Four Gators named to All-Star team
June 30, 2005 - Eastern League (EL1)
Connecticut Defenders News Release
(Norwich, Conn.) - Four Norwich players have been selected to the 2005 Eastern League All-Star Game in Portland, Maine. Right-handed Pitchers Chris Begg and Merkin Valdez and Outfielders Dan Ortmeier and Carlos Valderrama will represent the Navigators on the Northern Division roster. The game is July 13 at Hadlock Field, 7:00 p.m., and pits the Northern Division against the Southern Division, each with a 24-man roster.
The four Navigators are the most ever selected in the team's franchise history for the mid-season All-Star game. From 1995 through 2002 the mid-season game was played between American League and National League All-Stars from all three Double-A Leagues (Eastern, Southern and Texas). Every team is represented by at least three players, and only Portland, the host team, has more All-Stars on the Northern Division squad than the Navigators.
Valdez, 23, is 4-3 in 14 starts with the Navigators. He leads the Navigators in strikeouts (67) and his 2.55 ERA ranks as fifth-best in the league. Valdez has also been chosen to participate in the Futures Game played in Detroit during Major League Baseball's All-Star Game festivities on July 10. He was acquired from the Atlanta Braves with Damian Moss in exchange for Russ Ortiz on December, 17, 2002. Valdez pitched at four different levels in 2004 including two games out of the bullpen for the San Francisco Giants. Valdez is from San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.
Begg, 25, has compiled a 4-5 record with a 3.38 ERA in 15 starts this season. He ranks among the Eastern League leaders in ERA and innings pitched (93.1). His contract was purchased by the Giants from the St. Paul Saints of the independent Northern League on July 9, 2003. Begg hails from Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada.
Ortmeier, 24, is batting .267 and leading the team with 14 home runs and 46 rbi's. He also leads Norwich in runs (51), triples (4), total bases (136), and stolen bases (19) and places among the Eastern League's best in a number of statistical categories. His 14 home runs and 19 stolen bases are both tied for fifth-best in the league, and his 51 runs scored is good for fourth-best. He was the Giants 3rd round draft pick in 2002. Ortmeier is originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Valderrama, 27, is batting .320 tops on the Navigators' squad and seventh-best in the Eastern League. Valderrama also leads the Navigators, and places among the Eastern League's best, in hits (89) and doubles (21), and places second to Dan Ortmeier on the team in stolen bases (17). He was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent on February 23, 1995. Valderrama is from Lagunilla, Zulia, Venezuela.
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