Cowtipper
12-16-2008, 09:41 PM
nfielder Joe Thurston signed a minor-league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.
The Cardinals also completed a minor-league deal with catcher Justin Knoedler. Both players received invitations to major-league spring-training camp.
Thurston spent 2008 in the Boston Red Sox organization, mostly at Class AAA Pawtucket. The second baseman led the International League with 160 hits and ranked third in batting average at .316.
Thurston, 29, is currently playing winter ball for Ponce in Puerto Rico and is batting .298 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 104 at-bats. He has appeared in 58 major-league games in a 10-year pro career. He has a .234 career average with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and Red Sox.
Knoedler, a native of Springfield, signed with the Cardinals after spending last season at Class AAA Sacramento in the Oakland organization. He batted .175 with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs in the 2008 regular season.
Knoedler threw out 44 percent of attempted basestealers last season (23-for-52) and led all Pacific Coast League catchers with 57 assists for Fresno in 2007. He has a .257 career batting average with 50 home runs and 266 RBI in 638 minor-league games, most of them with the San Francisco organization.
Knoedler, 28, has appeared in 14 big-league games with the Giants.
http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/581509.html
The Cardinals also completed a minor-league deal with catcher Justin Knoedler. Both players received invitations to major-league spring-training camp.
Thurston spent 2008 in the Boston Red Sox organization, mostly at Class AAA Pawtucket. The second baseman led the International League with 160 hits and ranked third in batting average at .316.
Thurston, 29, is currently playing winter ball for Ponce in Puerto Rico and is batting .298 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 104 at-bats. He has appeared in 58 major-league games in a 10-year pro career. He has a .234 career average with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and Red Sox.
Knoedler, a native of Springfield, signed with the Cardinals after spending last season at Class AAA Sacramento in the Oakland organization. He batted .175 with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs in the 2008 regular season.
Knoedler threw out 44 percent of attempted basestealers last season (23-for-52) and led all Pacific Coast League catchers with 57 assists for Fresno in 2007. He has a .257 career batting average with 50 home runs and 266 RBI in 638 minor-league games, most of them with the San Francisco organization.
Knoedler, 28, has appeared in 14 big-league games with the Giants.
http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/581509.html