
Polanco and Hanson Honored as 2012 Annual All-Stars
August 30, 2012 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release
CHARLESTON, WV (August 30, 2012) - The South Atlantic League has announced the selection of the 2012 Annual All-Star Team and two members of the West Virginia Power have been chosen for the end-of-season honors. Gregory Polanco was chosen as the Most Outstanding Major League Prospect and as an All-Star outfielder. Alen Hanson was selected as the league's top shortstop in a poll conducted from the 14 South Atlantic League team's field managers, general managers, sports writers, and broadcasters.
Polanco, a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is among the league leaders in several different statistical categories, including batting average (.325), hits (137), runs (80), runs batted in (81), stolen bases (40), slugging percentage (.514), and total bases (217). The outfielder started in right during the 2012 South Atlantic League All-Star Game and has appeared in 111 games this year, his first in full season baseball.
Hanson, a product of La Romana, Dominican Republic, has appeared in 119 games this season and, like Polanco, is among the South Atlantic League's leaders in several key offensive categories. The shortstop leads the league in hits with 148 and is among the top five in batting average (.312), at bats (474), triples (12), extra base hits (60), runs (95), slugging percentage (.532), and total bases (252).
Polanco is the second West Virginia player to be honored by the league as one if its top three players since the club became the Power in 2005. Rudy Owens was honored in 2009 as the South Atlantic League's Most Outstanding Pitcher. Eight other players have been honored by the league between the affiliations with Milwaukee and Pittsburgh since 2005.
Michael Foltynewicz of the Lexington Legends was selected as the Most Outstanding Pitcher. Foltynewicz has a 14-3 record and an ERA of 2.91 in 26 games. Hagerstown Suns third baseman Matthew Skole was selected as the Most Valuable Player. Skole batted .286 with a league-leading 27 home runs and 92 RBIs in 101 games before being promoted to Potomac in the Carolina League.
Joe Mikulik of the Asheville Tourists has been selected as Manager of the 2012 Annual All-Star Team. This is the fourth time Mikulik has been selected for this honor, having previously won in 2001, 2007 and 2008. Josh Bonifay of the Lexington Legends was chosen to be the Coach of the 2012 Annual All-Star Team. Bonifay was West Virginia's bench coach in 2010.
2012 South Atlantic League All-Star Team
Manager Joe Mikulik Asheville
Coach Josh Bonifay Lexington
RH Pitcher Michael Foltynewicz Lexington
LH Pitcher Tyler Anderson Asheville
Catcher Austin Barnes Greensboro
First Baseman Harold Riggins Asheville
Second Baseman Delino DeShields, Jr. Lexington
Shortstop Alen Hanson West Virginia
Third Baseman Matthew Skole Hagerstown
Utility Infielder Trevor Story Asheville
Outfielder Keury De La Cruz Greenville
Outfielder Brent Keys Greensboro
Outfielder Gregory Polanco West Virginia
Utility Outfielder Shawn Payne Augusta
Designated Hitter Zachary Johnson Lexington
Most Outstanding Pitcher Michael Foltynewicz Lexington
Most Outstanding MLB Prospect Gregory Polanco West Virginia
Most Valuable Player Matthew Skole Hagerstown
South Atlantic League Stories from August 30, 2012
- Suns Hobbled by 'Hoppers 12-2 - Hagerstown Suns
- Not So Happy Ending in Last Regular Season Home Game - Rome Emperors
- Crawdads Take Home Finale, 3-1, for Series Win - Hickory Crawdads
- BlueClaws Can't Sweet 'Birds, Lose 6-4 - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Blair Homer Seals Series Win - Augusta GreenJackets
- Hickory Takes Series Finale over Legends, 3-1 - Lexington Legends
- Drive Come from Behind to Win - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Shorebirds Win Final Home Game of the Year, 6-4 - Delmarva Shorebirds
- RiverDogs Finish Home Slate with Twin Bill Split - Charleston RiverDogs
- Three Legends' Players, Hitting Coach Named to SAL All-Star Team - Lexington Legends
- Matt Skole Named South Atlantic League MVP - Hagerstown Suns
- Power Game Notes - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Payne Named to SAL Postseason All-Star Team - Augusta GreenJackets
- Intimidators Management Gone Mad - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- South Atlantic League Announces 2012 Annual All-Star Team - SAL1
- Keury De la Cruz Named to 2012 South Atlantic League Annual All-Star Team - Greenville Drive
- Mikulik, 3 Tourist Players Named to SAL Year-End All-Star Team - Asheville Tourists
- BlueClaws to Host High School Showcase October 6-7 - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Polanco and Hanson Honored as 2012 Annual All-Stars - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Professional Fastpitch Softball Coming to WV Power - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Drive Edge Intimidators in 10 Innings - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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