POS

Anu leaves absolutely everything on the baseball field. If there's a chance to dive, slide or get dirty, he'll take it. Boasts good speed and power, and his aggressive baserunning led to the tying run in the bottom of the 8th of the Championship Game. One of our main pitchers, Anu often helped himself out with his strong defensive play. Filled in for the Cardinals one night and made a tremendous headlong diving catch in the outfield. Is he a bit of a goof-ball and a hot dog? Sure, but he's also one of our hardest workers, and he served as a Co-Captain this season. 2007 Coaches Choice Winner. A member of the York Pioneers all-stars. Will move to Peewee in 2008. Jimmy Rollins - Philadelphia Phillies/Kelvim Escober - L.A. Angels AKA - "The Animal" Batted - .625 (20-32)

Brandon

Bats: Left

Throws: Left

POS

Brandon's development was one of the keys to our second straight championship. He started to put his sweet swing on more baseballs this year. Once he's on base, he's a quick, smart baserunner who never misses a chance to move up a base. The big improvement, however, came on the mound, where Brandon arrived about a year ahead of schedule. While his fastball isn't dominant, his smooth delivery results in excellent control, and he piled up a ton of quality innings. Once his fastball gets there, look out. When he wasn't on the mound, he was developing into one of our catchers of the future and playing a vacuum-like first base. A member of the York Pioneers all-stars and our Gold Glove winner. Lyle Overbay - Toronto Blue Jays/Tom Glavine - New York Mets AKA - "The Big Unit" Batted - .438 (14-32)

Brennon

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

POS

A rookie with solid overall skills. Brennon already has good speed and an improving throwing arm. While he didn't collect a hit this season, he didn't look overmatched at the plate, fighting off several pitches and extending at-bats. Showed a good batting eye and drew a number of walks. Was away for a good chunk of the summer, but returned to provide some hustling outfield defense in the playoffs. Should have a big sophomore season in 2008. Reed Johnson - Toronto Blue Jays AKA - "Bashing Brennon"

Brooke

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

POS

The other half of our twin "Killer B's," Brooke has a very good glove, and started taking a regular turn in the infield this season. Gained a lot of confidence at the plate and started to put the ball in play more frequently. Lost in her batting average are a number of key playoff hits, including a 2-run groundout that tied the Championship game in the bottom of the 8th. Her arm has improved to the point where she pitched some mopup innings. Don't be surprised if she becomes a rotation regular in 2008. Terrific attitude - always works hard. Aaron Hill - Toronto Blue Jays AKA - "Pure Hustle" Batted - .190 (4-21)

Carlos

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

POS

Carlos' considerable power began to show a little bit more in 2008. Had the unfortunate hat trick of 1) grounding into a 6-4-3 double play 2) being thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double and 3) being caught stealing in a single game. This ignores the fact that he hit the ball extremely hard 4 times that night. Defense improved, as did his throwing, earning him a couple of innings on the mound. In his first appearance he loaded the bases on the first 3 batters, only to strike out the next 3. Should pitch more in 2008. Good attitude. Troy Glaus - Toronto Blue Jays AKA - "The King of Cool" Batted - .625 (10-16)

Derick

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

POS

No sophomore slump here, as Derick built on his Rookie of the Year season. Pounded doubles and triples all over the field, at least until he fell in love with this toe-tapping batting stance that sapped his power. He'd started to work his way out of it by season's end. A smooth-fielding shortstop, Derick's pitching improved greatly in 2007, as his fastball developed to the point that he could challenge the league's top hitters. The youngest player to notch 30 hits in a season, Derick will return in 2008 (but lay off the toe-tapping). A member of the York Pioneers all-stars. Miguel Tejada - Baltimore Orioles/Daisuke Matsuzake - Boston Red Sox AKA - "Dice-K" Batted - .652 (30-46)

Ian

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

POS

A mid-season call-up from Rookie Ball, Ian is the youngest player ever to take the field for the Reds, a full four years younger than some players. Overmatched? Intimidated? Not this guy. He takes a healthy swing when he's at the plate, and uses his small strikezone to get on base. Once he's there... let's just say he's pretty excited to be in a division where base stealing is legal. Has already had a taste of the infield and even pitched a little in a blowout. Would live at the park if his mom let him. Had perhaps the key at-bat in the 7th inning of the final, smoking a ball inside the third base bag to drive home a run and extend the rally. A Red through 2011. Dustin Pedroia - Boston Red Sox AKA - "iPod" Batted - .385 (5-13)

