The 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held June 9 to June 11 at the MLB Network Studios in New York City.^[1]

The drafting order is as follows:^[2][3]

First-round selections[link]

Key

Supplemental first-round selections[link]

From Baseball America^[4]

Compensation picks[link]

External links[link]

• MLB.com - 2009 MLB Draft Page

References[link]

The First-Year Player Draft, also known as the Rule 4 Draft, is Major League Baseball's primary mechanism for assigning amateur baseball players, from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs, to its teams.^[1] The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings, with the team possessing the worst record receiving the first pick. In addition, teams which lost free agents in the previous off-season may be awarded "compensatory" picks.

The first amateur draft was held in 1965. Unlike most sports drafts, the First-Year Player Draft is held mid-season, in June. Another distinguishing feature of this draft in comparison with those of other North American major professional sports leagues is its sheer size: under the new collective bargaining agreement the draft lasts 40 rounds, plus compensatory picks. In contrast, the NHL Entry Draft lasts seven rounds and roughly 215 picks, the NBA Draft lasts for only two rounds (60 selections) and the NFL Draft for only seven rounds (256 selections if no picks are forfeited).

The First-Year Player Draft has historically had far less media exposure than its counterparts in the other leagues for three primary reasons:

• High school and college baseball, the primary sources of MLB draftees, are not nearly as popular as college football, college basketball, and, in Canada and certain parts of the U.S., college and junior hockey. Consequently, most prospective top draft picks were unknown to the casual sports observer at the time of their draft. However, this is slowly changing: NCAA baseball has enjoyed a spike in popularity in the 2000s and top collegiate baseball players have enjoyed greater media exposure, though still far below that of their basketball and football counterparts.
• Unlike top draft picks in the NHL, NBA and NFL, all of whom are expected to make immediate impacts, top MLB draftees are nearly always assigned to the minor leagues for several years to hone their skills. The entire 2007 first round (64 players) totaled one inning of major league playing time as of the end of the 2008 season; as of the 2009 season, the vast majority of 2008 first-rounders were still assigned to minor league organizations. In contrast, every first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft had played in the league by the end of the 2008 season.
• While many NHL, NBA and NFL draftees will eventually reach their respective leagues, the vast majority of players selected in the First-Year Player Draft will never play in a single MLB game, including many first-rounders. For example, only 31 of 53 first-round draft picks in the 1997 draft eventually made a big-league appearance, and only 13 of those 30 appeared in more than 100 games as of 2009. In 1997's sixth round, only five of the 30 players selected eventually made a big league appearance, and only two of those five (Tim Hudson and Matt Wise) played more than 40 innings in the majors. Further illustrating the unpredictability of the draft's middle and later rounds, none of the 30 players selected in the 18th round ever reached the major leagues, but the 19th round eventually produced an all-star and World Series MVP, David Eckstein.

The 2007 Draft was televised live for the first time in the draft's history on Thursday June 17, 2007 from 2:00pm until 6:00pm EDT (1800 - 2200 hrs UTC).^[2] The Draft coverage took place at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida.

Before the draft[link]

Major League Baseball has used a draft to assign minor league players to teams since 1921.^[3][4] In 1936, the National Football League held the first amateur draft in professional sports.^[5] A decade later, the National Basketball Association instituted a similar method of player distribution. However, the player draft was controversial. Congressman Emanuel Celler questioned the legality of drafts during a series of hearings on the business practice of professional sports leagues in the 1950s.^[6] Successful clubs saw the draft as anti-competitive. Yankees executive Johnny Johnson equated it with communism.^[7] At the same time, Pulitzer Prize-winning sports columnist Arthur Daley compared the system to a "slave market."^[8]

Prior to the implementation of the First-Year Player Draft, amateurs were free to sign with any Major League team that offered them a contract. As a result, wealthier teams such as the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals were able to stockpile young talent, while poorer clubs were left to sign less desirable prospects.^[9]

In 1947, Major League Baseball implemented the bonus rule, a restriction aimed at reducing player salaries, as well as keeping wealthier teams from monopolizing the player market.^[10] In its most restrictive form, it forbade any team which gave an amateur a signing bonus of more than $4,000 from assigning that player to a minor league affiliate for two seasons. If the player was removed from the major league roster, he became a free agent. The controversial legislation was repealed twice, only to be re-instituted.^[11]

The bonus rule was largely ineffective. There were accusations that teams were signing players to smaller bonuses, only to supplement them with under-the-table payments.^[8] In one famous incident, the Kansas City Athletics signed Clete Boyer, kept him on their roster for two years, then traded him to the Yankees just as he became eligible to be sent to the minor leagues. Other clubs accused the Yankees of using the Athletics as a de facto farm team, and the A's later admitted to signing Boyer on their behalf.^[12] Finally, it was the bidding war for Rick Reichardt, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels for the then outrageous bonus of $200,000 that led to the implementation of the draft.

Major League clubs voted on the draft during the 1964 Winter Meetings. Four teams — the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets — attempted to defeat the proposal, but they failed to convince a majority of teams, and in the end only the Cardinals voted against it.^[13]

The draft[link]

Major League Baseball's first amateur draft was held in June 1965. Teams chose players in reverse order of the previous season's standings, with picks alternating between the National and American Leagues.^[14] With the first pick, the Kansas City Athletics took Rick Monday, an outfielder for Arizona State University.

Originally, three separate drafts were held each year. The June draft, which was by far the largest, involved new high school graduates, as well as college seniors who had just finished their seasons. A second draft was held in January for high school and college players who graduated in the winter. Finally, there was a draft in August for players who participated in amateur summer leagues.^[14] The August draft was eliminated after only two years, while the January draft lasted until 1986.^[15]

Early on, the majority of players drafted came directly from high school. Between 1967 and 1971, only seven college players were chosen in the first round of the June draft.^[16] However, the college players who were drafted outperformed their high school counterparts by what statistician Bill James called "a laughably huge margin."^[17] In 1978, a majority of draftees had played college baseball, and by 2002, the number rose above sixty percent.^[16] While the number of high school players drafted has dropped, those picked have been more successful than their predecessors. In a study of drafts from 1984 to 1999, Baseball Prospectus writer Rany Jazayerli concluded that, by the 1990s, the gap in production between the two groups had nearly disappeared.^[18]

Economic impact[link]

Initially, the draft succeeded in reducing the value of signing bonuses. In 1964, a year before the first draft, University of Wisconsin outfielder Rick Reichardt was given a record bonus of $205,000 ($1,536,180 today) by the Los Angeles Angels. Without competition from other clubs, the Athletics were able to sign Rick Monday for a bonus of only $104,000. It would take until 1979 for a drafted player to receive a bonus higher than Reichardt's.^[19]

