Soto Wins Award

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Pacific Coast League today named Geovany Soto of the Iowa Cubs as its 2007 Most Valuable Player, an honor annually chosen by the League's managers and media representatives.

Soto, a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is the first catcher to garner PCL MVP honors since Sandy Alomar Jr., who did so in back-to-back years in 1988 and 1989. He currently leads the League in RBIs (106) and slugging percentage (.650) while sitting second in the batting race with a .353 batting average. He has also amassed 133 hits and 31 doubles in the 108 games that he has competed in during this year’s campaign.

Earlier this week, the 24-year old was elected to the 2007 All-PCL team as the League’s top catcher. A former 11th-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs, Soto is in his seventh professional season, his second at the Triple-A level, and has served brief stints of Major League service in Chicago in each of the last two seasons.

Past PCL MVP’s include players Paul Konerko in 1997, Bobby Valentine in 1970, Tony Perez,1964, three time award winner Steve Bilko, 1955-1957, and Joe DiMaggio in 1935.