Gilbert Looking To Extend The Good Feeling

Gilbert was a force for Stockton all year long.

By Melissa Lockard
Senior EditorPosted Nov 7, 2008

They say that a good offense has to start at the top. The Stockton Ports boasted one of the top offenses in the California League in 2008, an offense that ultimately helped lead the team to a league title. The man at the top of the line-up for Stockton was Archie Gilbert, who provided the A’s High-A affiliate with a steady dose of speed and on-base skills throughout the year.

Archie Gilbert made a quick first impression at spring training in 2008 and he didn’t stop running through to the end of the year. The Bay Area native and Cal-State, East Bay alum caught the attention of many Oakland A’s fans this spring when he made a couple of base-running appearances in big league spring training games, speeding around the bases. Watching Gilbert race around the base-paths was a sight for sore eyes for many A’s fans who have gotten used to the team’s station-to-station style of play over the past few years.

Gilbert, who was signed by Oakland as a minor league free agent before the start of the 2008 season, continued his frenetic style of play with the High-A Stockton Ports during the regular season. The left fielder finished the year with a team-high 35 stolen bases, good for seventh-most in the California League.

Gilbert wasn’t just a base-stealer for Stockton, however. He hit .278 with a .364 OBP in 119 games, setting the table regularly for the big sluggers in the middle of Stockton’s line-up, including Sean Doolittle, Chris Carter, Josh Donaldson, Matt Spencer and Corey Brown. Gilbert led the Ports with 133 hits and scored a team-high 85 runs. But Gilbert really upped his game during the post-season, when he hit .352 with 11 RBIs, five doubles and four stolen bases for the California League champion Ports. That effort earned Gilbert the Ports’ post-season MVP honors.

For Gilbert, having the opportunity to play close to home this season added a special dimension to the year.

“It was definitely fun to play in Stockton. I had family and friends come out to the games and there is nothing better than that,” Gilbert said.

However, the highlight of the season for Gilbert was the Ports’ post-season run, which ended with the team taking home the California League crown despite having to play a wild card series at the start of the post-season. It was the first Cal League title for Stockton since 2002.

“It was great. It was most definitely fun because we were a good team and we worked well together, but when the playoffs came, especially in that last series, we all came together like it was a big family. Everybody was for each other, everybody was there picking each other up. It was really fun,” Gilbert said.

Another highlight for Gilbert during the season was his trip to the California League/Carolina League All-Star game. He went 1-4 in the game with an RBI and a stolen base.

“It was a good experience. I got a chance to play with some of the guys that I had played with last year [with the Chicago White Sox’s Low-A squad],” Gilbert said.

“Everybody just had fun playing baseball. It was all laughs. The coaches joked around with us and everyone just had fun.”

In addition to having a good time, Gilbert also used the trip to improve his game. He picked the brain of fellow Cal League All-Star Peter Bourjos about the art of stealing bases. Bourjos, who stole a league-best 50 bases this season, gave Gilbert a few tips that helped Gilbert steal 18 bases after the All-Star break in 24 chances. Before the All-Star break, Gilbert stole 17 bags, but he was caught 12 times.

“When mid-season came, I kind of made an adjustment on how I take off. I talked to Peter Bourjos and he told me some ways that he takes off, so I tried it and it worked,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert also credits his improvement on the base-paths to learning to pick his spots better.

“Just knowing when to run and picking better counts to run in and just trying not to rush everything. I think the main thing is running on better counts,” Gilbert said.

Of course, a base-stealer isn’t much good to a team if he can’t reach base, something that Gilbert has prided himself on being effective at throughout his career. He reached base at a .364 clip for Stockton last season and he has a career OBP of .369. He has also struck-out only 131 times and has walked 115 times in 1,080 career at-bats.

“I was always kind of good at working counts. It started from college. I was always a battler at the plate,” Gilbert said.