Player salaries continued to escalate through the 1980s. In 1986, Bo Jackson became the first draftee to sign a total contract (signing bonus and salary) worth over $1 million ($2,120,219 today).^[20] Jackson, a Heisman Trophy-winning football player for Auburn University, was also the first overall choice in the National Football League Draft, and was offered a $7 million ($14,841,530 today) contract to play football for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.^[21]

High school players possessed additional leverage, as they had the option of attending college and re-entering the draft the next year. Agent Scott Boras routinely exploited this advantage to increase the contracts of his clients. In 1990, Boras client Todd Van Poppel signed a $1.2 million ($2,134,692 today) contract with Oakland Athletics, after committing to play for the University of Texas. The following year, Boras negotiated a $1.55 million ($2,644,808 today) contract for Yankees first round pick Brien Taylor, who had said he would attend junior college if he didn't receive a contract equal to Van Poppel's.^[22] By June 2009, a figure as high as $15 million was floated for collegian pitcher Stephen Strasburg.^[23]

Increasingly, teams drafted based on whether or not a player was likely to sign for a particular amount of money, rather than on his talent. This became known as a "signability pick." Before the 1992 draft, team owners unilaterally decided to extend the period of time a team retained negotiating rights to a player from one year to five. In effect, the rule prohibited a high school draftee from attending college and re-entering the draft after his junior or senior seasons. The Major League Baseball Players Association filed a legal challenge, but Major League Baseball argued that, since the Players Association did not represent amateur players, it was not necessary for the union to agree to the change.^[24] An arbitrator ultimately decided that any change to draft articles must be negotiated with the Players Association.^[25]

Procedures and rules[link]

Eligibility[link]

To be drafted a player must fit the following criteria:

• Be a resident of the United States, Canada, or a U.S. territory such as Puerto Rico. Players from other countries are not subject to the draft, and can be signed by any team (unless they are current members of college teams in the aforementioned countries).
• Have never signed a major or minor league contract.
• High school players are eligible only after graduation, and if they have not attended college.
• Players at four-year colleges are eligible after completing their junior years, or after their 21st birthdays.
• Junior and community college players are eligible to be drafted at any time.

Draft order[link]

The general draft order is the reverse order of the previous year's standings. If two teams finish with identical records, the previous year's standings of the two teams is the tiebreaker, with the team having a worse record receiving the higher pick.

Negotiating rights[link]

Prior to 2007, a team retained the rights to sign a selected player until one week prior to the next draft, or until the player enters, or returns to, a four-year college on a full-time basis. Starting in 2007, the deadline for signing a drafted player is August 15. A selected player who enters a junior college cannot be signed until the conclusion of the school's baseball season. A player who is drafted and does not sign with the club that selected him may be drafted again at a future year's draft, so long as the player is eligible for that year's draft. A club may not select a player again in a subsequent year, unless the player has consented to the re-selection.

A player who is eligible to be selected and is passed over by every club becomes a free agent and may sign with any club, up until one week before the next draft, or until the player enters, or returns to, a four-year college full-time or enters, or returns to, a junior college. In the one-week period before any draft, which is called the "closed period", the general rule is that no club may sign a new player.

Compensatory picks[link]

Currently, teams can earn compensatory picks in the draft based on departing free agents. Free Agents are ranked by the Elias Sports Bureau based on their previous two years of playing, and against players of similar positions. Players are categorized as either Class A or Class B, or they fall into the category of all other players. Below is a description of each free agent class and the compensation the free agent's former team received when the player signs with a different team.

• A Class A free agent is ranked in the top 20 percent of players at his position. A team that signs a Type A player gives its top draft pick to the club that the player is leaving; that club also receives a supplemental pick in the "sandwich" round between the first and second rounds.^[26]

• A Class B free agent is ranked below the top 20 percent but in the top 40 percent of players at his position. A team that loses a Type B player receives a supplemental pick, but the signing team does not lose a pick.^[26]

• All other players carry no compensation at all. There had previously been a third class of "Type C" players, but that was eliminated in the most recent CBA.^[26]

To earn a compensatory pick, a free agent must either be signed before the arbitration deadline in early December, or be offered arbitration by their former team but still sign with someone else.

Compensatory picks that one team gives another via this method are the highest available pick that team has, with the exception of picks in the top half of the first round.^[27] These picks are protected from being used as compensation. If a team that picks in the top half of the first draft signs a Type A free agent, they would give up their second round pick. If a team owes two other teams draft picks via Type A free agents, the team whose departing player had a higher score gets the higher ranked pick. A team cannot lose picks it has earned via compensation.

The order of the supplemental round between the first and second rounds is determined by inverse order of the previous year's standings. All the Type A picks are done first, and then the order resets for all the Type B compensation picks.

Teams can also earn compensation for unsigned picks from the previous year's draft. If a team doesn't sign a first or second round pick, they will get to pick at the same slot plus one the following year. For example, if the team with the #5 pick does not sign that player, they would have the #6 pick the following year. The regular draft order would continue around those picks. For compensation for not signing a third round pick, teams would get a pick in a supplemental round between the third and fourth rounds. If a team fails to sign a player with one of these compensated picks, there is no compensation the following year.

Changes for 2012[link]

The adoption of a new collective bargaining agreement between MLB and its players union, starting with the 2012 season, will result in significant changes to the draft.

Free agent compensation[link]

For the 2012 draft, the current "Type A" and "Type B" designations remain in place, but the CBA included special provisions that modified the statuses of 11 players who were Type A free agents under the old CBA. Six of these will be "Modified Type A"—meaning that the signing team does not forfeit a draft pick, but the player's former team will receive a compensatory pick in the same position it would have earned under regular Type A rules. The remaining five will be "Modified Type B", with compensation identical to that for other Type B free agents.^[28]

After the 2012 draft, free agents will no longer be classified by "type". Instead, a team will only be able to receive compensation if it makes its former player an offer at least equal to the average of the 125 richest contracts.^[29] However, if a player is traded during the final season of his contract, his new team will be ineligible to receive any compensation.^[30]

Bonus pool[link]

Starting in 2012, each team will be allocated a "bonus pool" from which it can offer initial contracts to its drafted players. Each team's pool will be based on its draft position and number of picks, plus the amount spent in the previous year's draft. For the 2012 draft, these pools will range from $4.5 million to $11.5 million. If a team goes over its threshold by 5 percent or less, it must pay a "luxury tax" of 75% on the amount over the threshold. Teams that go 5 to 10 percent over must pay a 100% tax on the excess, and will lose their next first-round pick. A team that goes 15 percent over can lose its next two first-round picks, in addition to the "luxury tax".^[29] These excess picks will go to smaller-revenue teams via a yet-to-be-reported formula. Uniquely, these compensatory picks can be traded—marking the first time MLB has allowed trading of draft picks. However, the current rules against trading of regular picks, or picks awarded as free agent compensation, will remain in force.^[30]

