Storm Well Represented in California League All-Star Festivities

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. - The eyes of the Storm will be hard to miss in Lancaster next Tuesday, June 19 during California League All-Star festivities. Eight Storm players will be representing, with five pitchers and three position players, two of which have already been named starters.
"That shows the talent we have for the first half, especially the pitching," said Storm manager Edwin Rodriguez. "But also Buddy Reed, Hudson Potts and Edward Olivares. Not only did they make the All-Star team, but they've been putting up numbers and improving throughout the first half."
Heading the list for the Storm is outfielder Buddy Reed, who ranks near the top of the league in several categories and leads the league in batting (.338 avg.), hits (80) and stolen bases (29). His offensive prowess earned him California League Player of the Month for April and two Batter of the Week awards. Reed's impressive first half includes 24 multi-hit games, 13 of which were good for three hits or more, and a stretch of six consecutive multi-hit performances. The 2016 second-round pick out of Florida has been named a starter for the All-Star game.
Fellow outfielder Edward Olivares was named an All-Star as a reserve. The Venezuelan native has turned in 21 multi-hit games and has been a lock in the starting lineup nearly every game for the Storm this season. He is just one of two players in the league to have started 62 of 64 games thus far.
Third baseman Hudson Potts will represent the Storm in the starting lineup alongside Reed next week. The 19-year-old Texas native is third in the California League with 29 extra-base hits, including a team-best 10 home runs. Potts turned in a 4-for-4 performance in Rancho Cucamonga on April 21 with a pair of doubles and a home run. The right-handed Potts is hitting .306 against left-handed pitching with four home runs in just 49 at-bats and will start as the designated hitter.
Four Lake Elsinore starting pitchers earned All-Star accolades, including Pedro Avila, Chris Paddack, Reggie Lawson and Adrian Morejon.
Lawson ranks fifth in the league in pitching with a 2.84 earned run average in 11 starts totaling 57 innings. The righty from Victorville, Calif. had a big day at Modesto on May 14 when he went seven innings, giving up just one earned run on three hits to pick up the win. Right-handed hitters are batting just .218 (26-for-119) against him.
Morejon ranks 10^th in the league in pitching with a 3.66 ERA through 10 starts, tallying 54 strikeouts in 51.2 innings of labor. The Cuban southpaw has three quality starts, including seven shutout innings in a start in front of the home town fans on May 9. Lefties are just 11-for-50 (.220) against him.
Paddack has been stellar in his first season back since Tommy John surgery. The righty from Austin, Texas sports a 1.93 ERA in seven starts, with 61 strikeouts to just two walks in 37.1 innings. He did not allow a single run in five of his seven starts this year, including a stretch of 24.2 scoreless innings before surrendering his first earned run. Left-handed hitters are batting just .130 (7-for-54) against him and he's even better with runners in scoring position (.125 BAA).
Avila leads the team in quality starts this season with six. The Venezuelan right-hander has gone seven innings in four of his 10 starts. Righties are 29-for-140 (.207) against him. His big outing came early when on April 14 he tossed seven shutout innings while giving up just one hit at home against Lancaster.
Winscosin native Elliot Ashbeck will represent the eyes out of the bullpen. In 21 appearances, Ashbeck has a 2.58 ERA with 40 punchouts in just 38.1 innings. Opponents are hitting just .201 against him. He tossed two perfect innings against San Jose on May 27 in which he recorded five of the six outs via the strikeout.