Mateo, Honeywell among FSL All-Stars

All-Star season has hit the Minors, and the Florida State League is leading the charge.

The Sunshine State's Class A Advanced circuit announced its North and South Division midseason All-Star rosters Friday afternoon with hitters dominating the former and pitching headlining the latter. The exhibition will be held Saturday, June 18 in Fort Myers.

Top Yankees prospect Jorge Mateo may be the biggest name representing the North and should provide plenty of spark from the top of the lineup. The 20-year-old shortstop leads the league with eight triples and 17 stolen bases and has a.296/.360/.477 line through 49 games for Tampa. His five home runs already represent a stateside career high. Mateo will be joined by Tampa teammates Miguel Andujar (as the North's starting third baseman) and Mark Payton (as a bench option).

Power in the North should come from Tigers No. 4 prospect Christin Stewart. The 22-year-old outfielder is tied for the Minor League lead with 15 home runs for Lakeland, giving him six more long balls than anyone in the FSL. Unsurprisingly, he also leads the league in slugging percentage (.543), total bases (101) and OPS (.925) while his 36 RBIs rank second. The most notable pitcher on the North roster might be Stewart's teammate right-hander A.J. Ladwig, who is one of two seven-game winners on the circuit and has walked only five batters in 59 innings. Ladwig also has a 2.44 ERA in his 10 appearances with the Flying Tigers.

The South roster is much more pitching-heavy, and it'll be a real competition to see who will get the starting nod in Fort Myers.

Top-100 prospects Brent Honeywell (No. 38) and Tyler Jay (No. 55) made the cut to represent Charlotte and Fort Myers, respectively. Honeywell, who is on the disabled list with right arm tenderness but is expected to return soon, is 4-0 with a 1.30 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 46 strikeouts and six walks in 41 2/3 innings. Jay overcame some initial issues with the Miracle and now sports a 2.44 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings. He fanned 11 over eight two-hit frames in his last start on Tuesday against St. Lucie.

The favorite to start, however, might be another Miracle left-hander in Stephen Gonsalves, the Twins' No. 6 prospect. The 21-year-old southpaw is 5-2 with a 2.01 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 50 strikeouts and 18 walks in 53 2/3 innings and could gain the favor of South manager Michael Johns (Charlotte) because of his connection to the home fans.

The best hitter named to the South roster is Pirates No. 11 prospect Kevin Newman, who leads the FSL with a .346 average and is tied at the top with a .414 on-base percentage. The team's backup shortstop is not too shabby in No. 2 Mets prospect Amed Rosario, who is hitting .298 with 10 steals in 52 games for St. Lucie.

The complete North Division and South Division rosters can be found at those links. Rosters will be updated as additions and subtractions are made.