Seven Suns Named 2016 Southern League All-Stars
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Southern League announced that seven Jacksonville Suns have been named to the league's South Division All-Star squad for the 2016 Southern League All-Star Game on Tuesday, June 21, at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Mississippi.
Pitchers Tyler Bremer, Austin Brice, and Jake Esch, along with outfielders Austin Dean and Moises Sierra, plus utility infielder Peter Mooney and utility outfielder Yefri Perez will represent the Suns as South Division All-Stars. The Suns have more representatives on the South Division roster than any club, and the seven Jacksonville All-Stars are the most of any Southern League club in 2016.
Bremer has more wins than any other Suns reliever in his first full season at the Double-A level. Currently Bremer is 4-3 with a 1.84 ERA, allowing only six earned runs in his 29 and a third innings pitched during 19 relief appearances. This is the third All-Star selection in Bremer's career, after being a Northwest League Midseason All-Star for the Boise Hawks in 2013, and a year ago in 2015 he was a Florida State League Midseason All-Star with the Jupiter Hammerheads. Bremer, 26, was acquired by the Marlins in an August 2014 trade with the Chicago Cubs. He was originally drafted by the Cubs in the 27th round of the 2012 draft out of Baylor University.
Brice leads the Suns in innings pitched, and is 3-5 with a 2.25 RA in 12 starts this season for the Suns. Brice is fifth in the league with his 2.25 ERA, is fifth in the league in innings pitched (68), and has the fifth-lowest batting average against (.220). This is the first league All-Star selection of Brice's career, although he was named a 2011 MiLB.com Marlins Organizational All-Star. Brice, 23, was selected by the Marlins in the ninth round of the 2010 draft out of Northwood High School in Pittsboro, North Carolina., and he is listed by Baseball America as the Marlins No. 14 prospect for 2016.
This is the second consecutive season that Esch has been named a Southern League Midseason All-Star. In 12 starts, Esch has gone 6-4 with a 4.16 ERA in 62 and two-thirds innings of work. Esch is tied for second in the league with his six wins, and tied for the league lead with his 12 starts. Esch, 26, was selected by the Marlins in the 11th round of the 2011 draft out of Georgia Tech, and is listed by Baseball America as the Marlins No. 13 prospect for 2016.
Dean led the Southern League in runs batted in during most of the first two months of the year. Currently Dean is hitting .259 with six home runs, and 36 RBI. This is the third All-Star selection of Dean's career, and he has been named a Midseason All-Star in each of his first three full professional seasons. Dean was a 2014 South Atlantic League Midseason All-Star with the Greensboro Grasshoppers, and a 2015 Florida State League Midseason All-Star with the Jupiter Hammerheads. Dean was also named a "Rising Star" in the prestigious Arizona Fall League in 2015. Dean, 22, is listed by Baseball America as the Marlins No. 7 prospect for this season, and he was selected by Miami in the fourth round of the 2012 draft out of Klein Collins High School in Spring, Texas.
After hitting .280 in April, Sierra caught fire in May, hitting .361 with six homers and 13 RBI during the 22 games that month. Sierra is currently hitting .322 with seven home runs and 23 RBI. Sierra currently has the third best batting average in the league (.322), fifth best on-base percentage (.400), and fifth best slugging percentage (.526). This is the third All-Star selection of Sierra's career, after he was a Florida State League Midseason All-Star with the Dunedin Blue Jays in 2009, and an Eastern League Midseason All-Star with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2011. Sierra, 27, was signed by the Marlins as a minor league free agent on Dec. 31, 2015, and he played parts of three seasons in the major leagues from 2012-14 with the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago White Sox.
Mooney has proven to be a valuable member of the Suns infield, getting playing time at second base, shortstop, and third base. Mooney is currently hitting .288 with two homers and 11 RBI. This is the first All-Star selection of Mooney's career. Mooney, 25, was signed by the Marlins as a minor league free agent in December 2015 after playing last season for the independent New Jersey Jackals in the Can-Am League.
Perez is currently second in Minor League Baseball with 33 stolen bases, in addition to leading the Southern League in the category. Currently Perez is hitting .246 with one home run and 20 RBI. This is the third All-Star selection in Perez's career, after being a Florida State League Midseason and Postseason All-Star in 2015 with the Jupiter Hammerheads. Perez, 25, was signed by the Marlins as an international free agent on Dec. 23, 2008 from Bani, Dominican Republic.
The players were selected by a vote of Southern League field managers, radio broadcasters, general managers and print media. The 2016 All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday June 21 at Trustmark Park, home of the Mississippi Braves at 8:30 p.m. ET. The starting lineups for the North and South Division squads will be announced by the league later this week, with possible Suns starters announced on Friday June 10.
The Suns continue their series in Chattanooga at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, when Suns left-hander Matt Tomshaw (0-0) is scheduled to face Lookouts right-hander Aaron Slegers (2-4). The Suns return home on Wednesday, June 15, for Underwood's Date Night, when a package of two tickets, two hot dogs, two drinks and popcorn is $20 at the box office.
ABOUT THE SUNS: The Jacksonville Suns are beginning a new era of affordable family fun under new ownership in 2016. With a FUNdamentally Different promotional schedule and a new lineup of ticket packages for the upcoming season, there is a reason for everyone to get part of the action by calling the Suns at (904) 358-2846 or visiting www.jaxsuns.com.