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Breaking down the all-stars

BY D.W. NORRIS, For the Southern

Friday, July 4, 2008 11:36 PM CDT

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Frontier League announced its East and West Division all-star teams Thursday. Managers, coaches, and media picked two teams of 24 players for the three-day event in Traverse City on July 14-16. Each league team must have one representative and voters had to choose within their respective divisions.

Here are the choices for the West team followed by my vote and the reasons behind those selections if they differ from elected players.

First base: Phillip Hawke, Windy City

Hawke has pieced together a fine season so far with a .323 batting average, six home runs and 36 RBIs. He slugged nearly .500 and had a .429 on-base percentage (OBP). Hawke hit .294 against the Miners and drew nine walks in six games.

My pick: Hawke

Second base: Joe Anthonsen, Rockford

Anthonsen batted .327 with 60 hits, 32 runs scored and 18 RBIs. He had a .401 OBP with 19 strikeouts and 21 walks as Rockford's leadoff hitter.

My pick: Tony Roth, Miners

Roth had a better OBP (.426) and a better slugging percentage. Roth also had more walks (22) in fewer plate appearances, though he did have the same amount of strikeouts in fewer at-bats. Roth slugged .450 with a .310 batting average. Three of Roth's four home runs either tied games or gave the Miners late leads.

Third base: Brandon Jones, Miners

Jones was tied for the league lead in home runs (11) when ballots were submitted. His 37 RBIs led the Miners and were tied for second in the league. Jones' 20 extra-base hits were tied for third. Jones also won a fan a Mercedes-Benz with the first-ever Miners home run off a foul pole.

My pick: Jones

Shortstop: Mike Scanzano, Miners

Scanzano's .301 average was the highest for any shortstop with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting race. His 46 hits were second only to Jones' 49 on the Miners. Scanzano had 23 RBIs and 12 doubles with 28 runs scored. Manager Mike Pinto loves the guy, his teammates seem to respect him and he anchors the Miners' infield defense.

My pick: Scanzano

Catcher: Charlie Lisk, Gateway

Lisk was tied with Jones for the league lead in home runs, with 11, and drove in 34 runs. He batted .285 with a .569 slugging percentage. Evansville's Tom Pennino (.284 BA, 3 HR, 24 RBI) will backup Lisk.

My pick: Andrew Sweet, River City

Lisk had better offensive numbers, but Sweet was the primary catcher for the No. 2 statistical pitching staff in the league. Sweet had .302 batting average with 22 RBIs.

Designated hitter: Jason James, Rockford

James (.349) had the No. 2 batting average in the league and led the FL with 61 hits. He hit six home runs, 20 extra-base hits and 34 RBIs. He would have been a no-brainer if not for my vote catching fire.

My pick: Tim Dorn, Miners

Dorn (.288 BA, 9 HR, 31 RBI) really came on in the 10 games before the vote with a .450 average, five home runs and 13 RBI. When Dorn is going well, which he was, he's one of the most feared hitters in the league. He also showed some mental toughness to battle out of a tough start.

Outfield

Michael Campbell, Gateway: Campbell had a .327 batting average, five home runs and 31 RBIs when votes were cast. He hit .396 with four home runs and 18 RBIs at home. His road average was .234 and he had one home run with 13 RBIs. Campbell scorched the ball in May with a .426 average in 11 games.

Mike Coles, Windy City: Coles a unanimous selection, had a .314 batting average, four home runs and 32 RBIs at ballot time. He stole 12 bases without getting caught and brought a superb glove to the outfield. Coles is a nice compliment leadoff hitter Gilberto Mejia and his average was .331 when Southern Illinois and Windy City met last weekend.

Stephen Holdren, Gateway: Holdren (.305 BA, 9 HR, 26 RBI) was tied for the league lead in runs scored (37), and ranked in the top five in OBP (.465) and slugging percentage (.565). Sure, Holdren plays at GCS Ballpark, but he actually has better numbers on the road. That got him the nod over teammate Michael Campbell on my ballot.

My outfield picks: Holdren, Coles, Evansville's Justin Randall and Miner Willie Keene.

