Aflac Unveils Final Roster for 2006 Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic
July 14 2006 - 3:57PM
PR Newswire (US)
New York Yankee Icons, Berra and Rodriguez on hand to honor the
Nation's Top Prep Baseball Players preparing to Compete in Fourth
Annual All-Star Game NEW YORK, July 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Today, Aflac with help from Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez
and Yankee legend Yogi Berra revealed the final 38-player roster
for the 2006 Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic.
During a press conference held at Yankee Stadium, Aflac concluded
its National Selection Tour in which Kevin Maris, coach of the
game's East squad and son of former Yankees slugger Roger Maris,
honored four tri-state area high school players for their selection
to the team. The fourth annual all-star classic featuring the
nation's top 38 rising seniors in an East vs. West match-up will be
played Saturday, Aug. 12, at San Diego State's Tony Gwynn Stadium.
The nationally televised game will air live at 3 p.m. Eastern time
on Fox Sports Net. Proceeds from the 2006 event will benefit San
Diego Children's Hospital and Health Center. Hall of Famer and New
York Yankee great Reggie Jackson will serve as the game's honorary
chairman. "The players in this year's game represent the nation's
best," said Jerry Ford, president of Perfect Game USA, a leading
prep baseball scouting service and selection partner for the Aflac
Classic. "The Aflac Classic consistently provides a high-profile
event for the players and for the scouts to evaluate the talents of
these elite athletes." Aflac All-Americans are chosen by Baseball
America magazine and Perfect Game USA. All participants must have
just completed their junior year of high school, be in good
academic standing and display redeeming qualities off the field
that embody the ideals of the sport of baseball, including
discipline, determination and hard work. The Aflac All-American
Classic boasts alumni who have had a huge impact in the past three
Major League Baseball first-year player drafts. Overall, 18 alumni
have been selected in the first round, including two No. 1 overall
selections: Matt Bush (2004, San Diego) and Justin Upton (2005,
Arizona). The 2006 draft saw 11 Aflac All-Americans drafted in the
first round. Overall, 114 Aflac All-Americans have been drafted by
Major League teams since the event began in 2003. "The quality of
players we've had since the inception of the Aflac All- American
Classic has been remarkable," said Al Johnson, second vice
president, Advertising and Branding at Aflac. "The game is special
to them and for us as it serves as a terrific way for us to
showcase top baseball talent while raising money and awareness for
pediatric cancer." The high school players presented with team
jerseys during the final roster announcement at Yankee Stadium were
Matt Harvey, a RHP from Fitch High School in Groton, CT, and three
players from Seton Hall Prep located in West Orange, NJ; Steven
Brooks, an OF, Evan Danieli, a RHP and Rick Porcello, a RHP. 2006
Aflac All-American High School Baseball Roster Alphabetical Roster
East Team No. Pos. Name Hgt. Wgt. High School (Hometown) 10 OF
Steven Brooks 6-0 175 Seton Hall Prep (Wyckoff, NJ) 22 LHP Madison
Bumgarner 6-5 220 South Caldwell High School (Lenoir, NC) 25 OF/LHP
Michael Burgess 6-1 200 Hillsborough High School (Tampa, FL) 27 RHP
Evan Danieli 6-8 225 Seton Hall Prep (East Hanover, NJ) 20 OF
Kentrail Davis 5-9 195 Theodore High School (Theodore, AL) 32
3B/RHP Derek Dietrich 6-1 190 St. Ignatius High School (Parma, OH)
14 C Yasmani Grandal 6-2 205 Miami Springs High School (Hialeah,
FL) 30 RHP Matt Harvey 6-4 190 Fitch Senior High School (Mystic,
CT) 24 OF/1B Jason Heyward 6-2 198 Henry County High School
