Austin, Sanchez, Arcia, Guerra and Mitchell Named to 2012 SAL All-Star Team
June 5, 2012 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston RiverDogs News Release
CHARLESTON, SC - The South Atlantic League has announced that the Charleston RiverDogs will have five players and their entire coaching staff in uniform for the 53rd annual SAL All-Star Game on June 19 at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park in Charleston.
The Southern Division team will be guided by RiverDogs manager Carlos Mendoza, who has guided the RiverDogs to a winning record so far this season. He will have all his deputies at his side, including Charleston hitting coach Greg Colbrunn, pitching coach Danny Borrell, infield coach Brian Baisley and trainer Jorge Vargas. This is the first time that one team's entire coaching staff has been selected for the SAL All-Star Game.
Mendoza will have several familiar faces at his disposal in the people of RiverDogs right fielder Tyler Austin, catchers Gary Sanchez and Francisco Arcia, starting pitcher Bryan Mitchell and reliever Pedro Guerra. Sanchez received more votes than any player on either squad.
Austin has been one of the SAL's most dangerous hitters this season and currently leads the league in home runs with 14. A former 13th round draft pick who was rated as the Yankees No. 15 prospect by MLB.com, Austin has led the RiverDogs in almost every offensive category, including slugging and RBIs, throughout much of the season. He also put together a team-high 13-game hit streak in April.
Sanchez, who is in his second season with the RiverDogs, has been one of the steadiest hitters on the team, having a batting average above .300 for most of the season. He found his power stroke in May and racked up a team high seven homers in the month. A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Sanchez is batting .304 so far this year with 17 doubles, eight homers and 40 RBIs.
Francisco Arcia has served as the RiverDogs second catcher for much of the season, but he has always produced when called upon. Arcia, who is from Venezuela, is hitting a team high .385 this season with 11 extra base hits and 22 RBIs in just 21 games. He is also leading Charleston in on-base percentage and OPS and recently put together a twelve-game hitting streak.
Bryan Mitchell has been the team's most reliable starting pitcher so far this season and will be in the bullpen for the All-Star Game. Mitchell, who was drafted by the Yankees from Reidsville, North Carolina, is 4-3 with a 3.26 ERA so far this season and has struck out 53 in 49.2 innings. He had a 1.55 ERA in the month of May, which was good for third in the South Atlantic League.
Pedro Guerra will be joining Mitchell in the bullpen, where he has served as a force for the RiverDogs this season. Guerra is from Cagua, Venezuela and was signed by the Yankees as a minor league free agent this off-season. He is 3-1 on the year with two saves and a 1.98 ERA in 27.1 innings. He has walked only nine while striking out 31. He had a string of five consecutive outings in May where he didn't allow a hit.
The Greensboro Grasshoppers topped the SAL with eight players selected. Lexington will be sending seven players, while Charleston and Asheville each had five players selected.
