Five Red Sox Named to Carolina League All-Star Roster
SALEM, VA (June 11, 2018) - The Salem Red Sox will have strong representation at the 2018 Carolina League All-Star Classic presented by US Foods®, with five players representing the team as part of the Northern Division roster for the festivities at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, NC on Tuesday,
SALEM, VA (June 11, 2018) - The Salem Red Sox will have strong representation at the 2018 Carolina League All-Star Classic presented by US Foods®, with five players representing the team as part of the Northern Division roster for the festivities at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, NC on Tuesday, June 19, 2018.
Relievers
Gonzalez, 22, is in his second year with the Sox (and sixth pro season) and has been an indispensable piece of the pitching puzzle for the team all season. The Venezuelan righty matched a career-best and a Salem Red Sox record on Opening Day by fanning 10 batters over four innings of relief, and has posted stellar numbers all season; he enters Monday at 6-1 with a 3.13 ERA and two saves over 14 appearances. In 46 innings, Gonzalez has registered 48 strikeouts against just nine walks for a superb 5.33 K/BB. In 2017, he went 12-3 with a 2.78 ERA (36 ER/116.2 IP), a .211 opponent AVG, and a 3.77 SO/BB ratio in 29 games (12 GS) between Single-A Greenville and Salem. In his starts, Gonzalez was 8-2 with a 2.13 ERA (17 ER/71.2 IP) and a .199 opponent AVG. In 2015, he earned Red Sox Latin Program Pitcher of the year honors, going 3-3 with a 3.29 ERA for the Lowell Spinners. In his professional career, Gonzalez is 41-14 with a 2.71 ERA over 110 games.
Gorst, 23, has taken some of his college success with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and brought into the professional ranks. The righty is in his third pro season and second with the Red Sox, as he posted a 1.20 ERA in nine games with Salem in 2017. So far in 2018, Gorst is third in the league with eight saves, and has posted strong overall numbers by going 0-2 with a 1.78 ERA in a team-high 18 appearances. He has retired his first batter faced 15 of 18 times, and has a 29:6 K/BB. Gorst set Georgia Tech's single-season ERA record with a 0.55 mark (3 ER/49.0 IP) in a career-high 28 relief appearances during his junior season in 2016, and was named Second Team All-America by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Gorst was named to the Louisville Slugger All-American and Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-America high school teams in 2013, and was part of the 2013 Connie Mack World Series championship team (East Cobb Yankees). In his pro career, Gorst is 8-7 with a 2.53 ERA and 14 saves.
Baldwin, 22, came to the Sox as a mid-season and postseason All-Star in 2017, and has built on that resume in 2018. The catcher entered Monday batting .264 with six homers and 15 RBI in just 28 games on the season, slugging .464 for Salem and throwing out 43.3% of would-be base-stealers. In 2017, Baldwin paced the Greenville Drive with 14 homers, 35 doubles, 50 extra-base hits and 180 total bases. The native of Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic is in his first season with Salem and fifth professional season.
Downs, 24, has been a mainstay of the Salem lineup all season long at first, making 55 starts at the position after he was limited to only 45 games in 2017 between Greenville and the GCL Red Sox. Downs has played excellent defense at first, making only three errors thus far, and hitting five homers while driving in 23 runs. In 2016, Jerry hit five homers and drove in 24 games over 45 games with the Lowell Spinners in Short Season-A Ball. The Colombian-born first baseman is a fourth-year pro and in his first year with the Sox.
Espinal, 23, has been a breakout sensation for Salem in 2018, batting .307 through his first 51 games while belting seven homers (three more than in his first 149 professional games) and driving in 31 runs for the Sox. His .857 OPS is tops on the Salem squad, and he has swiped five bases while being caught only once. In 2017, he finished second in the South Atlantic League with 138 hits, leading the Greenville Drive in hits and triples, and finishing the season with a 12-game hitting streak.
The 2018 Carolina League All-Star Classic presented by US Foods® will be held Tuesday, June 19 at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, NC. For tickets and more information, fans can visit the website of the host team, the Carolina Mudcats.