Goldeyes reel in reigning rookie of the year

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TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES Price Kendall earned another stint with the Fish after leading the team in hits.

THE Winnipeg Goldeyes and infielder Price Kendall have agreed on a contract for the 2012 American Association season, the club announced Saturday.

In his first full season with the Fish, Kendall was named the AA's rookie of the year in 2011, finishing with a .324 batting average, a team-leading 135 hits and 54 RBI.

Those numbers will only climb higher, the team's usual leadoff hitter said.

"I'm still learning the game," he said after wrapping up a day's work at a Goldeyes baseball camp in Winnipeg Saturday. "Last season was only my first full season in pro ball. Baseball is a game where there is a continual growth process. I plan on being able to expand on what I did last year."

Kendall joined the Goldeyes in 2010 after making the club in training camp as a non-roster invitee (manager Rick Forney found him at a free agent tryout camp in Arizona right before the season). He played in 48 games for the Fish that year and thanks to AA rules, retained his rookie status for the 2011 campaign because of his limited professional experience.

The 2011 number that really sticks out for the 26-year-old: 100 games. Kendall said reaching that mark, and being one of the few players in the league to play in every game, is what he's most proud of.

"Especially in my first full season," he said. "I remember all the old veteran guys that played here, Kevin West and Vince Harrison, those guys used to talk about it all the time, how difficult it is to play in 100 games and the way it wears you down.

"It shows that I can be a reliable player," he added.

The Goldeyes agree with that assessment. "Price has become a durable infielder that hits for average in the leadoff spot," Forney said in a statement. "I am excited to have him back in my lineup next summer and look forward to him building on his first two seasons in Winnipeg."

The Goldeyes now have three players under contract for the 2012 season as Kendall joins infielder Amos Ramon and outfielder Asif Shah.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 8, 2012 B12