“I was always pretty good at putting the bat on the ball when I needed to. You are going to strike-out sometimes but I was always that guy who got on base and tried to cause disruption on the base-paths.”

This off-season, Gilbert is working hard to make himself an even bigger force on the base-paths.

“I’m working on my whole game, but one thing that I am really trying to work on is my speed. Running clean. Actually just playing clean baseball. Hit the cut-off man, being balanced at the plate, being really clean when I run. When I take-off to steal, or even my routes from base-to-base, just running everything really clean,” Gilbert said.

Because Gilbert was signed as a minor league free agent before last season, he was eligible for free agency again this off-season. Before coming to the A’s last season, Gilbert had already played for two organizations since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2005 with the Boston Red Sox. It didn’t take him long to decide that he wanted to return to the A’s organization, however.

“I really like all of the coaches there. Everybody treated me really well and I was comfortable with all of the coaches,” Gilbert said.

“The A’s gave me an opportunity to play everyday. They were pretty much the first team to give me that opportunity and to show me some kind of interest.

”Getting the opportunity to play everyday allowed Gilbert to make two runs at the California League record for consecutive games with a hit. Twice during the season he posted hitting streaks of more than 20 games. The Cal League record is 35 games. As he drew closer to the record, Gilbert became a focus of attention for both his teammates and the media. Although he ultimately fell short in the chase, Gilbert had fun with the streaks.

“My first streak, when I got to about 21 [games], people started saying ‘you need just this number more to beat the Cal League record’ and stuff like that. So I started being more aware of it then,” Gilbert said.

“Then the second one, people let me know early, saying ‘you need to beat the Cal League record.’ But there was really no pressure. We kind of all made fun of it and it wasn’t really like a do-or-die kind of thing.”

Although Gilbert signed his contract with the A’s early in the off-season, he isn’t planning on taking it easy this winter.

“I don’t really want to make the off-season any more relaxing than what I did last year. I want to elevate my game. I’m working with a speed guy this year and doing things a little bit different,” Gilbert said.

“The past couple of years, I have been working out with Eric Byrnes and his trainer, but I’m doing something a little bit different this year, taking yoga and working out with a track guy, trying to work on my speed. I’m leaving for spring training early this year, so I am really working on baseball from January on out there in Papago.”

FREE AGENT

Minor League Free Agents

The following 602 players were declared free agents following the 2007 season, as provided by Major League Baseball.

Chicago White Sox (33)Righthanders: Ryan Bukvich, Jason Childers, Josh Fields, Vladimir Nunez, Jake Robbins, Eduardo Sierra, Geurys Trinidad, John WesleyLefthanders: Tim Bittner, Nikolas Lubisich, Corwin Malone, Paulino Reynoso, Joe Torres, Ryan WingCatchers: Jeremy Frost, Wiki Gonzalez, Ryan SmithFirst basemen: Casey Rogowski, Earl SnyderSecond baseman: Jason BourgeoisShortstops: Victor Mercedes, Kenny Perez, Tomas Perez, Luis SierraOutfielders: Cory Aldridge, Shawn Garrett, Archie Gilbert, Kenny Kelly, Alex Sanchez, Adam Shabala, Sean Smith, Craig Wilson, Ernie Young

Gilbert burns former club with six RBIs

Oakland farmhand drives in six runs as Stockton takes Game 1
By Danny Wild / Special to MLB.com

Leading off Game 1 of the California League Championship Series, Archie Gilbert picked a perfect moment for a career day. It came, by coincidence, against an organization that gave up on him three years earlier.

Gilbert went 3-for-4 and drove in a career-high six runs to power the Stockton Ports past the visiting Lancaster JetHawks, 8-5, on Thursday.

Gilbert smacked a three-run double in the second inning, added a sacrifice fly in the fourth and lined RBI singles in the sixth and eighth innings.

The win gave the Ports a 1-0 lead in the best-of-5 Finals.

