Crack! Gone! Throughout the years, none other than the Pacific Coast League has gained the reputation of being the best hitting league in Minor League baseball. So with that being the case, everyone has been expecting great hitters to be suiting up for the PCL on July 15 in Omaha, Nebraska, for the Triple-A All-Star Game. Yesterday their expectations were met as superb hitting prospects like Reno's Peter O'Brien and Oklahoma City's Corey Seager in addition to players with Major League experience such as Tacoma's Jesus Montero, Fresno's L.J. Hoes, and Iowa's Arismendy Alcantara have been chosen to make the trip to Werner Park for the showcase.
But no one can forget the pitching staff selected for the Triple-A league of the West, headlined by New Orleans' Adam Conley and Memphis' Tim Cooney.
Starters (Voted In By Fans)
C-Austin Barnes (Oklahoma City-LAD)
***11th Top Prospect in Organization
1B-Jesus Montero (Tacoma-SEA)
---In 2010, then New York Yankees' prospect Jesus Montero was the best catching prospect in Minor League baseball and looked to be on his way to a very successful career. So far that has yet to be the case as his road to stardom has been detoured by injuries and a lack of production at the plate in the Majors. Injuries nor delivering for his team has been a problem for Montero in 2015 (.317 batting average, thirteen home runs, and sixty-one runs batted in) and for that reason he is back on Seattle's radar.
2B-Darnell Sweeney (Oklahoma City-LAD)
***7th Top Prospect in Organization
3B-Jamie Romak (Reno-ARZ)
SS-Ketel Marte (Tacoma-SEA)
***3rd Top Prospect in Organization
OF-Peter O'Brien (Reno-ARZ)
***7th Top Prospect in Organization
---Traded from the New York Yankees to the Arizona Diamondbacks at the 2014 deadline, Peter O'Brien has not disappointed in his first full season in Arizona's organization. The twenty-four year old is batting a hefty average for a slugger (.283), which complements his fifteen long bombs and sixty runs batted in. In addition to his stellar play for the Aces, O'Brien is a very versatile option at the next level since he can play first base, both corner outfield spots, and even catcher. Look for him to a suitable runningmate with Paul Goldschmidt for many years to come.
OF-L.J. Hoes (Fresno-HOU)
OF-Matt McBride (Albuquerque-COL)
DH-Cody Decker (El Paso-SD)
Bench
C-Tomas Telis (Round Rock-TEX)
***28th Top Prospect in Organization
C-Jett Bandy (Salt Lake-LAA)
***28th Top Prospect in Organization
INF-Adam Duvall (Sacramento-SF)
***17th Top Prospect in Organization
INF-Arismendy Alcantara (Iowa-CHC)
---When named to play in 2014 Triple-A All-Star Game, most knew Arismendy Alcantara was on his way to Wrigley Field to be a piece of the Chicago Cubs' future. After a fairly successful rookie season in which the former Top-100 prospect drilled ten home runs in seventy Major League games, he struggled greatly for the Cubs to begin this season resulting in his demotion to the Minors. Unlike some young players that would get frustrated in their optioning and play poorly, Alcantara has put together another good season for the I-Cubs and leads the PCL in triples with seven and his team with ten home runs.
INF-Matt Reynolds (Las Vegas-NYM)
***9th Top Prospect in Organization
INF-Corey Seager (Oklahoma City-LAD)
***5th Top Prospect in Baseball
***Top Prospect in Organization
---Ten games into his time with the OKC Dodgers, some people thought Corey Seager finally found an obsticle too great to overcome. How wrong were they?! Corey, the younger brother of Seattle Mariners' third baseman Kyle Seager, is a tremendous talent and is unlike the everyday shortstop as he has the power of a homerun hitter, shown in eighteen home runs at Rancho Cucamonga (Single-A Advanced), with the mindset of lead-off hitter. Despite the Dodgers declining MLB.com's fifth top prospect the opportunity to play in the All-Star Futures Game, Seager is more than deserving to be selected to the Triple-A All-Star Game (.290 batting average, six home runs, and twenty-five runs batted in) and is only one injury away from making his Major League Debut at Chavez Ravine.
OF-Jason Pridie (Nashville-OAK)
OF-Travis Taijeron (Las Vegas-NYM)
Pitchers
SP-Adam Conley (New Orleans-MIA) (Voted In By Fans)
***7th Top Prospect in Organization
---In all honesty, Adam Conley's road to the Majors has taken longer than anyone expected when he was drafted from Washington State in the second round of the 2011 MLB Draft. Although impressive seasons at Greensboro (Single-A) in 2012 and Jacksonville (Double-A) in 2013, injury struck the lefty and cut his 2014 campaign short. Despite the disappointing 2014, Conley has been terrific this season and enters today with a 7-2 record and a 2.52 earned run average in fourteen starts for the Zephyrs.
SP-Tim Cooney (Memphis-STL)
***10th Top Prospect in Organization
---Just because St. Louis Cardinals' prospect Tim Cooney struggled in a spot start against the Philadelphia Phillies does not mean that he is a not a Major League talent. The Wake Forest product is very deserving of not only a Pacific Coast League All-Star selection but another start for Mike Matheny's club as he has kept hitters off balanced all season for Memphis (.195 average against) while posting a record of 6-4 and a 2.74 earned run average.
SP-Tyler Cravy (Colorado Springs-COL)
***22nd Top Prospect in Organization
SP-John Lamb (Omaha-KC) (Voted In By Fans)
SP-Anthony Ranaudo (Round Rock-TEX)
***10th Top Prospect in Organization
SP-Forrest Snow (Tacoma-SEA)
RP-Ryan Buchter (Oklahoma City-LAD)
RP-Louis Coleman (Omaha-KC)
RP-Jon Edwards (Round Rock-TEX) (Voted In By Fans)
RP-Tyson Perez (Fresno-HOU)
RP-Jimmy Reyes (Round Rock-TEX)
RP-Sam Tuivailala (Memphis-STL) (Voted In By Fans)
***11th Top Prospect in Organization
---Best advice for hitters trying to mount a comeback in the ninth inning against the Memphis Redbirds? "Fear Tuivailala!" Sam Tuivailala, who started his career as a shortstop, has a very lively arm that regularly hits ninety-five to ninety-eight miles per hour when not being recorded at triple digits on the radar gun. Currently this season, the Redbirds' closer has allowed only six earned runs in twenty-seven and two/thirds innings while closing eleven games for Memphis.
RP-Nick Wittgren (New Orleans-MIA)
***16th Top Prospect in Organization
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