SL1 Birmingham Barons

Five Barons Selected for Southern League All-Star Team

Published on July 1, 2003 under Southern League (SL1)
Birmingham Barons News Release


BIRMINGHAM, AL – The Birmingham Barons have had five players selected to participate in the Southern League All-Star game on Tuesday, July 8th in Jacksonville, FL. Starting pitcher Neal Cotts, closer Royce Ring, reliever Jeff Bajenaru, infielder Gabe Alvarez and catcher Carlos Maldonado will all be representing the Barons.

Cotts (7-2) is currently the top Southern League pitcher as he leads the league with a 1.83 ERA and is tied for second in wins with eight. He has led the league in strikeouts for most of the season and is currently ranked third with 96 punchouts. At the beginning of the season, he was ranked as the 11th prospect in the White Sox organization after being acquired from the Oakland A's as part of the trade that brought Billy Koch over to the White Sox.

Ring, the White Sox number one draft choice from a year ago, is currently ranked third in the Southern League with 19 saves. He was named the Southern League pitcher of the week for the week of May 9th through May 15th after he recorded four saves in four chances for the Barons. Coming into the season, the highly touted closer from San Diego State was ranked by Baseball America as the 10th best prospect in the White Sox organization.

With Ring's recent trade to the New York Mets, he will not be available to represent the team and has been replaced on the All-Star roster by Barons reliever Jeff Bajenaru. Bajenaru missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow but has proven himself as one of the most reliable relievers on the Barons staff. He has posted a 4-2 record with two saves and a 2.56 ERA in 38.2 innings over 28 appearances to go along with 38 strikeouts.

Alvarez, who will be the starting first baseman for the Western Division All-Stars, has been one of the Barons best hitters this season as he leads the team in batting. He is currently ranked sixth in the Southern League in batting with a ..312 average and fifth in on-base percentage at .405. He is also leading the Barons in batting average, RBI (36), and doubles (21). Alvarez has 92 games of Major League experience with the Detroit Tigers from 1998-2000.

Maldonado will be the starting catcher for the Western Division All-Stars as he makes his second appearance as an All-Star catcher. He was an All-Star in the Texas League in 2001 when he played for Round Rock in the Astros organization. He is batting .276 with a homer and 31 RBIs for the Barons this season with his RBI total ranked second on the team behind Alvarez.

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Southern League Stories from July 1, 2003


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