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First Round Pick Kaminsky Joins Chiefs, Petree Promoted

May 4, 2014

The Peoria Chiefs and St. Louis Cardinals have announced that 2013 first round draft pick Rob Kaminsky has joined the roster in Cedar Rapids and will get the start on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. against the Kernels. The left-handed pitcher was the 28th overall selection of last June's draft, the Cardinals second first round pick after Marco Gonzales. To make room on the roster, starting pitcher Nick Petree (2-0, 1.29) has been promoted to Palm Beach.

     Kaminsky will be the 25th first-round June draft pick to play for the Chiefs, the first since Cubs 2011 first round Javier Baez two seasons ago. The left-hander was ranked by MLB.com as the Cardinals #4 prospect and by Baseball America as the Cardinals #9 prospect in the off-season. He was also ranked #100 in all of Minor League Baseball by Keith Law on the ESPN.com Prospect List. Kaminsky as the first 1st round pick out of high school in New Jersey since Mike Trout. Kaminsky is the third 19-year-old on the team and the youngest player on the Chiefs roster, four days younger than Alex Reyes.

    In his first season as a pro, Kaminsky made five starts and eight appearances for the Rookie Level GCL Cardinals going 0-3 with a 3.68 ERA. He struck out 28 batters and walked nine in 22 innings of work. Kaminsky made his pro debut with a start on July 4 against the Nationals with one shutout inning and three strikeouts and he did not allow a run over his first four outings.

    At St. Joseph's Regional in New Jersey, Kaminsky went 9-0 with 128 strikeouts, five walks and just one earned run allowed in 64 innings as a senior. As an outfielder he hit .506 with three home runs and 19 RBI. He led St. Joseph's to a 29-2 record and to the finals of the New Jersey, Non-public State tournament, fanning 11 batters in a three-hit shutout over St. Peter's Prep in the semi-finals. Kaminsky was a Rawlings first team All-American Northeast and earned the Gatorade New Jersey High School Player of the Year for the second straight season.

     In 2012 as a junior he went 8-2 with a 0.20 ERA, allowing 12 hits while striking out 103 in only 52 innings pitched. He earned the title of New Jersey State Player of the Year for his performance. In the summer of 2012 he fanned eight batters over four frames against Team USA at the annual Tournament of Stars. Kaminsky pitched two perfect innings in the Perfect Game National Showcase at the Metrodome in Minnesota while striking out seven. Kaminsky signed to pitch at the University of North Carolina before being drafted by the Cardinals.

     Petree did not allow a run over his first 17 2/3 innings this season, tying for the longest shutout streak since 2002. He leaves the Chiefs with a 2-0 record and a 1.29 ERA. Petree struck out 24 and walked 10 over 21 innings while holding opponents to a .200 average. A 23-year-old native of Clinton, Missouri, Petree allowed three runs on six hits over four innings in his last Chiefs start on Tuesday at Beloit. He was originally scheduled to start Sunday in Cedar Rapids but an injury to former Chiefs starter Cory Jones in Palm Beach on Friday night set in motion a series of roster moves throughout the organization. Petree was drafted in 2013 out of Missouri State in the ninth round. He heads to Palm Beach with the third best ERA in the MWL and also in the top 10 in opponents batting average.

     The Chiefs next play at Dozer Park when they begin a three-game series with Beloit on Monday, May 5 at 6:30 p.m.. Tickets are available by calling 1-866-MYTICKET, 309-680-4008 or online at www.peoriachiefs.com through the Ticket Return link.