EL1 Eastern League

2008 Eastern League All-Star Team Announced

Published on August 21, 2008 under Eastern League (EL1) News Release


The Eastern League of Professional Baseball is pleased to announce the selections for the 2008 Eastern League All-Star Team, as voted on by respective Eastern League team managers and coaching staffs, sportswriters, radio and television broadcast personnel and other members of the media.

(Statistics for games played through August 20, 2008)

Catcher: Lou Marson, Reading Phillies (.319, 5 HR, 46 RBI, 55 R)

For the second straight season Lou Marson finds himself as a catcher on the season ending All-Star Team for his respective league. The 22-year old, who was a Florida State League All-Star with Clearwater last season, is hitting .319 (101-for-317) with 18 doubles, five homers, 55 runs scored and 46 RBI in 92 games with the Reading Phillies this season. Marson has reached base in 85 of the 92 games he has played in this season and he currently leads the league in on-base percentage (.434) and is ranked fourth in batting average. The Scottsdale, Arizona native has also been outstanding defensively, as he has thrown out 36% of the runners that have attempted to steal against him this season, which ranks fourth in the league. Lou, who is currently playing for Team USA at the Olympics in Beijing, was chosen to play for the U.S. Team in the 2008 Futures Game and was also a member of the Southern Division roster for the 2008 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game.

First Base: Mike Carp, Binghamton Mets (.294, 17 HR, 69 RBI, 64 R)

After hitting .251 with 11 home runs and 48 RBI in 97 games with the B-Mets last season, first baseman Mike Carp returned to Binghamton this year and has been one of the top offensive performers in the league, batting .294 while posting team-high totals in hits (130), home runs (17), RBI (69), runs scored (64) and walks (71). The 22-year old kicked off the season by hitting .474 with four home runs and 13 RBI through the first 10 games of the season and he was rewarded for his efforts by being named the Bank of America Eastern League Player of the Week for the week ending April 14th. Carp, who is a native of Long Beach, California, was also selected to play for the Northern Division in the 2008 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game.

Second Base: Scott Campbell, New Hampshire Fisher Cats (.321, 9 HR, 46 RBI, 67 R)

New Hampshire second baseman Scott Campbell is batting .321 (121-for-377) with 20 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 67 runs scored, 46 RBI, 60 walks and two stolen bases in 102 games for the Fisher Cats in his first season at the Double-A level. The 23-year old is currently ranked second in the league in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage (.415) and 10th in runs scored (67). Campbell, who is a native of Auckland, New Zealand, was chosen to play for the World Team in the 2008 Futures Game and was also named to the Northern Division roster for the 2008 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game.

Third Base: Wes Hodges, Akron Aeros (.280, 13 HR, 87 RBI, 61 R)

Wes Hodges has appeared in all but eight games for the Akron Aeros this season and is batting .280 with 23 doubles, three triples, 13 home runs, 87 RBI, 61 runs scored, 51 walks and three stolen bases. Hodges, who hit .288 with 71 RBI and was named a Carolina League All-Star while making his professional debut with the Kinston Indians last season, is currently ranked second in the league in RBI and tied for eighth in hits (129). The 23-year old has taken home numerous accolades this season, including being named the Bank of America Eastern League Player of the Week for the week ending June 15th, being chosen for the U.S. Team in the 2008 Futures Game and playing for the Southern Division in the 2008 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game.

Shortstop: Jason Donald, Reading Phillies (.308, 14 HR, 54 RBI, 53 R)

Prior to leaving the club to join Team USA for the Olympics in Beijing, Reading shortstop Jason Donald was batting .308 (104-for-338) with 18 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, 54 RBI, 53 runs scored and 10 stolen bases in 86 games with the R-Phils. The 23-year old native of Fresno, California is currently ranked fourth in the league in slugging percentage (.509), fourth in OPS (.897) and tied for eighth in batting average. Jason, who was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the third round of the 2006 draft out of the University of Arizona, was a member of the U.S. Team for the 2008 Futures Game and played for the Southern Division at the 2008 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game.

Outfielders

Lou Montanez, Bowie Baysox (.335, 26 HR, 97 RBI, 90 R)

If the 2008 season ended today, Bowie outfielder Lou Montanez would become the first player since the 1976 season to win the Eastern League Triple Crown, as he currently leads the league in batting average (.335), home runs (26) and RBI (97). In addition to leading those categories, the Bayamon, Puerto Rico native, is also ranked first in the league in hits (151), slugging percentage (.601), extra-base hits (63), runs scored (90) and OPS (.986). Montanez holds the lead in all these categories despite receiving a promotion to the Baltimore Orioles on August 5th, where he hit a solo home run in his first career Major League at bat against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on August 6th and is batting .370 in 11 games. Lou has twice taken home the Bank of America Eastern League Player of the Week Award this season and was the Eastern League Player of the Month for the month of July. The 26-year old was also selected as a member of the Southern Division roster for the 2008 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game and reached the finals of the Irving Oil Eastern League Home Run Derby.

