Sports stats



FL Florence Y'alls

Three Freedom Players Voted League All-Stars

July 6, 2015 - Frontier League (FL)
Florence Y'alls News Release


Florence Freedom All-Stars
Florence Freedom All-Stars
(Florence Y'alls)

(Florence, KY) - The Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, are happy to announce that catcher Gaby Juarbe, infielder Sam Eberle and infielder Daniel Fraga will play for the East Division in the 2015 Frontier League All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 15 in Schaumburg, IL.

All three players were named to the all-star team thanks to a vote of the league's general managers, broadcasters, managers, coaches and local media.

This is the first all-star selection for catcher Gaby Juarbe, presented by Klosterman Baking Company. He will start for the east at catcher. As of Monday, July 6, Juarbe is hitting .333 with two home runs and 17 RBI in 30 games. Highlights of his season so far include a career-high five-hit game against Rockford on June 30 and a career-high two home runs and six-RBI game against Schaumburg on June 13.

"Juarbe has really impressed our coaching staff, and his peers, for that matter," Freedom manager Dennis Pelfrey said. "He is off to a fantastic start this year with a chance to lead us into the playoffs with a strong second half. His off-season work has paid off for him, coming in as a second year pro."

After not getting a lot of playing time during the first part of the 2014 season, Juarbe got his chance after the Freedom traded 2014 All-Star catcher Joe Staley to River City. In 32 games for Florence in 2014, Juarbe hit .244 with nine RBI while playing excellent defense behind the plate. Juarbe hit .320 his senior season at Union College. He smacked 7 HR and drove in 49 runs for the NAIA school in Kentucky. He walked 21 times while only striking out 18 times.

This is the second all-star selection for infielder Sam Eberle, presented by Loyal Green. As of Monday, July 6, Eberle is hitting .306 with four home runs and 17 RBI in 45 games. He currently leads the Freedom with 18 multi-hit games while playing a very solid first base for Florence.

"Eberle is a proven player here in the Frontier League," Pelfrey said. "He continues to hit. He is a leader for us, a staple in the middle of our order, and a pro. We couldn't ask for a better first baseman on our club. Defensively he finishes plays for what we believe is the best infield in the league."

Eberle led the Frontier League in OBP in 2014 as he reached base 46.2 percent of the time he came to the plate. His .346 batting average and 64 walks were both good for third in the league. The corner infielder led the Freedom in nearly every offensive category including batting average, runs scored (53), hits (110), doubles (22), home runs (8, tied with Rob Kelly), RBI (45), total bases (160), walks, OBP, SLG (.503), and OPS (.965). He was named both a mid-season and a post-season all-star last season.

Eberle hit five home runs and drove in 30 runs in 2013 with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes of the short-season single-A Northwest League. He also tallied 14 doubles. The Jacksonville State University product and Chattanooga, TN native spent two years in the San Francisco Giants' organization, both with Salem-Keizer. Eberle is also patient at the plate, drawing 35 walks in 2013 while only striking out 36 times. He plays both corner infield spots and can catch as well. The Giants selected Eberle in the 25th round of the 2012 MLB June Amateur Draft.

This is the first all-star selection for rookie infielder Daniel Fraga, presented by Domino's. As of Monday, July 6, Fraga is hitting .289 with one HR and 13 RBI in 44 games. His .409 OBP ranks second on the team and his 19 stolen bases are tied for second in the league.

"Fraga has proven to be a very dangerous hitter in this league," Pelfrey said. "He is a tough out and is able to fight off tough pitches at the plate along with being a threat on the bases. He is one of the best rookies in the league and an outstanding defender at second base as well."

Fraga played his final two seasons of college baseball at D-II UNC Pembroke after transferring from Catawba Valley CC. After posting solid numbers in 2013 (.315 batting average, 31 walks, only 21 strike outs in 54 games), he shined in 2014, leading the team in batting average (.392 in 51 games), OBP (.474) and stolen bases (21 steals in 25 attempts).

Fraga was among 50 players named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-American Team. (He was a 2nd Team selection). Fraga was named to both the Daktronics and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) squads as well. A stalwart on defense, Fraga committed just six errors in 261 total defensive chances (.977) as the starting second baseman UNC Pembroke in 2014. He was also named first team all-Peach Belt Conference.

To keep up with all the latest Florence Freedom news and to learn about exclusive deals and contests, make sure to like the team on Facebook and follow the team on Twitter.

The Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, are members of the Frontier League of Professional Baseball. The Frontier League is the oldest continuously operating independent professional league, entering its 23rd season in 2015. For more information about the Frontier League visit www.frontierleague.com.

Check out the Florence Y'alls Statistics




Images from this story

Florence Freedom All-Stars
Florence Freedom All-Stars
   

• Discuss this story on the Frontier League message board...

Frontier League Stories from July 6, 2015


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.

Other Recent Florence Y'alls Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central