Texas Rangers

Kasey William Kiker is a Minor League Baseball pitcher free agent. He was selected by Texas in the first round in the 2006 draft, and currently plays for the Class AA Frisco RoughRiders. Kiker was also a pitcher for the USA during the 2009 World Baseball Cup.

Thomas Nicklaus Diamond is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. Diamond starred at the University of New Orleans. As a junior, he went 6-4, 2.38 ERA in 17 starts for the Privateers, and was voted the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year. Diamond registered 4... double-digit strikeout games, including 17 strikeouts in a complete game win over Arkansas State University on March 26;he tied a school and Sun Belt Conference record with those 17 Ks. He was selected in the first round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft by the Texas Rangers at # 10 overall. Diamond quickly rose through the Rangers system, dominating the competition for Spokane in the Northwest League and Clinton in the Midwest League in 2004. In the fall of 2004, Diamond made a name for himself in an obscure Instructional League game during which he tripped and fell on the mound while attempting a pickoff move. The opposing Oakland A's prospects laughed at Diamond, who then walked off the mound towards the A's dugout and told them that the next person to laugh was going to be wearing a fastball in the temple.
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Eric William Hurley is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball. Hurley attended Samuel W. Wolfson High School in Jacksonville, Florida, where he was teammates with fellow first round draft pick Billy Butler who was selected by the... Kansas City Royals. He was drafted in 2004 by the Texas Rangers and was their Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2006. He made his major league debut on June 12, 2008, against the Kansas City Royals, pitching 6 innings, but earning a no decision. Hurley earned his first major league victory on June 29, 2008, against the Philadelphia Phillies, giving up only one earned run over 5.2 innings. Hurley missed the 2009 season after undergoing surgery for a torn rotator cuff before the season. He signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on December 23.
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The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American... League's East Division. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1901 as the Baltimore Orioles. The team moved to New York City in 1903 as the New York Highlanders, taking the Yankees as their official name in 1913. From 1923 to 2008, the Yankees' home ballpark was Yankee Stadium; in 2009, they moved into a new ballpark, also called Yankee Stadium. The Yankees have won 27 World Series championships and 40 American League pennants, both MLB records. Forty-three Yankees players and eleven Yankees managers have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Yogi Berra. In pursuit of winning championships, the franchise has utilized a large payroll to recruit talent, particularly under former owner George Steinbrenner. Due in part to their success, the Yankees have garnered widespread popularity and a dedicated fanbase. The Yankees brand is recognized worldwide.
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The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's... American League. Since their inception in 1998, the club has played at Tropicana Field. Having finished in last place in nine of their first ten seasons, the Rays' first season with a winning record was 2008, when they won their first division title and proceeded to win the pennant. Since 2007, the Rays have had four straight winning seasons and three playoff appearances, including two AL East championships. In November 2007, majority owner Stuart Sternberg made significant changes to his franchise's image, changing the club's name from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to the "Tampa Bay Rays", which he described as "a beacon that radiates throughout Tampa Bay and across the entire state of Florida." The teams' primary colors, formerly black, green, and blue, were changed to navy blue, Columbia blue, and gold, and the team's symbol was changed from a devil ray to a ray of sunlight. The devil ray symbol, however, is still used on the sleeve of their jerseys, and there is still a tank of cownose rays in the outfield.
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The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of... Major League Baseball 's American League . The "Blue Jays" name originates from the bird of the same name, and the fact that blue is the traditional colour of Toronto's other professional sports teams, the Maple Leafs and the Argonauts. Nicknamed "the Jays", the team's official colours are royal blue, navy blue, white, and red. An expansion franchise, the club was founded in Toronto in 1977, initially owned by the Labatt Brewing Company. Originally based at Exhibition Stadium, the team began playing its home games at the SkyDome, upon completion of its construction in 1989. Since 2000, the Blue Jays have been owned by Rogers Communications, and in 2004, the SkyDome was purchased by that company, which renamed the venue to Rogers Centre. They are the second MLB team to be based outside the United States, and currently the only team outside the U.S. after fellow Canadian franchise, the Montreal Expos, relocated to Washington, D.C. after the 2004 season .
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The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was... founded in Detroit in 1894 as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant 10 times . The team currently plays their home games at Comerica Park in Downtown Detroit. The Tigers constructed Bennett Park at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Trumbull Avenue and began playing there in 1896. In 1912, the team moved into Navin Field, which was built on the same location. It was expanded in 1938 and renamed Briggs Stadium. It was renamed Tiger Stadium in 1961 and the Tigers played there until moving to Comerica Park in 2000. The club is a charter member of the American League, one of four clubs still located in its original city. Detroit is also the only member of the Western League, the AL's minor league predecessor, that remains in its original city under its original name.
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The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in 1977, the Mariners are a member of the Western... Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July 1999. From their 1977 inception until June 1999, the club's home park was the Kingdome. The "Mariners" name originates from the prominence of marine culture in the city of Seattle. They are nicknamed "the M's", a title featured in their primary logo from 1987–1992. The current team colors are Navy Blue, Northwest Green , and Metallic Silver, after having been Royal Blue and Gold from 1977–1992. Their mascot is the Mariner Moose. The organization did not field a winning team until 1991, and any real success eluded them until 1995 when they won their first division championship and defeated the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. The game-winning hit in Game 5, in which Edgar Martinez drove home Ken Griffey, Jr. to win the game in the 11th inning, clinched a series win for the Mariners, and has since become an iconic moment in team history.
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