Three Power players named to 2016 SAL All-Star Team
June 7, 2016 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release
CHARLESTON, WV - The West Virginia Power, a Class-A Affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, will send three players to the South Atlantic League All-Star Game in Lexington, Kentucky, as well as athletic trainer Dom Cappozzo. Mitch Keller and Tito Polo were selected as starters while Ke'Bryan Hayes was chosen as a reserve for the Northern Division roster in the June 21 mid-season classic.
Keller, a right-handed starting pitcher and Pittsburgh's round pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft, has been among the league leaders in multiple pitching categories throughout the year. The 20-year-old is fourth in the league in ERA (1.89), second in strikeouts (64) and first in WHIP (.74). Keller, the 18th best prospect in the Pirates organization entering the season according to Baseball America, won South Atlantic League Player-of-the-Month in April after allowing just two runs in 21 innings. Keller will be the starting pitcher for the Northern Division squad.
Polo will be the starting left fielder for the Northern Division. The Colombia native, in his second season with the Power, is tied for second in the league with nine home runs, fifth in slugging percentage (.533) and fourth in stolen bases (17). Polo was signed as an international free agent in 2012.
Hayes, West Virginia's everyday third baseman, was the Pirates' supplemental first round selection in 2015. The 19-year-old entered the year ranked as the ninth best prospect in the Pirates organization by Baseball America. Hayes is hitting .287 with five home runs and a team leading 29 RBI.
Cappozzo is in his second season as trainer for West Virginia. The Waukesha, WI, native spent his first two seasons in the Pirates organization with the Jamestown Jammers.
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