This space was intentionally left blank. Soon to be replaced with Chad Spann bio.

Stats thru 39 games (5/19/04):

Spann's 6 games of rehab in the GCL:

Spann's stats in Sarasota thru 8/2/04:

Stats thru 09.01.04:

April 2005 Statistics:

From the September 8 Portland Press Herald:


Kevin Thomas - Advantage, Sea Dogs



All season, third baseman Chad Spann wanted to join his teammates in Portland.

Wednesday night, in front of a delirious crowd at Hadlock Field, Spann rushed to greet his fellow Sea Dogs and they joyfully mobbed him as he crossed home plate in the ninth inning.

...

Spann hit a walk-off grand slam to give Portland a 5-3 victory over the Trenton Thunder in the first game of their Eastern League Northern Division playoff series before 4,039 fans at Hadlock.

...

Spann, 22, joined the Sea Dogs on Aug. 24, finally getting the promotion he worked for after an injury-marred 2004 season. Many Portland fans may not know him, and those who did likely were not impressed by his .207 batting average over two weeks. But those who played with Spann knew better.

From the Sept. 9 Portland Press Herald:

Glenn Jordan - Spann's elevation to Portland giving the Sea Dogs a playoff lift



Inside the Sea Dogs clubhouse after the second Portland playoff victory in as many nights, Hanley Ramirez flipped a baseball to Chad Spann, who dropped it. Might be the only thing this week that hasn't gone right for Spann.

Rescued in the waning days of August from a Class A Wilmington (Del.) club on the way to a franchise-worst record, Spann once again delivered a game-winning home run, this time a two-run blast off the message board in left-center to break a sixth-inning tie and send the Sea Dogs to a 5-2 victory Thursday night at Hadlock Field.

Spann's home run gave the Sea Dogs a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series and assured Portland fans the season won't end this weekend in New Jersey.


...


Speaking quietly in a Georgia accent that stretches 'win' into two syllables, Spann grinned at his good fortune. "I'm kind of hyped up about the playoffs," he admitted.




Kevin Thomas - Spann again and a win again

Chad Spann, now known as Mr. September around these parts, stroked a two-run homer Thursday night, pushing the Portland Sea Dogs to a 5-2 victory against the Trenton Thunder before 4,004 at Hadlock Field in the Eastern League Northern Division series.

...


Spann also can field. He threw out two batters with sensational plays, one on a spin move in the hole, the other by barehanding a slow grounder.

"I think the people of Portland take a liking to him," Claus said of Spann, who arrived Aug. 24.

The 22-year-old Spann has moved himself back onto the prospect radar after an injury-plagued 2004 season and then somewhat disappointing year in 2005. The third-baseman, a 5th-round pick in 2002, got off to a slow start with Portland this year and was hitting under .200 in late April, but has been very impressive lately.

He was named the Eastern League Player of the Week last week. His .822 OPS ranks him 10th in the league, and he's among the youngest players in that top 10.

[codebox]
Chad Spann: Individual Stats (Batting)
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG
51 175 25 52 14 1 3 22 77 18 43 1 1 .382 .440 .297[/codebox]

Spann continues a very nice rebound season. He's 3rd in the Eastern League in batting average and 5th in OPS (.873).

[codebox]
AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO OBP SLG AVG
328 50 102 26 3 10 49 164 26 76 .373 .500 .311[/codebox]

Spann, who has been on the DL since Aug. 4 with a severely sprained left ankle, may be shut down for the season, according to the Portland Press-Herald.

If so, he'll finish the season with a very solid line of .294/.361/.472, with 10 HRs in 360 ABs. His .833 OPS is currently good for 7th in the Eastern League.

Spann, whose impressive 2006 season at AA was cut short in August by an ankle sprain, is the starting 3B this year at AAA Pawtucket. The 23-year-old is off to a slow start with the bat, hitting .222/.282/.278 in the early going.

Spann is starting to show some signs of breaking out from his slow debut in AAA, as he's hit .316 with 2 HRs over his last 10 games. For the season, he's still hitting just .216, with an OBP of .276 and a slugging percentage of .291, for a .567 OPS. He has a 42/10 strikeout-walk ratio in 134 ABs.

Spann has had a very nice June (.836 OPS) to improve his overall numbers to .234/.310/.325. Steady improvement for a 23-year-old getting his first taste of AAA is very nice to see. He's also cut down his strikeout rate and improved his walk rate each month.

Demoted to Portland, but he seems to have the right attitude. Playing time is going to help.

Kevin Thomas, Portland Press Herald - Spann lends hand to Sea Dogs; Chad Spann, batting just .222 for Triple-A Pawtucket, is back with the Sea Dogs

Spann got the call Wednesday night that he was coming down. Surprised?

"Yes and no," Spann said. "I'm obviously not having the year I wanted to."

Spann, 23, was batting .222 in Pawtucket, with four home runs and 17 RBI. Those numbers led to more bench time.

"I wasn't playing everyday because I wasn't swinging the bat well," Spann said. "And that's the big thing: playing everyday."

Spann should get playing time in Portland. He fills the vacancy left by veteran first baseman Eric Crozier, who was released Monday after batting .236 with nine home runs and 44 RBI.