International League 2015 Triple-A All-Star Game Roster Announced

Former Storm Chaser Blake Wood named to Starters, longtime Omaha player Irving Falu to Reserves

By International League

July 2, 2015

The International League today announced the members of its 2015 All-Star Team. The squad of 30 IL standouts will take on the Pacific Coast League in the 28th Annual First National Bank Triple-A All-Star Game, presented by Gildan, on July 15. The matchup will be broadcast live from Werner Park on MLB Network, American Forces Network, MiLB.TV, and the Triple-A All-Star Game Radio Network beginning at 7:00 p.m. CST.

The 2015 International League All-Star squad is made up of 13 elected players who have received the most votes from ballots submitted by club's field managers and general managers (1/3), members of the media (1/3), and online fan voting (1/3). The elected players are joined by 17 additional All-Stars selected by the International League office. Each of the IL's fourteen clubs will be represented in Omaha.

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The thirteen elected slots were spread across ten different teams. The League's winningest team, Indianapolis, has a pair of elected All-Stars in catcher Elias Diaz and reliever Blake Wood, plus selected second baseman Alen Hanson. Wood is a former Storm Chaser, having played parts of three seasons in Omaha while with the Kansas City organization. Like the Indians, Rochester will be sending three All-Stars to Omaha as elected second baseman James Beresford and reliever A.J. Achter are joined by selected starting pitcher Taylor Rogers.

Achter, elected for the second straight year to the IL squad, is one of five players who will be making a return trip to the Triple-A All-Star Game. That list includes the League's leading hitter Matt Hague of Buffalo, who was elected as the starting third baseman after having appeared in the event in 2011 and 2014 with Indianapolis. Jesus Aguilar of Columbus, elected at first base, will also be back for a second straight year. Two members of the Charlotte Knights contingent were on the PCL All-Star Team in 2013. Zach Phillips, selected as a reliever, joins elected designated hitter Matt Davidson, winner of the 2013 Triple-A Home Run Derby while with Reno.

In addition to Phillips and Davidson, the Knights will be represented by elected outfielder Trayce Thompson and selected starting pitcher Erik Johnson. Charlotte is one of just two teams with four All-Stars, along with South Division leader Norfolk. Outfielder Dariel Alvarez of the Tides was elected to the Team, joined by three selected All-Stars in catcher Steve Clevenger, reliever Oliver Drake, and IL ERA-leader Michael Bowden.

The two elected starting pitchers are lefties Brian Johnson of Pawtucket and Manny Banuelos of Gwinnett, each his team's lone representative. Shortstop Dixon Machado was elected as one of three Toledo Mud Hens on the IL All-Star Team, along with pitcher Buck Farmer and the June IL Player of the Month, third baseman Jefry Marte. Rounding out the slate of elected All-Stars is outfielder Taylor Motter of Durham.

Following last year's 7-3 victory in the Triple-A All-Star Game, the IL owns a 10-7 advantage in the seventeen years since the event changed to the current IL vs. PCL format. The winning League this season will once again earn the right to have its champion play as the "home team" at the Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game which will take place Tuesday, September 22 in El Paso, Texas.