Randall gets the majority of his at-bats as a designated hitter, but when a guy had a .361 batting average a league-best .469 OBP, it was tough to keep him off the roster. Randall led the Otters in hits and had 27 walks versus 15 strikeouts.

Call me a homer, but Keene's power performance early in the season helped keep the Miners afloat. Keene struck out a lot, 31 times versus seven walks, but he had a .288 average with eight home runs and 24 RBIs. Keene's .536 slugging percentage was the best on the team for players with more than 100 at-bats.

Backup infielders:

Gilberto Mejia, Windy City: Mejia had a .301 average with five home runs, 20 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. He hit for better average and power at home, but stole more bases on the road. His range in the field is incredible.

My pick: Mejia

Mike Breyman, Gateway

Breyman had a .267 batting average, eight home runs and 34 RBIs before voting. Breyman was all-league last season with a .331 average, 22 home runs and 70 RBIs.

My pick: Anthonsen

Pitchers (in alphabetical order)

Griffin Bailey, Miners: Bailey was 3-2 with a 2.03 ERA in a league-leading 21 appearances out of the bullpen. He held opponents to a .221 batting average and struck out 22 while walking seven in 26.2 innings. Bailey had a 1.05 WHIP.

Garrett Bauer, Rockford: Bauer is 4-2 with a 3.17 ERA in eight starts. He held opponents to a .213 batting average and lasted more than six innings per appearance. Bauer had 50 strikeouts, 21 walks and 1.19 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP).

Mike Benacka, River City: Benacka was lights out as a closer with eight saves and a ridiculous 0.45 ERA. Opponents batted only .145 with no home runs against him. He gave up one earned run in 20 innings and had 37 strikeouts and 11 walks with a 1.00 WHIP. Benacka was a unanimous selection.

Steve Flake, Windy City: Flake was 4-1 with a 3.94 ERA in eight starts. He gave up 21 earned runs in 48 innings with 53 hits allowed. Opponents batted .279 off Flake, who had 37 strikeouts, 22 walks and a 1.46 WHIP.

Scott Fogelson, River City: Fogelson was 2-3 with a 3.83 ERA in 12 appearances. He started four games, completing one. Fogelson had 26 strikeouts and 13 walks in 40 innings. Opponents had 32 hits and a .212 average against.

Jon Lewis, Evansville: Lewis' numbers rivaled Benacka's in the first half of the season. He had a 1.06 ERA with a .143 batting average against on his way to eight saves. Lewis rang up 24 strikeouts with 11 walks and allowed only two earned runs in 17 innings.

Chris Little, Miners: Little was a rock when the Miners' pitching staff struggled early in the season. He had a 4-1 record in eight starts with a 3.88 ERA at ballot time. Little routinely hit 91 to 93 miles per hour on the radar gun and had 42 strikeouts and 19 walks. Opponents had a .247 batting average against. Little wanted this honor badly and he earned it.

Jason Lowey, Rockford: Lowey held opposing batters to a .216 batting average in 14 appearances, which included one start. He had 39 strikeouts in 39.1 innings and walked 13 with a 1.14 WHIP. Lowey was 1-0 with a 2.52 ERA and three saves.

Ross Stout, Windy City: Stout was as good as it got in the first half, though his 3-3 record didn't reflect it. He had two complete games and a league-leading two complete games. He had 44 strikeouts and 21 walks in 49 innings. Even though it didn't count, Stout pitched a complete-game shutout with 12 strikeouts and no walks on July 3 versus Rockford.

My picks: Bauer, Benacka, Lewis, Little, Lowey, Stout, Miners Ryan Bird and Jake McMurran.

Bird's 56 strikeouts topped the league and had a 5-3 record with a 4.01 ERA when ballots were submitted. He averaged almost three strikeouts to every walk with a 1.32 WHIP. Bird had a 0.69 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP with 16 strikeouts in 13 innings in two starts heading into balloting.

Jake McMurran, Miners: It came down to McMurran (1-1, 3.03 ERA) and Griffin Bailey (3-2, 2.03 ERA) for the spot that would have gone to Clay Zavada. McMurran had 32.2 innings in 19 appearances with 28 strikeouts and 19 walks. Opponents hit .227 against him. He had a 1.41 WHIP.

dw_norris@yahoo.com