"It feels great winning the first game," Gilbert said. "You always want to come out in the first game and do well. I was doing the things a leadoff hitter should do, and I was lucky that there were guys on base."

Stockton took a 4-0 lead in the second behind Gilbert's bases-loaded hit and, after giving up the lead, later tied the game in the fourth on Gilbert's sacrifice fly that plated Frank Martinez.
Jermaine Mitchell stroked an RBI double in the sixth and Gilbert drove him in with a single to left. The Athletics farmhand plated Michael Massaro in the eighth for a three-run advantage.
It was the most productive day for the Cal State East Bay product since he hit for the cycle and drove in three runs on June 19 against High Desert.

Gilbert, an All-Star this summer, was once destined for Lancaster himself. The Hayward, Calif. native was signed by Boston in 2005 and played one year in the organization before being released.

"We feel confident pretty much every day," Gilbert said. "We know our one through nine hitters are all game-changers. We love that we won the first game so we don't have to be in Lancaster too long if we win the next two."

The 25-year-old Gilbert batted .278 with seven homers and 49 RBIs this season for Stockton. His six RBIs on Thursday were more than his 24-game total for May (five) and matched his total for August.

"[Manager Darren Bush) and [hitting coach Timothy Garland] have been telling me to be patient and wait for a pitch that I can drive," Gilbert said. "They went over some things with me and it really helped."

California native Jason Glushon (1-0) picked up the win for Stockton, holding the JetHawks to a run on three hits and a walk in three innings of relief. Starter Scott Moore allowed four unearned runs on four hits over three frames.

Craig Molldrem (0-1) was charged with two runs on three hits in 2 1/3 innings to take the loss after starter Terumasa Matsuo surrendered five runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings for Lancaster.
The JetHawks scored the majority of their runs in the third. Daniel Nava hit a sacrifice fly to plate Aaron Reza, Jon Still cranked a two-run double and Luis Exposito added an RBI double.

Lancaster tacked on a fourth run an inning later when Reza scored on a double play.

Danny Wild is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

MVP, MVP, MVP

FORMER PIONEER GREAT ARCHIE GILBERT NAMED MOST VALUABLE PLAYER OF THE CALIFORNIA LEAGUE SINGLE-A CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

ARCHIE GILBERT, who enjoyed an illustrious four-year playing career while a member of the Cal State East baseball team, was selected the Most Valuable Player of the California League Single-A Championship sereies on September 14. Gilbert led the Stockton Ports to a 3-1 series victory over Lancaster in the Califorina League Single-A Championships. During the post-season, Gilbert batted .600 and drove in eight runs in the four game series against Lancaster. He drove in six runs in the series opener and was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored in the series clincher. During the season, Gilbert hit .278 for the Stockton Ports, a Single-A affiliate of the Oakland A's.

While at Cal State East Bay from 2002-05, Gilbert had a career .358 batting average. He is currently the all-time CSUEB career leader with 169 runs scored, 243 hits, 148 RBIs, 53 doubles, and 15 triples and second in home runs with 26. Gilbert set a school record with a 36-game hitting streak. During his senior campaign, Gilbert was selected as the Cal State East Bay Male Athlete of the Year. He earned All-American honors during his junior campaign.

ARCHIE IN THE PIONEER NEWSPAPER

THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2008

Former Pioneer Baseball Record Holder Expected to Rise Quickly
By Steven Tavares
Sports Editor

When former Cal State East Bay out­fielder Archie Gilbert was accepted to the California League All-Star team last month, he awaited his limousine dressed to the nines.

Stockton Ports Hitting Coach Tim Garland teased Gilbert about his classy sports suit, clearly divergent from the typical All-Star’s simple collared dress shirts and slacks.

“You’re dressed to kill ain’t you, little Ar­chie,” said Garland.

“I’m going to be a big leaguer one day, so I better start acting like one,” Garland recalls Gilbert saying.

