Mitchell and Stafford Named South Atlantic League All-Stars
June 5, 2018 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release
Deon Stafford of the West Virginia Power
(Charleston Dirty Birds, Credit: Robin Black)
CHARLESTON, WV - Calvin Mitchell and Deon Stafford will represent the West Virginia Power as the team's two All-Stars in the South Atlantic League's 59th Annual All-Star Game on June 19 in Greensboro, N.C., league President Eric Krupa announced Tuesday. Stafford is the first Power catcher selected for the Midsummer Classic since Reese McGuire in 2014, while Mitchell's nod marks the ninth consecutive season a West Virginia outfielder has garnered this honor, dating back to 2010.
Mitchell has been an integral part of the Power's first half success. The Pirates' 15th-best prospect per MLB.com currently leads or is tied for the team lead in all three Triple Crown categories (.319 batting average, 1st; seven home runs, tied for 1st with Oneil Cruz; and 32 RBI, 1st). The San Diego native started off the season red hot, boasting a .364 April clip that included a South Atlantic League Player of the Week award from April 16-22, during which he went 14-for-30 (.467) with a home run, nine RBI and five runs scored. Part of that torrid stretch ignited his 13-game hitting streak from April 14-27, second-longest on the team (Cruz, 14 games). Since May 1, Mitchell has hit safely in 20 of his last 27 contests and was recently tabbed as the 99th-best prospect in baseball on Baseball America's newly-minted Top 100 list.
Through 39 games, Stafford sports a slash line of .264/.325/.432 with four home runs and 19 RBI. Like Mitchell, the Power backstop roared out of the gates in April, posting a .311 stroke with two homers and nine runs batted in. Defensively, Stafford has a .977 fielding percentage with just eight errors in 344 total chances. The 22-year-old has thrown out 19 percent (9-of-47) of baserunners trying to steal against him. The Saint Joseph's University product put together an 11-game on-base streak from April 5-22, averaging .341 with five RBI. Three days later, Stafford homered in consecutive games against the Rome Braves on April 25 and 26, the first Power player to do so in 2018. The Harrisburg native is currently third on the team in average, while his OPS is fifth-best.
Mitchell and Stafford will represent the Northern Division in the All-Star Game at First National Bank Field, which is led by Greensboro manager Todd Pratt. Hagerstown's Patrick Anderson, Kannapolis' Justin Jirschele and Greensboro's Mark DiFelice round out the coaching staff for the Northern Division. Gates will open at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 19, with a home run derby taking place at 5:15 p.m. and first pitch of the game set for 7:05 p.m.
For tickets and more information, call the Power at 304-344-BATS or visit wvpower.com.
Images from this story
 Calvin Mitchell of the West Virginia Power (Sam Santilli) |
 Deon Stafford of the West Virginia Power (Robin Black) |
South Atlantic League Stories from June 5, 2018
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