More people visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park than any other park in the United States. The park receives approximately 9 million visitors a year. Established on June 15, 1934, the park consists of over 500,000 acres.
Press Release: By Rennie Leon / Tennessee Smokies
SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Smokies, Class AA minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, announce today that Cubs All-Star catcher Geovany Soto is tentatively scheduled to join the Smokies during their upcoming homestand against Carolina. Soto is recovering from a strained left oblique and is tentatively scheduled to play at Smokies Park next Monday – Wednesday.
Prior to his heading to the disabled list on July 11, Soto hit .230 (50-for-217) for the Cubs this year. He belted eight home runs and drove in 27 runs in 69 games played. The Puerto Rico native is looking to recapture his 2008 form, where he hit 23 home runs with 86 RBIs to win the National League Rookie of the Year award and earn a spot on the N.L. All-Star team.
The accolades don’t stop there though for the 26-year old. In his final year in the minors in 2007, Soto was named by Baseball America to its Minor League All-Star and Pacific Coast League (PCL) All-Star teams. He was also named in 2007 MLB.com’s Triple-A Offensive Player of the Year and took home the PCL’s Most Valuable Player award.
Soto was selected by the Cubs in the 11th round of the 2001 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
ABOUT THE TENNESSEE SMOKIESThe Tennessee Smokies are the minor league Class AA affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Members of the 10-team Southern League, Smokies baseball has been entertaining families and fans of America’s national pastime in the East Tennessee region for almost 100 years. To learn more about the Tennessee Smokies, visit www.smokiesbaseball.com – powered by Comcast.
