Five Chiefs Named MWL All-Stars
June 8, 2010 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Peoria Chiefs News Release
PEORIA, IL- The Peoria Chiefs in conjunction with the Midwest League have announced that five Chiefs have been selected as Midwest League All-Stars. Hak-Ju Lee will start the game at shortstop for the West and will be joined by pitchers Trey McNutt and James Leverton along with infielders Matt Cerda and Logan Watkins. The Chiefs have the second most All-Stars in the Western Division a year after having six All-Stars.
Lee, the #6 prospect in the Cubs organization in Baseball America's preseason rankings, will start for the West at shortstop with a .252 batting average. The 19-year-old South Korean native has 10 doubles, three triples, 31 runs scored and 16 stolen bases. A defensive wizard, Lee has figured in more of the Chiefs double plays this season than any other player with 31.
McNutt is fourth in the Midwest League with a 1.81 ERA and tied for first in winning percentage with his perfect 4-0 record. In his 11 starts the Chiefs have a 10-1 record and he has struck out 53 batters in 49 2/3 innings. Opponents are batting just .215 against McNutt who has not allowed a home run. Drafted in the 32nd round last June out of Shelton State Community College in Alabama, McNutt was 3-1 last season with a 0.98 ERA split between Mesa and Boise. A native of Haleyville, AL, McNutt is 20 years old.
Cerda went on a tear of the last week with a 12-for-25 stretch to raise his average to .271. He has started 29 games at third base and 12 at second base this season while batting primarily in the three hole. Cerda has hit two homers, including a pinch-hit walkoff while also driving in 26 runs. He has scored a team-high 34 runs with eight doubles, three triples and is second on the team with 26 walks. A native of Oceanside, CA, Cerda was drafted by the Cubs in the fourth round of the 2008 draft and will turn 20 on June 20, two days before the All-Star game.
Watkins completes the Chiefs middle-infield and top of the order All-Star trio with his selection as n infield reserve. Having started 33 games at second, seven at shortstop and seven in the outfield, Watkins is batting .251 with 12 RBI and 31 runs scored this season. Watkins also has three triples, five doubles and nine stolen bases while drawing 23 walks. The 20-year-old native of Goodard, KS was drafted by the Cubs in the 21st round of the 2008 draft.
The fifth Chiefs All-Star this season is left-handed reliever James Leverton, the only All-Star not to be on the Chiefs opening day roster. The lefty joined the Chiefs on April 17 for the home opener and earned a save that afternoon with two shutout innings against Burlington. He earned either a win or a save in each of his first seven outings and on May 7 was 5-0 with two saves and a 0.00 ERA in 11 1/3 innings. Overall this season Leverton is 5-1 with four saves and a 2.92 ERA in 17 outings. He hs struck out 20 batters and walked seven in 24 2/3 innings of work. The 24-year-old was drafted out of Texas Tech in the eighth round of the 2008 draft and spent last season with Daytona in the Florida State League.
Peoria has the second most All-Stars in the Western Division behind first-place Cedar Rapids with seven. Every team in the West has at least one starter except for Kane County. Wisconsin, Beloit and Clinton have four players each on the roster while second-place Quad Cities has three. Kane County and Burlington finish off the squad with two players each. Burlington's coaching staff will manage the West as last year's MWL Finals participant. Great Lakes, which will be at O'Brien Field this weekend, leads the Eastern Division with seven players while first-place Lake County and Lansing have five each. Host Fort Wayne has four players along with South Bend while Bowling Green has three. West Michigan has two players and Dayton just one to round out the East. The Midwest League All-Star game takes place on Tuesday, June 22 at 7:00 p.m. EST at Parkview Field in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The Chiefs begin a six-game homestand Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. when they host the Lansing Lugnuts (Toronto Blue Jays). Gates open at 6:00 p.m. and the game can be heard starting with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m. on 96.5 ESPN Radio and www.peoriachiefs.com.
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