Cliff Lee voted National League Pitcher of the Month for June

In five June starts, the 2011 National League All-Star was a perfect 5-0 with a Major League-best 0.21 ERA and 0.69 WHIP. Lee led the N.L. in wins, ranked third in innings pitched (42.0) and was sixth in strikeouts (29). The left-hander tossed complete-game shutouts in three consecutive outings, becoming the first Major Leaguer to earn three straight shutouts since Brandon Webb in 2007 and the first Phillie since Robin Roberts accomplished the feat in 1950. In his first outing of the month, the Arkansas-native threw 7.0 shutout innings in a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. Lee struck out 10 Dodgers, including his 100th strikeout of the season, marking the fastest (13 games) that he has reached the 100-strikeout threshold in his nine Major League seasons. On June 16th, the four-time All-Star was in top form, going the distance in a two-hit shutout of the Florida Marlins at Citizens Bank Park.

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Naturals pick up Royals' organizational awards

Mike Moustakas, recipient of the George Brett Hitter of the Year - recognizing the organization's top hitter. The 22-year-old third baseman combined to hit .322 with NW Arkansas (AA) and Omaha (AAA), tying for the minor league lead with 36 home runs. The Royals' first-round selection (2nd overall) in 2007 also posted 41 doubles and drove in 124 in being named the Sporting News Minor League Hitter of the Year, the Texas League Player of the Year, and a Baseball America 2010 first-team Minor League All-Star.

John Lamb, recipient of the Paul Splittorff Pitcher of the Year - recognizing the organization's top pitcher. The 20-year-old pitched at three levels of the Royals system in 2010, wrapping up at NW Arkansas. The six-foot-three lefty from Laguna Hills, Calif., was a combined 10-7 with a 2.38 ERA in 28 starts, allowing 122 hits in 147.2 innings, striking out 159 and walking just 45. Lamb was a fifth-round pick of the Royals in 2008.

Eric Hosmer, recipient of the Frank White Defensive Player of the Year - recognizing the organization's top defensive player. Hosmer, 21, is an athletic first baseman who posted a .988 fielding percentage in 80 games at Wilmington (A Advanced) before upping that mark to .994 in 43 games at first for NW Arkansas. At the plate, the Royals' first-round pick (3rd overall) in 2008 batted a combined .338 with 43 doubles, nine triples, 20 home runs, 86 RBI and 87 runs, also stealing 14 bases in 16 attempts.

Brian Poldberg, recipient of the Dick Howser Player Development Person of the Year - recognizing an outstanding member of player development. The only manager the NW Arkansas Naturals have ever known, Poldberg led the club to the Texas League Championship in 2010. The team was also recently recognized as the Baseball America Minor League Club of the Year. After ending a seven-year playing career, the Carter Lake, Iowa resident has been a coach and instructor in the Royals organization since 1987.

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Brother-Lee love! Lefty ace picks Philly

Cliff Lee, the most highly coveted free-agent pitcher on the market, has agreed with the Phillies on a five-year contract worth about $120 million and includes a vesting option for a sixth year, sources told MLB.com late Monday night. The deal reportedly could be worth as much as $135 million over six years.

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Padres add Moseley to rotation mix

The Padres' starting rotation for 2011 appears to be rounding into shape.

On Monday, the Padres announced that they have agreed to a one-year deal for $900,000 with right-handed pitcher Dustin Moseley.

Moseley, who turns 29 on Dec. 26, was 4-4 with a 4.96 ERA in 16 games last season for the Yankees in 2010, including four starts.

Dustin Moseley is from Texarkana.

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Baseball America names Naturals as Team of the Year

Baseball America magazine, regarded throughout the collegiate and minor league ranks as the pre-eminent magazine for the national pastime, has selected the Northwest Arkansas Naturals as their 2010 Minor League Team of the Year.

The honor was revealed at an awards banquet Monday afternoon at Baseball's Winter Meetings, being held this year at the Swan Disney Hotel in Lake Buena Vista, FL.

The 2010 Texas League Champion Northwest Arkansas Naturals will be remembered not just as a Texas League juggernaut but as a prospect-laden club that swept nearly every team award available to them and garnered several individual awards along the way.

