Sunday, July 13, 2008

(Giants Prospect) Villalona making good impression

07/13/2008 4:09 PM ET
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- As far as first impressions go, you can't do much better than what Angel Villalona (GIANTS)did Sunday morning before the 2008 XM All-Star Futures Game.
With his first swing after jumping into the batting cage at Yankee Stadium like the enthusiastic teenager he is, the man-child pounded a batting-practice fastball over the wall in dead center field.

As the ball sailed over the 408-foot sign, Villalona, 17, smiled ever so slightly in acknowledgement of his hooting World Team teammates.

Moments later, with sweat dripping down his chin, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound corner infielder from the Dominican Republic stepped out of the cage -- and into the spotlight. Several reporters were waiting to speak with the Giants' top prospect, and he happily obliged every one.

"This makes me very happy," he said through an interpreter. "Very satisfied."
With the impressive BP blast, or with simply being on the Yankee Stadium stage?

"Both," Villalona said, his smile now ear-to-ear. "All of it. I feel very proud to be here and it's great motivation to keep working."

The youngest player selected for Sunday's showcase of the game's top young talent,

Villalona, a right-handed hitter, was signed by the Giants last August as an amateur free agent and received a club-record $2.1 million bonus. Assigned to San Francisco's team in the Arizona Rookie League, he immediately started justifying the franchise's financial faith.

http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080713&content_id=3129248&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf

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