Eight D-Jays Selected as All-Stars
Pitchers Sean Nolin, Egan Smith, Danny Barnes and Casey Lawrence will be joined by shortstop Kevin Nolan, first baseman Jon Talley, second baseman Ryan Schimpf, and catcher Jack Murphy.
A pair of left-handed starters, Nolin and Smith are tied for the Florida State League lead with 6 wins each. Nolin is 6-0 with a 2.51 ERA in 61 innings pitched. He has struck out 63 batters and walked just 16 over his 11 starts. Smith is 6-3 with a 3.23 ERA in 13 appearances including five starts. Smith excelled in a long relief role at the beginning of the year, and worked 5 no-hit innings of relief on April 29th against the Tampa Yankees.
Closer Danny Barnes leads the Florida State League with 16 saves, and has allowed just seven runs over 22.2 innings for a 2.78 ERA. Barnes is tied for the league lead with 23 appearances, and has already surpassed his previous career high in saves (13) which he set last season in Lansing.
Offensively, Kevin Nolan has proved to be one of the most consistent hitters in the Florida State League this season. He has also proven to be one of the most durable players in the league, starting at shortstop in all 53 Dunedin Blue Jays games so far. Nolan is currently second in the league with 67 hits, second in the league with 40 runs scored, and sixth in the league with a .319 batting average. He has 14 doubles, four triples, two home runs and 25 RBIs to go along with seven stolen bases.
Jon Talley has reinvented himself at the plate in 2012, and the Blue Jays first baseman has put up outstanding numbers. His .336 batting average ranks fourth in Florida State League, and his .430 on-base percentage ranks second. Talley has hit three home runs and collected 25 RBIs in 149 at-bats, and has walked 25 times.
Ryan Schimpf ranks second in the Florida State League with 24 extra-base hits, and he leads all FSL second basemen with 16 doubles and six home runs. His 28 RBIs rank second on the Blue Jays, as does his .486 slugging percentage. Schimpf will also participate in the home run derby.
This is the first All-Star selection for Sean Nolin, Kevin Nolan, Jack Murphy and Danny Barnes. Jon Talley was a GCL Post-Season All-Star following the 2008 season, Egan Smith was a New York-Penn League Mid-Season All-Star selection in 2009, and Ryan Schimpf was a Midwest League Mid-Season All-Star in 2010.
The 51st Florida State League All-Star Game will be played at Charlotte Sports Park, home of the Charlotte Stone Crabs, on Saturday, June 16, 2012 at 7:05 p.m. Tickets for the All-Star Game are available by calling the Charlotte Stone Crabs at 941-206-4487 or by visiting www.stonecrabsbaseball.com.
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