During his playing days at CSUEB from 2002 to 2005, Gilbert’s career numbers would allow anyone to credibly argue he is statisti­cally the greatest Pioneer baseball player in the university’s history.

He owns nearly every career mark, exclud­ing home runs and batting average, where he ranks second and seventh, respectively.

Nonetheless, Gilbert went undrafted after his senior year when scouts from the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants decided to pass on selecting him.

“They said, 'he’s 21-years-old. This is probably the highest his ceiling is going to get,'” said Gilbert.

Part of the problem, Gilbert believes, is that playing Division III baseball at CSUEB had certain disadvantages that may have hampered his development.

“At a D-III school—I wouldn’t knock it—but, we don’t have the time, we don’t have the equipment, we don’t have coaches you could really relate to as a player,” said Gilbert. “We had a coach who knew a lot about hitting, but he was old school. He couldn’t really relate to the hitters. I know what he’s talking about now that I’m older, but back then he didn’t really have the time to explain how to hit.”

Gilbert signed with the Boston Red Sox organization as an undrafted free agent in 2005 but suffered an immediate setback when an inside fastball broke his pinky finger just 40 at-bats into his professional career.

The following spring, the first major disap­pointment in his life was handed down from the Boston front office.

“They said we have to let you go, but we think you can play somewhere,” said Gil­bert. “I was like, ‘I want to play here’, and I think that was the best thing for me. That was the first time I ever saw failure like that, but I knew I wasn’t done.”

Besides the injury the preceding season, Gilbert was the victim of a numbers game within the Boston organization where a num­ber of high-priced talent would be assured playing time over Gilbert.

“I’m glad they did it then because they could have left me to rot on the bench,” recalls Gilbert.
Three weeks later, the Chicago White Sox organization offered Gilbert a chance to play, but again he was relegated to the bench at Class A Great Falls (Mont.) and Kannapolis (N.C.).

Around this time, despite limited playing time, Gilbert said he began to apply himself to improving his game.

He met a ballplayer named Jack Gifford who introduced him to his workout part­ner, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Eric Byrnes.

“He said go to San Mateo and workout with these guys. I didn’t even know who I was going to meet until Eric Byrnes comes up to me and says, ‘Are you Archie?’”

Gilbert credits Byrnes’s workout program to his improvement as a ballplayer and said he tries to emulate the scrappy outfielder’s energetic style.

Another move was in the offing when the White Sox organization dragged its feet in offering Gilbert a new contract.

Gilbert said seven teams contacted him and Oakland offered him the best deal with a chance at increased playing time with the Stockton Ports.

Incidentally, coming back to Northern California to play in the Athletics’ organiza­tion wasn’t a dream come true for the Union City native who grew up a Giants fan and a follower of Barry Bonds.

But despite his personal feelings, he started the season on a tear, hitting .356 in April and stayed hot well into May with a 25-game hitting streak that fell just short of the California League record.

Gilbert seems to have a knack for long hit­ting streaks. He also holds the CSUEB record with a 36-game streak in 2004.

“I’ll tell you why, it’s because he makes contact and doesn’t strikeout a lot,” said Gar­land. “He puts the ball in play and because of his speed he gets some hits the average ballplayer doesn’t get. He doesn’t get deep in counts so the pitcher isn’t allowed to throw him their put-away pitches.”

Along with his selection to Class A All-Star Game where he started in leftfield and knocked in the Cal League’s only run in a 3-1 loss to the Carolina League June 24, Gilbert also hit for the cycle with a home run, triple, double and a single June 19 against High Desert.

“At the All-Star Game I just sat back and thought, ‘I used to sit the bench. I got re­leased.’ I must have done some kind of work to get here,” said Gilbert.

Gilbert’s maturation has become evident to many around the Ports ball club, including fans, numerous members of the media and the coaching staff.

Ports Manager Darren Bush sees Gilbert as a professional ballplayer who takes his career seriously.

ARCHIE HITS FOR THE CYCLE!!!

