13 Jul Four Headed to All-Star Game
Four Headed to All-Star Game
One slugger, two show-stopping pitchers and a do-it-all shortstop have been named to represent the Miners at next week’s Frontier League All-Star Game.
Martin Figueroa will be in the starting lineup as an outfielder for the East Division all-stars in the ceremonial game to be played next Wednesday night at Wild Things Park in Washington, PA.
Taking a .335 batting average into tonight’s road game with the New Jersey Jackals, Figueroa leads the Miners in runs, hits, RBI and walks. He’s also got eight home runs and 13 stolen bases after playing in all 52 of the team’s games so far this year.
The two pitchers headed to the All-Star Game are both 24-year-old righthanders, and each one of them has thrown a complete-game gem this year.
Dwayne Marshall (6-2, 2.23ERA) leads the Miners in 68 and 2/3 innings in 11 starts, while John Baker (4-1, 2.98ERA) has made five starts after opening the year as a reliever, currently with 53 strikeouts and just nine walks.
Marshall threw his beauty on July 3, when he gave up one run on five hits over nine innings to beat the Jackals, 2-1.
For Baker, his highlight-reel performance came on June 17 in a 3-2 victory over Quebec, going the full nine frames with the hard-to-believe totals of 14 strikeouts vs. one lone walk.
In his first year with the Miners, shortstop Errol Robinson has made an impact at the plate, on the field and on the basepaths. The 27-year-old – a former 6th-round pick of the L.A. Dodgers – is batting .314 while compiling his own highlight reel with the glove. He’s also third on the team and fourth in the league with 22 stolen bases, helping to make his team by far No. 1 in the league in steals.
By Carl Barbati, former sports editor of the New Jersey Herald, Daily Record and The Daily Trentonian.