With the announcements of the
rookie level Appalachian League All-Stars and the post-season Texas League
All-Stars, the St. Louis Cardinals organization has eight more individuals
recognized.
Texas League
Three members of the Double-A
Springfield Cardinals have been named as Texas League post-season All-Stars,
reports the Springfield News-Leader. They are right-handed pitcher David Kopp,
third baseman Matt Carpenter and catcher Steven Hill. All three were earlier
selected as mid-season All-Stars as well, but Kopp had been promoted to
Memphis and did
not compete in the game, held on June 30.
While the Springfield club had over
twice as many mid-season All-Stars, eight, plus several injury replacements, it
is important to note the difference. The mid-season teams are chosen by
divisions and two full game rosters are named. On the other hand, in past years,
the post-season team has consisted of just 20 players from across the league,
making this a more elite group.
Carpenter, 24, is in his first
full-season of professional ball and is leading the league in batting, is second
in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging and second in OPS.
Hill, 25, made his MLB
introduction with St. Louis earlier this month and hit a home run in his first
and only game. Though he is now in Triple-A with Memphis, in the Texas League, Hill is fourth in
home runs and third in RBI despite having left the level almost three weeks ago.
He is second in slugging and sixth in OPS.
Other than about three weeks spent
with Memphis, Kopp, 24, has been a headliner in
the Springfield
rotation all season. The right-hander is second in the league with 12 wins and
is sixth in ERA.
Appalachian
League
In the Appalachian League, the
playoff-bound Johnson City Cardinals had two special recognitions from among
their group. Ryan Copeland was named the Pitcher of the Year in the league while
his skipper, Mike Shildt, won the Manager of the Year vote.
Other 2010 all-stars include
catcher Cody Stanley, outfielder Oscar Taveras and reliever Hector Corpas.
Copeland was also voted the left-handed all-star pitcher.
In
fact, Johnson
City led the league in All-Star selections by winning the
vote for six of the seventeen positions (full roster shown below). Catcher Stanley’s closest competition, Chris Wallace of
the Greeneville Astros, is designated hitter. Taveras is one of the top three
outfielders in the circuit.
Copeland led the league (both lefties and righties) in ERA and WHIP while
Corpas is first in the league in saves.
The
five individuals were honored with plaques from the Johnson City Sports
Foundation (JCSF) before the game on Saturday, August 28. Photo L to R: Mike Shildt,
Ryan Copeland, Hector Corpas, Oscar Taveras, and Cody Stanley.
Pulaski,
the East Division regular season champions, took the second-most All-Star
positions with four. Perhaps
emphasizing the strength of the Division, all five teams in the West were
represented and 12-of the-17 positions (70 percent) were won by the West. To further reinforce the strength of the
West, they held an 18 game lead over the East as of Sunday morning with just a
few regular season games left.
Three teams in the East, the Princeton Rays, the Bluefield Orioles, and
the Burlington Royals, were shut out by the voters.
| Position |
Player |
Team |
| Catcher |
Cody Stanley |
Johnson City |
| First Baseman |
Marcus
Nidiffer |
Greeneville |
| Second Baseman |
Drew Lee |
Bristol |
| Third Baseman |
Ramon Morla |
Pulaski |
| Shortstop |
Andrelton
Simmons |
Danville |
| Utility Infielder |
Jorge Agudelo |
Pulaski |
| Outfielder |
Oswaldo Arcia |
Elizabethton |
| Outfielder |
Oscar Taveras |
Johnson City |
| Outfielder |
Javier
Rodriguez |
Kingsport |
| Utility Outfielder |
Jose Rivero |
Pulaski |
| Designated Hitter |
Chris Wallace |
Greeneville |
| Right-handed Pitcher |
Tim Boyce |
Pulaski |
| Left-handed Pitcher |
Ryan Copeland |
Johnson City |
| Relief Pitcher |
Hector Corpas |
Johnson City |
| Player of the Year |
Oswaldo Arcia |
Elizabethton |
| Pitcher of the Year |
Ryan Copeland |
Johnson City |
| Manager of the Year |
Mike Shildt |
Johnson City |
Unfortunately,
injuries derailed the All-Star hopes of two Cardinals. 1B/DH David Medina and 1B/RF Phil Cerreto both dropped below the minimum plate appearances needed to appear among
the league leaders. Both were
leading the league in several offensive categories at times during the
summer. A hamstring injury for
Medina and a
fractured wrist for Cerreto kept them from receiving votes from the media
covering many teams.
For more detailed information on the Springfield and Johnson City clubs, The
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