Wilkin Ramirez, Erie SeaWolves (.313, 19 HR, 71 RBI, 69 R)

Outfielder Wilkin Ramirez is having a breakout season for the Erie SeaWolves, setting new career-highs in doubles (23), home runs (19) and RBI (71) while batting .314 with seven triples, 69 runs scored and 23 stolen bases. The 22-year old is currently ranked second in the league in slugging percentage (.549), third in OPS (.927) and total bases (219), tied for third in steals (23), tied for fourth in home runs (19) and ranked sixth in batting average (.313). Wilkin, who is a native of Bani, Dominican Republic, was a member of the World Team for the 2008 Futures Game where he went 1-for-1 with a walk and he was also selected for the Southern Division roster for the 2008 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game.

Nolan Reimold, Bowie Baysox (.279, 19 HR, 74 RBI, 78 R)

Bowie outfielder Nolan Reimold has been a workhorse for the Baysox this season, playing in a league-high 129 games while hitting .279 (131-for-469) with 28 doubles, three triples, 19 home runs, 78 runs scored, 74 RBI, 60 walks and seven stolen bases. Nolan, who batted .306 with 14 doubles, 11 home runs, 34 RBI and 30 runs scored in 50 games while making his Double-A debut for the Baysox last season, is currently ranked second in the league in runs scored (78) and total bases (222), tied for second in extra-base hits (50), tied for fourth in homers (19) and tied for fifth in RBI (74).

Utility Player: Daniel Murphy, Binghamton Mets (.308, 13 HR, 67 RBI, 56 R)

Prior to his promotion to Triple-A New Orleans on August 1st, Dan Murphy appeared in games at first base, second base, third base, left field and designated hitter while batting .308 with 26 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, 67 RBI, 56 runs scored and 14 stolen bases in 95 games. The stop at Triple-A was a short one for the 23-year old as he was promoted to the New York Mets after appearing in just one game with the Zephyrs and is hitting .404 with a pair of doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI and 10 runs scored in 18 Major League games. The Jacksonville, Florida native is currently tied for eighth in the league in batting (.308) and was named to the Northern Division roster for the 2008 Northeast Delta Dental All-Star Game.

Designated Hitter: Travis Snider, New Hampshire Fisher Cats (.262, 17 HR, 67 RBI, 65 R)

Travis Snider was the youngest player in franchise history when he joined the New Hampshire Fisher Cats as a 20-year old from Class-A Dunedin on April 21st, but despite his age he quickly become one of the top sluggers in the Eastern League, belting 17 home runs and driving in 67 runs in 98 games with the team. Snider, who is rated by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Toronto organization, continued to climb the organizational ladder on August 7th when he was promoted to Triple-A. At the time of his promotion the Everett, Washington native was ranked fifth in the league in runs scored (65). Travis was a member of the Northern Division roster for the 2008 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game and put on a show for the franchise record home crowd by winning the Irving Oil Eastern League Home Run Derby.

Right-Handed Starting Pitcher: Brad Bergesen, Bowie Baysox (15-4, 3.00 ERA)

Bowie right-hander Brad Bergesen has been one of the aces of a Baysox pitching staff that is ranked third in the league in ERA and leads the league in strikeouts. The 22-year old began the season with Class-A Frederick where he posted a 2.08 ERA in 17.1 innings before receiving a promotion to Bowie on April 21st. The Concord, California native started his Double-A debut season by winning his first five decisions with the Baysox and is 15-4 with a 3.00 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 22 appearances this season. Bergesen currently leads the league in wins (15) and is also ranked second in WHIP (1.12), sixth in ERA (3.00) and eighth in innings pitched (138.0). Brad, who was a fourth round pick in the 2004 draft, was the starting pitcher for the Southern Division at the 2008 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game and retired all three batters that he faced.

Left-Handed Starting Pitcher: Phil Coke, Trenton Thunder (9-4, 2.51 ERA)

Prior to being promoted to Triple-A on August 1st, Trenton southpaw Phil Coke posted a record of 9-4 with 115 strikeouts and a 2.51 ERA in 2.51 innings of work over 23 appearances for the Thunder. Coke did not allow an earned run in 10 of his 23 games in Trenton this season, which includes a stretch of 18 consecutive scoreless innings during his final five appearances for the Thunder before joining Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he has not allowed an earned run in his last six appearances out of the bullpen. The 26-year old is currently ranked second in the league in ERA (2.51), third in strikeouts (115) and fifth in WHIP (1.22). Phil, who is a native of Sonora, California, was also the winner of the Bank of America Eastern League Pitcher of the Week Award for the week ending July 20th.

Relief Pitcher: Eddie Kunz, Binghamton Mets (1-4, 2.79 ERA, 27 Saves)

After pitching just 12 innings for the Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York-Penn League in his professional debut last season, right-hander Eddie Kunz joined the Binghamton Mets at the start of the 2008 season and was put in the role of closer. The 22-year old proved he was ready for the challenge right out of the gates by not allowing a single hit or run in his first three appearances for the B-Mets. Kunz, who was selected by the New York Mets with the 42nd overall pick in the 2007 draft, continued to dominate at the back end of the bullpen, posting a record of 1-4 with 27 saves and 43 strikeouts in 44 appearances. Eddie was rewarded for his performance with a promotion to the New York Mets, where he made his Major League debut on August 3rd against the Houston Astros and pitched one scoreless inning. At the time of his promotion the Portland, Oregon native led the league in saves.

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Eastern League Stories from August 21, 2008


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