TL1 Frisco RoughRiders

Eight RoughRiders Chosen as Mid-Season All-Stars

Published on June 15, 2015 under Texas League (TL1)
Frisco RoughRiders News Release


FRISCO, TEXAS (JUNE 15, 2015) - The Frisco RoughRiders, Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, are proud to announce eight players have earned recognition as 2015 Texas League Mid-Season All-Stars. The Texas League announced its mid-season All-Star rosters for each division on Monday. The game will be played at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, Texas on Tuesday, June 30 at 7:30 p.m.

The selection committee voted five Riders position players and three pitchers to the South Division side, second most among teams in the division:

Infielders

- Joey Gallo

- Drew Robinson

Outfielders

- Nick Williams

- Nomar Mazara

Catcher

- Jorge Alfaro

Pitchers

- Jake Thompson

- Jesus Pirela

- David Martinez

Gallo was named the starting third baseman and Williams a starting outfielder. Alfaro, Robinson and Mazara earned reserve spots on the team. Additionally, pitchers Thompson and Pirela are joined by David Martinez, who was named as a replacement for Hooks starter Vincent Velasquez.

Seven of the eight players will make their Texas League All-Star debut in Corpus Christi. Gallo was selected to the Texas League Post Season All-Star squad last season. Both Gallo and Thompson appeared in the 2014 All-Star Futures Game at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Balloting for the Texas League All-Star Game was conducted by votes gathered from managers, coaches, broadcasters and beat writers representing all eight teams.

For interview requests with any of the RoughRiders' All-Stars, please contact Alex Vispoli at (972) 334-1976 or at AVispoli@RidersBaseball.com. The RoughRiders' last home game before the All-Star break is Tuesday, June 24 at 11:05 a.m. against the Midland RockHounds. Frisco then embarks on a four-game road trip against the Corpus Christi Hooks.

FRISCO ROUGHRIDERS MID-SEASON ALL-STARS

Joey Gallo - 3B: Currently the Texas Rangers' third baseman, Gallo appeared in 34 games with RoughRiders after starting the season on the disabled list following left ankle surgery. Gallo hit .314 with nine homers and 31 RBI. With runners in scoring position, the Las Vegas native hit .342 with 24 RBI. He knocked a three-run blast in his final game with Frisco on May 30 before earning a promotion to the big leagues. Gallo will not participate in the contest.

Nick Williams - OF: The Galveston, Texas native has appeared in every game (through June 14) this season, hitting .298 with eight homers and 26 RBI. Williams ranks third in the Texas League with 72 hits and second with 113 total bases. Primarily the leadoff hitter, Williams' renewed patience at the plate helped him set a new career record for most walks in a season. The left-handed hitter has 17 multi-hit games this season, including four, four-hit performances.

Jake Thompson - RHP: Playing his first full season with the Texas Rangers organization, Thompson leads Frisco pitching with six wins, second most among Texas League hurlers. The 21-year-old native of Rockwall, Texas struck out a career-high 12 batters on May 4 against the Hooks and leads the league with 66 strikeouts. In his last five games, the right-hander has allowed just six earned runs in 34 innings (1.59 ERA), winning four. This will be Thompson's first Texas League All-Star Game; he was the starting pitcher in the 2014 All-Star Futures Game.

Jesus Pirela - RHP: The right-handed reliever owns a 2.45 ERA and has chewed up opponents in his first season in the Texas League. He owns the best strikeout-to-innings-pitched ratio among relievers with 33 punch outs in 25 2/3 innings. Pirela is tied for second on the squad with 18 appearances and has held right-handed batters to a .206 batting average.

David Martinez - RHP: Martinez returns to the Texas League All Star Game for the first time since 2013, when he was both a midseason and postseason selectee for the Hooks. The right-hander was named the 2013 Texas League Pitcher of the Year. In 13 games this season, Martinez has recorded five saves, going 1-2 with a 2.75 ERA. Martinez was added to the roster as a replacement for Vince Velasquez, who was promoted to the Houston Astros.

Drew Robinson - IF: The left-hander has added "slugger" to a vast array of skills this season, leading the Texas League with 12 home runs. Robinson entered June 15 hitting .227 with 33 RBI and tied for the team lead with 33 runs scored. His 23 extra base-hits are second most among Texas League players. Robinson's 43 walks in the first half match his total in 104 games last season (96 Frisco/8 Round Rock). Additionally, he leads the team with 11 stolen bases.

Nomar Mazara - OF: Since May 5, Mazara's 19 extra base-hits are best in the Texas League and his seven homers rank third. The 20-year old entered season ranked among Top 30 prospects in Rangers farm system by Baseball America (4) and MLB.com (3). Mazara reached base in 12 straight games from 4/9-25 and com-piled a nine-game hit streak (.387) from 4/12-25. The Dominican Republic native has 17 multi-hit games, and named the Texas League Player of the Week for June 8-14.

Jorge Alfaro - C: The 21-year old Columbian native was placed on the disabled list on June 11 with a left ankle injury and will not play in the All-Star game. In his first full season with Frisco, Alfaro has 22 extra base-hits with 22 runs and 21 RBI in 49 games. The right-handed catcher garnered Carolina League midseason and postseason All-Star honors in 2014.

The RoughRiders continue their eight-game road trip Monday at 6:30 p.m. from Security Bank Ballpark. The team returns to the Metroplex for a four-game home stand against the RockHounds starting June 21. For tickets to see the future stars of the Texas Rangers, please call (972) 731-9200, email info@ridersbaseball.com or visit www.ridersbaseball.com.

Check out the Frisco RoughRiders Statistics

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