Baseball America names former T'Bolts top prospect and Minor League All-Star

October 8-21, 2007

Baseball America has named former Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts star Brett Cecil (T'Bolts 2005) the number one prospect in the short-season New York-Penn League and a 2007 Short-Season Classification All-Star.

The lefthander went 1-0 with a 1.27 ERA in 14 appearances for the Auburn Doubledays (Class-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays). Cecil struck out 56 batters in 50 innings and walked just 11. He allowed just one home run, and opposing hitters batted just .197 off of him.

Cecil was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the supplemental first round (38th overall) of the 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. As a member of the Thunderbolts in 2005, Cecil earned All-Ripken, Sr. League honors and was a 2005 Ripken, Sr. League All-Star. Cecil led the Ripken, Sr. League with 52 strikeouts in 49.2 innings in 2005. He walked just 10 batters and compiled a record of 3-4 for the T'Bolts. Baseball America named him the top pro prospect in the Ripken, Sr. League in 2005.

Baseball America on Cecil: ''Cecil worked primarily out of the bullpen in three years at Maryland, though his three-pitch mix led many scouts to believe he could start in pro ball. After the Blue Jays drafted him 38th overall in June, Cecil shifted to a starting role and dominated NY-P hitters. He saved his best start for last, pitching seven innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts to win the clinching game of the playoffs for Auburn.

''He's still adjusting to pitching for longer stints, and while he runs his fastball up to 93-94 mph early in games, his velocity drops off fairly quickly. That didn't make him any less effective at the short-season level, as he did a good job of mixing in his above-average mid-80s slider and quality changeup. He commands the strike zone well and also has a commanding mound presence, thanks to his broad shoulders, physical build and tenacity.''