Portland, Maine - The Eastern League of Professional Baseball is pleased to announce
the selections for the 2011 Eastern League All-Star Team, as voted on by respective
Eastern League team managers and coaching staffs, sportswriters, radio and television
broadcast personnel and other members of the media. Statistics listed for all players are for games played in the Eastern League only and are for games played through Wednesday, August 24, 2011.
Catcher:
Travis d'Arnaud, New Hampshire Fisher Cats
(.321, 18 HR, 71 RBI, 70 R)
This is the second straight season that Travis d'Arnaud has been named to the
season ending All-Star Team for his respective league. After being selected
as a catcher on the Florida State League All-Star Team as a member of the Dunedin
Blue Jays last season, d'Arnaud followed that up by hitting .321 (126-for-393)
with 32 doubles, 19 home runs, 71 RBI and 70 runs scored in 106 games for the
New Hampshire Fisher Cats this season to become an Eastern League All-Star.
Travis is currently ranked second in the league in slugging percentage (.552)
and is also ranked among the league leaders in OPS (.934-3rd), extra-base hits
(52-tied 4th), batting average (.321-5th), total bases (217-5th), home runs
(19-tied 5th), RBI (71-7th), on-base percentage (.382-7th), doubles (32-tied
7th), and runs scored (70-tied 7th). The 22-year old was the starting catcher
for the Eastern Division at the 2011 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star
Game and was also selected by Baseball America as the "Best Defensive Catcher"
in the Eastern League this season.
First Base:
Tyler Moore, Harrisburg Senators
(.267, 28 HR, 81 RBI, 65 R)
Tyler Moore has proven that his 2010 campaign in which he hit 31 home runs
and drove in 111 runs and was the Carolina League MVP as a member of the Potomac
Nationals was no fluke with his performance with the Harrisburg Senators this
season. Moore is batting .267 (129-for-484) with 29 doubles, four triples, 28
home runs, 81 RBI and 65 runs scored in 126 games in his Double-A debut with
Harrisburg this season. The 24-year old slugger currently leads the league in
home runs (28), RBI (81), total bases (250) and extra-base hits (61) and is
ranked fifth in the league in slugging percentage (.517) and tied for tenth
in hits (129). Tyler was the starting first baseman for the Western Division
at the 2011 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game, was named the
Eastern League Player of the Week for the period of May 23rd-29th and was also
selected by Baseball America as the "Best Power Prospect" in the Eastern League
this season.
Second Base:
Yangervis Solarte, New Britain Rock Cats
(.318, 5 HR, 40 RBI, 55 R)
After hitting .276 with 19 RBI and 14 runs scored in a 32 game stint with
the Rock Cats last May and June that was cut short due to a knee injury, second
baseman Yangervis Solarte returned to New Britain for the start of the 2011
season and is doing a great job of making up for lost time. In 109 games with
the Rock Cats this season Solarte is hitting .318 (129-for-406) with 30 doubles,
three triples, five home runs, 55 runs scored and 40 RBI. The 24-year old is
currently ranked sixth in the league in batting average (.318), tied for tenth
in hits (129) and tied for tenth in doubles (30). Earlier this season Yangervis
was named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the period of April 25th-May
1st and he was also a member of the Eastern Division roster for the 2011 Northeast
Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game and went 0-for-2 with one walk and
one run scored.
Third Base:
Will Middlebrooks, Portland Sea Dogs
(.302, 18 HR, 80 RBI, 54 R)
In 96 games with the Portland Sea Dogs this season Will Middlebrooks batted
.302 (112-for-371) with 25 doubles, 18 home runs, 80 RBI and 54 runs scored.
That performance helped earn the 22-year old third baseman a promotion to Triple-A
Pawtucket on August 19th. At the time of the promotion to Pawtucket he was leading
the league in RBI (80) and was also among the league leaders in slugging percentage
(.520-5th), home runs (18-tied 5th), batting average (.302-8th), OPS (.865-8th),
total bases (193-tied 10th) and extra-base hits (44-tied 10th). Middlebrooks
was a member of the US Team for the 2011 Futures Game in Phoenix and he also
went 1-for-2 with a double as the starting third baseman for the Eastern Division
at the 2011 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game. Will was also
ranked by Baseball America as the "Best Batting Prospect" in the Eastern League
this season.