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Giants re-sign Pat Burrell

The Giants have re-signed outfielder Pat Burrell to a one-year contract, club Senior Vice President and General Manager Brian Sabean announced today.

Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 34-year-old began the 2010 campaign with Tampa Bay, but was signed by the Giants to a minor league contract in May and turned out to be one of the key acquisitions made by San Francisco in their World Series run, hitting .266 (77-for-289) with 18 home runs and 51 RBI in 96 contests. His 18 home runs since joining the Giants on May 29 were the most in a season for a Giants player who had played for another team earlier that year. Burrell was in his second year of a two-year contract with Tampa Bay and hit .202 (17-for-84) with two home runs and 13 RBI in 24 games with the Rays. With San Francisco, he led the team with an average of 4.22 pitches per plate appearance and ranked second on the team with 47 walks and a .364 on-base pct.

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Braves Agree To Terms With Eric Hinske

The Atlanta Braves announced today that they have agreed to terms with free-agent infielder/outfielder Eric Hinske to a one-year contract for the 2011 season, with a Club option for 2012. Financial terms of the deal were not announced.

Hinske, 33, played in 131 games for the Braves in 2010 and helped them reach the postseason for the first time since 2005. He batted .256 and collected 11 home runs and 51 RBIs in 281 at-bats. He was especially valuable late in games, as he batted .313 (31-for-99) with four home runs and 25 RBIs in the seventh inning or later. The versatile Hinske played three defensive positions - left field (50 games), first base (32) and third base (1) and was a clutch performer off the bench, batting .298 (14-for-47) with three homers and 12 RBIs as a pinch hitter.

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Wood flirts with perfecto before Reds fall

Rookie Travis Wood carried a perfect game into the ninth inning, but even that was not enough as the Reds were handed a 1-0 loss by the Phillies on Saturday night. It was the third consecutive walk-off loss to Philadelphia by the Reds in what has turned into a rough four-game series at Citizens Bank Park.

Wood left the game for reliever Nick Masset in the 10th after Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz broke up Wood's perfect game with a leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth. Coincidentally, it was Ruiz that got the Phillies rally started in the 11th with a one-out double and scored the lone run of the game on a two-out single by Jimmy Rollins.

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Rangers acquire left-hander Lee

The M's sent Lee and reliever Mark Lowe to Texas for first baseman Justin Smoak and minor leaguers Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke and Matthew Lawson.

The Mariners will also send $2.25 million to the Rangers to subsidize the $4.2 million still owed to Lee. Texas has financial limitations due to bankruptcy hearings associated with the sale of the team. There has been speculation the Rangers -- despite leading the AL West -- would not be able to add weapons for the stretch run.

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Lee, Hunter named MLB All-Stars

Ichiro, Lee give Mariners potent ASG duo

Hunter to represent Halos in All-Star Game

Hayden Simpson signs with the Cubs

The Chicago Cubs have signed right-handed pitcher Hayden Simpson, the club's first-round selection (16th overall) in the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Chicago has now reached deals with 15 of its 50 selections from this year's draft, including seven of its first 14.

Simpson, 21, concluded the 2010 college season with a 13-1 record and a 1.81 ERA (20 ER/99.1 IP) in 15 starts, including six complete game efforts and three shutouts for Southern Arkansas University. He led the club in wins, ERA, opposing batting average (.201), innings pitched and starts. He also led the team with 131 strikeouts in 99.1 innings pitched, good for an average of 11.9 strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched that ranks third-highest in school history.

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Simpson signed for just over $1 million.

MLB Draft - Day 2

Rd 2

#54

Brett Eibner - Arkansas

KC Royals

RHP

#68

Drew Smyly - Arkansas

Detroit Tigers

LHP

Rd 3

#91

Zack Cates - Conway High School

San Diego

Rd 5

#158

Andy Wilkins - Arkansas

CWS

1B

Rd 7

#220

Ben Wells - Bryant High School / Arkansas signee

CHC

P

Rd 14

#434

Richie Tate - Marked Tree High School

Atlanta

Rd 15

#451

Mike Bolsinger - Arkansas

Arizona

RHP

#463

Collin Kuhn - Arkansas

Detroit

LF

Rd 16

#493

Jordan Pratt - Arkansas

Detroit

RHP

Rd 22

#677

Jeremy Heatley - Arkansas

Florida

RHP

Rd 24

#723

Adam Champion - UALR

LHP

Houston

Rd 26

#779

Jonathan Dooley - Henderson St.

