08/10/2006 9:25 PM ET

ValleyCats, Cyclones top All-Stars

Both first-place teams sending six players to Aberdeen

By Peter Spadora / Special to MLB.com

 

 

 

 

The Tri-City ValleyCats and Brooklyn Cyclones, two of four first-place teams in the New York-Penn League, each will have six players at the All-Star Game on Aug. 16.

The second annual game will be played at Ripken Field in Aberdeen, Md., and will pit American League affiliates against their National League counterparts.

 

VallyCats right fielder Jordan Parraz is second in the league with a .331 batting average and is one of four Tri-City position players on the NL squad. He's joined by first baseman Eric Taylor, second baseman Greg Buchanan and catcher Maxwell Sapp.

 

Pitchers Christopher Salamida and Victor Garate are among the reasons the ValleyCats (29-20) are 2 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Oneonta Tigers (26-22) in the Stedler Division. Salamida boasts a league-best 1.02 ERA and is second with six wins, while Garate is 2-0 with a 1.15 ERA in 14 relief appearances. David Qualben is 3-3 with a 1.71 ERA in nine starts but will miss the game due to injury.

 

Pitchers Erik Brown, Jacob Ruckle and Jeremy Mizell have helped the Cyclones (29-20) overcome an 0-7 start to tie the Staten Island Yankees for the lead in the McNamara Division.

 

After struggling in 20 appearances for Class A Hagerstown, Brown has gone 3-1 with a 1.59 ERA in five starts for Brooklyn. Ruckle is 4-1 with a 2.41 ERA in nine starts and Mizell is 2-0 in 11 relief appearances, allowing one earned run over 21 innings.

 

Brown, Ruckle and Mizell may see a familiar face behind the plate as Jason Jacobs joins Sapp as catchers for the NL side. Shortstop Luis Rivera and left fielder Dustin Martin, who is among the top 10 in the league with a .321 average and 27 RBIs, are Brooklyn's other All-Stars.

 

Staten Island, Oneonta and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers each have six players for the AL squad.

 

The Yankees will have almost their entire infield in Aberdeen, with first baseman Kyle Larsen, second baseman Wilmer Pino and shortstop Mitchell Hilligoss joining catcher Francisco Cervelli. Larsen is second in the league with seven homers and 37 RBIs, while Hilligoss' .324 average ranks fifth, one point ahead of his double play partner.

 

Closer Nicholas Peterson has saved 11 of Staten Island's wins and outfielder Seth Fortenberry has gone 13-for-31 over his last seven games.

 

Matt O'Brien leads the league with seven wins and is one of three pitchers who'll represent the Tigers. Setup man Derek Witt is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA in 11 games and Brett Jensen leads the league with 13 saves.

 

Shortstop Scott Sizemore, third baseman Ronald Bourquin and outfielder Brennan Boesch are Oneonta's other representatives. Sizemore leads the circuit with a .332 batting average and 32 runs scored, while Boesch is first with 39 RBIs.

 

Mahoning Valley's top three hitters, second baseman Andrew Lytle, catcher/utility man Matthew McBride and center fielder Jason Denham will join pitchers Joshua Tomlin, Luis Valdez and Neil Wagner.

 

Lytle is batting .313 and McBride has a team-best .385 on-base percentage. Tomlin is 5-1 with a 2.25 ERA and Valdez is 6-2 with a 2.54 ERA. Both are tied for seventh in the league with 46 strikeouts.

 

The Batavia Muckdogs have a league-best 2.78 ERA and will have starter Daniel Brauer (1.88 ERA) and reliever Raymond Cruz (1.88 ERA) on the NL side. Second baseman Zachary Penprase and shortstop Jason Donald are Batavia's other All-Stars.

 

Third baseman Jacob Blackwood, left fielder Hunter Mense and right fielder Spike McDougal of the Jamestown Jammers also will play for the NL. Center fielder John Raynor was named to the team but is injured.

 

Center fielder Michael Daniel, utility man Michael Martinez and pitchers Jack Spradlin and Chris Lugo are the representatives of the Vermont Lake Monsters. Lugo had been used as a setup man, but has two saves and a win in his last three appearances.

 

State College Spikes first baseman A.J. Van Slyke, the son of former Major League center fielder Andy Van Slyke, also will play for the NL. Third baseman Allen Craig and left fielder Nathan Southard are State College's other All-Stars.

 

The Williamsport Crosscutters have two players on the NL squad. After beginning the season with Class A Hickory, catcher Francis Poni is hitting .310 in 18 games with Williamsport. Henry Cabrera has made three starts and seven relief appearances, winning all five of his decisions while posting a 2.52 ERA.

 

The host Aberdeen Ironbirds, Auburn Doubledays, Hudson Valley Renegades and Lowell Spinners complete the AL team.

 

Ironbirds first baseman Christopher Vinyard is third in the league with 32 RBIs and will be joined by third baseman Miguel Abreu and Luis Lebron, who has fanned 30 in 19 1/3 innings.

 

Renegades left fielder Ryan Royster is third in the league with six homers, while starter Jeremy Hellickson has allowed just 31 hits and struck out 58 over 51 innings. Erik Walker has a 0.64 ERA in 14 relief appearances for Hudson Valley.

 

Spinners left fielder Zachary Daeges is third in the league with a .329 batting average and catcher Luis Exposito is Lowell's other representative.

 

Pitcher Zachary Dials was selected after going 4-2 with a 1.16 ERA in 10 games (five starts) for the Doubeldays but is injured. Outfielder Benjamin Zeskind and utility man Scott Campbell are Auburn's representatives

Blackwood's been great so far....

 

Max Sapp will be a monster....he'll be an all star in MLB i think.

Dang our whole OF made the all-star game not bad!