Other changes[link]

Teams will no longer be able to offer major league contracts to their draft choices—only minor league contracts will be available. The only exception will be for drafted players who have scholarships in other sports.^[30] Also, the date for signing new picks moves from mid-August to mid-July.^[30]

See also[link]

• List of first overall Major League Baseball draft picks
• Rule 5 Draft

References[link]

External links[link]

• MLB.com official website
• MLB.com - Draft History
• MLB.com - Draft Rules

Dustin Ackley
Seattle Mariners – No. 13
Second Baseman
Born: (1988-02-26) February 26, 1988 (age 24) Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Bats: Left	Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 17, 2011 for the Seattle Mariners
Career statistics (through May 29, 2012)
Batting average	.264
Home runs	9
Runs batted in	53
Teams
Seattle Mariners (2011–present)

Dustin Michael Ackley (born February 26, 1988) is an American professional baseball second baseman with the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball. Ackley was drafted and selected second overall by the Mariners in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. After going through a transformation to develop his skills defensively at second base, he joined the Mariners June 17, 2011, and is now the club's starting second baseman.^[1]

Amateur career[link]

High school[link]

Ackley attended North Forsyth High School where he pitched and played third base.^[2] Ackley also played three years at South Stokes High School. He earned preseason and postseason Louisville Slugger All-American honors as a senior. He was Conference Player of the Year as a junior. He helped South Stokes to North Carolina 1A state titles in 2003 and 2004.

On the academics side of high school he was a member of the A Honor Roll.^[3]

College[link]

Ackley attended the University of North Carolina. He enjoyed one of the finest offensive seasons in program history in 2007. He set Carolina single-season records and led the nation with 119 hits, 296 at-bats and 73 games played. He started all 73 games, including 65 at first base. He hit .402 to become just the fifth Tar Heel to bat over .400 in a single season. His 74 runs set a UNC rookie record.

Ackley at the 2009 College World Series

He was the national freshman of the year, earning top rookie billing from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and Rivals.com. He claimed the S.H. Basnight Award as Carolina's most valuable position player. Ackley and the Tarheels made it to the final round of the College World Series, losing to Oregon State.

In 2008 Ackley started all 68 games, 60 at first base and eight in left field. He hit .417 on the season with a school-record 82 runs scored, seven home runs, 51 RBI and 19 stolen bases. He ranks as the only player in Carolina history to hit over .400 twice in a career and also posted Carolina top-10 single-season totals in hits, walks, total bases and at-bats. Ackley once again participated in the 2008 College World Series

Ackley earned All-America honors for the second straight season. He also was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, given to the nation's top amateur baseball player, and on watch lists for the Dick Howser Trophy and the Brooks Wallace Award. He again won the S.H. Basnight Award.

He again participated in the 2009 College World Series. Ackley has the most hits in NCAA history in the College World Series.^[4] He was a finalist for the 2009 Golden Spikes Award (behind Stephen Strasburg).

Professional career[link]

Seattle Mariners[link]

2009: Draft and signing[link]

He was the second selection in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft.^[5] On August 17, prior to the midnight ET deadline, it was reported that Ackley signed a deal valued at $9.5 million with the Seattle Mariners;^[6] however, it was later confirmed that Ackley signed a five-year major league deal worth $7.5 million total: $6 million bonus, $1.5 million in guaranteed salaries, with another $2.5 million possible in salaries depending on how quick he reaches the majors.^[7]

The deal was later confirmed and an agreement was reached between the Mariners and his agent Scott Boras about 15 minutes before the signing deadline.^[8]

On August 31 Ackley and the Mariners officially signed his five-year major-league deal, worth at least $7.5 million. Ackley wore a Mariners uniform with the number 13, his college number at North Carolina. The Mariners held a news conference and Ackley met with the Mariners players in the clubhouse. Ken Griffey Jr. marveled loudly that he had found a player skinnier than outfielder Ichiro Suzuki.^[9] Ackley also took batting practice as a part of the day's festivities.^[10][11]

Ackley was assigned to the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League joining fellow prospects Phillippe Aumont, Josh Fields, Anthony Varvaro, Nick Hill, Joe Dunigan, Carlos Triunfel and Juan Díaz.^[12] Ackley was chosen as an Arizona Fall League Rising Star on November 2.^[13] On November 20, Ackley was named Arizona Fall League MVP.^[14]

2010: Move to second base[link]

First reported by the Mariners' infield instructors, Ackley will be trying to play second base. He came to University of North Carolina as a shortstop but later moved to centerfield, and then later to first base. UNC coach Mike Fox first tried to play Ackley at second base, but later settled in the outfield. Fox said of the transition, "I think he has the athletic skills to make it work." ^[15]

Ackley made his debut at second base for the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (the Mariners' Southern League AA affiliate) on April 8, 2010, the Southern League's opening day. Ackley led off, going 0-4 with a walk and a strikeout.^[16]

2011: Call-up[link]

The Mariners promoted Ackley from the Tacoma Rainiers for his first major league start at second base on June 17, 2011.^[17] Ackley hit a single in his first at bat against the Philadelphia Phillies' Roy Oswalt on June 17. Ackley recorded his first major league home run on June 18 and his first major league triple on June 19. Ackley finished the season with a .273 average as he was voted MVP of the Seattle Mariners by the Seattle Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

2012[link]

On March 28, 2012, Ackley made his season debut in Japan at second base. In his second at-bat, Ackley hit a home run to deep center field off right-hander Brandon McCarthy, the first homer of the season. ^[18]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dustin Ackley

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• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Allan Huber "Bud" Selig^[1][2][3]  /ˈsiːlɨɡ/ (born July 30, 1934) is the ninth and current Commissioner of Major League Baseball, having served in that capacity since 1992 as the acting commissioner, and as the official commissioner since 1998.^[4] Selig oversaw baseball through the 1994 strike, the introduction of the wild card, interleague play, and the merging of the National and American leagues under the Office of the Commissioner. He was instrumental in organizing the World Baseball Classic in 2006.^[4] Selig also introduced revenue sharing.^[5] He is credited for the financial turnaround of baseball during his tenure with a 400 percent increase in the revenue of MLB and annual record breaking attendance.^[4] Selig enjoys a high level of support from baseball owners, but has been widely decried by both the MLB Players' Union for his policies and by the general public for presiding over the game during one of its most contentious periods.^{[citation needed]} Jerome Holtzman, Major League Baseball's official historian from 1999 until his death in 2008, believed Selig to be the best commissioner in baseball history.^[5]