RHP

Kansas City

Rd 28

#839

Murray Watts - ASU

1B

Kansas City

Cardinals draft Zack Cox in the first round

It was the second straight year that the Cardinals pounced on a highly rated player who fell in the Draft. Cox, the third baseman for the University of Arkansas, is rated as potentially the best college hitter in the Draft, and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo projected Cox to go seventh overall in his last mock Draft. Though Cox's status as a Draft-eligible sophomore gives him considerable negotiating leverage, The Cardinals are optimistic they will be able to get a deal done before the Aug. 16 deadline.

A left-handed hitter, Cox entered his Monday night game hitting .424 with a .603 slugging percentage through 56 games.

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Cubs take Hayden Simpson in the first round

The Cubs took Simpson with the 16th overall pick. He starred at Division II Southern Arkansas, posting a 13-1 record and 1.81 ERA in his junior season. He had six complete games in his 15 starts, and struck out 131 in 99 1/3 innings while walking 35.

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Fort Smith Riverfront Proposal Includes Baseball Stadium

One question city leaders had was if the region could support their own minor league ball team, and the consultants believe it can.

The firm also presented a letter written by Miles Wolff, commissioner for the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, who wrote the city would be "a tremendously attractive spot for a ball park." He said he visited Fort Smith on December 2, and they were very interested in locating there if the city built a stadium.

The city says this is a big step, but still a first step. They'll now have architects draw up a concept for a stadium and figure out a price, so they can make the next of many tough decisions.

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Cliff Lee traded to the Mariners

It's official: Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Cliff Lee is heading to the Seattle Mariners.

On Wednesday, the Mariners announced they acquired Lee from the Philadelphia Phillies for three Minor League players -- pitcher Phillippe Aumont, outfielder Tyson Gillies and pitcher JC Ramirez.

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Cincinnati Reds Top 10 Prospects

1.	Todd Frazier, of/2b/3b
2.	Yonder Alonso, 1b
3.	Mike Leake, rhp
4.	Chris Heisey, of
5.	Juan Francisco, 3b
6.	Yorman Rodriguez, of
7.	Travis Wood, lhp
8.	Matt Maloney, lhp
9.	Brad Boxberger, rhp
10.	Zack Cozart, ss link

Hunter procures another precious medal

The arrival of a ninth consecutive Gold Glove was a thrill, but it wasn't a big surprise, quite honestly.

A first Silver Slugger Award? That is another story altogether. This brought a chill, along with some moisture to the eyes of Torii Hunter.

"When I heard about this," Hunter said by phone from his home in Prosper, Texas, on Thursday, "I actually got tears in my eyes. This is a complete shock. I thought that missing 32 games with my groin injury, I had no shot at something like this.

"I'm thankful and grateful. Silver Slugger ... wow. I'm so excited."

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Torii adds another Gold Glove to mantel

For Angels center fielder Torii Hunter, Rawlings Gold Glove No. 9 felt as good as the previous eight.

"I always dreamed about winning one Gold Glove," Hunter said by phone from Arizona, where he's co-hosting a charity golf tournament on Wednesday in Chandler with the Upton brothers, Justin and B.J. "Nine ... that's a dream.

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Historic night for the state of Arkansas in the World Series

For the first time in history, two Arkansan pitchers started opposite each other in the World Series, and two former Hogs faced each other in the World Series.

Cliff Lee, a Benton native and former Razorback, and AJ Burnett, from North Little Rock, both took the mound last night looking for their 2nd Series wins (Lee won game 1, Burnett won game 2). Burnett was chased in the 3rd, officially going 2 innings and giving up 6 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks, with 2 strikeouts. Lee got the win as the Phillies pushed the series to a game 6 and back to Yankee Stadium. He went 7, giving up 5 runs on 7 hits, with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts.

Former Razorback Eric Hinske became only the 2nd player in history to appear in 3 straight World Series with 3 different teams (Boston 07, Tampa Bay 08, New York 09). He pinch hit in the 5th inning and was walked by Cliff Lee. He later scored on a Johnny Damon groundout.

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