The South Division All-Stars can look at the Texas League leaderboard and feel pretty good about their chances at Dr. Pepper Ballpark in Frisco on July 1. Heading the South's starting lineup will be Corpus Christi's Drew Locke, who leads the league far and away with 71 RBIs. Midland's Chris Carter and San Antonio's Craig Cooper are his closest competition, each with less than 60. They also are on the South Division roster, but will not be in the starting lineup. Carter also leads the league in runs scored with 63. Joining Locke in the starting lineup will be Midland's Adrian Cardenas, whose batting average ranks second in the league among active Texas League players, and San Antonio's Craig Cooper, who falls right behind Cardenas with a .339 mark. Corpus Christi's Collin DeLome, who tops the league with 14 home runs, will also provide the South with some pop off the bench. He's second in runs scored (54) and DeLome's five triples trail only Arkansas' Peter Bourjos, who will play for the North Division. The North Division are hardly slouches at the plate, but they dominate the league on a whole other crucial level -- pitching. Their staff is comprised of league wins leader Trey Hearne (eight), saves leader Andrew Johnston (22) and the top two strikeout kings in Jhoulys Chacin (76) and Esmil Rogers (75). The North staff won't be starved for run support, though. Two Northwest Arkansas Naturals players figure to contribute at the plate as Corey Smith (13 home runs, 49 RBIs) will start at third base and Jordan Parraz, who leads the league in batting average (.358) and on-base percentage (.451), will start in the outfield. Springfield's Daniel Decalso, who is near the top of the circuit in average (.329), hits (92), extra-base hits (38), doubles (26) and slugging percentage (.532) could be a real game-changer as the North's starting second baseman. And the South has an ace not-so-secret weapon as well. San Antonio hurler Ernesto Frieri is in the league's top 10 in ERA (3.46), wins (seven) and strikeouts (65). Wednesday's All-Star festivities begin with the 2009 home run derby at 6:45 p.m. ET, with the North's Smith, Mark Trumbo and Steven Hill taking part along with the South's DeLome, Carter and Cooper. First pitch is set for 8 p.m ET and fireworks are planned for after the game.
Josh Jackson is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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