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.

KANNAPOLIS STATS

KANNAPOLIS STATS

ARCHIE TURNS IN DEFENSIVE GEMS

Kannapolis center fielder Archie Gilbert made two outstanding catches. Ther first came in the third inning when he robbed Burns with a layout catch, then holding onto the ball when he hit the warning track stomach first. In the fifth inning, he made a carbon copy of that catch against Scott Cousins, again laying out, snaring the ball and hitting the dirt on the warning track.

Minor League Transactions

Chicago White Sox

Signed IF Jeremy Frost
Signed LHP Joe Torres
Signed OF Archie Gilbert
Signed OF Tom Paterson
Signed OF Ernie Young
Signed RHP Justin Wechsler
Released 2B Dennis Guest
Released 2B Jose Rodriguez
Released LHP Raleigh Evans
Released LHP Colt Smith
Released OF Marcos Causey
Released OF Santo Garcia
Released RHP Pat Feehan
Released RHP Rafael Flores
Released RHP Tim Sabo
Released SS Franklin Batista
Released SS Tim Lawrence
Traded LHP Neal Cotts to Cubs for LHP Carlos Vasquez and RHP David Aardsma

Fan Comments

From: http://www.whitesoxinteractive.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=98023

btrain929
WSI Church Elder

-Archie Gilbert. Even though he's 24 and in A ball, I love Archie Gilbert. You gotta love a guy who's 5'8, can get on base and steal the heck out of bases. I've been pulling for him the past few years and continue to do so. I highly doubt anything will ever come of him besides a trade.

Gilbert Signs Deal With Red Sox

By Mike Rosenberg
Staff Writer

Cal State East Bay baseball player Archie Gilbert signed a free
agent contract with the World Champion Boston Red Sox on
June 14.

Gilbert, who broke numerous school records, including runs, hits,
doubles, triples, and RBI, is currently playing for the Gulf Coast
Red Sox in Fort Myers, Fla., where the 2004 World Series champs
host their spring training.

“It’s a new stage to go through in my career; it feels all right,”
Gilbert said. “I can’t say it feels all that great because it is just
another step along the way, a new beginning. But it definitely feels
good to play at the next level.”

The right-handed centerfielder will have numerous stages to play
through before he gets to Fenway Park, where he could hear his
name pronounced in a more Boston-friendly “Ahchie Gilbaht.”
“I got a lot of stages to go through before I get to that level.

There’s a lot of work to go through … rookie ball, single “A” ball, high “A” ball. I haven’t really even thought about playing for a World Champion team yet,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert received numerous accolades after the Pioneers finished their season in May. The 5-
foot-7-inch, 165-pounder was selected as a second team Division III All-West Region member, and was named CSUEB Male Athlete of the Year on June 3, joining the women’s winner, volleyball player Nicole Brandt-Young.

Gilbert said that there is a lot of hard work and practice that needs to be done before he reaches
the highest level, starting with this summer’s league.

“I know how much work I have to put in before I can move up,” he assured. “You always have to work harder than the next person to succeed, because you know he is going to be working
hard, too.”

It should come as no surprise if Gilbert succeeds as a professional. During his four-year collegiate career at CSUEB, Gilbert was consistently sensational. He broke yet another school record as a junior when he recorded a 36-game hitting streak, and batted .386 as a senior.

His goal is to make it to the majors in four years, but he hopes to reach the big leagues as soon as possible.

“As long as you work hard, there’s no load too big to carry,” Gilbert advised. “As long as you put the effort in that you need, your dreams will come true.”