Bonifacio, Dozier Selected For Futures Game

Two Omaha Storm Chasers players, infielder Hunter Dozier and outfielder Jorge Bonifacio, have been invited to participate in the 2016 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in San Diego. The game will take place during MLB All-Star Weekend at Petco Park in San Diego, California on July 10, and will be broadcast live nationally on MLB Network at 6:00 p.m. CT.

Bonifacio who will play for the World Team, enters play on Tuesday leading the Storm Chasers is most offensive statistical categories and owns a .299 average with 12 homers and 51 RBI in 74 contests with Omaha. He ranks fourth in the Pacific Coast League with 147 total bases coming into tonight's contest.

 

 

The 23-year-old paces all Royals farmhands with 51 RBI, in addition to ranking tied for third with his 12 home runs. He entered the 2016 campaign as the No. 11 Royals prospect according to Baseball America and was signed by Kansas City as a non-drafted free agent on December 9, 2009.

Dozier, who will play for Team USA, began the 2016 campaign with Double-A Northwest Arkansas before being promoted to Omaha on May 7, combining for a .301 average (83-276) along with 39 runs, 22 doubles, 15 homers and 44 RBI. The 15 roundtrippers have already set a single-season career-high for the 24-year-old and lead all Kansas City minor league players.

 

 

In 47 contests with the Storm Chasers he has compiled a .298 clip (54-181), adding 25 runs, 14 doubles, seven longballs and 23 RBI. The Texas native was selected by the Royals as the eighth overall selection in the 2013 MLB Draft out of Stephen F. Austin University.

The year marks the first time either player has been invited to play in the MLB All-Star Futures Game. Omaha also had two representatives invited to play in the 2015 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in infielders Cheslor Cuthbert and Balbino Fuenmayor. Fuenmayor was unable to play in that contest, however, due to injury.

The Storm Chasers are set to wrap up their four-game road series in Nashville this evening, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT at First Tennessee Park. Omaha is slated to give the nod to RHP Miguel Almonte (3-5, 5.04), while Nashville is anticipated to send RHP Chris Smith (4-6, 4.47) to the hill.

Omaha is then set to return home to Werner Park to start a four-game homestand versus the Memphis Redbirds on Thursday, June 30. First pitch of the series opener is set for 7:05 p.m. CT.

Tickets for those contests and all remaining Storm Chasers home dates are still available and can be purchased online at www.omahastormchasers.com/tickets or by calling the Werner Park Ticket Office at (402) 738-5100.