2012 South Atlantic League All-Stars
POSITION
NORTHERN DIVISION
MANAGER
David Berg
Greensboro
COACH
Brian Daubach
Hagerstown
COACH
Blake McGinley
Greensboro
PITCHERS
Jose Fernandez
Greensboro
Aaron Barrett
Hagerstown
Matt Benedict
West Virginia
Adam Conley
Greensboro
Kevin Cravey
Greensboro
Phil Klein
Hickory
Colin Klevin
Lakewood
Nicholas Martinez
Hickory
Gregory Nappo
Greensboro
Victor Payano
Hickory
Blair Walters
Kannapolis
CATCHERS
Austin Barnes
Greensboro
Adrian Nieto
Hagerstown
Kevan Smith
Kannapolis
FIRST BASEMAN
Nick Delmonico
Delmarva
SECOND BASEMAN
Alen Hanson
West Virginia
THIRD BASEMAN
Rangel Ravelo
Kannapolis
SHORTSTOP
Hanser Alberto
Hickory
UTILITY INFIELDER
Josh Adams
Greensboro
UTILITY INFIELDER
Matthew Skole
Hagerstown
RIGHT FIELD
Gregory Polanco
West Virginia
CENTER FIELD
Brent Keys
Greensboro
LEFT FIELD
Christopher Grayson
Hickory
UTILITY OUTFIELDER
Mark Haddow
Kannapolis
UTILITY OUTFIELDER
Caleb Ramsey
Hagerstown
DESIGNATED HITTER
Matt Smith
Greensboro
TRAINER
Will Lawhorn
Delmarva
POSITION
SOUTHERN DIVISION
MANAGER
Carlos Mendoza
Charleston
COACH
Greg Colbrunn
Charleston
COACH
Brian 0
Charleston
COACH
Danny Borrell
Charleston
PITCHERS
Michael Foltynewicz
Lexington
T.J. Chism
Savannah
Jason Chowning
Lexington
David Filak
Rome
Pedro Guerra
Charleston
Cody Hall
Augusta
Bryan Mitchell
Charleston
Navery Moore
Rome
Miguel Pena
Greenville
Carlos Quevedo
Lexington
Nicholas Tropeano
Lexington
CATCHERS
Gary Sanchez
Charleston
William Swanner
Asheville
Francisco Arcia
Charleston
FIRST BASEMAN
Harold Riggins
Asheville
SECOND BASEMAN
Delino DeShields, Jr.
Lexington
THIRD BASEMAN
Matt Duffy
Lexington
SHORTSTOP
T.J. Rivera
Savannah
UTILITY INFIELDER
Garin Cecchini
Greenville
UTILITY INFIELDER
Samuel Mende
Asheville
RIGHT FIELD
Tyler Austin
Charleston
CENTER FIELD
Delta Cleary, Jr.
Asheville
LEFT FIELD
Keury De La Cruz
Greenville
UTILITY OUTFIELDER
Tyler Massey
Asheville
UTILITY OUTFIELDER
Travis Taijeron
Savannah
DESIGNATED HITTER
Zachary Johnson
Lexington
TRAINER
Jorge Vargas
Charleston
South Atlantic League Stories from June 5, 2012
- Shorebirds Level Series with 3-2 Win - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Braves Homestand Opens with 5-3 Win - Rome Emperors
- 'Dogs Bite 'Dads to Open Series in Charleston - Hickory Crawdads
- Power Fall 3-2 - Charleston Dirty Birds
- RiverDogs Start Homestand with 10-3 Win - Charleston RiverDogs
- BlueClaws Snap 8-Game Skid, Win 5-4 - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- BlueClaws Hold off Legends - Lexington Legends
- Blackburn's Masterpiece Paints 1-0 Augusta Win - Augusta GreenJackets
- Seven Legends Named to All-Star Team - Lexington Legends
- Gnats Tuesday Game Cancelled Due to Wet Grounds - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Crawdads Weekly - 'Dads Sweep Homestand, Extend Streak to Eight - Hickory Crawdads
- Filak and Moore Head to 2012 All Star Game - Rome Emperors
- BlueClaws Welcome Olympians to June 12th Game - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Power Game Notes - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Shorebirds Game Notes at West Virginia - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Kleven to Represent BlueClaws in SAL All-Star Game - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Matt Skole Leads List of Four Suns Voted as 2012 All-Stars - Hagerstown Suns
- Five Crawdads Selected to 2012 SAL All-Star Team - Hickory Crawdads
- All-Star Game Takes on a RiverDogs Twist - Charleston RiverDogs
- West Virginia puts three on SAL Northern All-Star Team - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Five Tourists Named to South Atlantic League All-Star Squad - Asheville Tourists
- Austin, Sanchez, Arcia, Guerra and Mitchell Named to 2012 SAL All-Star Team - Charleston RiverDogs
- Nicky Delmonico Named South Atlantic League All-Star - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Kannapolis Sending Four Players to SAL All-Star Game - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Cody Hall Selected to All-Star Game - Augusta GreenJackets
- Drive Sending Three to 2012 All-Star Game - Greenville Drive
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