Fisher Cats All-Star Dustin Antolin
On July 7, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats announced that relief pitcher Dustin Antolin would be one of three players heading to the 2014 Eastern League All-Star game. With his strong improvements this season, Antolin has proven that he is ready to make his All-Star debut.
Antolin grew up playing baseball in Mililani, Hawaii. In 2008, he was the 11th round pick for the Toronto Blue Jays in the draft straight out of Mililani High School. Antolin made his first minor league appearance in 2008 with the GCL Blue Jays. Since then, he has played parts of three seasons for both Lansing and Dunedin.
In 2013, Antolin joined the Fisher Cats. For the first time in his career, he struggled mightly. Antolin found himself with a 0-2 record and an ERA of 11.41 over 26 games. He struggled most at the end, making 12 appearances over July and August, but allowing 28 runs in 13.1 innings. He would end the season in Dunedin, getting the chance to end on a positive note.
This season, Antolin has worked hard to improve as a pitcher. He started a little slowly, allowing six runs in his first six appearances. However, since May 27, he has been outstanding allowing just three earned runs in more than 23 innings, posting a 1.16 ERA during that time. Heading into the All-Star break he was 3-4 with a 2.93 ERA in 23 total games.
To make this year's All-Star trip even sweeter, it will be the first of the seven-year pro's career. He'll be joined at the game by fellow reliever Randy Boone and infielder Jon Berti.