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South Jersey Baseball: Tuesday, January 20, 2004 By Dan Loney The “Top 10” Prospects List for the New York Yankees organization has been made public in the most recent edition of Baseball America with the Trenton Thunder placing three members of the 2003 squad on that list. C Dioner Navarro was rated the #1 prospect in the entire system with RHP Ramon Ramirez being rated #5 and 2B Robinson Cano at #6. “We are very proud of the job done by all three young men last season,” said Thunder General Manager Rick Brenner. “It continues to showcase the great talent that has passed through Trenton on the way to the Majors. We wish the best of Dioner, Ramon and Robinson in 2004 and beyond.” The 20-year-old Navarro dazzled scouts with his performance in the Eastern League. After collecting a .299 batting average with the Tampa Yankees (Class A), Navarro exploded onto the Double-A scene with a .341 BA, 4 HR and 37 RBI in just 58 games. Despite a couple of injuries, Navarro posted a combined .321 BA between Tampa and Trenton that was fourth-best among all Minor League catchers. Navarro also sparkled on the defensive side as he threw out nearly 30% of opposing base runners in steal attempts (11 CS/ 37 ATT). Ramirez spent less than a month with the Thunder in 2003, but impressed Yankees personnel enough to give him an invitation to the Arizona Fall League. Ramirez, 22, was originally signed by the Texas Rangers as an outfielder, but was released after one season and played for the Hiroshima Carp as a pitcher in 2002. After starting last season with a 2-8 record in 14 starts for Tampa, Ramirez was 1-1, 1.69 ERA for Trenton in 4 G (3 ST). Ramirez posted a league-best 1.44 ERA during the Arizona Fall League season. Cano, whose father played in the Majors in 1989, started the 2003 season at Tampa (Class A) and posted a .276 batting average with 5 HR and 50 RBI. He started the season with an 11-game hitting streak, including a 5-for-5, 3 RBI performance in the season opener against Lakeland. After his promotion to the Thunder in July, Cano hit .280 with 1 HR and 13 RBI in 46 games with just five errors on defense. 3B Eric Duncan, a native of Florham Park, NJ, was rated the #2 prospect in the Yankees system after hitting .298, 4 HR, 41 RBI between the Gulf Coast Yankees and Staten Island. The complete “Top 10” list follows on the next page of this release. INDIVIDUAL TICKETS ON SALE STARTING FEBRUARY 2 By Phone and Internet February 2 at 10 AM; In Person February 7 at 10 AM Individual game tickets will be available by phone, 609-394-3300 and online through www.trentonthunder.com starting on Monday, February 2 at 10:00 AM. For fans who would like to place their order in person, the Thunder will be accepting orders at Waterfront Park starting Saturday, February 7 at 10:00 AM. The ticket office will be open from 10 AM until 3 PM every Saturday beginning February 7. Mini Ticket Packages, group outings and season tickets are all on sale now by calling 609-394-3300. Thunder Have Three Of Yankees “Top 10” Prospects Below is the complete New York Yankees “Top 10” Prospects list…
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