004, and how effective will they be?
Hernandez threw at the University of Houston yesterday morning, in front of scouts from twenty Major League teams. El Duque said through an interpreter that he was about 85%, and that he would be 100% by Spring Training. Hernandez looked to have revive his career with a strong 2002 season, but shoulder surgery kept him out a year ago.
In 2002, Hernandez made 22 starts with the Yankees, compiling an 8-5 record with a 3.64ERA. He only allowed 131 hits in 146 innings, while striking out 113. His K/9 has always been around 7.00 during his career, but a K/BB of 3.14 was a career high. El Duque has always been a flyball pitcher, as his career GB/FB rate of 0.81 shows. Hernandez throws a ton of different pitches, and has used almost every arm angle in the book. In 2002 he revived the 'eephus' pitch, an lob that he threw to Alex Rodrigeuz, that the slugger promptly hit out of Arlington Park.
So far, we know that the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets, and Pirates were all present to see Hernandez throw. The Yankees seemed to be there out of courtesy, as vice president of major league scouting Damon Oppenheimer said, "We have a lot of respect for him, so we wanted to make sure we were down here." That doesn't indicate a whole lot of current interest, so don't expect the Yankees to make a run after him. Returning to New York is a possibility, but it would be as a member of the Mets. Hernandez would be effective in Shea Stadium, but not in Texas, another possible destination.
As for Maels Rodriguez, details of his throwing session haven't been published yet, but the Red Sox had a private workout with the right-hander earlier in the week. The "100mph fastball" that Cubans bragged about wasn't quite true, although the Red Sox did have him in the mid-90s. Rodriguez set the Cuban record for strikeouts in the 2000 season, compiling 263 in 178.1 innings. He was limited to 113 innings last year, but kept his strikeouts high at 117.
In a USA Today article this week, Milton Jamail, author of Full Count: Inside Cuban Baseball is quoted as saying "If I was a team with a lot of money, I'd take a chance with Maels. If I was in a middle market, I wouldn't consider it." Minnesota Twins GM Terry Ryan repeated more of the same, saying "When I see certain (big-spending) teams are going, I figure 'What's the point?.'"
The main competitors for Maels' services figure to be the Yankees, Rangers, and Mariners. With the retirement of Kaz Sasaki, the Mariners have the most money to spend, but Tom Hicks and George Steinbrenner aren't used to standing down in auctions. Rodriguez would help the Rangers the most, who have needed an ace atop their staff since Nolan Ryan left. Maels would replace Gil Meche in the Mariner rotation, but wouldn't even be guaranteed a spot with the Yankees. Instead, he would battle it out in Spring Training with Tommy John surgery recoveree Jon Lieber.
If Rodriguez signs with the Yankees he is likely to follow the path of fellow Cuban Jose Contreras. But, that's where the comparisons between the two countrymen end. Contreras was said to be Cuba's best pitcher, and is a 6-4, 224 lbs. beast. Rodriguez is said to be 5-11, which will turn many scouts away. While I consider Contreras with the highest regard, Rodriguez shouldn't be expected to have the same success. Someone will drastically overpay for Maels, who should be a little above league average during the life of the deal he signs.
Round #23:
Travis Tully
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Travis Tully
Player Profile
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Richmond, Texas
High School:
Spring
Height / Weight:
5-9 / 170
Position:
OF
Birthdate:
01/31/1984
Experience:
2L
2004 All-Conference USA Second Team
2004 Minute Maid Park College Classic All-Tournament Team
2003 Conference USA All-Freshmen Team
2003 Silver Glove All-Series Team
Is no relation to current Cougar teammate Bryan Tully.
