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Eastern League announces 2015 All-Stars

Ten different teams represented on list of season's top performers
August 28, 2015

The Eastern League of Professional Baseball is pleased to announce the selections for the 2015 Eastern League All-Star Team as voted on by respective Eastern League managers and coaches and media personnel.

(Statistics for games played through August 27, 2015)

Catcher: Pedro Severino, Harrisburg Senators (.247, 5 HR, 33 RBI, 32 R)
Pedro Severino is hitting .247 (78-for-316) with 13 doubles, five home runs, 33 RBIs and 32 runs scored in 88 games this season in his Double-A debut for the Harrisburg Senators. Severino has also been outstanding defensively, throwing out 39 percent of the stolen base attempts against him this season, which currently leads the league. He also leads all Eastern League catchers in assists (90) and is tied for the lead in games played (88). Pedro was selected as a member of the Western Division roster for the 2015 Eastern League All-Star Game in Portland and went 1-for-2 with one run scored. Severino was also selected by Baseball America as being the "Best Defensive Catcher" in the Eastern League this season.

First Base: Brock Stassi, Reading Fightin Phils (.311, 14 HR, 88 RBI, 71 R)
After making his Double-A debut with the Fightin Phils in 2014, Brock Stassi returned to Reading for the start of the 2015 season and has helped lead the Fightins to first place in the Eastern Division standings. Stassi is hitting .311 (136-for-438) with 31 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 88 RBIs and 71 runs scored in 123 games this season. Brock currently leads the league in RBIs (88), doubles (31), total bases (211) and OPS (.882). He is also currently ranked among the league leaders in on-base percentage (.400-2nd), walks (71-2nd), extra-base hits (46-2nd), runs scored (71-tied 2nd), batting average (.311-4th), slugging percentage (.482-4th), hits (136-6th) and home runs (14-tied 7th). Stassi also leads all Eastern League first baseman with a .995 fielding percentage, making just five errors in 105 games. Brock started at first base for the Eastern Division at the 2015 Eastern League All-Star Game in Portland and went 0-for-1 with a walk.

Second Base: Max Moroff, Altoona Curve (.298, 7 HR, 47 RBI, 75 R)
Second baseman Max Moroff is making a strong first impression in his Double-A debut for the Altoona Curve this season, hitting .298 (144-for-484) with 24 doubles, five triples, seven home runs, 75 runs scored, 47 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 126 games. Moroff currently leads the league in runs scored (75) and is also ranks among the league leaders in hits (144-2nd), total bases (199-2nd), walks (65-3rd), on-base percentage (.378-5th), batting average (.298-8th) and doubles (24-tied 10th). Max was named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the period of April 20th-April 26th. He was also the starting second baseman for the Western Division at the 2015 Eastern League All-Star Game in Portland and went 1-for-2 with one walk.

Third Base: Yandy Diaz, Akron RubberDucks (.307, 7 HR, 54 RBI, 57 R)
Yandy Diaz is hitting .307 (139-for-453) with 11 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 57 runs scored and 54 RBIs while appearing in 126 games for the Akron RubberDucks this season. Diaz, who is making his Double-A debut with Akron this season after making his professional debut with the Carolina Mudcats last year, currently leads the league in on-base percentage (.406) and walks (75). He is also ranked among the league leaders in hits (139-tied 3rd), batting average (.307-6th), total bases (179-8th) and OPS (.801-9th). Yandy, who is rated by MLB.com as the 28th best prospect in the Cleveland organization, was the starting third baseman for the Western Division at the 2015 Eastern League All-Star Game in Portland. He was also selected by Baseball America as having the "Best Strike-Zone Judgement" and being the "Best Defensive Third Baseman" in the Eastern League this season.