During Selig's term of service, the use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs became a public issue. The Mitchell Report, commissioned by Selig, concluded that the MLB commissioners, club officials, the Players Association, and the players all share "to some extent in the responsibility for the steroid era."^[6] Following the release of the Mitchell Report, Congressman Cliff Stearns called publicly for Selig to step down as commissioner, citing his "glacial response" to the "growing stain on baseball."^[4] Selig has pledged on numerous occasions to rid baseball of performance enhancing drugs, and has overseen and instituted many rule changes and penalties to that end.^{[7][not in citation given]}

Selig was previously the team owner and team president of the Milwaukee Brewers. As a Milwaukee native, he is credited for keeping baseball in Milwaukee. In 1970, he purchased the Seattle Pilots in bankruptcy court and renamed them the Milwaukee Brewers after minor league team of the same name he had watched in his youth, which existed until the arrival of the Braves in Milwaukee in 1952. The Brewers went to the 1982 World Series and won seven organization of the year awards during his tenure. Selig remains a resident of Milwaukee.

On January 17, 2008, Selig's contract was extended through 2012, after which he planned to retire,^[8] but then decided to stay as commissioner until the end of the 2014 season, a move approved by the owners on January 12, 2012,^[9] which would take his leadership past his 80th birthday. Selig made $14.5 million in the 12-month period ending October 31, 2005.^[4]

Early life[link]

Selig was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up in a Jewish family. His father, Ben Selig, had come to the United States from Romania with his family when he was four years old.^[10] Selig graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in American history and political science in 1956.^[11] He served two years in the U.S. Army before working with his father who owned a car leasing business in Milwaukee.^[11][12] Selig continues to be involved in the automotive industry, serving as president of the Selig Executive Lease Company.^[11]

Young Bud's interest in baseball came from his mother. Herself an immigrant from Ukraine, Marie Selig attended college, a rare accomplishment for a woman in the early 20th century, and became a school teacher. When Bud was only three, Marie began taking Bud and his older brother, Jerry, to old Borchert Field, where the triple-A farm team of the Chicago Cubs played. As a young man, Selig watched the minor-league Milwaukee Brewers, an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs of the National League, unrelated to the current incarnation of the Milwaukee Brewers and current rivals to that team. Bud soon became a Braves fan when the National League franchise moved to his home town of Milwaukee from Boston in 1953. Selig became the team's largest public stockholder. Selig was heartbroken and devastated when he learned that the Braves were going to leave Milwaukee in favor of Atlanta. In 1965, when the Braves left Milwaukee, he divested his stock in the team.

Milwaukee Brewers owner[link]

As a minority owner of the Milwaukee Braves, Selig founded the organization Teams, Inc, in an attempt to prevent the majority owners (based out of Chicago) from moving the club to a larger television market. This was challenged legally on the basis that no prior team relocations (in the modern era) left a city without a team. Prior movements had all originated in cities which were home to at least two teams. When his quest to keep the team in Milwaukee finally failed after the 1965 season, he changed the group's name to Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club, Inc., after the minor league baseball team he grew up watching, and devoted himself to returning Major League Baseball to Milwaukee.

Selig arranged for major league games to be played at the now demolished Milwaukee County Stadium. The first, a pre-season match between the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins, drew more than 51,000 spectators. Selig followed this up by hosting nine White Sox regular-season games in 1968 and eleven in 1969. One of the games played in Milwaukee that year was against the expansion Seattle Pilots, the team that would become the Brewers. Those Milwaukee "home" games were phenomenally successful, with the handful of games accounting for about one-third of total White Sox home attendance.

To satisfy that fanbase, Selig decided to purchase the White Sox (with the intention of moving them to Milwaukee) in 1969. He entered into an agreement to buy the club, but the American League vetoed the sale, preferring to keep an American League team in Chicago to compete with the crosstown Cubs. Selig turned his attention to other franchises.

In 1970, he purchased the bankrupt Seattle Pilots franchise, moving them to his hometown and officially renaming the team the Brewers.

During Selig's tenure as club president, the Brewers participated in postseason play in 1981, when the team finished first in the American League East during the second half of the season, and in 1982, when the team made it to the World Series, under the leadership of future Hall of Famers Robin Yount and Paul Molitor. Under Selig's watch, the Brewers also won seven Organization of the Year awards, although they posted one of the worst winning percentages in the history of Major League Baseball, over periods of ten years or more.^{[citation needed]} Selig was part of the owners' collusion in 1985–1987, resulting in the owners paying $280 million in damages to the players.

Upon his assumption of the commissioner's role, Selig transferred his ownership interest in the Brewers to his daughter Wendy Selig-Prieb in order to remove any technical conflicts of interest, though it was widely presumed he maintained some hand in team operations. Although the team has been sold to Los Angeles investor Mark Attanasio, questions remain regarding Selig's past involvement. Selig's defenders point to the poor management of the team after Selig-Prieb took control as proof that Selig was not working behind the scenes.

Selig was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.

On August 24, 2010, a statue of Selig, commissioned by Brewers owner Mark Attanasio and designed by artist Brian Maughan, was unveiled outside Miller Park in Milwaukee.

Acting Commissioner (1992–1998)[link]

Selig became an increasingly vocal opponent of Commissioner Fay Vincent, and soon became the leader of a group of owners seeking his removal. Selig has never stated that the owners colluded, while Vincent has:

The Union basically doesn’t trust the ownership because collusion was a $280 million theft by Selig and Jerry Reinsdorf of that money from the players. I mean, they rigged the signing of free agents. They got caught. They paid $280 million to the players. And I think that’s polluted labor relations in baseball ever since it happened. I think it’s the reason MLBPA executive director Donald Fehr has no trust in Selig.^[13]

—Fay Vincent

Following an 18-9 no-confidence vote, Vincent resigned. Selig had by this time become chairman of the Executive Council of Major League Baseball, and as such became de facto acting commissioner.

His first major act was to institute the Wild Card and divisional playoff play, which has created much controversy amongst baseball fans. Those against the Wild Card see it as diminishing the importance of the pennant race and the regular season, with the true race often being for second rather than first place, while those in favor of it view it as an opportunity for teams to have a shot at the playoffs even when they have no chance of a first-place finish in their division, thus maintaining fan interest later in the season.

