Three San Jose Giants Selected to All-Star Team
Published on June 10, 2009 under California League (CalL1)
San Jose Giants News Release
San Jose, CA - Three San Jose Giants players have been named to the California League All-Star Team and will participate in a game versus the Carolina League All-Stars on June 23rd at The Diamond in Lake Elsinore. Catcher Buster Posey and outfielder Thomas Neal have both been selected as starters while outfielder Roger Kieschnick was chosen as a reserve in the All-Star contest.
Posey has enjoyed a tremendous all-around campaign in his first full season as a professional. The former first round draft pick is currently batting .308 with nine home runs and 41 RBI's in 55 games. Posey has also contributed 16 doubles and five stolen bases while he boasts a .405 on-base percentage. The Tallahassee, Florida product is sixth in the league in RBI's and tied for ninth in home runs. Defensively, the 22-year old backstop is fourth in the league having thrown out 48.9% of attempted base stealers (23-for-47).
Neal leads the Giants and is fifth in the California League (tops among outfielders) with a .332 batting average. The 21-year old is tied with Posey for the team lead in home runs (9) while he's also collected 37 RBI's and 18 doubles. Neal's .583 slugging percentage and .415 on-base mark both pace the club. The San Diego native ranks among the top 10 in the league in batting average (5th), on-base percentage (5th), slugging percentage (6th), doubles (T6th) and home runs (T9th).
Kieschnick is currently batting at a .297 clip to go with seven home runs and 30 RBI's in 56 games. The first-year player leads the Giants with four triples while he's also rapped out 10 doubles and stolen six bases. Kieschnick enjoyed a tremendous month of May when he hit .330 with three home runs.
High Desert (4) is the only team that boasts more All-Star starters than the Giants while just the Lake Elsinore Storm (5) and Mavericks (4) feature more players overall.
Posey (1st round) and Kieschnick (3rd round) were both selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 2008 draft while Neal was chosen in the 37th round in 2005. All three players will be participating in their first professional All-Star Game.
The California League All-Star squad will be led by current Lake Elsinore manager and former San Jose Giants skipper Carlos Lezcano. The Carolina League won last year's game in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina by a 3-1 score and leads the overall series with six victories, while the California League has won four games and two contests have ended in ties.
California League Stories from June 10, 2009
- Mier Earns Doubleheader Split For Sixers - Inland Empire 66ers
- Three San Jose Giants Selected to All-Star Team - San Jose Giants
- McAnaney, Collmenter Named All-Star - Visalia Rawhide
- San Jose's Late Rally Falls Short In 5-3 Loss To Blaze - San Jose Giants
- JetHawks and 66ers Kept in the Dark-Tuesday's Game Suspended - Lancaster JetHawks
- Quakes Fall to Storm 3-2 - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
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.