Shortstop:
Adeiny Hechavarria, New Hampshire Fisher Cats
(.235, 6 HR, 46 RBI, 58 R)
Adeiny Hechavarria returned to the Fisher Cats for the start of the 2011
season after hitting .273 in 61 games with New Hampshire to close out the 2010
campaign. The 22-year old entered the season rated by Baseball America as the
best defensive infielder in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system and he
lived up to that billing, making just 11 errors in 111 games for the Fisher
Cats this season while leading all Eastern League shortstops with a .974 fielding
percentage. Hechavarria batted .235 (109-for-464) with 22 doubles, six triples,
six home runs, 58 runs scored, 46 RBI and 19 stolen bases with New Hampshire
before receiving a promotion to Triple-A on August 11th. Adeiny was a member
of the Eastern Division roster for the 2011 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League
All-Star Game and was ranked by Baseball America as the "Best Defensive Shortstop"
in the Eastern League this season.
Outfielders
Chih-Hsien Chiang, Portland Sea Dogs
(.340, 18 HR, 76 RBI, 68 R)
After hitting .260 with 35 doubles, 11 home runs and 65 RBI in 121 games
in his Double-A debut with Portland last season, outfielder Chih-Hsien Chiang
returned to the Sea Dogs this season and has been one of the top offensive performers
in the league. The 23-year old hit .340 with 37 doubles, 18 home runs, 76 RBI
and 68 runs scored in 88 games with Portland this season before being traded
to the Seattle Mariners on July 31st as part of the package for Erik Bedard.
At the time of the trade Chih-Hsien was leading the league in batting average
(.340), runs scored (68), RBI (76), doubles (37), extra-base hits (59), slugging
percentage (.648) and OPS (1.050). He was also ranked second in total bases
(208), fourth in on-base percentage (.402) and tied for fifth in home runs (18).
Chiang was the Eastern League Player of the Week for the period of May 30th-June
6th and was named the Eastern League Player of the Month for the months of June
and July. He was also part of the World Team at the Futures Game in Phoenix
and was on the Eastern Division roster for the Northeast Delta Dental Eastern
League All-Star Game.
Anthony Gose, New Hampshire Fisher Cats
(.253, 14 HR, 54 RBI, 78 R)
New Hampshire Fisher Cats outfielder Anthony Gose stole two bases in his
Double-A debut on April 7th against Trenton and he hasn't stopped running since.
The 21-year old speedster currently leads the league with a New Hampshire franchise-record
61 stolen bases and is hitting .253 with 18 doubles, seven triples, 14 home
runs, 78 runs scored and 54 RBI in 125 games for the Fisher Cats this season.
He is also tied for third in the league in runs scored and tied for seventh
in triples. This marks the third consecutive season that Anthony has been a
member of the season ending All-Star Team for his respective league as he was
a Florida State League All-Star last season and was a South Atlantic League
All-Star in 2009. Gose was ranked by Baseball America as the "Fastest Baserunner",
the "Best Defensive Outfielder" and the "Most Exciting Player" in the Eastern
League this season.
Starling Marte, Altoona Curve
(.332, 11 HR, 49 RBI, 82 R)
Starling Marte entered the season rated by Baseball America as the fourth
best prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and he has certainly lived
up to that ranking while making his Double-A debut as a member of the Altoona
Curve this season. In 118 games with the Curve this season the 22-year old is
hitting .332 (161-for-485) with 35 doubles, seven triples, 11 home runs, 82
runs scored, 49 RBI and 21 stolen bases. He currently leads the league in hits
(161) and is also among the league leaders in batting average (.332-2nd), runs
scored (82-2nd), total bases (243-2nd), extra-base hits (53-3rd), doubles (35-tied
3rd), slugging percentage (.501-6th), OPS (.868-7th), triples (7-tied 7th) and
stolen bases (21-tied 10th). Starling was the Eastern League Player of the Week
for the period of August 8th-14th, was a member of the World Team for the 2011
Futures Game in Arizona and was also the starting centerfielder for the Western
Division at the 2011 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game.
