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Liriano named Midwest's top prospect

Lansing's Redmond hailed as Manager of the Year on circuit
August 29, 2011
Rymer Liriano may not be among the top statistical leaders this season, but Midwest League managers certainly took notice of the Padres' speedy outfield prospect.

Liriano was named the circuit's Most Valuable Player and Prospect of the Year on Monday as the league announced its 2011 Postseason All-Star team. Lansing's Mike Redmond earned Manager of the Year honors as well.

For Liriano, Fort Wayne's right fielder, the two awards come after hitting .319 with 11 homers and 57 RBIs in 108 games for the TinCaps. His 62 stolen bases ranked second in the circuit, but weren't even close to the league leader, Dayton's Billy Hamilton, who earned All-Star honors at shortstop with 92 steals.

Liriano, briefly promoted to the Class A Advanced California League, ranked fifth with 135 hits, third with eight triples and tied for seventh with 27 doubles. He also made nine errors.

Lansing's Michael Crouse and Jake Marisnick joined Liriano as the All-Star outfielders. Marisnick, Toronto's third-round pick in 2009, put up some pretty strong numbers himself, hitting .323 with 13 homers, 76 RBIs, 141 hits and 35 stolen bases. His .364 average with runners in scoring position was nearly 100 points higher than Liriano's.

West Michigan's infield -- second baseman Hernan Perez, catcher Rob Brantly and third baseman Nick Castellanos -- anchored the All-Star infield, which also includes Lake County first baseman Jesus Aguilar and Hamtilton at short.

Burlington's Josh Whitaker was voted the top designated hitter.

A pair of Bowling Green hurlers were recognized among the top pitchers: C.J. Riefenhauser was chosen as the top left-handed starter, while Chris Rearick was named the best southpaw reliever. Kane County's Greg Billo and Dayton's Drew Hayes also made the squad.

Redmond earned top managerial honors -- the Lugnuts are 33-29 and headed to the playoffs.

The team was selected by the field managers of the 16 Midwest League member clubs. The full roster is below:

2011 Midwest League Postseason All-Star Team
Position Players
POS PLAYER TEAM AFFILIATE
C Rob Brantly West Michigan Detroit
1B Jesus Aguilar Lake County Cleveland
2B Hernan Perez West Michigan Detroit
3B Nick Castellanos West Michigan Detroit
SS Billy Hamilton Dayton Cincinnati
OF Michael Crouse Lansing Toronto
OF Rymer Liriano Fort Wayne San Diego
OF Jake Marisnick Lansing Toronto
DH Josh Whitaker Burlington Oakland
Starting Pitchers
POS PLAYER TEAM AFFILIATE
RHP Greg Billo Kane County Kansas City
LHP C.J. Riefenhauser Bowling Green Tampa Bay
Relief Pitchers
POS PLAYER TEAM AFFILIATE
RHP Drew Hayes Dayton Cincinnati
LHP Chris Rearick Bowling Green Tampa Bay

Most Valuable Player: Rymer Liriano, Fort Wayne
Prospect of the Year: Rymer Liriano, Fort Wayne
Manager of the Year: Mike Redmond, Lansing

Danny Wild is an editor for MLB.com.