MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Four River Bandits Among Western Division All-Stars

Published on June 4, 2012 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


DAVENPORT, Iowa (JUNE 4, 2012) - Quad Cities River Bandits utility man Colin Walsh will be the starting designated hitter, and catcher Juan Castillo, infielder Luis Mateo and right-handed relief pitcher Heath Wyatt will be reserves for the Western Division All-Star team at the 2012 Midwest League All-Star Game hosted by the Kane County Cougars June 19 in Geneva, Ill., the Midwest League announced on Monday.

Walsh, 22, was a 13th-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals out of Stanford University in 2010. He was named the organization's Minor League Player of the Month for May. He leads the Midwest League with 119 total bases, 36 bases on balls, a .626 slugging percentage and a .438 on-base percentage. He is tied for lead in home runs (13) and RBIs (44). He is second in the league in batting average (.326) and runs scored (39), and is tied for second in extra-base hits (28). Walsh, who played for the River Bandits for 28 games in 2010 and 69 games in 2011, already has career highs in hits (62), runs, home runs, extra-base hits and RBIs. His batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage are the highest of his career. He had a team-high nine-game hitting streak May 11-20.

Castillo, 22, is a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as a non-drafted free agent in July 2006. He was a New York-Penn League midseason All-Star for the short-season Batavia Muckdogs last season. Castillo is 13th in the Midwest League with a .304 batting average, and he has a career-high five home runs and 26 RBIs. He led the Midwest League with a .448 batting average on April 18. Castillo had his first career two-homer game as part of a 4-for-4 night at Cedar Rapids April 13, and he homered in consecutive games May 10-11 at Wisconsin. He played in 13 games for Quad Cities in 2011, and he has played 41 games for the River Bandits this season.

Mateo, 22, is a native of Orocovis, Puerto Rico, and was drafted by the Cardinals in the 20th round in 2008. In his third career stint with Quad Cities, Mateo is hitting .298 with a team-high 13 stolen bases through 46 games. The second baseman already has a career-high seven home runs - good for second on the River Bandits team - and is third in the league with 38 runs scored. Mateo scored a run in eight straight games May 17-26, a streak that is tied for the team season high. On May 20, he went 3-for-4 and tied a career high with five RBIs in his first-ever multi-homer game. Mateo played for advanced Class-A Palm Beach the first three months of the 2011 season. He played 99 games for the River Bandits in 2010, when he led the team with 10 stolen bases and was second in hits, doubles and triples.

Wyatt, 23, was the Cardinals' 33rd round pick out of Southeastern Oklahoma State in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. He is 2-2 with a 1.38 ERA and leads the River Bandits with seven saves in 10 opportunities. He is second in the league with 22 appearances and 20 games finished. He did not allow a run in his first six appearances April 6-17, a span of 7 1/3 innings, and has held opponents to a .196 batting average. Last season for rookie-level Johnson City Wyatt had a team-high 23 appearances and was third in the Appalachian League with eight saves. At Southeastern Oklahoma State, he was a two-time Division II first-team All-American. He tied the program record and the Division II lead with 16 saves as a senior in 2011. He is the only first-year River Bandit to be named an All-Star.

The River Bandits had six Western Division All-Stars in 2011, when the team hosted the All-Star Game at Modern Woodmen Park.

UP NEXT: Monday night is Buck Night at Modern Woodmen Park presented by Klement's and 97X. At the 7 p.m. series finale between the River Bandits and the Burlington Bees, fans can visit the concession stands for a full menu of $1 items - including hot dogs, chips, candy, nachos, peanuts, soda and ice cream sandwiches. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. Single-game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at (563) 3-BANDIT and online at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.

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