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CHARLESTON, SC - The New York Yankees announced
Saturday that RiverDogs infielder Jimmy Paredes has been traded to the Houston
Astros as part of the deal that sent first-baseman/DH Lance Berkman to the
Yankees. To complete the deal, Houston also acquired right-handed pitcher
Mark Melancon, while New
York received cash considerations.
Paredes was batting .282 on the year
for Charleston, with 59 runs, 24 doubles, six
triples, five home runs and 48 RBI. The Haina,
Dominican
Republic native's led the squad with 114
hits and 36 stolen bases, both of which ranked in the top 10 in the SAL. The
switch-hitter appeared in 99 games with the RiverDogs this season, with 71
starts at second base, seven at third base, 16 at shortstop and five games as
DH. He was signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2006.
Berkman has appeared in 85 games for
the Astros this season, batting .245 with 39 runs, 16 doubles, a triple, 13 home
runs and 49 RBI. The Waco, Tex. native was drafted by
Houston with the 16th pick in
the 1st round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. The former
Rice University standout made his Major League
debut in 1999. Berkman was selected to five All-Star games in his time with the
Astros: 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008.
Melancon was 6-1, with six saves and
a 3.67 ERA (23 ER/ 56.1 IP) in 40 games with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees
this season. The former Arizona Wildcat saw action in two games this season in
New
York, giving up seven hits and four
earned runs, with three strikeouts, in a total of 4.0 innings of work. The
Colorado native was selected by the Yankees
in the ninth round, 284th overall, of the 2006 First-Year Player
Draft.
Charleston wraps up a four-game
homestand Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. against the Greenville Drive,
the Single-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Tickets for the homestand can
be purchased by visiting the RiverDogs website at www.riverdogs.com or by
calling the box office at (843) 577-DOGS.
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