Grossman, Gorsett Rise To Palm Beach
July 12, 2007 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced another series of roster moves affecting the Swing of the Quad Cities on Thursday, as Chris Grossman and Luke Gorsett became the eighth and ninth players to earn promotions to high Class-A Palm Beach this season while three 2007 draft picks are heading to Davenport.
Third-round pick Daniel Descalso, 26th-rounder Arnoldi Cruz, and 30th-rounder Nick Derba will not be available for Thursday night's game in Peoria, but they will be with the Swing when Ryne Sandberg and the Chiefs come to John O'Donnell Stadium for a 7:00 p.m. contest on Friday night that will feature post-game fireworks.
Gorsett, a 22-year-old outfielder from Denver, Colorado, leaves the Swing with a .286 batting average and 21 doubles in 77 games. A seventh-round pick out of Nebraska in 2006, Gorsett was leading the team with seven outfield assists at the time of his promotion.
Also moving up is catcher Chris Grossman, a former independent leaguer who is excelling in his first season of affiliated baseball. The 26-year-old hit .277 with six homers and 42 driven in for the Swing, numbers that included a two-homer, five-RBI bottom of the second inning against Beloit on Sunday. Grossman's efforts behind the plate were just as strong, as the former Cal-Berkeley standout was instrumental in helping the Swing pitching staff to the league's best ERA (3.06) and highest strikeout total (727).
Replacing Gorsett, Grossman, and Donovan Solano - who was promoted on Tuesday - are a trio of offensive players acquired by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2007 draft.
Descalso, a 20-year-old infielder from California, was a third-round pick by the Cardinals out of the University of California-Davis. After hitting .397 as a junior in college, Descalso began his pro career by hitting .256 with nine runs scored and six stolen bases in 21 games for the Batavia Muckdogs of the Short Season-A New York-Penn League.
Cruz, a third baseman from Florida, comes to the Swing after making stops at all three Cardinals' short-season affiliates since being taken in the 26th round out of Palm Beach Community College. The 20-year-old began his pro career by hitting safely in all seven of his games in the Gulf Coast League, then homered twice in six games with Johnson City of the Appalachian League, and most recently added a four-hit game with Batavia before earning his third promotion of the year. Between the three previous stops, he is hitting .342 with eight doubles and 10 RBI.
Joining Descalso and Cruz on the flight from Batavia to Davenport is Derba, a 21-year-old catcher who the Cardinals took in the 30th round out of Manhattan College. The New York native was a four-year starter for the Jaspers, earning First Team All-MAAC honors in each of the past three seasons. Through his first 19 pro games with Batavia, he hit .267 with seven doubles.
The Swing of the Quad Cities roster currently stands at 25 active players, the maximum allowed by the Midwest League. An updated roster accompanies this release.
TICKETS: Tickets for all events at John O'Donnell Stadium can be purchased by calling the Swing of the Quad Cities ticket office at (563) 328-2000, coming to the box office located at the stadium along South Gaines Street, or by logging on to www.swingbaseball.com.
UP NEXT: The Swing open a four-game, home-and-home set with Ryne Sandberg and the Peoria Chiefs on Thursday at O'Brien Field, but the series will shift to Davenport for ballgames on Friday and Saturday. All Swing games feature a radio broadcast that can be heard on WKBF AM-1270 or online at www.swingbaseball.com, with the pre-game show starting 15 minutes prior to scheduled first pitch. UPCOMING PROMOTIONS: Ryne Sandberg and the Peoria Chiefs will be at John O'Donnell Stadium for a pair of home games on Friday and Saturday. Friday night's contest will feature post-game FIREWORKS sponsored by i-wireless, WOC, and KWQC!!! Get to the ballpark early on Saturday, as the first 800 fans through the gates will pick up a Justin Morneau bobblehead doll thanks to U.S. Cellular, FOX-18, Mediacom, WOC, and the Dispatch-Argus!!!
• Discuss this story on the Midwest League message board...
Midwest League Stories from July 12, 2007
- Swing Outlast Chiefs - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Whitecaps Outlast Snappers in 12 Innings - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Chiefs Three-Game Win Streak Snapped - Peoria Chiefs
- Lugnuts Open Homestand With Win - Lansing Lugnuts
- Starner Stops Wisconsin - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Miller "On Deck" Open This Friday - Beloit Sky Carp
- Grossman, Gorsett Rise To Palm Beach - Quad Cities River Bandits
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