SOPHOMORE (2004)
Recorded a team-best 21-game hitting streak midway through the season... Was the fourth longest streak in school history and the second-longest in-season streak... Was the only player to start and play in all 59 games... Finished fourth on the team with a .308 batting average and led all Cougar baserunners with 17 stolen bases.... Led team with 41 runs and finished second with 26 walks... Batted .57 against C-USA opponents... Finished second with 25 multi-hit games...Was the only Cougar named to the All-C-USA Teams as a Second-Team honoree... Batted 2-for-5 with a run and two RBIs' in the Cougars' season-opening win against Kansas State at the Minute Maid Park College Classic... Batted 4-for-6 with a run and stolen base against Texas Tech at the Minute Maid Park College Classic... Went 2-for-4 with a run and RBI against nationally-ranked Baylor... Batted 3-for-4 with a run and swiped a pair of bases at LSU in the series opener... Went 2-for-5 against nationally-ranked Texas A&M... Recorded two RBIs against UCLA during the final day of the Aztec Invitational at PETCO Park... Batted 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs at Southern Miss in the middle game of that series... Went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs at Southern Miss in the series finale.. Led all players by batting 3-for-4 with a double against TCU in the series opener... Batted 2-for-3 with two runs, two walks and an RBI against TCU in the series finale... Went 2-for-5 with a run at UAB in the series finale... Batted 2-for-5 with an RBI against Charlotte in the first game of a doubleheader... Went 2-for-4 against Charlotte in the nightcap of a doubleheader... Batted 2-for-5 with an RBI at Texas A&M... Went 2-for-4 with a double and run against Saint Louis in the series opener... Batted 3-for-5 with a run at Saint Louis in the middle game of that series... Scored two runs at Texas-San Antonio... Batted 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs against Cincinnati in the middle game of the series... Went 2-for-4 with a run and two stolen bases against Cincinnati in the series finale... Batted 2-for-4 with a pair of runs against Sam Houston State... Went 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI in the series opener at East Carolina... Went 2-for-4 with a triple, RBI and two runs scored at East Carolina in the middle game of that series... Batted 2-for-4 with a pair of runs against Memphis in the series opener... Went 2-for-4 with a run against Memphis in the series finale... Batted 2-for-5 with a run, double and two RBIs at Louisville during the first game of a doubleheader... Saw his 21-game hitting streak snapped against Tulane in the second game of that series... Went 2-for-4 with a run against Tulane in the series finale. C-USA Tournament: Laced a two-RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game against East Carolina during the second round.
FRESHMAN (2003)
Made a tremendous impact during his first collegiate season... Finished with a .350 batting average, second-best on the team and the highest mark by a Cougar freshman in a decade... Missed 13 games early in the season with hand and hamstring injuries... Finished third on the squad with 28 RBIs and second with 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts... Second on the team with a .420 on-base percentage... Went 1-for-4 in a win at Pepperdine at the Battle at the Beach for his first collegiate hit... Ended tournament stay by hitting 2-for-4 against Washington...Returned to the Cougar lineup against Louisiana-Lafayette after breaking his hand early in the season... Scored the tying run as a pinch-runner in the first game of the Cajun series... Returned to the Cougar starting lineup in center field against Northwestern State in the second game of that series... Went 3-for-3 with a run against East Carolina in the series finale... Continued hot hitting by going 3-for-5 with a run and RBI against Rice in Game Three of the Silver Glove Series... Went 3-for-5 with three runs at Cincinnati in the first game of that series... Went 2-for-5 with a run, double and two RBIs in the second game of the Cincinnati series... Batted 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI in the Cincinnati series finale... Batted 2-for-5 with a run and RBI at Sam Houston State... Went 2-for-5 with a run at TCU in the middle game of the series... Went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs at TCU in the series finale... Batted 2-for-4 with a pair of runs against Texas State... Went 2-for-2 with an RBI and knocked in an insurance run against Rice in the Silver Glove Series finale... Batted 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs against Saint Louis in the second game of the series... Went 2-for-5 with a run at South Florida in the first game of a doubleheader... Batted 2-for-5 with a run and two RBIs. at South Florida in the nightcap of a doubleheader... Went 1-for-3 and tied the game at 4-4 in the eight inning with a two-RBI single at No. 20 Baylor on April 30... Batted 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs against Louisville in the series finale... Started Cougar rally in the eighth inning at Memphis in the second game of the series with a hit and stolen base.. Scored the game-tying run late and finished the day against the Tigers 2-for-5 with a run... Batted 2-for-5 at No. 9 Texas A&M... Batted 2-for-5 with a run against Southern Miss in the series opener. C-USA Tournament: Started the Cougar rally in the bottom of the ninth with a single against East Carolina during the first round. NCAA Regional at College Station: Batted 2-for-3 with a run against Alabama during the NCAA Regional at College Station... Started the Cougar rally in the eighth inning with a leadoff single against Oral Roberts... Batted 3-for-5 with a run and RBI against Alabama in an elimination game at the ... Scored two runs against Texas A&M during the first meeting at the NCAA Regional... Lifted a sacrifice fly to left field in the bottom of the ninth to score Michael Bourn and tie the game at 6-6 against Texas A&M during the championship game. NCAA Super Regional at Reckling Park: Batted 2-for-5 with a double against Rice during Game Two.
