Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Potential Marauders' All-Stars

The Florida State League All-Star Game will be played at McKechnie Field in a little over two weeks. And since the FSL doesn't publish a running total of all-star votes, we can only speculate which Marauders will get to represent the South Division in front of their hometown fans.
So let the speculation begin. Here is a list of Marauders who may have a chance to play in the game, scheduled for Saturday, June 14.

Josh Bell, RF: Bell, pictured above, has performed well despite having to anchor a lineup ranked near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories. Bell is hitting .303 following today's 3-0 win over the Tampa Yankees with 29 RBIs and 11 doubles, and though he has hit just four home runs, his three triples have helped him to a .462 slugging percentage, good for ninth in the league. A switch hitter, Bell has found success against lefties (.288) and righties (.312). Plus, it wouldn't hurt the All-Star game to have the host team's best player on one of the rosters.

Orlando Castro, P: Forget the modest record (3-2) and look at what the lefty has done for Bradenton this season, beginning with the 2.91 ERA in 55 2/3 innings. He has walked just seven while striking out 41, and opposing batters are hitting .229 off of him. He's really been impressive at hitter-friendly McKechnie Field, where Castro is 2-1 with 2.80 ERA in six starts. Opponents are hitting .190 against him in Bradenton.

Jonathan Schwind, OF: He has only logged 106 at-bats in 31 games, making Schwind ineligible for the batting race. Too bad, because his .330 clip would have him right near the pack. His late start will also deter some voters, too, even though Schwind is slugging .453 and has an on-base percentage (.395) hovering around .400. Schwind is hitting .375 over his last 10 games, so he is getting hot at the right time. Consequently, he could be a selected as an alternate if an All-Star gets promoted to Double-A prior to the game.