MWL1 Bowling Green Hot Rods

Five Hot Rods Selected to Midwest League All-Star Game

Published on June 4, 2014 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release


Bowling Green, Ky. - Five members of the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Class-A/Tampa Bay Rays) will represent the club at the Midwest League All-Star game, as announced by the league office on Wednesday. Second baseman Kean Wong and outfielder Granden Goetzman will start for the Eastern Division, while right-handers Jake Faria, Ian Kendall, and Ryne Stanek were selected to the pitching staff.

Entering play on Wednesday, Goetzman ranked third in the Midwest League with a .323 average. He was also tied for first in doubles with 18, and tied for third in extra-base hits with 24. Goetzman owns 22 multi-hit games on the season, and has driven home 22 runs to go along with four home runs. The Palmetto, Fla. native was selected by the Rays in the second round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.

Wong is also locked in the Midwest League's batting title race, as he entered Wednesday fifth in the league with a .320 mark. The youngest member of the Hot Rods at just 19, Wong has hit safely in 34 of his 44 games this season. He owns the league's best defensive numbers at second base, having only committed two errors in 39 starts when the rosters were announced. Wong was taken in the fourth round of the 2013 First-Year Player draft.

Faria became the second-youngest Opening Night starter in Hot Rods history this season, and 20-year old owns a 3-3 record with a 3.91 earned run average in 10 starts. Faria has taken a no-hitter or perfect game into the fifth inning on three occasions this season. Faria nearly tossed a seven-inning perfect game on April 30, as he conceded only a two-out double in the sixth against South Bend. Faria was a tenth-round draft choice in 2011.

Kendall has been one of the most reliable options out of any Midwest League bullpen this season after missing all of last year. In 16 games, Kendall has compiled a 2.57 earned run average over 28.0 innings. Kendall has held opposing batters to a .167 average, and has amassed 27 strikeouts. Kendall has worked two or more innings in nine of his outings. The Ashland, Oregon native was selected in the fifth round of the 2010 draft by the Rays.

Stanek has made a big impact in his short time with the Hot Rods. In five starts, Stanek has wowed with his fastball that tops out in the upper 90's. Stanek has posted a 2.63 earned run average in 27.1 innings, and he hasn't allowed more than one run in four of his five outings. He owns 22 strikeouts to just seven walks, and has emerged victorious in each of his last two starts. Stanek was chosen with the 29th overall pick in last year's draft out of the University of Arkansas.

The Midwest League All-Star Game will take place at Fifth-Third Ballpark, the home of the West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers) on Tuesday, June 17 in a game that matches up the league's best players, as voted by the each member's manager. The Hot Rods' five selections were the second-most by a club in the Eastern Division, just behind first-place South Bend's six selections.

The Hot Rods will open up a six-game homestand on Wednesday, their final stretch of home games before the All-Star break. Bowling Green is right in the thick of the Midwest League playoff chase, and they'll welcome in the Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds), who sit just two and a half games ahead in the standings. Tickets to Wednesday's game are half-price thanks to Meijer, and gates will open at 6 p.m. Tickets and more information can be obtained at BGHotRods.com, by calling 270-901-2121, or by stopping by the Bowling Green Ballpark box office.

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