With a little help, Gilbert hits for cycle
Ninth-inning error was changed to single to complete A's farmhand's feat
By Danny Wild


The Stockton Ports pounded out 23 hits Thursday, but a late scoring change in the box score gave one particular one extra importance.

Archie Gilbert hit for the cycle and drove in four runs to lead the Ports in a 19-7 rout of the host High Desert Mavericks. His ninth-inning grounder to second baseman Cesar Fuentes was bobbled and originally judged an error, but the official scorer changed the ruling to a single a half-inning later.

"I didn't know what they'd do," Gilbert said of the scoring decision. "I thought it could go either way. I got a little excited when I saw it."

Gilbert went 4-for-7 and scored twice to raise his average to .278 in the best performance of his career. He slugged a three-run homer in the second -- his fifth of the season, tripled and scored in the fourth and doubled in the fifth. His four hits and four RBIs were career highs.
The unusual play was ruled an error at first, but no scoring decision initially was posted on the ballpark's scoreboard, leaving Gilbert and the Ports crossing their fingers. After mulling over the call for about half an inning, the play was ruled a hit.

"I was hoping they'd give me a hit, I was like, 'OK, I hit the ball hard.' But I thought, 'If they do, they do, and if they don't, they don't. But it would be real nice if they did.' When I finally saw it, I was pretty happy about it."

Gilbert's teammates were sure it was a legitimate single.

"Everyone wanted me to get it, so that was good -- everyone kept saying, 'That's gotta be a hit,'" Gilbert laughed. "Then they made it a hit, so they started cheering."
He might have been destined to get the single.

"The guys kept telling me, 'If I'm on base, I'm going to stop so you can't go to second,' Gilbert said of his teammates' desire to prevent him from getting an extra-base hit. "They said, 'I'm not gonna run, so you have to stop.' We all had fun, it felt good, it was a good day."

The entire Stockton dugout could agree with that sentiment. Every batter had a hit and seven of the nine starters had two or more. Chris Carter homered twice and drove in four runs, Gustavo Rosendo had three hits and four RBIs, Michael Affronti homered and scored four times and Josh Horton matched Gilbert with four hits.

The Ports scored in every inning but the first and fifth and gave their leadoff man more than a few chances to complete the feat. Gilbert, who led off the game with a groundout, bounced out in the sixth and flied out in the eighth before getting another shot in his seventh plate appearance.
"Honestly I wanted to drive the ball, my whole approach was the same," Gilbert said of his final at-bat. "It was like the first day of Spring Training. I tried to put [the cycle] in the back of my head. I wasn't nervous, I didn't change anything. I knew I needed a hit, but I didn't feel pressure."

The confident Gilbert entered the game in a 1-for-11 slide. The left fielder hadn't driven in a run in his last eight games dating back to June 10. He said he made it a point to relax Thursday.
"I felt pretty good today, I'm glad I could get these hits. I need to get back on track. I wanted to go back and see the ball, hit it deep and go the other way," he said."

It was the most RBIs for Gilbert since he homered and drove in three runs April 20 against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

Gilbert originally came up with Boston but switched socks in 2006 when he signed with Chicago as a free agent May 1. He hit .332 and led the Rookie Pioneer League with 35 steals in 54 games for the then-Great Falls White Sox that year before batting .289 with 49 RBIs in 101 games for Class A Kannapolis last summer. The California native joined Oakland in December.
"Oakland was close to home so I picked them, and I'm glad I did," said Gilbert, who grew up in Hayward, Calif. "It's a good organization and there's really no stress. They let you be a man, they don't hover over you.

"I kind of always knew I could do more if somebody gave me the time to play everyday. I learned a lot from the White Sox, but I'm glad I made the move. It's been better for me and my career," he added.

Gilbert was the second A's prospect to hit for the cycle this year. Jon Zeringue accomplished the feat in the Midland RockHounds' 9-7 loss to the Corpus Christi Hooks in Double-A play May 1.