ST. PETERSBURG, FL-Eric Krupa, president of the South Atlantic League, has announced the rosters for the 55th Annual SAL All-Star Game, scheduled to be played on June 17, 2014, at L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory, North Carolina, home of the Hickory Crawdads.
For the Northern Division, two teams each placed six players on the roster. The Greensboro Grasshoppers provide starting catcher Chad Wallach, first baseman Felix Munoz and left fielderCarlos Lopez. The Hagerstown Suns provide second baseman Wilmer Difo.
The Delmarva Shorebirds contribute five players, including starting pitcher Hunter Harvey, third baseman Drew Dosch and right fielder Mike Yastrzemski. The Lakewood BlueClaws provide four players, including shortstop J.P. Crawford, who received more votes than any other player on either squad, and designated hitter Willians Astudillo. The Hickory Crawdads and West Virginia Power each provide two players, with Hickory's Evan Van Hoosier named as the starter in center field. The Kannapolis Intimidators contribute one player to the Northern Division roster.
Hagerstown manager Patrick Anderson will skipper the Northern Division All-Stars. Anderson is in his first season in the league, and his second year as a manager in the Minor Leagues. Anderson will be assisted by Hickory manager Corey Ragsdale, Hagerstown coach Luis Ordaz and Hagerstown pitching coach Sam Nerron. Handling the athletic trainer's duties for the Northern Division will be Hickory's Sean Fields.
For the Southern Division, the Savannah Sand Gnats led the division with seven players, including starting second baseman Jeff McNeil and shortstop Gavin Cecchini. The Charleston RiverDogs and Greenville Drive each provide four players, with Charleston's Mike Ford starting at first base and Aaron Judge in right field. Greenville's Jake Romanski is the starting catcher. Three teams each placed three players on the team. The Asheville Tourists provide starting third baseman Ryan McMahon, center fielder David Dahl and designated hitter Correlle Prime while the Augusta GreenJackets provide starting pitcher Matthew Lujon. The Rome Braves supply left fielder Victor Reyes. The Lexington Legends supply two players to the Southern Division roster.
Savannah skipper Luis Rojas will manage the Southern Division squad for the second consecutive year. Rojas is in his fourth season as a manager, and his ninth overall as a member of the New York Mets organization. Rojas will be joined on the Southern Division coaching staff by Greenville manager Darren Fenster and Greenville pitching coach Paul Abbott. Asheville's Billy Whitehead will serve as the team's athletic trainer.
Both all-star teams will be represented by 26 players, selected by the votes of the team's managers and coaching staffs, local media and front office executives. L.P. Frans Stadium will be hosting it second SAL All-Star Game. The other time the All-Star Game was held in Hickory was in 1994, when the National League All-Stars defeated the American League All-Stars 9-5. The annual SAL All-Star Game dates to 1960, when the All-Stars defeated the Salisbury club, 6-2, in Newton, NC.
The first pitch of the 2014 All-Star Game is scheduled at 7:00pm. More information can be found on the website of the Hickory Crawdads at www.hickorycrawdads.com
NORTHERN DIVISION
Patrick Anderson, Manager - Hagerstown
Corey Ragsdale, Coach - Hickory
Sam Nerron, Coach - Hagerstown
Luis Ordaz, Coach - Hagerstown
Sean Fields, Athletic Trainer - Hickory
PITCHERS
Hunter Harvey - Delmarva
Cody Forsythe - Lakewood
Domingo German - Greensboro
Cody Kendall - Hickory
Matt Milroy - Greensboro
Nick Pivetta - Hagerstown
Jake Sanchez - Kannapolis
Sebastian Vader - Delmarva
Austin Voth - Hagerstown
Jake Walsh - Hagerstown
Jimmy Yacabonis - Delmarva
CATCHERS
Chad Wallach, Catcher - Greensboro
Spencer Kieboom, Catcher - Hagerstown
Reese McGuire, Catcher - West Virginia
FIRST BASEMAN
Felix Munoz - Greensboro
SECOND BASEMAN
Wilmer Difo - Hagerstown
THIRD BASEMAN
Drew Dosch -Delmarva
SHORTSTOP
J.P. Crawford - Lakewood
UTILITY INFIELDER
Erich Weiss - West Virginia
UTILITY INFIELDER
John Wooten - Hagerstown
RIGHT FIELD
Mike Yastrzemski - Delmarva
CENTER FIELD
Evan Van Hoosier - Hickory
LEFT FIELD
Carlos Lopez - Greensboro
UTILITY OUTFIELDER
Austin Dean - Greensboro
UTILITY OUTFIELDER
Samuel Hiciano - Lakewood
DESIGNATED HITTER
Willians Astudillo - Lakewood
