Four Sea Dogs Named All-Stars
July 1, 2009 - Eastern League (EL1)
Portland Sea Dogs News Release
Portland, Maine- The Eastern League in conjunction with the Trenton Thunder has announced the rosters for the 2009 Eastern League All-Star Game. Four Portland Sea Dogs have been selected to participate in the mid-summer classic; infielders Lars Anderson and Jorge Jimenez along with pitchers T.J. Large and Junichi Tazawa. The All-Star Game will be played on Wednesday, July 15th at Waterfront Park in Trenton, New Jersey.
The All-Star Game will feature the Northern Division All-Stars against the Southern Division All-Stars. Each team will consist of 24 players. The All-Star teams were selected through fan voting along with selections from media personnel, club field personnel, and Eastern League administrators. Each Eastern League team has at least three players, including at least one pitcher and one position player. One position player and one pitcher from each team are selected through fan voting. Lars Anderson and Junichi Tazawa were voted in by the fans for the Sea Dogs.
Lars Anderson entered the 2009 season ranked as the top prospect in the Red Sox organization according to Baseball America. In 65 games for the Sea Dogs this season, the first baseman, is hitting .258 (65-for-252) with eight home runs and 36 RBI. The 21 year-old, hit .298 (25-for-84) in 23 games in June. In 2008, he was named the Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player of the Year, hitting .317 (139-for-439) with 18 home runs and 80 RBI between Single-A Lancaster and Double-A Portland. The Fair Oaks, California resident was selected by the Red Sox in the 18th round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.
Third baseman Jorge Jimenez is hitting .297 (79-for-266) with eight home runs and 44 RBI in 69 games for the Sea Dogs this season. He leads the team in games played (70), average (.297), hits (79) and RBI (44). The 24 year-old was named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the opening week of the 2009 season after hitting .389 with a home run and 11 RBI in the season's first ten games. Last season, Jimenez hit .316 with seven home runs and 64 RBI between Single-A Lancaster and Double-A Portland. Jimenez was selected to both the California League mid and post season All-Star Games in 2008. The 24 year-old was drafted by the Red Sox in the 16th round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.
T.J. Large has notched a 3-0 record with seven saves and 0.93 ERA (4 ER/ 38.2 IP) in 31 relief appearances for the Sea Dogs this season. The 26 year-old has not allowed a run to score in 26 of his 31 outings this season. Last season he equaled a career high and finished fifth in the Red Sox organization with ten saves between Single-A Lancaster and Double-A Portland posting a combined 2-3 record with a 4.46 ERA (35 ER/ 70.2 IP). The Largo, Florida resident was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 46th round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft.
The 22 year-old Tazawa, has posted a 7-4 record with a 2.92 ERA (26 ER/ 71 IP), which ranks ninth in the league in 14 starts for the Sea Dogs in 2009. His seven wins are tied for third in the Eastern League and his 71 strikeouts are tied for fourth in the league. Tazawa was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent on December 11, 2008. He joined the Red Sox organization after a four-year amateur career with the Nippon Oil ENEOS of the Japan Industrial League. Tazawa posted a 13-1 record with five saves and 0.80 ERA (10 ER/ 113 IP) in 21 games (11 starts) in 2008. The Yokohama, Japan native is rated by Baseball America as the seventh ranked prospect in the Red Sox organization. Tazawa was also selected to participate in the 2009 XM Satellite MLB Futures Game which will be held on Sunday, July 12th at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri.
For more information on the 2009 Eastern League All-Star Game, including ticket information, log on to www.trentonthunder.com.
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