Former Drive Named Baseball America All-Stars
Matt Barnes, who began the season in Greenville's starting rotation, was one of the starting pitchers on the second team across all levels. He was also named to the High-A all-star team. Barnes dominated during his stay in Greenville, going 2-0 in five starts, while only giving up one earned run in 26 2/3 innings, good for a 0.34 ERA. Overall, between Greenville and High-A Salem, Barnes posted a 7-5 record with a 2.86 ERA while striking out 133 batters in 119 2/3 innings.
Xander Bogaerts, who spent the second half of 2011 with the Drive, was named the second team shortstop across all levels. Bogaerts showed off his exciting potential during his time in Greenville. He hit .260 and drove in 45 runs, but most impressively, he smacked 16 homers in 72 games. He began 2012 with Salem and advanced to AA with Portland at the age of 19. His combined numbers for the season include a .307 batting average with 20 homers and 81 RBIs.
Jackie Bradley was one of the outfielders on the second team across all levels while also being named a High-A all-star. Bradley played in four games with the Drive shortly after being drafted in 2011 and went 5-15 at the plate with a homer. He began this season with Salem and hit .359 in 67 games with an unbelievable .480 on-base percentage before playing his final 61 games with Portland. For the year, Bradley finished with a .315 batting average and a .430 on-base percentage. He also scored 90 runs and had nine homers, 63 RBIs and 24 stolen bases.
Keury De la Cruz was named to the Low-A all-star team. De la Cruz spent most of 2012 with the Drive before spending the final weekend of the season with Salem. During his stint in Greenville, De la Cruz led the team in most offensive categories. He posted a .308 batting average while smacking 19 homers, driving in 81 runs and stealing 19 bases.
Miles Head was the only former Drive player to make one of the all-star teams with a different organization. After being traded to Oakland in the winter, Head posted impressive numbers at High-A before being promoted to AA and was named the third baseman on the High-A team. His eye-popping numbers include a .382 batting average, a .715 slugging percentage, 18 homers and 56 RBIs in just 67 games. In Greenville, Head hit .338 with 15 homers in 66 games before being promoted at mid-season.
Travis Shaw was named to the High-A all-star team as the first baseman. Like Bradley, Shaw spent a short period of time in Greenville after being drafted in 2011, going 3-9 in a pair of games. Shaw hit .305 in 99 games with Salem while swatting 16 homers, driving in 73 and stealing 11 bases. He was promoted to Portland in August and finished with a .287 average overall with 19 homers.