Six Reno Aces Named 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks Organizational All-Stars

Reno, Nev. – Following a record-breaking year where the club set a single-season mark for most wins (88), the Reno Aces’ honors continue as six players were selected as 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks Organizational All-Stars by Minor League Baseball on Thursday.

First baseman Tristin English, second baseman Diego Castillo, shortstop Jordan Lawlar, outfielder Jorge Barrosa, outfielder Kyle Lewis, and left-handed reliever Andrew Saalfrank garnered these honors for their outstanding play on the field.

The six players tied with the Double-A, Amarillo Sod Poodles, 2023 Texas League Champions, for the most selections within the Diamondbacks system this year.

Click Here for the full Arizona Diamondbacks 2023 Organizational All-Stars.

Below are excerpts from MiLB.com’s article on the six Reno Aces All-Star selections.

1B: Tristin English (AZ No. 30)
AA/AAA: .300/.390/.548, 102 G, 23 HR, 93 RBI, 74 R, 52 BB, 2 SB
English finished third in Arizona's system with 23 home runs while mostly playing first base and also moonlighting in the outfield corners. The 2019 third-rounder ran up a 1.148 OPS in 18 games for Double-A Amarillo before earning a promotion to Triple-A Reno and hitting a still-impressive .293/.380/.514. That included maintaining a 1.000 OPS for the first 47 games of the year.

2B: Diego Castillo
AAA: .313/.431/.410, 124 G, 3 HR, 72 RBI, 94 R, 97 BB, 13 SB
Castillo was an on-base machine, ranking top-three in the D-backs' system in doubles (first, 33), walks (first), hits (second, 142) and runs (third). Much of that has to do with incredible bat-to-ball skills; the 26-year-old ranked 17th among qualified Minor Leaguers with a 5.8 percent swinging-strike rate. Playing left field, second, third, and shortstop, he had 40 multi-hit games, including a five-hit performance in the first game of the year.

SS: Jordan Lawlar (AZ No. 1, MLB No. 10)
AA/AAA: .278/.378/.496, 105 G, 20 HR, 67 RBI, 95 R, 56 BB, 36 SB
The sixth overall pick in the 2021 Draft was a part of the D-backs' NL pennant-winning team, but first he earned Double-A All-Star honors and was named the top MLB prospect in the Texas League. Lawlar was one of 15 Minor Leaguers to knock 20 homers and steal 30 bases, and he was the second youngest to do so. Elite defense at shortstop was the cherry on top of a well-rounded campaign.

OF: Jorge Barrosa (AZ No. 14)
AAA: .274/.394/.456, 120 G, 13 HR, 65 RBI, 91 R, 80 BB, 15 SB
Barrosa is known for his elite glove and plus speed, but he also had a career year at the plate. He set career highs in home runs, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, and his eight triples were tied for the organizational lead. The 5-foot-5 switch-hitter only started hitting from the left side five years ago but actually hit slightly better there (.278/.399/.479) than he was from the right side (.266/.380/.403).

OF: Kyle Lewis
AAA: .371/.457/.641, 63 G, 17 HR, 80 RBI, 55 R, 39 BB, 0 SB
The 2020 AL Rookie of the Year may have hoped to spend more time in the Majors, but he was an offense machine with Triple-A Reno. Among D-backs Minor Leaguers with at least as many plate appearances as him (293), Lewis was tops in all triple-slash categories. The same was true among Pacific Coast League players. His ability to hit for power (17 homers) while rarely striking out (19.8 percent) was also impressive.

RP: Andrew Saalfrank
AA/AAA: 8-2, 2.53 ERA, 64 IP, 93 K, 35 BB, .196 BAA, 1.25 WHIP
The southpaw was equally effective in Double-A Amarillo and Triple-A Reno, and he led all D-backs Minor Leaguers (minimum 30 IP) with a 37.5 percent strikeout rate. Before his callup to the Majors, Saalfrank ripped off 12 straight scoreless appearances, with 26 K's and eight hits allowed in 17 innings.

The Reno Aces are slated to open the 2024 season on the road in Las Vegas on Friday, March 29^th. They will make their home debut at Greater Nevada Field on Tuesday, April 2^nd, hosting the Sacramento River Cats, Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, at 2:05 p.m. PDT.

Season memberships for the 2024 campaign are available via RenoAces.com by texting “MEMBER” to 21003 or calling (775) 334-7000.

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