INA - Rend Lake College baseball players Freddie Cabrera and Raymond Fuentes have been chosen to play in the high-profile Prospect League this coming summer. The two transplants from Puerto Rico will play for the River Rats, a new team out of Richmond, Ind.
Playing for the Warriors under Head Coach Tony Etnier, the freshmen pitcher and shortstop were recommended by their coach to Richmond Head Coach Tyler Lairson. Cabrera - a 6-feet, 5-inch pitcher - will be a weekend and conference starter in the Warriors rotation, and Fuentes will be starting at shortstop and most likely leading off for RLC this spring.
Formerly called the CICL, the Prospect League is a high-profile collegiate summer showcase where numerous Big Leaguers once played, including Ryan Howard (Phillies), Gary Gaetti (Red Sox, Cards, Twins, Royals, Angels, Cubs), Joe Girardi (Cubs, Cardinals, Yankees, Rockies), Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, World Champion Twin Kirby Puckett, and Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt. The list of MLB transplants from the CICL includes hundreds of names.
The Prospect League includes East and West divisions made up of the Butler (Ohio) BlueSox, Chillicothe (Ohio) Paints, Lorain (Ohio) North Coast Knights, Richmond (Ind.) River Rats, Slippery Rock (Pa.) Sliders, Danville (Ill.) Dans, Dubois County (Ind.) Bombers, Dupage (Lisle, Ill.) Dragons, Hannibal (Mo.) Cavemen, Quincy (Ill.) Gems, and Springfield (Ill.) Sliders.
"I think those guys can fit in well in that league," Etnier said. "Raymond has a great set of hands and is a very good decision maker at the plate. The amount of bats he will get and pitches he will see in that league are only going to make him better at the plate.
"Freddy also fits in well because of his size and natural ability to spin the ball," Etnier added. "He is the kind of guy that, in a couple of years down the road, will probably be in pro ball."
Both said they are excited and grateful for the opportunity, and feel they will learn a lot in the Prospect League.
"I came here with a dream you know ... playing in the major leagues," Fuentes said. "I think I have ability. I have good hands and I'm a switch hitter. I think I can play in the major leagues someday."
Voted the best shortstop of his county, he hit around .300 and led in triples in the AA Puerto Rico league.
The River Rats recently announced their 2009 Prospect League schedule which includes 54 games, half of which are at home at Don McBride Stadium. The schedule includes 14 weekend dates (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) among the 27 home games. All game times will be announced at a later date.
Richmond will open the 2009 season at home against the Chillicothe Paints at 6:35 p.m., June 4. The home season concludes on Aug. 8. The Prospect League's playoffs begin on Aug. 10 and are scheduled to end on Aug. 13.