(McDonough, GA) 2 SS Justin Jackson 6-2 175 TC Roberson High School
(Asheville, NC) 12 INF DJ LeMahieu 6-4 185 Brother Rice High School
(Bloomfield Hills, MI) 16 RHP/OF Michael Main 6-2 175 DeLand High
School (Deltona, FL) 15 OF Hunter Morris 6-4 200 Grissom High
School (Huntsville, AL) 21 RHP Rick Porcello 6-5 195 Seton Hall
Prep (Chester, NJ) 26 RHP Neil Ramirez 6-3 190 Kempsville High
School (Virginia Beach, VA) 5 C/1B Danny Rams 6-2 222 Gulliver Prep
(Miami, FL) 35 RHP Sam Runion 6-4 220 Reynolds High School
(Asheville, NC) 17 LHP Joshua Smoker 6-2 195 Calhoun High School
(Sugar Valley, GA) 7 SS/C John Tolisano 6-0 190 Estero High School
(Sanibel, FL) West Team No. Pos. Name Hgt. Wgt. High School
(Hometown) 32 RHP Tim Alderson 6-7 208 Horizon High School
(Phoenix, AZ) 15 RHP Blake Beavan 6-7 210 Irving High School
(Irving, TX) 13 RHP Kyle Blair 6-3 200 Los Gatos High School (Monte
Sereno, CA) 22 LHP Drake Britton 6-2 200 Tomball High School
(Magnolia, TX) 4 INF Christian Colon 5-11 175 Canyon High School
(Anaheim Hills, CA) 12 RHP Paul Demny 6-2 200 East Bernard High
School (East Bernard, TX) 8 1B/RHP Freddie Freeman 6-5 215 El
Modena High School (Villa Park, CA) 25 INF/RHP Jon Gilmore 6-3 190
City High School (Iowa City, IA) 33 RHP Erik Goeddel 6-3 170
Bellarmine College Prep (Hillsborough, CA) 11 OF Kevin Keyes 6-3
205 Connally High School (Austin, TX) 10 OF Brett Krill 6-4 200
Aliso Niguel High School (Laguna Niguel, CA) 26 OF Joseph Leftridge
6-0 170 Duncanville High School (Dallas, TX) 20 SS Nick Noonan 6-1
175 Francis Parker High School (San Diego, CA) 18 RHP Greg Peavey
6-2 185 Hudson Bay High School (Vancouver, WA) 23 LHP Tanner Robles
6-4 190 Cottonwood High School (Murray, UT) 5 C Cameron Rupp 6-2
220 Prestonwood High School (Plano, TX) 21 C/RHP Robert Stock 6-1
190 Agoura High School (Westlake Village, CA) 6 OF Sequoyah 6-1 185
Mission Bay High School Stonecipher (San Diego, CA) 9 3B Josh
Vitters 6-3 195 Cypress High School (Anaheim, CA) To learn more
about the Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic, visit
http://www.aflacallamerican.com/ . About Aflac For more than 50
years, Aflac products have given policyholders the opportunity to
direct cash where it is needed most when a life-interrupting
medical event causes financial challenges. Aflac is the number one
provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance in the United States and
the number one insurance company in terms of individual insurance
policies in force in Japan. Aflac's insurance products provide
protection to more than 40 million people worldwide. Aflac has been
included in Fortune magazine's listing of America's Most Admired
Companies for six consecutive years and Forbes magazine's Platinum
400 List of America's Best Big Companies for five consecutive
years. In January 2006, Aflac was included in Fortune magazine's
list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the
eighth consecutive year. Aflac was also included in Fortune
magazine's list of the Top 50 Employers for Minorities in August
2005, and in September 2005, Aflac Japan was named the Life
Insurance Company of the Year at the Asia Insurance Industry
Awards, sponsored by the Asia Insurance Review. Aflac Incorporated
is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange
under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit
aflac.com. Media Contacts: Tim Turner Danny Ferrauiola Aflac
Incorporated Edelman Sports 706-243-5594 voice 212-704-8299 voice
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http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Aflac Incorporated CONTACT:
Tim Turner of Aflac Incorporated, +1-706-243-5594, or cell,
+1-706-575-3286, or ; or Danny Ferrauiola of Edelman Sports,
+1-212-704-8299, or cell, +1-646-483-8242, or Web site:
http://www.aflac.com/
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