Four 'Dogs Named to SAL All-Star Team

CHARLESTON, SC - The South Atlantic League announced Tuesday that the Charleston RiverDogs will send four players to participate in the 52^nd SAL All-Star Game on June 21 at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland, home of the Northern Division's Delmarva Shorebirds.

 

RiverDogs center fielder Slade Heathcott earns a starting nod for the Southern Division All-Star team, while catcher J.R. Murphy and first baseman Kyle Roller come off the bench, and starting pitcher Mikey O'Brien will be available out of the bullpen.

 

Heathcott has been a vacuum cleaner in center field, and a force out of the leadoff spot for Manager Aaron Ledesma all season.  The 2009 first round pick, rated the No. 9 prospect in the Yankees' system by Baseball America, is batting .291 in 47 games, with four home runs, 11 doubles, four triples, 16 RBI, 36 runs scored and six stolen bases.

 

Like Heathcott, Murphy has made enormous strides in his second season with the RiverDogs. The Bradenton, Fla. native leads the club with 23 multi-hit games, and ranks sixth in the league in hits and 12^th in batting average.  Murphy, who has spent the bulk of his time at catcher and designated hitter, is hitting .315 with six home runs, 20 doubles, 29 RBI, and 30 runs scored.

 

Roller, a hulking left-handed hitter from East Carolina, has shown his power-hitting prowess while gaining more of a comfort level in the field at first base.  The former Cape Cod League MVP ranks eighth in the circuit in slugging percentage and OPS.  An eighth round pick of the Yankees in the 2010 draft, Roller is raking at a .312 clip with a team-leading nine home runs as well as 17 doubles, 29 RBI and 29 runs scored.

 

O'Brien, a 5-11 right-hander from Roanoke, Va., has been a consistent presence in the Charleston rotation.  A 2010 New York-Penn League Mid-Season All-Star a year ago, O'Brien holds a 3-4 record with a 3.79 ERA over 11 starts, while striking out 56 batters in 59.1 innings.  The 2008 ninth round selection has worked at least five frames in nine of his 11 outings, while fanning at least six batters in six of those showings.

 

The Savannah Sand Gnats lead all league squads with six players selected.  Delmarva, Hagerstown, and Lakewood all have five players receiving the honors from the Northern Division.

 

 

 

--RIVERDOGS--