Class A All-Stars have Stormy look
The best performances in all Minor League Baseball classifications again are being honored by the Topps Company of New York, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball.
Logan Morrison (21) of Slidell, La., led the Florida State League in batting average (.332), hits (162), doubles (38) and on-base percentage on his way to winning MVP honors. The Jupiter Hammerheads first baseman also finished fifth in the league with a .494 slugging percentage. The Florida Marlins drafted Morrison in the 22nd round in 2005 out of Maple Woods (Mo.) Community College.
Eric Sogard (22) of Phoenix, Ariz., excelled both at bat and in the field for Lake Elsinore. Sogard led the California League with 42 doubles and ranked second with 165 hits and 79 walks. He also led all league second baseman with a .973 fielding percentage. The San Diego Padres took Sogard in the second round in 2007 out of Arizona State University.
Jim Negrych (23) of Buffalo, N.Y., led Class A players with a .448 on-base percentage while playing for the Lynchburg Hillcats. The Carolina League batting champion also finished second in the classification with a .370 average. Negrych also ranked among the top three in hits, doubles and slugging percentage in the Carolina loop. The Pittsburgh Pirates tabbed him with their sixth-round pick in 2006 out of the University of Pittsburgh.
Pedro Ciriaco (23) of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, finished third in the California League -- and 10th in Class A -- with 161 hits for the Visalia Oaks. Ciriaco also was among the league leaders with 40 stolen bases and a .310 batting average. The Arizona Diamondbacks signed him as a free agent in February 2003.
Cedric Hunter (20) of Decatur, Ga., led all Class A players with 186 hits while playing for the Storm. Hunter also crossed the plate 98 times, which ranked fourth in the classification. His .318 batting average was third-best in the California League. The San Diego Padres drafted Hunter in the third round out of high school in 2006.
Kellen Kulbacki (23) of Hershey, Pa., played the first month of the season with the Fort Wayne Wizards before moving up to the California League. He hit a combined .304 with 22 homers and 75 RBIs with Fort Wayne and Lake Elsinore. Kulbacki's .540 slugging percentage was 10th-best in Class A. The Padres selected him in the supplemental round (40th overall) out of James Madison (Va.) University in 2007.
Michael Stanton (19) of Sunland, Calif., smacked 39 home runs with the Greensboro Grasshoppers to tie for the classification lead. Stanton's .611 slugging percentage led Class A players. He also was among the classification's top 10 in extra-base hits (68) and RBIs (97). The Florida Marlins drafted Stanton in the second round out of high school in 2007.
Jesus Montero (18) of Guacara, Venezuela, paced the South Atlantic League with 171 hits, which also placed him third in Class A. The Charleston RiverDogs catcher also led all league receivers with a .993 fielding percentage. His .326 average was good enough for second in the circuit. The New York Yankees inked Montero as a free agent in October 2006.
Brian Dopirak (24) of Dunedin, Fla., ranked among the top three in the Florida State League in hitting (.308), homers (27), runs (77), RBIs (88) and on-base percentage (.382). His .577 slugging percentage with the Dunedin Blue Jays led the league and was third among Class A hitters. The Toronto Blue Jays signed Dopirak as a free agent in March.
Tim Alderson (20) of Phoenix, Ariz., led all California League starters by holding opponents to a .235 batting average. The San Jose Giants right-hander also was tops in the league by allowing 10.09 base runners per nine innings. Alderson ranked third in the league with 13 wins and fourth with 124 strikeouts. The San Francisco Giants took him out of high school with their No. 1 pick (22nd overall) in 2007.
Madison Bumgarner (19) of Lenoir, N.C., posted a 1.46 ERA with the Augusta GreenJackets to lead all full-season domestic pitchers. The South Atlantic League's Most Outstanding Pitcher tied for first in the league with 15 wins and led the circuit with 164 strikeouts. The San Francisco Giants drafted the left-hander out of high school with their No. 1 pick (10th overall) in 2007.
Kanekoa Texeira (22) of Kula, Hawaii, converted 20 of 23 save opportunities for the Winston-Salem Warthogs before being promoted to Double-A in July. Texeira went 3-1 with a 0.93 ERA and fanned 36 in 38 2/3 innings while with the Warthogs. The Chicago White Sox picked him in the 22nd round in 2006 out of Saddleback (Calif.) Junior College.
Short-season/Rookie All-Stars will be announced on Dec. 3.
| Position | Player | Club/League | Affiliate | AVG. | HR | RBI |
| 1B | Logan Morrison | Jupiter/FSL | Florida | .332 | 13 | 74 |
| 2B | Eric Sogard | Lake Elsinore/CAL | San Diego | .308 | 10 | 87 |
| 3B | Jim Negrych | Lynchburg/CAR | Pittsburgh | .370 | 5 | 62 |
| SS | Pedro Ciriaco | Visalia/CAL | Arizona | .310 | 5 | 61 |
| OF | Cedric Hunter | Lake Elsinore/CAL | San Diego | .318 | 11 | 84 |
| OF | Kellen Kulbacki | FTW,LE/MWL,CAL | San Diego | .304 | 22 | 75 |
| OF | Michael Stanton | Greensboro/SAL | Florida | .293 | 39 | 97 |
| C | Jesus Montero | Charleston/SAL | New York-AL | .326 | 17 | 87 |
| DH | Brian Dopirak | Dunedin/FSL | Toronto | .308 | 27 | 88 |
| W | L | ERA | ||||
| RHP | Tim Alderson | San Jose/CAL | San Francisco | 13 | 4 | 2.79 |
| LHP | Madison Bumgarner | Augusta/SAL | San Francisco | 15 | 3 | 1.46 |
| RP | Kanekoa Texeira | Winston-Salem/CAR | Chicago-AL | 3 | 1 | 0.93 |