2008 Olympic Roster

Below is a link to the 2008 Olympic Roster and our farm system only has two representatives with Trevor Cahill and Matt LaPorta. Colby Rasmus was originally on the team but was replaced when he sprained a ligament in his left knee. Rasmus will be out 4-6 weeks with his injury. The Phillies have two players on the team with Lou Marson and Jason Donald making the trip to China.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2008/2008_olympic_roster.pdf

Other News:

Jose Tabata (NYY) was traded to the Pirates in the Nady/Marte deal. Tabata has been very disappointing this season but he is the 1st 19 year old Yankee to reach AA since Jeter. The Yanks have Austin Jackson (Chad) to become the future outfielder for New York.

Jeff Samardzija, yes that Samardzija who played for Notre Dame, was recalled by the Cubs and blew a victory for Dempster. I hate ND so much that I refuse to mention him any more. Brad Lidge is the only ND alumni I will root for in baseball.

Tim Beckman, who was the #1 pick in this years draft, is struggling at the plate to begin his career. He is hitting .195 with 3 extra base hits in 77 ABS. He is very young and watch to see if the Rays move SS Brignac (Naff) who sucked it up when he was called upon to replace the injured Bartlett.

The Pirates called up Steve Pearce to replace Nady. Pearce was the 2007 Minor League Player of the Year while hitting .328 with 31 HR 54 RBIs. This season he is hitting .258 with 11 HR and 54 RBIs in 93 games. With Jason Bay on the block I would expect Andrew McCutchen to replace him if he is moved.