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SL1 Birmingham Barons

Four Barons Named to 2012 Southern League All-Star Team

June 6, 2012 - Southern League (SL1)
Birmingham Barons News Release


Birmingham, AL - The Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs and the Birmingham Barons have announced that four Barons players have been named to the 2012 Southern League All-Star Team. Representing the Barons for the North Division All-Star squad will be outfielder Jared Mitchell, catcher Damaso Espino and pitchers Pedro Hernandez and Jose Quintana. Quintana was promoted to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights on May 24th and will not participate in the game.

The All-Star selection is the first for Mitchell who is in his fourth season out of Louisiana State University. In his first season with the Barons, Mitchell is hitting .296 (58-for-196) with four home runs, 32 runs scored and 37 RBI. Mitchell leads the Southern League in triples (9) and on-base percentage (.420) while ranking second in walks (38), fourth in RBI, fifth in total bases (99) and seventh in average. The former first round selection (23rd overall) by the White Sox in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft missed all of the 2010 season after suffering an ankle injury in Spring Training. Mitchell entered the 2012 season ranked by Baseball America as the Best Athlete in the White Sox organization.

Barons' catcher Damaso Espino will be making his second-career Minor League All-Star appearance having previously been named to the Gulf Coast League post-season All-Star team while with the Gulf Coast League Reds in 2002. In his 13th professional season and first with the Barons, Espino is hitting .286 (42-for-147) with 16 runs scored and 13 RBI while throwing out 44% (17-39) of potential base stealers. Espino was signed by the White Sox organization as a free agent prior to the 2012 season. The White Sox are the fourth organization for Espino, having previously spent time with the Cincinnati Red, Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians.

In his sixth professional season, Hernandez will be making his second Minor League All-Star appearance in two years and first with the Barons, having been named to the California League All-Star team last season as a member of Lake Elsinore Storm. Hernandez spent the previous five seasons with the San Diego Padres organization before being acquired by the White Sox in the off-season trade that sent outfielder Carlos Quentin to the Padres. In ten starts with the Barons this season, Hernandez is 7-2 with a 2.91 ERA (19 ER/58.2 IP) with 31 strikeouts. Hernandez leads the Barons in wins and ERA among starting pitchers. He is tied for second in the Southern League in wins and ranks eighth in ERA.

The All-Star selection is the first for Quintana who is in his seventh professional season and first with the Barons. Quintana spent the previous four seasons with the Yankees organization before being signed as a free agent by the White Sox in the off-season. In nine starts with the Barons before being promoted to Charlotte, Quintana was 1-3 with a 2.77 ERA (15 ER/48.2 IP) with 41 strikeouts. At the time of his promotion, Quintana ranked seventh in the Southern League in ERA.

Players were selected by a vote of Southern League field managers, radio broadcasters, general managers and print media. The 2012 All-Star Game will be played on June 19 at Smokies Park in Kodak, TN.

Birmingham Barons tickets are currently available on the web, over the phone or by visiting the Regions Park Box Office. For ticket information, game schedule, or promotions calendar, call (205) 988-3200 or visit www.barons.com, www.facebook.com/birminghambarons or on Twitter: @bhambarons.

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