SPRING HIGH SCHOOL
Lettered for head coach Kenny Humphreys at Spring High School... Helped lead Spring High to a 20-9 record and third-place finish in District 15-5A as a senior... Was an All-District First Team honoree for three years... As a senior, named to All-State Second Team and participated in the All-Greater Houston Coaches' All-Star Game.
PERSONALFull name is Travis Austin Tully... Born on Jan. 31, 1984, in Houston, Texas... Son of Tim and Barkla Tully... Majoring in technology... Was also recruited by Tulane, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Grayson County Junior College.... Father Tim and brother Trevor both played baseball at Texas-Pan American.
Round #24:
Vincent Bongiovanni
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Vince Bongiovanni
Player Profile
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Barrington, IL
High School:
Barrington HS
Height / Weight:
6-5 / 217
Position:
RHP
Experience:
3 Letters
Major:
Business Management
At Miami
Vince Bongiovanni will compete for one of three spots in the Hurricanes' weekend rotation and could also see action in mid-week starts ... a tall right-hander with an explosive fastball ... made seven starts in 2004 ... posted a 3-2 record with a 5.40 ERA ... pitched out of the No. 2 spot in the Hurricanes rotation in 2003 ... finished toe 2003 campaign with an 8-4 record and a 4.00 ERA ... as a freshman in 2002, Bongiovanni made four spot starts for the Hurricanes and 14 appearances ... despite a 1-4 record and 6.23 ERA he struck out 39 with 19 walks ... ended his freshman season strong with his best outing of the year against FIU in the 2002 NCAA Gainesville Regional opener ... spent the past two summers in the Cape Cod League pitching for the Bourne Braves ... compiled a 3-2 record with a 2.89 ERA in 2003 and a 0-1 record with a 0.48 ERA in 18.2 ... struck out 47 hitters in just 46.2 innings of work for Bourne over two years.
Junior (2004)
Bongiovanni struggled with his control and was moved to the bullpen in late March ... posted a 3-2 record in seven starts ... complied a 5.40 ERA in 38.1 innings of work with 36 strikeouts and 27 walks ... was outstanding in on the opening weekend of the year against Florida ... turned in one of the best performances of his career, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning agaisnt the Gators ... ran into trouble in that inning, allowing three hits and one run before being relieved by Alex Blanco ... last 5.2 innings and struck out seven ... pitched four innings against Tennessee earning the no decision ... allowed four runs (two earned) while striking out three and walking four ... allowed six earned runs on seven hits while walking four in a no decision against FIU at Homestead on Feb. 27 ... pitched six innings aganinst Maine, allowing three runs on four hits ... struck out seven and walked two in a no decision ... earned his second win with six innings of work against South Florida ... did not walk a batter and struck out for ... allowed four hits and one run ... took the loss after allowing four runs on six hits over five innings ... walked three and struck out six ... suffered his first loss of the season at South Florida ... allowed four runs (four earned) on five hits while walking three and striking out six ... turned in the worst outing of his career against FIU on March 24 ... gave up four runs (three earned) on five hit in just one-third of an inning ... made his first relief appearance since May 31, 2002, with one inning of work against Penn State on March 28 ... allowed one hit and struck out one ... made two relief appearances against Florida State in Coral Gables ... pitched three combined innings ... allowed one run on three hits ... two innings came in UM's 10-0 win on April 16 ... held the Noles without a hit and stuck out four ... pitched an inning against Virginia, walking two and striking out one ... pitched two-third of an inning on May 2 against Coastal Carolina ... recorded the final out of the eighth inning to get UM out of trouble ... continued to struggle with his control ... walked five in just 1.1 innings of work against FAU ... gave up two hits and two runs to Florida Atlantic, May 19 ... did not see action in the postseason for Miami.