Selig suspended Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott for a year in 1993 for repeated racially insensitive and prejudicial remarks and actions. The same year, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was reinstated from a lifelong suspension that was instituted by Selig's predecessor Fay Vincent. Pete Rose has claimed that he applied for reinstatement over the years and received no such consideration. Rose, along with his close friend and former teammate Mike Schmidt (who is a strong supporter of Rose's reinstatement into baseball), met with Selig in 2002, where Rose privately admitted to Selig (two years before going public with his admission) about betting on baseball. Bud Selig was a close friend of the late Bart Giamatti, who was the commissioner when Rose was first banned from the sport in 1989.

As acting commissioner, Selig represented MLB during the 1994 players strike and cancelled the World Series, marking the first time the annual event had not been staged since 1904.

Commissioner (1998–present)[link]

After a six-year search for a new commissioner, the owners voted to give Selig the title on a permanent basis midway through the 1998 season.

During his tenure the game avoided a third work stoppage in 2002, and has seen the implementation of interleague play.

Whereas in the past, the National and American Leagues had separate administrative organizations (which, for example, allowed for the introduction of different rules such as the designated hitter), under Selig, Major League Baseball consolidated the administrative functions of the American and National League into the Commissioner's Office in 2000. The last official presidents of the NL and AL were Leonard S. Coleman, Jr. and Dr. Gene Budig respectively.

Reaction after September 11, 2001[link]

On September 11, 2001, Selig ordered all baseball games postponed for a week because of the terror attacks on New York and Washington. The games were postponed not only out of respect and mourning for the victims, but also out of concern for the safety and security of fans and players.

After a dramatic conclusion of the 2001 World Series, less than 48 hours later, Selig held a vote on contracting two teams, reportedly the Minnesota Twins and Montreal Expos.^[14] This action led to Selig (along with former Expos owner Jeffrey Loria) being sued for racketeering and conspiring with Loria to deliberately defraud the Expos minority owners. If found liable, the league could have been ordered to pay as much as $300 million in punitive damages. Selig was eager to settle the case because the judge had previously ruled that the Expos could not be moved or contracted until the case was over. The case eventually went to arbitration and was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.

Changes to the MLB All-Star Game[link]

The 2002 All-Star Game, played in Selig's hometown of Milwaukee, was tied 7-7 after 9 innings, and remained tied after the bottom of the 11th inning. Due to the recent managerial trend of granting playing time to as many available players as possible within the regulation nine innings, both managers had used their entire roster. Concerned for the arms of the pitchers currently on the mound, Selig made the controversial decision to declare the game a tie,^[15] to the dissatisfaction of the Milwaukee fans. Selig later said that this call was "embarrassing" and that he was "tremendously saddened" by the outcome of the game.^[15] Since 2002, Selig subsequently tried to reinvigorate the All-Star Game by awarding the winning league home-field advantage in the World Series. The 2003 All-Star Game had the same U.S. viewership as 2002 (9.5 rating; 17 share) and the ratings declined in 2004 (8.8 rating; 15 share) and 2005 (8.1 rating; 14 share).^[16] The American television audience increased in 2006 (9.3 rating; 16 share).^[17]

Disciplinary actions[link]

On July 1, 2005, Selig suspended Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers for 20 games and fined him $50,000. Rogers got in trouble when on June 29, 2005, he purposely grabbed the camera of a cameraman, resulting in one camera falling to the ground. When the cameraman proceeded to pick up his camera, Rogers went back to him in an arguably threatening way. One of the reporters then resumed filming and Rogers knocked him down again.^[18] While an appeal of his suspension was pending, Rogers appeared at the 2005 All-Star Game in Detroit, where fans loudly booed him. On July 22, 2005, Selig heard Rogers' appeal of his suspension. Selig decided to uphold the 20 games, however, an independent arbitrator ruled that Selig had exceeded his authority and reduced it to 13 games, but upheld the fine.

Performance-enhancing drugs[link]

In 2005, Selig faced Congress on the issue of steroids. After the Congressional hearings in early 2005, and with the scrutiny of the sports and national media upon this issue, Selig put forth a proposal for a stricter performance-enhancing drug testing regime to replace the current system. This proposal also included the banning of amphetamines, a first for the major North American sports leagues. The MLB Players Association and MLB reached an agreement in November on the new policy.^[19]

In early 2006, Selig was forced to deal with the issue of steroid use.

On March 30, 2006, as a response to the controversy of the use of performance-enhancing drugs and the anticipated career home run record to be set by Barry Bonds, Selig asked former senator George Mitchell to lead an independent investigation into the use of steroids in baseball's recent past. Joe Sheehan from Baseball Prospectus wrote that the commission has been focusing "blame for the era exclusively on uniformed personnel", and failing to investigate any role played by team ownership and management.^[20]

Much controversy surrounded Selig and his involvement in Barry Bonds' all-time home run record chase. For months, speculation surrounded Selig and the possibility that he and Hank Aaron would not attend Bonds' games as he closed in on the record. Selig announced in July 2007 when Bonds was near 755 home runs that he would attend the games. Selig was in attendance for Bonds' record-tying home run against the San Diego Padres, sitting in Padres owner John Moores' private suite. Bud Selig did not attend the San Francisco Giants' baseball game on August 7 when Barry Bonds hit his record-breaking 756th home run; after the event, Selig released a statement congratulating Bonds.

On November 15, 2007, attention was brought once again to Barry Bonds as he was indicted by a federal grand jury for perjury and obstruction of justice in connection to his testimony before the grand jury regarding the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO), a San Francisco Bay area lab known to be involved in the distribution of steroids to professional athletes.

On December 13, 2007, former U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell released his report on the use of performance-enhancing substances by MLB players. The report names many current and former players who allegedly used performance-enhancing drugs during their career, including Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Miguel Tejada, Eric Gagné, and Paul Lo Duca.

Selig has been widely criticized for not taking an active enough role to stem the tide of steroid use in baseball until it had blossomed into a debilitating problem for the industry. Chicago Sun Times columnist Jay Mariotti called Selig the "The Steroids Commissioner."^[21] Selig has been called to Congress several times to testify on performance enhancing drug use. Congressman Cliff Stearns said in December 2007 that Selig should resign because of use of performance enhancing drugs in baseball during his tenure.^[4]

Post-season schedule[link]

Selig's decision to extend the traditional post-season schedule into November in an attempt to increase Nielsen ratings was met with widespread disdain, both inside and outside the baseball community. Mike Scioscia, manager of the American League West Division Champion Los Angeles Angels, dismissed the decision as “Ridiculous. I don’t know. Can I say it any clearer than that? We should have never had a day off last Wednesday. We should never have three days off after the season. You shouldn’t even have two days off after the season."^[22]

Controversies[link]

Related to the contraction controversy in 2001, Rob Dibble posted an open letter to Bud Selig, criticizing his actions for benefiting only the Milwaukee Brewers.^[23] Dibble cites that the contraction of the Twins would benefit the Brewers, as the upper Midwest market.

