IL1 Syracuse Mets

Three Chiefs Named to Triple-A All-Star Game

Published on July 2, 2009 under International League (IL1)
Syracuse Mets News Release


Syracuse, NY - The International League today announced the members of its 2009 All-Star team. The squad of 28 IL standouts will take on the Pacific Coast League's best in the 22nd annual Triple-A All-Star Game, slated for July 15 in Portland, Oregon. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. pacific daylight time and can be seen live on ESPN2.

The 2009 International League All-Star squad is made up of 13 elected players who have received the most votes from ballots submitted by clubs' field managers and general managers (1/3), members of the media (1/3), and online fan voting (1/3). The elected players are joined by 15 additional All-Stars selected by the International League office. Each of the IL's 14 clubs will be represented in Portland.

The Syracuse Chiefs are among five IL clubs with three representatives on the Team. Second baseman Seth Bynum was elected to start the game, while outfielder Jorge Padilla and pitcher JD Martin were selected as reserves.

Bynum is currently tied for the Chiefs team lead in home runs and RBI. His 12 home runs are good for fourth in the IL while his 41 RBI place him in a tie for 14th. Padilla is currently second in the IL with a .365 batting average and Martin ranks third in the league in ERA (2.25) and is tied for second in wins (8).

The last time three Syracuse players made the IL All-Star team was 2001 when Matt DeWitt, John Dillinger, and Chris Latham represented the Chiefs in Indianapolis.

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, owners of the League's best record at 44-32, are also sending three All-Stars to Portland, including two-thirds of the elected outfielders in Shelley Duncan, who leads the IL in home runs (21) and RBI (65), and Austin Jackson, 5th in the IL with a .320 average. Catcher Chris Stewart was also selected to the All-Star Team from Scranton/WB.

Columbus also has two elected All-Stars in third baseman Andy Marte and catcher Wyatt Toregas, who will be accompanied to Portland by Clippers outfielder Jordan Brown. The other clubs with three All-Stars are Gwinnett (1B Barbaro Canizares-elected, 2B Brooks Conrad, and P Luis Valdez) and Lehigh Valley (DH Mike Cervenak-elected, 1B Andy Tracy, and P Andrew Carpenter).

Pawtucket and Norfolk combined to claim the four elected pitching positions. PawSox starter Clay Buchholz, the overall leader in the online fan voting, is headed to Portland along with Norfolk starter Chris Tillman. The two men currently tied for the League lead in saves are the two elected relievers - Pawtucket's Fernando Cabrera and Norfolk's Jim Miller, each of whom has 16 saves.

Eight members of the 2009 IL All-Star Team will be making a return trip to the Triple-A All-Star Game. That list includes the aforementioned Canizares ('08 w/ Richmond), Cervenak ('05 w/ Fresno), Duncan ('07 w/ Scranton/WB), Marte ('06 w/ Buffalo), and Tracy ('00 w/ Ottawa), as well as starting pitchers Justin Lehr of Louisville ('07 w/ Tacoma) and Nelson Figueroa of Buffalo ('00 w/ Tucson), plus Durham's Reid Brignac, who is the IL's elected shortstop for the second straight season.

Several of baseball's top prospects are International League All-Stars, including the likes of Brignac, Buchholz, Jackson, and Tillman, plus elected outfielder Drew Stubbs of Louisville and selected pitcher Anthony Swarzak of Rochester.

The International League looks to rebound from a disappointing 6-5 loss in the 2008 Triple-A All-Star Game, which broke a two-year winning streak over the Pacific Coast League. The PCL now owns a 6-5 advantage in the 11 years since the Game changed to the current IL vs. PCL format. The winning League this season will once again earn the right to have its champion play as the "home team" at the Bricktown Showdown Triple-A Championship Game in Oklahoma City this September.

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International League Stories from July 2, 2009


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