Shortstop: Gavin Cecchini, Binghamton Mets (.317, 7 HR, 51 RBI, 64 R)
Gavin Cecchini was promoted to the Binghamton Mets for the final game of the 2014 regular season and also appeared in three postseason games before returning to the B-Mets at the start of this season. Cecchini is hitting .317 (139-for-439) with 26 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 64 runs scored and 51 RBIs in 109 games this season. He is currently ranked among the league leaders in batting average (.317-2nd), hits (139-tied 3rd), doubles (26-tied 4th), OPS (.819-5th), total bases (194-6th), on-base percentage (.377-6th), runs scored (64-tied 7th), slugging percentage (.442-7th) and extra-base hits (37-tied 8th). Gavin, who is currently rated by MLB.com as the fifth best prospect in the New York Mets organization, was especially impressive in the month of July when he was named the Eastern League Player of the Month after hitting .387 with 21 runs scored and 18 RBIs in 29 games. He was also a member of the Eastern Division roster for the 2015 Eastern League All-Star Game in Portland and went 0-for-1 with one walk.

Outfielders

Wynton Bernard, Erie SeaWolves (.296, 4 HR, 35 RBI, 70 R)
This marks the second straight season Erie SeaWolves outfielder Wynton Bernard has been selected for the season ending All-Star Team in his respectively league, as he was a Midwest League All-Star last season with the West Michigan Whitecaps. In 123 games with the SeaWolves this season Bernard is hitting .296 (145-for-490) with 25 doubles, seven triples, four home runs, 70 runs scored, 35 RBIs and 39 stolen bases. He currently leads the league in stolen bases (39) and hits (145) and is tied for the league lead in triples (7). He is also ranked among the league leaders in runs scored (70-4th), total bases (196-4th), doubles (25-tied 8th) and batting average (.296-9th). Wynton, who is currently rated by MLB.com as the 30th best prospect in the Detroit organization, was the Eastern League Player of the Week for the period of May 18th-May 24th. He was also the starting center fielder for the Western Division at the 2015 Eastern League All-Star Game in Portland and went 1-for-4 with a triple and one run scored.

Quincy Latimore, Bowie Baysox (.269, 16 HR, 52 RBI, 66 R)
In 111 games this season Quincy Latimore is batting .269 (108-for-401) with 29 doubles, six triples, 16 home runs, 66 runs scored and 52 RBIs while helping lead the Bowie Baysox to first place in the Western Division standings. Latimore currently leads the league with 51 extra-base hits. He also ranks among the league leaders in doubles (29-tied 2nd), slugging percentage (.491-2nd), total bases (197-3rd), homers (16-tied 3rd), OPS (.823-4th), triples (6-tied 4th) and runs scored (65-tied 5th). Quincy was selected as a member of the Western Division roster for the 2015 Eastern League All-Star Game in Portland and went 0-for-1 with one walk.

Mike Tauchman, New Britain Rock Cats (.299, 3 HR, 41 RBI, 57 R)
Mike Tauchman is hitting .299 (138-for-462) with 22 doubles, six triples, three home runs, 57 runs scored, 41 RBIs and 23 stolen bases in 120 games while making his Double-A debut for the New Britain Rock Cats this season. Tauchman has set new career highs in virtually every offensive category this season and he is currently ranked among the league leaders in triples (6-tied 4th), hits (138-5th), stolen bases (23-tied 5th), total bases (181-7th) and batting average (.299-7th).

Utility Player: Josh Rodriguez, Binghamton Mets (.281, 19 HR, 73 RBI, 64 R)
Josh Rodriguez has appeared in games at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, left field and center field this season for the Binghamton Mets while batting .281 (109-for-388) with 23 doubles, three triples, 19 home runs, 73 RBIs, 64 runs scored and 11 stolen bases in 109 games. Rodriguez currently leads the league with a .503 slugging percentage. He is also ranked among the league leaders in homers (19-2nd), RBIs (73-2nd), extra-base hits (45-3rd), OPS (.870-3rd), total bases (195-5th), walks (50-5th), on-base percentage (.367-8th) and runs scored (64-tied 8th). Josh was the starting second baseman for the Eastern Division at the 2015 Eastern League All-Star Game in Portland and went 1-for-3.

