Six Shrimp Named 2018 Southern League All-Stars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Southern League announced that six Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players have been named to the league's South Division All-Star roster for the 2018 Southern League All-Star Game on Tuesday, June 19, at Regions Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

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Right-handed pitchers Nick Neidert and Pablo López, left-handed pitcher José Quijada, catcher Rodrigo Vigil, designated hitter Eric Jagielo, and outfielder Monte Harrison will represent Jacksonville as South Division All-Stars.
Harrison, the Miami Marlins No. 1 prospect according to MLB.com, earns his third All-Star honor, after previously being a Pioneer League Midseason All-Star with Helena in 2015, and a 2017 Midwest League Midseason All-Star with Single-A Wisconsin last season. Coming into Wednesday's games, Harrison leads the Southern League with 40 runs scored, is tied for fourth in the league with 56 games played, and fifth in the league with 212 at-bats. Harrison is hitting .236 and leads Jacksonville with seven home runs this season in addition to his 17 runs batted in. Harrison, 22, is a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and he was acquired by the Marlins as part of a January 2018 trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for former Jacksonville outfielder Christian Yelich. Harrison was originally selected by the Brewers in the second round of the 2014 draft out of Lee's Summit West High School in Lee's Summit, Missouri.
Jagielo has now twice been an All-Star in Double-A, as he was previously honored as an Eastern League Midseason All-Star in 2015 with the Trenton Thunder in the New York Yankees organization. He was also a 2013 New York-Penn League Midseason All-Star with Staten Island, and a 2014 Florida State League Midseason All-Star with the High-A Tampa Yankees. Jagielo earns his first Southern League All-Star honors after he spent parts of the past two seasons playing in the league for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He was traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the Marlins during spring training, and is hitting .245 with six home runs and leads Jacksonville with 35 runs batted in. Jagielo, 26, is a native of Downers Grove, Illinois, and was originally selected by the Yankees in the first round of the 2013 draft out of Notre Dame.
Vigil earns his second career All-Star honor, as he was previously a 2014 New York-Penn League Midseason All-Star with the Batavia Muckdogs. Vigil is hitting .228 for the Shrimp this season with a home run and eight runs batted in, and has been lauded for his defense at the catching position this season. Vigil has only commited two errors in over 283 innings behind the plate, and leads the Southern League by throwing out 20-of-42 would-be base stealers (48 percent), the best mark of any Southern League catcher this season. Vigil, 25, is a native of David, Panama, and was originally signed by the Marlins as an international free agent on Aug. 5, 2009.
On the mound, Nick Neidert paces the Jumbo Shrimp with six victories this season, and through his 11 starts is 6-3 with a 3.03 ERA, with 68 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings of work. Neidert's 3.03 ERA is eighth-best in the league entering Wednesday. He is tied for second in wins (6), is fifth in strikeouts (68), and has the fifth-highest strikeouts-per-nine-inning ratio in the Southern League (10.31). Neidert has previously been honored as a 2017 California League Midseason and Postseason All-Star with the Modesto Nuts, where he was the 2017 California League Pitcher of the Year. Neidert was traded by the Seattle Mariners to the Marlins in last December's Dee Gordon trade, and he is currently Miami's No. 8 prospect according to MLB.com. Neidert, 21, is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and was originally selected by the Mariners in the second round of the 2015 draft out of Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, Georgia.
Jacksonville's other All-Star honorees are not currently on the Jumbo Shrimp roster, as pitchers Pablo Lopez and Jose Quijada were promoted to Triple-A New Orleans earlier in the week.
Lopez was 1-2 with a 0.62 ERA (3 ER in 42.1 innings) in his eight starts for the Jumbo Shrimp, with 51 strikeouts compared to only eight walks. After his most recent start for Jacksonville, Lopez led not only the Southern League but all of Minor League Baseball with his 0.62 ERA for the Jumbo Shrimp. This is the first time that Lopez has been honored as an All-Star in his professional career. Lopez, 22, is a native of Cabimas, Venezuela, and was originally signed by the Mariners as a free agent in 2012. He was traded by the Mariners to the Marlins in July 2017 as part of the David Phelps trade, and is a member of the Marlins 40-man roster, in addition to being ranked as Miami's No. 21 prospect according to MLB.com. Lopez was called up to Triple-A New Orleans Wednesday morning.
Quijada proved to be a valuable member of Jacksonville's bullpen in the first half of the season, going 0-2 with a 2.42 ERA in his 17 relief outings, and he was second on the team with four saves. He held left-handed batters to a .103 average against him, striking out 12 left-handed batters that faced him. He entered Wednesday fifth among Southern League relievers with 11.69 strikeouts per nine innings and fourth among relievers with only 8.69 baserunners per nine innings. Quijada was promoted to Triple-A New Orleans on Sunday, and made his Triple-A debut Tuesday with a scoreless inning of work for the Baby Cakes.
The players were selected by a vote of Southern League field managers, general managers, and radio broadcasters. The 2018 All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, June 19, at Regions Field, home of the Birmingham Barons, at 8:05 p.m. ET. The starting lineups for the North and South Division squads will be announced by the league later this week, with possible Jumbo Shrimp starters for the South Division announced on Friday, June 8.
The Jumbo Shrimp continue their series in Birmingham at 8:05 p.m. Thursday. The Jumbo Shrimp return home for a 10-game homestand beginning Friday, June 8, against the Biloxi Shuckers. Fans may visit any participating NAPA AutoCare Center to get a FREE general admission ticket (reserved seat upgrade available at the box office) for the game that concludes with NAPA AutoCare Family Fireworks. The Jumbo Shrimp wear red "Bold City" jerseys to support the military on Red Shirt Friday, when fans who wear red can save $1 per ticket at the box office or donate the $1 to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. Friday Night Lites Miller Lite Happy Hour offers $1 12-oz. Miller Lite and $1 off craft beer specials in the Craft Cave by the third-base gates until 7:30 p.m. The game is presented by 99.9 Gator Country.
ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp offer affordable family fun at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Their inaugural season garnered the Southern League's Don Mincher Organization of the Year, Promotional Trophy, and Jimmy Bragan Executive of the Year, won by General Manager Harold Craw. To experience the excitement with the terrific value of ticket and group options, call the Jumbo Shrimp at (904) 358-2846 or visit www.jaxshrimp.com.