James Loney & Mark Alexander Selected As Dodgers' 2006 Branch Rickey Minor Leaguers of Year
"The Dodger organization congratulates both James and Mark on their stand-out performances this season," said Dodger Vice President of Scouting and Player Development Roy Smith. "We are very proud to be able to honor both of these deserving players with this award."
In 98 games with Las Vegas, the left-handed hitting Loney batted an impressive .380 (139-for-366) with 33 doubles, eight home runs and 67 RBI. His .380 batting average was more than enough to claim the 2006 Pacific Coast League batting title, finishing the season 43 points ahead of any other qualifying batter in the league. He also led all of minor league baseball in batting average. Loney made his Major League debut on April 4, starting the game at first base and collecting his first big league hit, a single off Braves hurler John Smoltz.
"With such a strong group of players in our system, a decision like this is never simple," said Smith. "Loney made an easy selection for Player of the Year. Besides leading the PCL in hitting by a wide margin, James was stellar defensively and made solid contributions to the Major League club at different times during the year."
Loney, 21, was twice recognized this season as the Dodgers' organizational Player of the Month, earning back-to-back honors in June and July. Loney's bat heated up with the summer as he hit .383 (46-for-120) in the month of June, including 10 doubles, a triple, four homers and 20 RBI. His hot hitting spilled over into the month of July when he hit .371 (33-for-89) with eight doubles, three homers, 18 RBI and 17 runs scored.
In his three stints with Los Angeles, Loney has complied a .258 (28-for-108) batting average with five doubles, five triples, one homer, eight RBI and16 runs scored. In 36 games, of which he made 18 starts, Loney has a .995 Major League fielding percentage, committing only one error in 205 total chances.
Loney, a six-foot, two-inch Texas native, was the Dodgers' first-round selection in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft (19th overall). He has a .280 career batting average in the minor leagues over four seasons with 109 doubles, 10 triples, 27 homers and 181 RBI. This season, he was named to the 2006 Triple-A PCL All-Star Team as the starting first baseman. He was ranked by Baseball America as the Dodgers' fourth-best prospect entering 2004 and 2005. In 2005, he was a member of the Double-A Southern League Champion Jacksonville Suns, where he led the club in hits (143) and total bases (211) while leading all minor leaguers in games (138). He was a standout as a pitcher and first baseman for Lawerence E. Elkins High School in his hometown of Missouri City, Texas and was signed by Dodger scout Chris Smith.
Alexander, who was signed by Dodger scout Mitch Webster in the 20th round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, just completed his third minor league season in the Dodgers' farm system. The right-handed reliever spent the majority of the season with the Double-A Jacksonville Suns, where he posted a 3-2 record with 26 saves while compiling an impressive 0.96 ERA. He spent July 17-Aug 20 playing with the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s where he went 2-1 with one save in 14.1 innings pitched. His 27 saves this season led all Dodger minor leaguers for a second consecutive season and tied him for second in the Southern League (26).
"Mark was a true stopper out of the bullpen," said Smith. "In addition to contributing to Triple-A Las Vegas, his 26 saves for Double-A Jacksonville were a major factor in helping the Suns reach the playoffs."
His most notable month of the 2006 season came in June when he made 10 appearances, tossing 10.0 shutout innings, surrendering only four hits while earning eight saves and fanning 16 of the 33 batters he faced.
The Missouri resident strung together 25.2 consecutive shutout innings between May 21 and Sept. 1 for the Jacksonville Suns. During that span, he made 20 relief appearances and collected 17 saves. The 2006 Southern League All-Star was honored as the Minor League Baseball Southern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 22-28, when he tossed 4.2 shutout innings in four appearances while collecting four saves.
In 2005 Alexander was rated by Baseball America as the Florida State League's (FSL) best reliever. He led all Dodger minor leaguers with 23 saves. He was honored as the FSL Rolaids Relief Man winner and Dodger organizational Pitcher of the Month in July of that season.
The awards given to Loney and Alexander are named in honor of longtime baseball executive and one of the game's greatest innovators, former Brooklyn Dodger president and general manager Branch Rickey, who is credited with inventing the minor league system while with the St. Louis Cardinals in the early 1920s. Rickey was also instrumental in breaking baseball's color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson, who became Major League Baseball's first African-American player when he debuted with Brooklyn in 1947.
The Dodgers' Branch Rickey award winners are voted upon by the club's minor league staff. Others receiving consideration for 2006 honors were: outfielder Matt Kemp (Jacksonville/Las Vegas), infielder Andy LaRoche (Jacksonville/Las Vegas), left-hander Scott Elbert (Vero Beach/Jacksonville) and right-hander Spike Lundberg (Jacksonville/Las Vegas).