Designated Hitter: Dean Green, Erie SeaWolves (.312, 15 HR, 60 RBI, 38 R)
Erie SeaWolves slugger Dean Green hit .312 with 11 doubles, one triple, 15 home runs, 60 RBIs and 38 runs scored in 90 games this season before receiving a promotion to Triple-A on August 22nd. It is the second time Green has been promoted to Triple-A this season, as he also appeared in 12 games for the Toledo Mud Hens from July 16th-July 27th. Green is currently ranked third in the league in slugging percentage (.491), on-base percentage (.389) and batting average (.312). He is also tied for fifth in RBIs (6) and ranked sixth in home runs (15). Dean was named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the period of July 27th-August 2nd and was the starting designated hitter for the Western Division at the 2015 Eastern League All-Star Game in Portland.

Right-Handed Starter: Michael Fulmer, Erie SeaWolves/Binghamton Mets (10-3, 2.06 ERA)
Michael Fulmer has combined to put together a record of 10-3 with 112 strikeouts and a 2.06 ERA in 20 starts between the Erie SeaWovles and the Binghamton Mets this season. Fulmer was promoted to Binghamton from Class-A St. Lucie on May 3rd and made 15 starts with the B-Mets before joining the SeaWolves on July 31st as part of the trade for Detroit outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. The right-hander had a record of 6-2 with a 1.88 ERA in 15 starts with Binghamton. He has continued his dominance since joining the SeaWolves, putting together a record of 4-1 with a 2.60 ERA. Fulmer currently leads all Eastern League starting pitchers in strikeouts per nine innings (8.87). He is also currently ranked among the league leaders in ERA (2.06-2nd), batting average against (.227-4th), WHIP (1.10-5th), wins (10-tied 5th) and strikeouts (104-tied 6th). Michael, who is currently rated by MLB.com as the fourth best prospect in the Detroit organization, was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the period of August 3rd-August 9th.

Left-Handed Starter: Richard Bleier, Harrisburg Senators (8-3, 2.45 ERA)
After making his season debut for the Harrisburg Senators out of the bullpen on April 12th, left-hander Richard Bleier was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse on April 15th. Bleier returned to Harrisburg on May 4th and started 15 games for the Senators before getting promoted back to Triple-A for good on July 25th. Bleier appeared in 16 games, 15 starts, for the Senators this season and had a record of 8-3 with 40 strikeouts and a 2.45 ERA over 103 innings pitched. When he was promoted to Triple-A in July he was ranked among the league leaders in WHIP (1.01-3rd), wins (8-tied 5th) and ERA (2.45-6th). Richard was selected as the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the period of May 18th-May 24th.

Relief Pitcher: Stephen Shackleford, Reading Fightin Phils (4-1, 3.99 ERA, 28 Saves)
Reading right-hander Stephen Shackleford has been closing the door on teams throughout the season for the Eastern Division leading Reading Fightin Phils, collecting a league-high 28 saves while posting a record of 4-1 with 52 strikeouts and a 3.99 ERA in 48 games this season. Those 28 saves that Shackleford has collected this season are also a new Reading franchise record, breaking the previous mark of 24 that was set by Justin Friend in 2012, Wayne Gomes in 1996 and Toby Borland in 1961. In addition to leading the league in saves, Shackleford is also tied for the league lead in games finished (41) and ranked third in appearances (48). Stephen was named to the Eastern Division roster for the 2015 Eastern League All-Star Game in Portland and gave up one walk while recording the final two outs of the top of the ninth inning.

2015 Eastern League Postseason All-Stars
NAME POS TEAM MLB ORG
Pedro Severino C Harrisburg WAS
Brock Stassi 1B Reading PHI
Max Moroff 2B Altoona PIT
Yandy Diaz 3B Akron CLE
Gavin Cecchini SS Binghamton NYM
Wynton Bernard OF Erie DET
Quincy Latimore OF Bowie BAL
Mike Tauchman OF New Britain COL
Josh Rodriguez UT Binghamton NYM
Dean Green DH Erie DET
Michael Fulmer RHP Erie/Binghamton DET/NYM
Richard Bleier LHP Harrisburg WAS
Stephen Shackleford Reliever Reading PHI