Jason Kubel named Rock Cats player of the month

Dowling indicated that the voting for April’s award was heavier than usual - which he suggested could be partially attributed to the fans’ delight with the start of a new professional baseball season in Connecticut – but he believed the vote was primarily a tribute to the outstanding start Kubel has enjoyed in 2004.

The young Outfielder’s statistics for the first month of the 2004 season were nothing short of phenomenal. He led the Eastern League in hitting from Day 1 – when he collected 2 hits (including a HR) on April 8, Opening Day at New Britain Stadium - to April 30, when he was 2-3 (including another HR) on the last day of the month. For the entire month he batted at a .416 clip, which made him far and away the top hitter in the League for the period. The powerful left-handed swinger was also tied for the League lead in hits (32), a total that included 7 Doubles and 3 Home Runs. And in a very rare combination, Kubel’s On-Base-Percentage at .471 was the best in the League - as was his Slugging Percentage at .675. Those two offensive categories are seldom paired.

Kubel stands 5’11” tall and weighs 200 lbs. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 12th round of the June 2000 draft, shortly after his graduation from Highland High School in Palmdale. Prior to the 2004 season, he batted .310 in three minor league seasons played at Rookie League and Single-A classification sites. He is making his debut in the Eastern League – a higher, Double A-classification – and he is off to an auspicious start. At the conclusion of the 2003 season, Baseball America ranked him as the #17 prospect in the entire Florida State League while also reporting he had the #1 throwing arm of any outfielder in that League. More recently, Baseball America ranked him as the #8 prospect in the Minnesota Twins’ farm system.