EL1 Reading Fightin Phils

Rizzotti Named to Eastern League All-Star Team

Published on August 26, 2010 under Eastern League (EL1)
Reading Fightin Phils News Release


Matt Rizzotti, who enjoyed an impressive 2010 campaign as a member of the Reading Phillies, was among 13 players named to the 2010 Eastern League Season Ending All-Star Team, as announced earlier today by the Eastern League. The New York native is currently playing for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

At the time of his promotion to Triple-A, Rizzotti, 24, was hitting an Eastern League best .361 with 16 home runs and 62 RBIs through 77 games with the R-Phils. The 6'5" slugger, who was promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on August 5, also possessed an impressive .452 on-base percentage, a 1.087 OPS, and a .635 slugging percentage -- all Eastern League highs at the time of his promotion.

An Eastern League Player of the Month award-winner for the month of June, an Eastern League Player of the Week award-winner, an Eastern League All-Star, and a Philadelphia Phillies Minor League Player of the Month for May, Rizzotti achieved numerous awards during his two-plus months in Baseballtown.

Promoted to the R-Phils on May 13 from Clearwater (A+), where he was batting a remarkable .358, the Manhattan College product got off to a quick start for the R-Phils. In his first month in Baseballtown, he hit .377 with four home runs and 14 RBIs (17 games). In June, he turned it up a notch.

The Floral Park, NY native hit .369 with 38 hits, seven doubles, seven home runs, 24 RBIs, and 16 runs scored over 27 games (103 at-bats) in the month of June. From June 15-June 29, Rizzotti put together an impressive 14-game hit streak. During the streak, he had 10 multi-hit games, including seven-straight multi-hit games. He also homered in four-straight games (June 17-20), and launched five home runs over a six-game span (June 7-23).

Also in June, Rizzotti earned Eastern League Player of the Week honors for the week ending June 27. In six-games played that week, Rizzotti posted a six-game hit streak, including all six games with multiple hits. The Manhattan College product had four games with at least three hits - improving his average in the month of June to .389 at the time.

Originally selected by Philadelphia in the sixth round of the 2007 draft, the 24-year-old is hitting a combined .361 with a career-high 17 home runs and career-high 71 RBIs through 107 games played between both Clearwater (A+) and Reading. In 101 games with Clearwater in 2009, Rizzotti posted a .263 mark with 13 home runs and 58 RBIs.

Former Philadelphia Phillies farmhand and former R-Phils standout SP Kyle Drabek, was also named to the squad. Drabek, 22, is currently pitching for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays) and is 14-9 with a 2.98 ERA over 25 starts. The Texas native currently leads the Eastern League in wins (14) and is ranked third in ERA (2.98). On July 4, Drabek tossed the second no-hitter in Fisher Cats history, en-route to a 5-0 win over New Britain.

The members of the 2010 Eastern League Season Ending All-Star Team are:

1B: Matt Rizzotti, Reading

2B: Ryan Adams, Bowie

3B: Brandon Laird, Trenton

SS: Danny Espinosa, Harrisburg

C: Hector Gimenez, Altoona

OF: Darin Mastroianni, New Hampshire

OF: Ben Revere, New Britain

OF: Eric Thames, New Hampshire

DH: Joel Guzman, Bowie

UTL: Ray Chang, Portland

RH Starting Pitcher: Kyle Drabek, New Hampshire

LH Starting Pitcher: Rudy Owens, Altoona

Relief Pitcher: Rafael Cova, Richmond

Single-game tickets for the 2010 season, presented by Pepsi, are on-sale and can be purchased in-person at FirstEnergy Stadium, by calling (610) 375-8469 or by visiting www.readingphillies.com. Fans can also add the all-you-can-eat Deck Buffet to any ticket for only $11. "Bring the Fam to America's Classic Ballpark.

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Eastern League Stories from August 26, 2010


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