IL to sail into Salt Lake on Clippers

NEW YORK -- Columbus has been the premier team in Triple-A baseball this season, so it's no surprise that the International League All-Stars -- announced Thursday -- boast four Clippers.

Jason Kipnis' name peppers the IL leaderboard just as he has peppered the fences at parks around the circuit. The Indians prospect is first in runs scored and triples and second in both total bases and slugging. He will start at second for the IL at the July 13 event in Salt Lake City.

Another Columbus infielder, Luis Valbuena, is fifth in the league in both RBIs and slugging and had a 19-game hitting streak in late May and early June. Those two have led an offense that has scored 53 more runs than any other IL club.

Columbus has three starters tied for second in the league in wins with eight, and two of them made the roster -- Zach McAllister and Jeanmar Gomez.

The team directly behind Columbus in the West, the Louisville Bats, matches its rival with four players on the IL roster. Reds shortstop prospect Zack Cozart has had a standout season and currently sits third in the league in runs scored and fourth in total bases.

He'll start at short and look in at teammate Devin Mesoraco, who starts behind the plate. One of the top catching prospects in all of baseball, Mesoraco has not disappointed in his first full season at Triple-A. He currently sits third in the league in both on-base and slugging percentage.

Two more Bats will lead the IL offensive. Jeremy Hermida has had a bit of a career rebirth with Louisville. He currently leads the league with a .344 batting average and a .434 on-base percentage. Slugger and 2008 first-round pick Yonder Alonso was the fourth Louisville bopper named to the squad.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's Jorge Vazquez leads the league in home runs with 20, four more than his closest rival, and he gets the expected nod at first base. White Sox prospect Dayan Viciedo and Rays prospect Desmond Jennings are also part of the IL team.

Joining McAllister and Gomez on the pitching staff is Gwinnett's Julio Teheran. The top pitching prospect in the Minor Leagues, Teheran leads the IL with a 1.79 ERA and is third in batting average against. Teheran leads a group of four G-Braves to Salt Lake.

League strikeout leader Tom Milone of Syracuse will also be on the team, as will saves leader Kevin Whelan of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The complete roster is below. The PCL announced its roster Wednesday.

2011 International League All-Star Team
Starters
POS	PLAYER	TEAM	AFFILIATE
C	Devin Mesoraco*	Louisville	Cincinnati
2B	Jason Kipnis*	Columbus	Cleveland
3B	Russ Canzler*	Durham	Tampa Bay
OF	Brandon Guyer*	Durham	Tampa Bay
OF	Jeremy Hermida*	Louisville	Cincinnati
OF	Dayan Viciedo*	Charlotte	Chicago (AL)
DH	Stefan Gartrell*	Gwinnett	Atlanta
Reserve Position Players
POS	PLAYER	TEAM	AFFILIATE
C	Erik Kratz	Lehigh Valley	Philadelphia
INF	Mauro Gomez	Gwinnett	Atlanta
INF	Matt Hague	Indianapolis	Pittsburgh
INF	Will Rhymes	Toledo	Detroit
INF	Matt Antonelli	Syracuse	Washington
OF	Yonder Alonso	Louisville	Cincinnati
IF	Ray Olmedo	Durham	Tampa Bay
OF	Jose Constanza	Gwinnett	Atlanta
Reserve Pitchers
POS	PLAYER	TEAM	AFFILIATE
RHP	Matt Fox	Pawtucket	Boston
LHP	Chuck James	Rochester	Minnesota
RHP	Shane Lindsay	Charlotte	Chicago (AL)
RHP	Zach McAllister*	Columbus	Cleveland
LHP	Tom Milone	Syracuse	Washington
RHP	Michael Schwimer*	Lehigh Valley	Philadelphia
RHP	Chris Schwinden	Buffalo	New York (NL)
RHP	Adam Warren^	Scranton/Wilkes-Barre	New York (AL)
LHP	Mark Worrell	Norfolk	Baltimore
LHP	Mike Zagurski	Lehigh Valley	Philadelphia
Field Staff
POS	NAME	TEAM	AFFILIATE
Manager	Mike Sarbaugh	Columbus	Cleveland
Coach	Rich Dotson	Charlotte	Chicago (AL)
Coach	Dean Treanor	Indianapolis	Pittsburgh
Trainer	Mike Graus	Gwinnett	Atlanta

* denotes elected to the team by a combination of the vote of fans, general managers, field staffs and media members.

^ Note: The International League announced on July 5 that the following players would not participate in the All-Star Game: Gwinnett pitcher Julio Teheran, Columbus infielder Luis Valbuena and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitcher Kevin Whelan. No replacements have been announced.

On June 8, the International League announced that Louisville infielder Zack Cozart, Durham outfielder Desmond Jennings, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre catcher Jesus Montero and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre first baseman Jorge Vazquez will not attend the All-Star Game. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitcher Adam Warren has been added to the roster.

On July 9, the International League announced that Columbus pitcher Jeanmar Gomez will not attend the All-Star Game. Durham infielder Ray Olmedo has been added to the roster.

On July 10, the International League added Matt Antonelli to the roster.