Sophomore (2003)
Bongiovanni spent most of the season as the Hurricanes' No. 2 starter ... the right-hander has an explosive fastball but missed four starts toward the end of the season with a strained right forearm ... finished with a 8-4 record in 72 innings with a 4.00 ERA ... had a better than 2-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio (69 to 34) ... struck out a career-high 10 batters against Campbell ... pitched 6.0 innings while allowing no runs and only one hit ... allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits in 5.2 innings of work in his first loss of the season against Florida on Feb. 15 ... gave up one run on three hits over 5.2 innings of work against San Diego State to earn the win ... allowed only one run, while surrendering five hits and striking out five ... went 6.0 innings earning a no decision at Tennessee ... allowed four runs (three earned) and struck out four ... pitched a career-high 7.1 innings in a 6-1 UM win ... earned his second no-decision of the 2003 season with six innings of work ... gave up two runs on four hits and walked five, while striking out six ... worked 5.1 innings against Boston College, allowing six hits and three runs, while striking out six and walking four ... lasted only 1.2 innings against Oral Roberts, allowing four hits, four runs (three earned) and two walks ... missed a scheduled start against Virginia with a strained forearm ... came back against FSU, but re-injured the forearm after giving up four runs on five hits in 2.1 innings ... returned to the UM rotation after missing three starts ... allowed two runs on four hits and struck out nine batters to improve to 6-3 ... threw four innings at Long Beach State, allowing seven hits and four runs to fall to 6-4 on the season. 2003 NCAA Coral Gables Regional: Pitched six strong innings to pick up his seventh win of the season against Bethune-Cookman ... allowed seven hits and two runs, while striking out two. 2003 NCAA Coral Gables Super Regional: His spot in the rotation never came up as the Hurricanes closed out North Carolina State in two games. 2003 College World Series: Bongiovanni earned Miami's only win in the College World Series with a 7-5 decision over Southwest Missouri State...the tall right-hander pitched six of his strongest innings of the year, allowing nine hits and two runs (one earned), while striking out four and walking only one.
Freshman (2002)
Made 14 appearances in his first collegiate season, including four starts...made starts vs. Ball State, Elon, Long Beach State and North Carolina...had eight strikeouts vs. Elon and six at Florida State in back-to-back outings...had a 1.80 ERA over his last three outings (10.0 IP)...struck out four against Tennessee in his collegiate debut (2.2 IP) on Feb. 2...longest outing of the season was 5.1 innings vs. Elon where he took the loss giving up just two runs with eight strikeouts...lasted more than one inning in 13 of his 14 appearances. 2002 NCAA Gainesville Regional: His best outing of the season came against FIU in the opener going 5.0 innings with two hits, one earned run, two walks and four strikeouts...did not appear in the Super Regional.
Barrington High School
Coached by Jim Hawysko...four-year letterwinner...also was a two-year letterman on the basketball team...was also a pitcher and first baseman in American Legion play...holds his schools' strikeout record. Senior year, 2001: Was named to the All-State, All-Area and All-Conference teams...led the state in hitting...tossed 87 strikeouts in 68 innings...had an 18-strikeout performance in one game...batted .401 with 12 home runs and 47 RBI. Junior year, 2000: Threw one no-hitter and three one-hitters...had 11 home runs and 44 RBI. Sophomore year, 1999: Threw a no-hitter against Buffalo Grove in the state playoffs.
Personal
Born January 11, 1983...full name is Vincent P. Bongiovanni II...son of Carl and Valerie...has one sister, Alicia (21)...majoring in business...is a relative of the late New York Yankees great Joe DiMaggio.
Bongiovanni's Bests
Innings Pitched: 7.1 vs. The Citadel, 3/1/03
Hits: 9 vs. Southwest Missouri State, 6/16/03
Earned Runs: 6, vs. Florida International, 2/27/04
Walks: 5 (twice), last vs. Rutgers, 3/16/03
Strikeouts: 10 vs. Campbell, 2/6/03