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Eight Barons Named to Southern League All-Star Team

July 2, 2013 - Southern League (SL1)
Birmingham Barons News Release


Birmingham, AL - The Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs has announced that eight Birmingham Barons players have been named to the 2013 Southern League All-Star Team. Representing the North Division All-Star squad will be catcher Mike Blanke, infielder Marcus Semien, designated hitter/first baseman Dan Black, and pitchers Scott Snodgress, Ryan Kussmaul and Nick McCully. First baseman Andy Wilkins and pitcher Erik Johnson were also elected but will not participate in the game due to their promotions to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. The Barons and Chattanooga Lookouts tied for the North Division lead with eight all-star selections apiece.

The All-Star selection is Blanke's second of his career, having previously been named to the Pioneer League Post-Season All-Star team in 2010 while with Advanced Rookie Great Falls. In his first season at the Double-A level, Blanke is hitting .257 (48-for-187) with five home runs, 16 runs scored and 33 RBI in 52 games.

Semien will be making his first professional All-Star game appearance after hitting .263 (80-for-304) with seven home runs, 13 doubles, 29 RBI and leading the Southern League in runs scored with 63 in 80 games. Semien, a graduate of the University of California-Berkley, was rated as the No. 14 Prospect in the White Sox organization by Baseball America prior to the season.

The All-Star nod was Black's third in three seasons, having previously made the South Atlantic League postseason All-Star Team while with Single-A Kannapolis in 2011 and the Carolina League All-Star Team while with Single-A Winston-Salem in 2012. In 78 games this season, Black is hitting .283 (77-for-272) with eight home runs, 15 doubles, 42 runs scored and 52 RBI. He ranks among the Southern League leaders in multiple categories including on-base percentage (1st, .397), RBI (1st), walks (3rd, 51) and average (8th).

Kussmaul will be making his second Southern League All-Star game appearance in as many years, having also made the team as a Baron during the 2012 season. Kussmaul is 2-1 on the season with a 2.20 ERA (7 ER/28.2 IP) with 33 strikeouts to just six walks with five saves.

One of the biggest surprises in the Southern League this season, McCully began the season in the bullpen but transitioned to the starting rotation at the beginning of May. He's posted a record of 7-2 with a 2.63 ERA in 17 games this season including a 5-1 record with an ERA of 2.03 as a starter. He had a string of 18.0 consecutive scoreless innings from May 9th - June 2nd and was named Southern League pitcher of the week for the period of May 20-26. He ranks among the league leaders in numerous categories including opponents average (1st, .169), WHIP (1st, .086) and ERA (8th).

Snodgress, rated as the No. 6 Prospect in the White Sox organization, will be making his first All-Star game appearance as a professional. In 16 starts with Barons, Snodgess has gone 8-7 with a 4.97 ERA (49 ER/88.2 IP). His eight wins are tied for the most in the league this season.

Wilkins and Johnson were named to the All-Star team but will be unable to participate due to their promotions to Triple-A Charlotte. Wilkins led the Barons with 10 home runs, 16 doubles and 49 RBI at the time of his promotion on June 24th. The all-star selection is his third as a professional, having also earned post-season honors in 2010 as a member of the Great Falls Voyagers and mid and post-season honors in 2011 as a member of the Winston-Salem Dash.

Johnson, a second round selection in the June 2011 First-Year Player draft, put together one of the best statistical halves by a Barons' starter in recent memory, posting a record of 8-2 with an ERA of 2.23 (21 ER/ 84.2 IP) over 14 starts. At the time of his promotion on June 23rd, he led the league in wins and ranked among the league leaders in numerous categories including WHIP (1st, 0.92), innings pitched (2nd), opponents average (2nd, .189), ERA (2nd) and strikeouts (3rd, 74). He had scoreless outings in six of his 14 starts and won each of his last six starts while posting an ERA of 1.83 (8 ER/39.1 IP). His three complete games are tied for the most in Minor League Baseball this season. He was tabbed by Baseball America as the No. 4 Prospect in the White Sox organization entering the season.

The players were selected by a vote of Southern League field managers, radio broadcasters, general managers and print media. The 2013 All-Star Game will be played on July 17 at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, home of the Jacksonville Suns.

Birmingham Barons tickets are currently available on the web, over the phone or by visiting the Regions Field Box Office. For ticket information, game schedule, or promotions calendar, call (205) 988-3200 or visit www.barons.com, www.facebook.com/birminghambarons or follow us on Twitter: @bhambarons.


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