truebluefan

Reno's Mike Thompson Acquired By Kansas City Royals

(Pleasanton, CA. March 4, 2007) The Golden Baseball League is pleased to announce that 1B/3B Michael Thompson's contract has been sold to the Kansas City Royals. Thompson is the second player from the Arizona Winter League to be signed by a major league organization and will report to spring training in Surprise, Arizona. He is the 9th player that the Reno Silver Sox have sold to major league organizations in the last 9 months.

Thompson, 23, spent two years in the Houston Astros farm system before being released after playing in the high-A Carolina League last year. He applied and was accepted to play in the Arizona Winter League and was dominant both offensively and defensively as he hit .375, led the league in home runs, was near the top in most hitting categories, and was named to the AWL All-Star team while playing for the Canada Miners. He caught the eye of a Kansas City Royals scout who was at the Arizona Winter League to look at a couple of the Miners' pitchers. At the conclusion of the AWL, he was signed by the Reno Silver Sox of the Golden Baseball League, but the Royals hadn't forgotten about him and invited him to a tryout in the Phoenix area a few weeks later. Fresh off 22 games and over 60 at bats in the AWL, he impressed Kansas City enough to have the Royals purchase his contract from Reno and they have him slated for either the Midwest (A) or Carolina League (High-A) for the 2007 season.

"Two players signed by major league organizations, with perhaps another this coming week, is more than we expected out of the inaugural Arizona Winter League" said Kevin Outcalt, GBL Commissioner. "The AWL has certainly been valuable to players desiring to start or continue their careers in independent pro baseball, as over 35 jobs were offered, but it is interesting to note the attention that MLB teams paid to the AWL as a source for players as well."