Jessica

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

POS

More than 150 players have suited up for the Reds over the years. NONE have shown the hitting improvement that Jessica has over her three seasons. As a rookie, the coaching staff and her dad were literally bribing her to swing the bat - not even hit, just SWING. At season's end, it would not have surprised us if Jessica hadn't returned. But she did, and started to conquer her nervousness at the plate, building her confidence. This season? After launching a triple into the right field corner against one of the league's best pitchers in May, her transformation into an impact hitter was complete. She piled up multi-hit games and started to send outfielders scrambling. She ended up with one of the top hitting seasons in team history (Top 25 for hits and average). Lost in her hitting is the fact that her glove and arm continued to get better and she became a reliable infielder for us this season. Statistically, Jessica is the most successful player in team history, as the Reds went 48-11-3 during her tenure. The team's 2007 Silver Slugger and a team Co-captain, Jessica will move to Peewee in 2008. Mike Lowell - Boston Red Sox AKA - "The Blonde Bomber" Batted - .564 (22-39)

Jovan

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

POS

An athletic rookie, Jovan was sidelined early in the season when one of his teammates and best friends who shall remain nameless (rhymes with Shawntoy) accidentally whacked him in the temple with a bat. Though the resulting bump swelled to the size of a canteloupe, Jovan didn't suffer any serious damage (hence the nickname). One of our more jovial and attentive players, Jovan picked up the fundamentals quickly, using his speed well in the field and on the bases. Made some particularly heady plays while manning second base. Will move to Peewee in 2008, where his friends will hopefully be more careful. Brandon Phillips - Cincinnati Reds AKA - "The Man of Steel" Batted - .286 (2-7)

Massimo

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

POS

Massimo has an excellent swing and possibly the most power of anyone on the team. However, he also has the friendliest demeanour on the team - nothing wrong with that, right? Except when he gets chatting with the home plate umpire and suddenly two strikes have gone by. When he's focussed, Massimo is a deadly hitter. Thankfully, on Championship day, he was focussed, going 4-4, with a 2-run double that tied the score at 4, an RBI single in the 7th and the walkoff single in the 8th (he was so focussed, he didn't realize the game was over and went chugging for second before the team mobbed him). Massimo has also become a steady glove at 1B, and has a strong arm which should see him pitch a few innings in 2008. Michael Cuddyer - Minnesota Twins AKA - "The Weapon of Mass Destruction" Batted - .400 (6-15)

Ontoy

Bats: Left

Throws: Left

POS

Another rookie, Ontoy is a talented athlete who didn't have much baseball experience, or even a glove for that matter. He turned up at virtually every practice we had and soon turned into a reliable centre fielder, showing off excellent speed. During down time at practice, he could be found swinging a bat somewhere. Pretty soon, what started out as a pretty nasty hack developed into a fluid, powerful left-handed stroke. Toward the end of the season, Ontoy became a reliable weapon at the top of the order and he started shooting extra base hits into the outfield corners. Then, late in a playoff game against the Cardinals, Ontoy found the sweet spot and hammered a ball over the right field fence for a homer, just the 7th in team history to leave the park. He also became our fifth pitcher late in the year and was slated to pitch the 9th inning had the Championship game gone that far. Moves to Peewee in 2008. Ken Griffey - Cincinnati Reds AKA - "Downtown" Batted - .588 (10-17)

Steven

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

POS

A pretty raw rookie when he joined the team in mid-summer, Steven's game improved markedly by season's end. He started to show good hustle in the outfield, and his arm got quite a bit stronger. His biggest improvement was at the plate. Where he once gave at-bats away swinging at pitches 3 feet over his head, he became more patient and started to put quite a few balls into play and rap out a few hits. Could still stand to pay a tad more attention in the field, at practice, and particularly on the bases (those coaches are there for a reason). Moves to Peewee in 2008. Jay Payton - Baltimore Orioles AKA - "Slugging Steven" Batted - .176 (3-17)

Victoria

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

POS

When Victoria first walked onto the field in 2004 as a Rookie-Ball call up, her 12-year-old brother took a ball to "warm her up." He then proceeded to fire a fastball at her head, while the coaching staff held its collective breath. She snagged it with ease and fired her 8-year-old fastball right back at him. The coaches knew we had something. Four years later, we're out of superlatives. Outstanding athlete, great defensively wherever she goes, particularly at catcher. Became more dominant on the mound this year, and gained immense confidence at the plate, leading the league in base hits, many of them going for extra bases. (She would like us to point out that she had several triples). Victoria's attitude is exemplary, and she leads by example, flashing a big smile at least a couple of times per game. Our Captain in 2007, she even won 80% of the coin tosses in the playoffs. A very deserving league MVP and a member of the York Pioneers all-stars. She'll move to Peewee in 2008. Russell Martin - L.A. Dodgers/Roy Halladay - Toronto Blue Jays AKA - "The Natural" Batted - .745 (35-47)

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