During the 2005 World Series, Selig ordered the roof to be closed pre-empting the authority held by the Houston Astros. The roof was closed for all prior playoff games and similar weather conditions.^[24] For Hurricane Ike, Selig mandated that the Astros play two home games against the Chicago Cubs in his hometown of Milwaukee despite proximity to the visiting Cubs. The Astros subsequently were victims of a no-hitter by Carlos Zambrano and recorded a single hit in the following game.^[25] In the midst of the playoff race, this decision and its impact deeply affected the playoff race and seedings with eight teams holding winning records at the moment. The Milwaukee Brewers benefited from these events by qualifying in the playoffs as a Wild Card team, to lose to the Philadelphia Phillies, the eventual World Series winner. The home ballparks for the Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves were both available to host the games. Selig in 2011 also demanded that the Astros move to the American League West as a condition of the sale of the franchise to businessman Jim Crane.^[26]

United States bankruptcy judge Kevin Gross rendered a stern warning to Selig in regards to the 2011 Los Angeles Dodgers ownership dispute. Treating other teams differently in regards to their media contracts drew accusations that Selig did not act in good faith with respect to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Selig rejected the television deal that Frank McCourt negotiated that intended to bring the franchise out of bankruptcy claiming McCourt violated the Baseball Agreements although no action taken against Fred Wilpon despite being in a similar position. Gross stated, "Should the Commissioner falter in proving alleged wrongdoing, the Court may allow LAD (Los Angeles Dodgers) to take further, limited discovery."^[27] Some critics have used Selig's handling of the Dodgers to point out a double standard in treatment of MLB owners. More specifically in regards to New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon. Critics point out that with Selig's personal relationship with Wilpon has allowed him to stall any possible removal of Wilpon as principal owner of the Mets.

Term of service[link]

On December 1, 2006, Selig announced that he would be retiring as commissioner of baseball upon the expiration of his contract in 2009. Selig earned $14.5 million from MLB over the timespan October 31, 2005 to October 31, 2006.^[28] However, in January 2008, Selig agreed to a three-year contract extension, announcing he planned to retire after the 2012 season.^[29] He further decided against retirement, and after a two-year extension for the previous deal was agreed to on January 12, 2012, it was announced that Selig would remain commissioner until the end of the 2014 season.^[9]

Notable changes to Major League Baseball[link]

Bud Selig helped introduce the following changes to Major League Baseball:

• Realignment of teams into three divisions per league, and the introduction of playoff wild card teams (1994)
• Interleague play (1997)
• Two additional franchises: the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998)
• Transfer of the Milwaukee Brewers from the American League to the National League (1998)
• Abolition of the National and American League offices and presidencies, and inclusion of all umpiring crews into a common pool for AL and NL games, instead of having separate pools per league (2000)
• Unbalanced schedule (2001)^[30]
• Home field advantage in the World Series granted to the winner of the All Star Game in the same season (2003)
• Transfer of Montreal Expos franchise to Washington, D.C., becoming the Washington Nationals (2004)
• Dedicating April 15 as Jackie Robinson Day (2004)
• Stricter Major League Baseball performance-enhancing drug testing policy (2005)
• World Baseball Classic (2006)
• Introduction of instant replay in the event of a disputed home run call (2008)
• Introducing a second wild card playoff team in each league (2012)
• Requiring the Houston Astros to move to the American League (2013), as a condition of the sale of the team to Jim Crane, resulting in an odd number of teams in each league and interleague play throughout the season

During Selig's terms as Executive Council Chairman (from 1992–1998) and Commissioner, new stadiums have opened in Arizona, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Colorado, Detroit, Houston, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Arlington, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., Queens, The Bronx, Minneapolis, and Miami.

Israel Baseball League[link]

Selig and his family served a supportive role on the Advisory Board of the Israel Baseball League during its inaugural season in 2007. In response to issues with the league's financial management, after the season, the Selig family requested that their names be removed from the list of board members.^[31]

Family[link]

Selig is married to his second wife, Sue Selig. He has two daughters from his previous marriage, Wendy Selig-Prieb and Sari Selig-Kramer, as well as a stepdaughter, Lisa Steinman. Selig-Prieb used to work for the Brewers, and Steinman currently works for MLB. He has five granddaughters: Emily Markenson, Alyssa Markenson, Marissa Savitch, Andria Savitch, and Natalie Prieb.

Teaching[link]

Since 2009, Selig has been an adjunct professor of sports law and policy at Marquette University Law School.^[32] His classes have covered numerous topics, including "the history of collective bargaining and free agency, baseball’s antitrust exemption, revenue sharing - as well as finer points of sports law like intellectual property rights, ambush marketing, and why baseball does not allow game footage on YouTube."^[33]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Bud Selig

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• Official website
• MLB.com: Official info
• Bud Selig Biography by Baseball Almanac
• Bud Selig at Notable Names Database
• The Commissioner of Baseball Is on Deck www.nytimes.com
• Video Of MLB Commissioner's Speech On The State Of Baseball, February 8, 2007
• "Bud Selig: A baseball hero. Really." - Nicholas Thompson, Slate.com, May 5, 2005
• Selig elected Commissioner in unanimous vote

Below are the some of the players and rosters of the minor league affiliates of the New York Mets.

Manny Alvarez[link]

Manuel Alejandro Alvarez (born December 18, 1985 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a minor league baseball pitcher currently in the New York Mets organization.

Alvarez began his professional career in the Washington Nationals organization in 2006, pitching for the GCL Nationals. He went 2-3 with a 2.79 ERA in 14 relief appearances with them. In 2007, he pitched in the Mets organization for the VSL Mets. That year, he went 1-4 with a 4.29 ERA in 13 games (11 starts). In 2008, he pitched for the Kingsport Mets, going 0-4 with a 6.59 ERA in 17 relief appearances. He pitched for the St. Lucie Mets in 2009, going 4-3 with a 5.09 ERA in 35 relief appearances. In 2010, he pitched for the St. Lucie Mets (18 games, no earned runs allowed), Binghamton Mets (34 games, 2.87 ERA) and Buffalo Bisons (four games, 6.00 ERA). Overall, he went 6-4 with a 2.17 ERA in 56 games in 2010.

