Harper, Taillon among SAL All-Stars

NEW YORK -- It was a rainy evening April 27 in West Virginia when Bryce Harper stepped in to face Jameson Taillon. Less than a month into the Minor League season, the reigning No. 1 and No. 2 overall Draft picks went head-to-head.

On June 21, for at least nine innings, the pair will meet again on friendlier terms.

Harper, the former No. 1 overall Draft pick and top Nationals prospect, joined the Pirates' Taillon as two of the more notable selections announced by the South Atlantic League for the upcoming All-Star Game on June 21 at Delmarva.

Harper ranks second in the Class A circuit with 13 homers and 41 RBIs. His batting average has gotten as high as .396 this season with Hagerstown, a club that will send seven representatives to the game, including manager Brian Daubach.

Taillon (2-1, 3.71) will suit up alongside Harper for the SAL's Northern Division All-Stars. He's pitched well under strict pitch count limits, issuing just four walks -- one to Harper -- in 34 innings this year.

Each Sally League club received five All-Star ballots, which were distributed to the manager, coaches, media staff, members of the media, and a "fans choice" ballot. The host Shorebirds received plenty of support through the process and will also have seven coaches and players at the game.

Harper, though, will surely be a big draw for fans as he winds down his assignment with the Suns. Already tabbed for a promotion later this year, the exhibition may be one of the last times Sally League fans get a chance to see the right fielder, batting .338 with 12 steals, in action.

The teams feature several fellow recent first-round picks, including Charleston's Slade Heathcott (Yankees), Delmarva's Manny Machado (Orioles), Greensboro's Christian Yelich (Marlins), Lexington's Jiovanni Mier (Astros) and Asheville's Kyle Parker (Rockies).

The league's top slugger, Augusta's Adam Duvall, was voted to the team after leading the league with 14 homers and 42 RBIs through June 6. Blake Kelso will start at third for the Northern squad after compiling a league-best 76 hits for Hagerstown through Monday.

Asheville's Edwar Cabrera should see time on the mound for the Southern team -- he leads the league by a large margin with 96 strikeouts in 71 innings. Lakewood's David Buchanan, who owns a league-best seven wins and a solid 2.11 ERA, will share the mound with Taillon.

Savannah's Ryan Ellis will manage the Southern team opposite Daubach.

The game, formally known as The 2011 "Strike Out Hunger" South Atlantic League All-Star Game presented by Perdue, will be held at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium, the first All-Star Game the team has hosted since 1999. Below are the full rosters for both teams:

2011 South Atlantic League All-Star teams
North Division All-Star Team				South Division All-Star Team
Pitchers
PLAYER	POS	TEAM		PLAYER	POS	TEAM
David Buchanan	RHP	Lakewood		Taylor Whitenton	RHP	Savannah
Taylor Jordan	RHP	Hagerstown		Chase Huchingson	LHP	Savannah
Roman Mendez	RHP	Hickory		Edwar Cabrera	LHP	Asheville
Jameson Taillon	RHP	West Virginia		Gregory Peavey	RHP	Savannah
Brandon Cumpton	RHP	West Virginia		Taylor Rogers	RHP	Augusta
Jacob Pettit	LHP	Delmarva		Manuel Rivera	LHP	Greenville
Jared Rogers	RHP	Greensboro		Michael O'Brien	RHP	Charleston
Garett Claypool	RHP	Lakewood		Caleb Brewer	RHP	Rome
Chris Manno	LHP	Hagerstown		Shawn Sanford*	RHP	Augusta
David Walters	RHP	Delmarva		Stephen Harrold	RHP	Augusta
Lisalberto Bonilla	RHP	Lakewood		Juan Perez	RHP	Asheville
Position Players
PLAYER	POS	TEAM		PLAYER	POS	TEAM
David Freitas	C	Hagerstown		Bryce Massanari	C	Asheville
Michael Ohlman	C	Delmarva		Chris Wallace	C	Lexington
Tomas Telis	C	Hickory		J.R. Murphy	C	Charleston
Jim Murphy	1B	Lakewood		Miles Head	1B	Greenville
Ross Wilson	2B	Kannapolis		Carlos Willoughby	2B	Augusta
Blake Kelso	3B	Hagerstown		Adam Duvall	3B	Augusta
Manuel Machado	SS	Delmarva		Jiovanni Mier	SS	Lexington
Tyler Kelly	INF	Delmarva		Michael Kvasnicka*	INF	Lexington
Christian Villanueva	INF	Hickory		Brett Tanos*	INF	Asheville
Bryce Harper	RF	Hagerstown		Kyle Parker	RF	Asheville
Trayce Thompson	CF	Kannapolis		Cory Vaughn*	CF	Savannah
Brady Shoemaker	LF	Kannapolis		Brandon Jacobs	LF	Greenville
Dan Grovatt	OF	West Virginia		Adam Bailey	OF	Lexington
Christian Yelich	OF	Greensboro		Ramon Flores*	OF	Charleston
Anthony Hewitt	DH	Lakewood		Jakob Delfonso	DH	Rome
Coaches
NAME	POS	TEAM		NAME	POS	TEAM
Brian Daubach	Mgr.	Hagerstown		Ryan Ellis	Mgr.	Savannah
Ryan Minor	Coach	Delmarva		Jose Carreno	Coach	Savannah
Chris Michalak	Coach	Hagerstown		Steve Kline	Coach	Augusta
Will Lawhorn	Trainer	Delmarva		David Herrera	Trainer	Greenville

Umpires

Home: Lawrence Reeves
First: Benjamin Leake
Second: Mike Cascioppo
Third: Carlos Torres

* On June 17, the South Atlantic League announced the following roster changes for the Southern Division. Savannah pitcher Josh Edgin (promoted) will be replaced by Augusta pitcher Shawn Sanford. Charleston utility infielder Kyle Roller (injured) will be replaced by Lexington infielder Michael Kvasnicka. Savannah infielder Robbie Shields (promoted) will be replaced by Asheville's Brett Tanos as the utility infielder. Charleston's Slade Heathcott (injured) will be replaced on the roster by Charleston's Ramon Flores as utility outfielder and in center field by Savannah's Cory Vaughn.