The Eastern League All-Star rosters have been announced, and the Altoona Curve will be sending six players to the game. Right handed pitchers Adrian Sampson and Ryan Beckman, catcher Elias Diaz, outfielder Willy Garcia, shortstop Alen Hanson, and infielder/outfielder Drew Maggi have all been selected to the game. This is the third All-Star selection for Hanson, and the first for every other player. The game will be hosted in Altoona on July 16th at 7 PM. Here are some notes on how each player is performing.
Adrian Sampson – Has a 2.82 ERA in 99 innings, with a 75:20 K/BB ratio. Sampson’s numbers have been inflated recent, after giving up 11 runs in 13.1 innings over two starts. He was named our Pitcher of the Month in the entire system during the month of May.
Ryan Beckman – He has a 3.18 ERA in 34 innings in relief, with a 23:13 K/BB ratio. Beckman looked like a promising reliever when he made the jump to Altoona in 2012, but went down with Tommy John surgery. After a year of rehab last year, he looks like he’s back on track, with the chance to be a potential middle relief option in the majors.
Elias Diaz – He has a .328/.373/.440 line in 232 at-bats this season. Diaz has always had good defensive skills, but his offensive potential has been limited by his raw skills at the plate. He’s turning those raw skills into production this year, and has propelled himself into our top 30.
Willy Garcia – He’s not hitting for average and not getting on base, with a .248/.285/.481 line in 270 at-bats. Garcia has been hitting for power, with 17 doubles, five triples, and 12 homers. He’s also striking out a ton, with a 32.5% strikeout rate. The homers are flashy, and get him on the All-Star team, but the other stats don’t speak well to his prospect status.
Alen Hanson – He’s got a .271/.306/.434 line in 325 at-bats, showing the ability to hit for average, and showing some nice power from the middle infield spots. Hanson has had some struggles, starting off the season with two slow weeks at the plate, then having a rough stretch in June before being benched for a week. He has also struggled defensively, with 25 errors on the season. Even with the inconsistent performance, his offense and his power is some of the best from a middle infield prospect.
Drew Maggi – Maggi is a little old for the Eastern League, but has some good numbers in a utility role, with a .276 average and a .390 OBP, along with 20 stolen bases. He’s not hitting for much power, but probably made the team due to the average/OBP combo.