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Allan Dykstra[link]

Allan Dykstra
Dykstra with the Lake Elsinore Storm, San Diego Padres high-A affiliate, in 2008.
New York Mets
First Baseman
Born: (1987-05-21) May 21, 1987 (age 25) San Diego, California
Bats: Left	Throws: Right

Allan Dykstra (born May 21, 1987 in San Diego, California)^[1] is a professional baseball player in the New York Mets organization. He was the starting first baseman for Wake Forest Demon Deacons during his college career, and was drafted 23rd overall by the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft.

Dykstra is the son of Randy and Cathy Dykstra. He is not related to former Mets player Lenny Dykstra.^[2] Dykstra was a member of the San Diego Stars 12U team that won 1999 AAU national championships. In 2001 he played for 14U team USA at the Pan-American games in Honduras.

He played for Sam Blalock at Rancho Bernardo High School where he helped take the team to the Palomar League Championship. He was selected to the 30 man trials for 18-and-under Junior National Team in 2004 and attended the Perfect Game Western Underclass Showcase where he was rated the number two prospect. In the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft, Dykstra was drafted in the 34th round by the Boston Red Sox.^[3]

Dykstra played college baseball at Wake Forest University for coach Rick Rembielak while majoring in business. Dykstra won a multitude of awards in his freshman series including being named ACC rookie of the year and named to the ACC all-academic team. Dykstra was named freshman All-American by rivals.com, Louisville Slugger, and Baseball America. He was selected to the Dick Howser Trophy watch list and the 2006 Pepsi Baseball Classic All-tournament team. Statistically, Dykstra led the team in slugging percentage, on-base percentage, RBIs, home runs, walks, sacrifice flies and tied for the lead in starts.

Allan Dykstra at Bat in the 1999 12U AAU championship game

In 2007, Dykstra was named to the All-ACC academic team and second team All-ACC. He was named a Golden Spikes Award finalist along with being named to the midseason watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award. Dykstra had a monster year statistically in the ACC tying for first in home runs, and ending in the top ten of walks, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, RBIs and total bases.

Dykstra hit .308/.444/.481 for the 2007 Chatham A's in the Cape Cod League. He was 8th in the league in average, third in RBI (31) and third in OBP. He made the CCL All-Star team at DH. Baseball America named him the #16 prospect in the Cape Cod League.^[4]

Dykstra was drafted 23rd overall in the 2008 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres. Dykstra signed a $1.15 million dollar contract with the Padres on August 15, 2008, just before the deadline to sign draft picks.^[5]

The Padres traded Dykstra to the New York Mets in exchange for RHP Eddie Kunz on March 29, 2011.^[6]

• Career statistics and player information from The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Jim Fuller[link]

James "Jim" Fuller (born June 1, 1987) is a North American professional baseball player. He is a left-handed pitcher in the New York Mets organization. Fuller was a talented pitcher for Marlborough High School in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and gathered some attention out of high school, but was not drafted. In his high school career, Fuller accumulated two regional MVP awards, 353 career strikeouts and 27 wins.

He started college at Southern New Hampshire University. In hopes of improving his prospects of a Major League career, Fuller transferred to Western Oklahoma State College, but stayed only briefly before transferring to Southern Connecticut State University. Due to eligibility restrictions, Fuller did not return to action until 2008, in which he struck out 145 batters, leading all Division II pitchers, and averaged over 13 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Fuller also recorded a streak of 59 scoreless innings pitched to go along with a 9-3 record and an extraordinary 1.39 ERA. He was named a Division II All-American.

After his sophomore season, Fuller was selected in the 21st round (644th overall) by the New York Mets in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft.

The Mets optioned Fuller to the Class-A Brooklyn Cyclones. Fuller pitched 18.0 innings with an ERA of 1.00 while earning one save, two wins, and striking out 22 in an impressive first season in professional ball.

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Kai Gronauer[link]

Kai Achim Gronauer (born November 28, 1986 in Solingen, Germany) is a professional baseball player in the New York Mets organization. He plays the catcher's position for the Binghamton Mets, a Double-A Team in the Minor Leagues. He also catches for the national baseball team of Germany.

Gronauer started his career at the German baseball team Solingen Alligators. In 2006 he and his teammates won the German championship and he became the youngest player of the German national team. In the year 2008 the Minnesota Twins and the Pittsburgh Pirates were interested in him but he declined the offer in order to finish his vocational education in Germany.

As the New York Mets sent some scouts to Germany, he changed his opinion and signed a two-year contract. In his rookie-season he played for the Gulf Coast League Mets for 16 games. He quickly got advanced to Single-A in the season 2009 and played for the Savannah Sand Gnats in the South Atlantic League.

Being the best German prospect the New York Mets invited him to Spring Training in 2010 and 2011. Since the beginning of the 2011 season he plays as second catcher for the Double-A team Binghamton Mets.

In a game against the Portland Sea Dogs in August 2011, Gronauer hit a three-run homerun at Fenway Park (home of the Boston Red Sox) over the Green Monster in the 11th inning.^[7][8]

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Statistics on baseballamerica.com
• Kai Gronauer at the Binghamton Mets
• Portrait on mlb.com

Bradley Holt[link]

Bradley Holt
Holt pitching for the Binghamton Mets, Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets, in 2010.
New York Mets
Pitcher
Born: (1986-10-13) October 13, 1986 (age 25) Albemarle, North Carolina
Bats: Right	Throws: Right

Bradley David Holt^[9] (born October 13, 1986 in Albemarle, North Carolina) is a Minor league baseball starting pitcher with the New York Mets organization.

Holt was born on October 13, 1986 in Albemarle, North Carolina to John and Wanda Holt.^[9] He attended Albemarle High School and during his time there was named 1A All-State, four time All-Yadkin Valley, All-County selection and was named Louisville Slugger Second Team All-American.^[9]

Holt attended the University of North Carolina Wilmington. At NC-Wilmington, Holt was named All-CAA in the CAA Tournament in 2006, and was named CAA Pitcher of the Week in 2007.^[9]

In 2006, Holt held VCU to two runs in 8.2 innings of work.^[9] He went 3-3 and added wins against Duke and La Salle.^[9]

Holt started 15 games and went 5-5 in 2007 for the Seahawks with wins against Hofstra, George Mason and Texas Christian.^[9] Against Hofstra he struck out a career high seven and allowed only two hits in a shutout.^[9] He set a career high 53 strikeouts and 76.1 innings pitched in 2007.^[9]

Holt was drafted by the New York Mets in the first round with the 33rd overall pick in the 2008 Major League Baseball draft.^[10] He is considered a steal due to his great performance since joining the Mets farm system.^[11]

Baseball America has named him as the fourth best prospect in the Mets organization in 2009.^[12]

In 2009, Holt began the season with the St. Lucie Mets. After going 3-1 with a 3.57 ERA,^[13] he was promoted to the AA Eastern League Binghamton Mets.

