Topps, MiLB name Double-A All-Stars

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Classification ERA leader Travis Wood and Topps league Players of the Year Chris Carter and Desmond Jennings are among the ten players selected to the Topps Double-A All-Star Team.

The Philadelphia Phillies are the only MLB organization with more than one player on the squad. The best performances in all Minor League Baseball classifications are again being honored by the Topps Company of New York, N.Y., in conjunction with Minor League Baseball.

Chris Carter (22) of Las Vegas, Nev., hit .337 with 24 homers and 101 RBI for the Midland RockHounds. The Texas League Player of the Year led the circuit in doubles, runs, on-base percentage, extra base hits, walks and slugging percentage. Carter also led league first baseman with a .993 fielding percentage. The Oakland Athletics acquired him as part of a December 2007 trade with Arizona.

Daniel Descalso (23) of San Carlos, Calif., smacked 26 doubles, five triples, eight home runs and hit .323 for the Springfield Cardinals. The second baseman's performance in 73 games for Springfield resulted in a promotion to Triple-A in early July. The St. Louis Cardinals selected Descalso in the third round in 2007 out of the University of California at Davis.

Neil Sellers (27) of Robards, Ky., hit .317 with an Eastern League-leading 164 hits for the Reading Phillies. Sellers finished in the top five in the league in average, slugging percentage, doubles, on-base percentage and extra base hits. He also led league third baseman with a .961 fielding percentage. The Philadelphia Phillies chose Sellers in the December 2007 Rule 5 Draft.

Eduardo Nunez (22), of Azua, Dominican Republic, finished in the top three in the Eastern League in average (.322) and hits (160). The shortstop's 70 runs were 10th best in the loop. The New York Yankees signed Nunez as a free agent in 2004.

Tyler Flowers (23), of Marietta, Ga., hit .302 with 13 homers and 43 RBI for the Birmingham Barons. The catcher added 18 doubles and had a .993 OPS, before earning a promotion to Triple-A in July. The Chicago White Sox, who obtained him as part of a December trade with Atlanta, then brought him up to the Majors in September.

Ezequiel Carrera (22), of Guiria Sucre, Venezuela, led the Southern League with a .337 average and a .441 on-base percentage. The West Tenn Diamond Jaxx outfielder had a dozen doubles, four triples and scored 68 runs in 91 games. The Seattle Mariners received Carrera from the Mets as part of a three-team, 12-player trade in December.

Desmond Jennings (23), of Birmingham, Ala., finished in the top five in average, stolen bases, triples, on-base percentage and slugging percentage in being named the Southern League's Most Valuable Player. The Montgomery Biscuits outfielder also had a .996 fielding percentage, before being promoted to Triple-A in August. The Tampa Bay Rays drafted Jennings in the 10th round in 2006 out of Itawamba (Miss.) Community College.

Michael Taylor (23), of Apopka, Fla., was tabbed as the Eastern League Rookie of the Year for hitting .333 with 15 homers and 65 RBI for the Reading Phillies. Taylor, who had 22 doubles and four triples, was promoted to Triple-A in mid-July. The Philadelphia Phillies selected him in the fifth round in 2007 out of Stanford University.

Brian Dopirak (25), of Palm Harbor, Fla., smacked 19 round-trippers and 29 doubles in pacing the Eastern League with a .576 slugging percentage. The New Hampshire Fisher Cats outfielder hit .308 with 68 RBI in 87 games before being promoted to Triple-A. The Toronto Blue Jays inked Dopirak as a free agent in March 2008.

Travis Wood (22), of Alexander, Ark., went 9-3 and led Double-A with a 1.21 ERA. The Carolina Mudcats left-hander allowed just 78 hits in 119.0 innings and paced the Southern League in WHIP (0.97) and batting average against (.189). He fanned 103 and walked just 37 in being named the SL's Most Outstanding Pitcher. The Cincinnati Reds drafted Wood in the second round in 2005 out of Bryant (Ark.) High School.

Pos.	Player	Club/League	Aff.	Avg.	HR	RBI
1B	Chris Carter	Midland/TL	OAK	.337	24	101
2B	Daniel Descalso	Springfield/TL	STL	.322	8	51
3B	Neil Sellers	Reading/EL	PHI	.317	17	86
SS	Eduardo Nunez	Trenton/EL	NYY	.322	9	55
C	Tyler Flowers	Birmingham/SL	CWS	.302	13	43
OF	Ezequiel Carrera	West Tenn/SL	SF	.337	2	38
OF	Desmond Jennings	Montgomery/SL	TB	.316	8	45
OF	Michael Taylor	Reading/EL	PHI	.333	15	65
DH	Brian Dopirak	New Hampshire/EL	TOR	.308	19	68
				W	L	ERA
P	Travis Wood	Carolina/SL	CIN	9	3	1.21