When outfielder Jason Kubel was promoted from the Rock Cats to Triple A last season, he left the Eastern League leading in most offensive categories. He finished the season in the major leagues with the Twins.

 

Another top Twins prospect, righthander Scott Baker, also had a tremendous two-month stint with the Rock Cats before he was promoted to Triple A last season.

 

But you won't find their hitting and pitching statistics with the Rock Cats in the Sporting News' 2005 Baseball Guide. Only their fielding statistics are listed.

 

It's the same with several other former Rock Cats and Norwich Navigators, as well as other Eastern League players. There also are omissions of pitchers' and hitters' statistics in the Florida State and International leagues.

 

It appears the players who were not in those leagues on the last day of the season had their statistics omitted. So if you bought the book - which costs $18.95 and is billed as the ultimate baseball almanac - you wouldn't know Kubel hit .377 with 52 hits, 14 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 29 RBI in 37 Double A games.

 

Baker went 5-3, with 2.43 ERA with 72 strikeouts and 13 walks in 70 1/3 innings with the Rock Cats.

 

"It's a 608-page book," Sporting News editorial director John Rawlings said. "There are some players left out, but the book is still a tremendous value for baseball fans. We didn't know about the problem until people started contacting us."

 

Rawlings said he received a few calls from customers who pointed out the omissions.

 

Rawlings said there are no plans to notify customers about the omissions in the guide. He did say he offered the handful of people who called him another product or their money back.

 

"I do want to make it clear that while we can't correct the problem, I do care about customer service," Rawlings said.

 

The problem could have occurred when Minor League Baseball switched from SportsTicker to The Sports Network as its vendor for statistics, Rawlings said. During the transfer some information may have been lost.

 

The minor league statistics in the 2005 Baseball Guide came from The Sports Network, though in another error, the book states SportsTicker provided them.

 

Rawlings said MLB.com would be the vendor for minor league statistics next year.

 

"My whole focus now is what to do next year and getting it corrected," Rawlings said.

 

 

New Navigators owner Lou DiBella was encouraged by the opening crowd of 2,743 at Dodd Stadium Thursday night for a 7-2 victory over the Reading Phillies. It was an increase of almost 1,000 from last season's home opener, DiBella said.

 

"It was a fun night," DiBella said. "It really hit me I own the team now, but it also showed there is a lot more work to be done to get people into the ballpark."

 

What struck DiBella while he was driving to the game was how little signage there is for the park, he said. Dodd Stadium is in an industrial park and more work needs to be done to make people aware of it, he said.

 

"The bowling alley nearby has bigger signage than the stadium," DiBella said.

 

Easier access to the stadium, more promotions and increased community support will be the keys for the Navigators if they want to draw more than 200,000 this season, he said.

 

 

There is a reason the Portland Sea Dogs have won their first nine games.

 

The Sea Dogs' Opening Day roster included 10 of the Red Sox's top 30 prospects, as ranked by Baseball America.

 

That includes switch-hitting shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who hit .310 in 32 games last season in Portland and outfielder Brandon Moss, who was the South Atlantic League player of the year last season. Moss hit .339 with 13 home runs and 101 RBI for the Augusta GreenJackets. ... The Rock Cats-Sea Dogs game that was postponed Tuesday will be made up as part of a doubleheader June 4 in Portland, Maine.
 
April 17, 2005