Three RoughRiders Named to Post-Season All-Star Team
August 31, 2016 - Texas League (TL1)
Frisco RoughRiders News Release
Three RoughRiders Named to Post-Season All-Star Team
(Frisco RoughRiders)
FRISCO, TEXAS - The Texas League named its Post-Season All-Star Team on Wednesday, and three members of the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, made the team. Outfielder Ryan Cordell and first baseman Ronald Guzman were both selected after outstanding seasons, and hitting coach Jason Hart was named the Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Coach of the Year.
"These awards are well-deserved and are a great recognition of the hard work that sometimes goes unnoticed at the minor league level," said RoughRiders manager Joe Mikulik. "To accomplish what they have takes lot of hours and a lot of sacrifice, and it's good to see good people rewarded for their efforts."
Cordell, 24, earns his first end-of-season All-Star team selection after being named to the Texas League Mid-Season All-Star team this season and the California League Mid-Season All-Star Team last season. The Sacramento, California native leads the RoughRiders with 19 homers and 70 runs batted in, despite missing the last 24 games while on the disabled list. Cordell is batting .264 and has a team-leading 22 doubles to go along with five triples and 12 stolen bases. This year marks the third straight season for Cordell with 13-or-more homers and 12-or-more steals. He was named Texas League Player of the Week April 24, hitting .429 and hit two home runs and leading Double-A baseball with nine RBI during the week. He was also named Texas League and Texas Rangers Minor League Player of the Month for April. In 21 games during the season's opening month, Cordell hit .363 with five home runs and 22 RBI, turning in the best statistical month of his career. He finished April as the league leader in doubles (9), runs (20), and slugging percentage (.688), while placing in the top five of many other offensive categories. Texas drafted Cordell in the 11th round of the 2013 MLB draft out of Liberty University.
Guzman, 21, is in the midst of a career season. Now with Triple-A Round Rock, Guzman has posted a career high in homers (16), and his slugging percentage (.454) is currently the highest of his career as well. With the RoughRiders, Guzman hit .288, second in the league, in 102 games, blasting 15 homers, smacking 16 doubles, and collecting five triples. Like Cordell, this is Guzman's first Post-Season All-Star award after being named to the Texas League Mid-Season All-Star Team. He also participated in the Texas League Home Run Derby and played in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. The Rangers signed Guzman out of the Dominican Republic on July 2, 2011.
Hart becomes the third coach in RoughRiders history to earn the Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Coach of the Year. The award, picked by the Texas League, goes to "a long-time, dedicated minor league baseball person, one who shows a devotion to the sport and has a passion for his position as an instructor and is an example of professionalism for others to follow." Hart is in his fifth season with the RoughRiders, all as the team's hitting instructor. He also played with the RoughRiders during the 2005 season. Mike Coolbaugh's brother, Scott Coolbaugh, won the award while with the RoughRiders during its inaugural season in 2007, and Jeff Andrews earned the honor for the 2014 season. Frisco has had more coaches win the award (3) than any other team in the Texas League.
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