Five Otters Named to 2026 All-Star Game Roster
FL Evansville Otters

Five Otters Named to 2026 All-Star Game Roster

Published on July 5, 2026 under Frontier League (FL)
Evansville Otters News Release


EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Evansville Otters are excited to announce that C Logan Brown, 3B Marcos Gonzalez, OF Jon Ponder, 2B Amani Jones and SS T.J. Salvaggio have all been voted into the 2026 Frontier League All-Star Game in Florence, KY.

"We are incredibly proud of all five of these men for this great accomplishment," Otters field manager Andy McCauley said. "We are glad they will have the opportunity to represent this team, city and community at the upcoming All-Star Game."

Brown, an Evansville native, is in his ninth season of professional baseball and third with the Otters. Through 39 games, he has put together a .367 batting average, fifth best in the Frontier League. He's recorded 33 RBI and 55 hits, including 10 doubles and three home runs. Brown has registered 17 multi-hit games in 2026. In 41 plate appearances with runners in scoring position, Brown is hitting .333 with only four strikeouts.

The Mount Vernon native was drafted in the 35th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Braves after spending three seasons at the University of Southern Indiana. He was a top 30 prospect in the Braves organization in 2020 and 2021 after a 2019 season where he hit .301 and was a South Atlantic League All-Star at Single-A Rome. He reached Double-A Mississippi in 2022, playing 54 games with them before heading to the Atlantic League in 2023.

Gonzalez, from Bani, Dominican Republic, has been a thorn in opponents' side both offensively and with the glove. In 44 games played, Gonzalez has hit for a .325 average, with 55 hits. He has 10 doubles, seven home runs and the sole Evansville triple in 2026. Gonzalez leads the team with 40 RBI.

Gonzalez moves from the American Association to the Frontier League for 2026. He originally signed with the Cleveland Indians in 2016 out of San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. He was a Dominican Summer League All-Star in his first professional season in 2017. He rose up the ranks of the organization for six seasons, eventually reaching Triple-A Columbus in 2023. He ended up finishing 2023 with the Gary SouthShore RailCats in the AA. His next three seasons would be in Gary, while also playing in the Colombian Winter League with Tigres de Cartagena.

Ponder, a rookie from Lawrenceville, GA, has taken the league by storm in his debut professional season. While leading the Otters in batting average for most of the first half of the season, he has extended his batting average to .379, third best in the Frontier League and the only rookie within the top five. Ponder leads the team in runs scored (39), hits (60), doubles (14), walks (30), stolen bases (19) and on base percentage (.484).

Ponder has spent his entire baseball career in Georgia, playing his first two years of college at Georgia State. He then spent his last three seasons with Georgia Gwinnett. He hit .421 in 52 games, having a school record 37-game hitting streak from February 24 to May 18. He was a NAIA All-American First Team, Continental Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year and Gold Glove selection.

Jones hails from Lebanon, PA and is in his first full season of pro ball. He is the closest Otter to iron man status, playing in 45 of Evansville's 47 games this season. Jones has a .304 batting average, with a team second-best 58 hits. He's also put up nine doubles, four home runs and 25 RBI.

Jones played for Stevenson in college from 2021-23, hitting over .300 in two of those seasons and leading the team in AVG (.342) in 2023. He transferred to Millersville for his last two seasons, earning an All-PSAC First Team and D2CCA All-Atlantic Region Second Team selection in 2025. This season led to his first professional contract with the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League, where he was 5-24 in only seven games in 2025.

Salvaggio, a first year pro from Slidell, LA, also finds his way to Florence after being a reliable two-way asset in the first half of the season. In 43 games played, Salvaggio has a .294 batting average but is third on the team with 37 RBI, including 11 multi-RBI games. He has the second most home runs on the team with eight.

Salvaggio played four seasons with Southeastern Louisiana, where he was an All-Southland Conference First Team selection in 2024 after 18 multi-hit games, 13 HR and a 22-game on-base streak to end the year. He was an LSWA All-Louisiana Honorable Mention and All-Southland Conference First Team selection. He was also a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award, given to the top Division I shortstop in the country.

The All-Star Game takes place on Wednesday, July 15 at 6:03 p.m. CT at Thomas More Stadium in Florence, KY, home of the Florence Y'alls.

The Evansville Otters are the 2006 and 2016 Frontier League champions.

The Otters play all home games at EVSC's Historic Bosse Field, located at 23 Don Mattingly Way in Evansville, Ind. Stay up to date with the Evansville Otters by visiting evansvilleotters.com, or follow the Otters on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For more information, visit evansvilleotters.com or call (812) 435-8686.

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Frontier League Stories from July 5, 2026


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