• MiLB.com bio
• Career statistics and player information from Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Scott Moviel[link]

Scott Moviel (born May 7, 1988 in Lakewood, Ohio) is a right-handed pitching prospect for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball.

Scott Moviel was born in Cleveland, Ohio on May 7, 1988. He was raised in Berea, Ohio. Moviel has three older brothers, all of whom have connections to the sports world. His brothers Greg and Paul Moviel are both pitchers who have pitched in other major league organization’s farm systems; Greg with the Seattle Mariners and Paul with the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox. Another brother, Dan, was a starting left tackle at Youngstown State during Jim Tressel’s tenure.

Moviel attended St. Edward High School (Lakewood, Ohio) where he played both basketball and baseball, and was recruited in both sports by NCAA Division I colleges, until his senior year when he gave up basketball to focus on baseball. Prior to being selected by the New York Mets with the 77th overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2007 First Year Player draft, which was also the first nationally televised Major League Baseball draft, Moviel planned to attend and pitch for North Carolina State University, as well as attempting to walk on to their basketball team. After being selected, however, he decided to forgo college for the minors.^[14]

Moviel is a 6 ft 10 in245 lb right-hander. His pitch repertoire includes a fastball, which he throws in the low 90s, a sinker, which also sits in the low 90s, a change-up that sits in the high 70s and low 80s, and a curve ball that sits in the high 70s. Because of his size, Moviel has trouble repeating his delivery and maintaining his mechanics, which can cause control issues. Moviel is considered a project prospect with high upside, because of his size and arm strength which could possibly allow great improvement in the velocity on his pitches, if a team can get him to pull everything together.^[15]

One June 10, 2007, 13 days after being drafted, Moviel agreed to a contract with a $414,000 signing bonus. He arrived in St. Lucie with fellow early round Mets pitching picks Eddie Kunz (42nd overall pick) and Nathan Vineyard (47th overall pick). Kunz, who is 6' 6" himself, described "feeling tiny" as though he had arrived in a "land of giants".^[14] Moviel made his minor league debut with the Mets rookie level Gulf Coast League affiliate, the GCL Mets, on June 21 against the GCL Nationals. He pitched one inning and allowed one run. Between June 26 and July 14, Moviel threw 13 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts. Only July 14, 2007 Moviel pitched 3 innings, striking out 3 batters, as one of 8 pitchers who contributed to the GCL Mets no hitting the GCL Cardinals.^[16] Moviel spent his entire 2007 season with the GCL Mets, ending the season with 12 starts a 3.38 ERA with 37 strikeouts, 11 walks, and a 1.40 WHIP in 40 innings pitched and with an 0–2 record.

Moviel began the 2008 season with the Mets Class A-Short Season affiliate, the Savannah Sand Gnats. Prior to the start of the season Baseball America ranked Moviel as the Mets #8 prospect on their post Johan Santana trade Mets top ten. .^[17] Moviel began the 2008 season with the Mets Class A-Short Season affiliate, the Savannah Sand Gnats. He began the season poorly, ending April with a 1-4 record, a 9.68 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP in five starts. ^[18]He rebounded from his poor start however to finish his season with the Sand Gnats with a 9-8 record, a 4.42 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP in 120 innings and 24 starts. Near the end of the season he was moved up to class A+ where he made his last start of his first full professional season with the St. Lucie Mets, where Moviel went 5 innings, allowed no earned runs, struck out 3 batters and gave up one walk.

During the 2008 season the Sand Gnats pitching coach, Sam Hurst, worked with Moviel on improving his mechanics and delivery in order to improve his arm action. Moviel also adapted the grips on his pitches in order to give himself more control over each one. .^[19]

In December 2008, Kevin Goldstein of the publication Baseball Prospectus ranked Moviel as a Two Star prospect and the 11th best in the Mets' farm system. Goldstein said Moviel "could be outstanding," but that it would require a lot of "wishcasting," pointing out that, "not all your wishes come true."^[20]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Dylan Owen[link]

Dylan Preston Owen is a minor league baseball pitcher currently playing for the Buffalo Bisons in the New York Mets organization.

Attending Francis Marion University Dylan Owen quickly became one of their greatest pitchers in the school's history.^{[citation needed]}

In 2006, His performance as a sophomore in the NCAA Division II College World Series tournament was so excellent he won Tournament MVP honors and All-Regional Honors.

In 2007, as a Junior, he had a phenomenal year in which he compiled a 10-1 record with a 1.14 ERA and set the Career Peach Belt Conference record for Strikeouts in only 3 seasons. He was also selected the NCAA Division II Pitcher of the Year.

Owen was selected by the Mets in the 20th round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. as a Junior out of Francis Marion University, after a 10-1 season with a 1.14 ERA and setting the Career Peach Belt Conference record for Strikeouts in only 3 seasons.

In 2007 while playing for the Brooklyn Cyclones he was voted the prestigious MiLB.com short-season Pitcher of the Year award. As well as twice being named MiLB pitcher of the week.^[21]

On January 2, 2011, while pitching for Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League, Owen threw the first 7 innings of a communal no-hitter, giving up no hits, no runs, striking out three while only walking two.^[22] He has played for the Brooklyn Cyclones, St. Lucie Mets, Binghamton Mets and Buffalo Bisons.

• Career statistics and player information from The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Owen's Minor League Bio

Elvin Ramírez[link]

Elvin Ramirez Rodriguez (born October 10, 1987) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball.

Ramirez was signed as an international free agent by the New York Mets. He was selected by the Washington Nationals in the Rule 5 draft before the 2011 season.^[23] He was placed on the 60-day disabled list to begin the season.^[24] He was returned to the Mets on October 18.^[25]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Armando Rodríguez[link]

Armando Alberto de Jesus (Guzman) Rodriguez (born January 28, 1988 in San Cristobal Dominican Republic) is a minor league baseball starting pitcher currently in the New York Mets organization.

Rodriguez began his professional career in 2007 with the DSL Mets, going 2-2 with a 3.46 ERA in 11 games (two starts), while striking out 29 batters in 26 innings. In 2008, again with the DSL Mets, Rodriguez went 4-4 with a 2.62 ERA in 15 games (13 starts), this time striking out 81 batters in 72 innings. He moved stateside in 2009, pitching with the Kingsport Mets and Savannah Sand Gnats and posting a 5-2 record with a 2.74 ERA in 12 starts. In 2010, Rodriguez went 8-9 with a 3.08 ERA in 27 starts for the Sand Gnats, striking out 152 batters in 146 innings.^[26]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Full Triple-A to Rookie League rosters[link]

Triple-A[link]