Utility Player:
Joshua Satin, Binghamton Mets
(.325, 11 HR, 60 RBI, 60 R)
Joshua Satin appeared in games at first base, second base and third base
while batting .325 (110-for-338) with 35 doubles, 11 home runs, 60 RBI and 60
runs scored in 94 games for the Binghamton Mets this season before receiving
a promotion to Triple-A on July 22nd. At the time of his promotion Joshua led
the league in doubles (35) and was also ranked among the league leaders in on-base
percentage (.423-2nd), hits (110-3rd), walks (57-3rd), OPS (.962-3rd), extra-base
hits (48-tied 3rd), batting average (.325-4th), RBI (60-4th), slugging percentage
(.538-4th), runs scored (60-tied 4th) and total bases (182-tied 4th). The 26-year
old was selected as the Eastern League Player of the Week for the period of
April 18th-24th and was a member of the Eastern Division roster for the 2011
Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game.
Designated Hitter:
Matt Rizzotti, Reading Phillies
(.290, 21 HR, 73 RBI, 68 R)
This is the second straight season that Reading Phillies slugger Matt Rizzotti
has been selected as an Eastern League All-Star as he was the first baseman
on the team last season. The 25-year old has appeared in 127 games for the R-Phils
this season and is batting .290 (132-for-455) with 30 doubles, 21 home runs,
73 RBI and 68 runs scored. Rizzotti, who was a part of the Eastern Division
roster for the 2011 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game, is
currently ranked third in the league in total bases (225) and walks (72), is
tied for third in home runs (21), is ranked fourth in OPS (.883), fifth in RBI
(73) and on-base percentage (.388), sixth in slugging percentage (.495) and
extra-base hits (51) and seventh in hits (132).
Right-Handed Starter:
Brad Peacock, Harrisburg Senators
(10-2, 2.01 ERA)
After making his final seven starts of the 2010 season with the Harrisburg
Senators, right-handed pitcher Brad Peacock returned to Harrisburg for the start
of the 2011 season. The 23-year old put together a record of 10-2 with 129 strikeouts
and a 2.01 ERA in 16 appearances with the Senators this season before receiving
a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse. Brad was leading the league in strikeouts
(129), WHIP (0.86) and batting average against (.179) at the time of his promotion.
He was also tied for the league lead in wins (10) and ranked second in ERA (2.01).
Peacock won the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week Award for the periods of
April 18th-24th and May 9th-15th, was selected to the Western Division Roster
for the 2011 Northeast Delta Dental Eastern League All-Star Game and threw a
scoreless inning for the US Team at the Futures Game in Arizona. He was also
ranked by Baseball America as the "Best Pitching Prospect" and as having the
"Best Control" in the Eastern League this season.
Left-Handed Starter:
Eric Surkamp, Richmond Flying Squirrels
(10-4, 2.02 ERA)
Richmond left-hander Eric Surkamp made his Double-A debut on April 8th
against New Britain and struck out 10 batters over four shutout innings. The
24-year old has continued to overpower hitters in the Eastern League throughout
the season, compiling a record of 10-4 with 165 strikeouts and a 2.02 ERA in
23 games for the Flying Squirrels this season. Surkamp has a chance to become
the first Eastern League pitcher in over 30 years to win the pitching equivalent
of the Triple Crown as he currently leads the league in strikeouts (165) and
ERA (2.02) and is tied for third in the league in wins (10). He also leads the
league in WHIP (1.08), is ranked second in batting average against (.213) and
is tied for second in innings pitched (142.1). Eric was named the Eastern League
Pitcher of the Week for the periods of May 2nd-8th and July 4th-10th, was selected
as a member of the Western Division roster for the 2011 Northeast Delta Dental
Eastern League All-Star Game and was rated by Baseball America as having the
"Best Breaking Pitch" and "Best Changeup" in the Eastern League this season.
Relief Pitcher:
Cory Burns, Akron Aeros
(2-4, 2.25 ERA, 32 Saves)
For the second straight season Akron Aeros relief pitcher Cory Burns has
been selected as a pitcher on the season ending All-Star Team for his respective
league. Burns was named a Carolina League All-Star after saving a league-high
30 games last year with Kinston and followed that up by collecting an Akron
franchise-record 32 saves so far this season with the Aeros. He has appeared
in 49 games for Akron and had a record of 2-4 with 57 strikeouts and a 2.25
ERA in 52 innings pitched. In addition to leading the league in saves, the 23-year
old also currently leads the league in games finished (48), ranks first among
all Eastern League relievers in fewest baserunners allowed per nine innings,
second in walks per nine innings and third in strikeouts per nine innings. Cory
was a member of the Western Division roster for the 2011 Northeast Delta Dental
Eastern League All-Star Game and was also rated by Baseball America as the "Best
Reliever" in the Eastern League this season.
