Announcing the 2019 All-Stars
The ballots are in and the 2019 Florida League All-Star teams have been selected. There were three factors involved in the voting process: a fan vote, votes from each head coach, and votes from the Florida League front office for a total of ten ballots.
This year, the fans turned out in record numbers electronically. A total of 4,256 votes were cast via online poll, besting the mark of 3,982 set in 2018. "It was great to see the amount of support that our players received from their friends, family and fans online," remarked Florida League President Stefano Foggi. "Every player that sets foot on the field wants to be recognized for their hard work. Our players are lucky to have so much support from the baseball community."
The players from each position who received the most online votes equaled out to one ballot. Each ballot had space for nine pitchers, two catchers, six infielders and five outfielders for both the East (DeLand, Sanford, Seminole) and West (Leesburg, Winter Garden, Winter Park) teams.
It was clear that the DeLand Suns fans were out in full force, as Suns players topped each of the four position groups. Daniel Paret received the most for pitchers, Rodrigo Montenegro had the most for catchers, Joe Burke had the most for infielders, and Alan Alonso had the most for outfielders. Burke was the overall leader in online votes, with his name showing up on 2,201 ballots.
For the West team, the league-leading Winter Park Diamond Dawgs had a similar run. Brian Carruyo of Winter Park received the most online votes for pitchers. His teammate, Jack Matero, had the most for catchers, while Cole Beeker and Luke Reidy had the most for infield and outfield, respectively.
Within each position category, the players were ranked, and each ranking had a point value assigned to it. For example, if a player was ranked as the #1 pitcher in his group on a ballot, he received nine points. The #2 pitcher received eight points, #3 seven points, etc.
*Voting was completed the morning of July 1. All stats reflect games played through July 1.
East All-Star Starters
| Position | Player | Team | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| P | Daniel Paret | DeLand | Stetson |
| C | Rodrigo Montenegro | DeLand | St. Petersburg |
| 1B | Topher Grant | Seminole | Lenoir-Rhyne |
| 2B | Trent Taylor | Sanford | UCF |
| 3B | Joe Burke | DeLand | Kentucky Wesleyan |
| SS | Francis Villaman | Sanford | FIU |
| OF | Jarrod Cande | Sanford | Florida Southern |
| OF | Justin Farmer | Sanford | FIU |
| OF | Mark Townsend | DeLand | Stetson |
West All-Star Starters
| Position | Player | Team | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| P | Ryan Stuempfig | Winter Park | Wichita State |
| C | Luis Cabrera | Winter Park | Southeastern |
| 1B | Cole Beeker | Winter Park | Swarthmore |
| 2B | Joe Butts | Winter Park | Catawba |
| 3B | Luis Lamarche | Winter Park | Savannah State |
| SS | Dalton Shuffield | Winter Garden | Texas State |
| OF | Luke Reidy | Winter Park | Rollins |
| OF | Adarius Myers | Winter Park | Louisiana Tech |
| OF | Cage Cox | Leesburg | Valdosta State |
East Pitchers
Daniel Paret, LHP
Stetson
DeLand Suns
61 Vote Points
The hardest part about selecting the East pitching staff was deciding which DeLand Sun should receive the first place vote. The Suns rank second in the league in ERA, opponent average and strikeouts, and Paret is a big part of that. The sophomore lefty boasts a 1.14 ERA over 23.2 innings, with 27 strikeouts against 7 walks. He has allowed eleven hits on the year, all of which have been singles. Opponent's are hitting a measly .139 against Paret, and slugging an even worse .136.
Paret's Best Game: June 20 vs. Leesburg ... 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K
2. Nathan Palmer, DeLand
3. Cole Beverlin, DeLand
4. Alex Franzen, DeLand
5. Brock Myers, Sanford
6. Tony Rossi, Sanford
7. Logan Frasier, Sanford
8. Brady Choban, DeLand
9. Kyle Brana, Seminole
East Catcher
Rodrigo Montenegro
St. Petersburg
DeLand Suns
45 Vote Points
Montenegro's defense has been his best weapon on the year, with a whopping 21 assists from the catcher position and a .991 fielding percentage. To put that in perspective, the next closest assist number is 9 from teammate Christian Pregent. In addition to mowing down baserunners, Montenegro has been solid at the late, hitting .324 with a .528 on-base percentage. He has scored ten times, and driven in seven.
Montenegro's Best Game: June 27 vs. Seminole ... 2-3, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB
2. Anthony George, Seminole County
3. *Christian Pregent, DeLand
*named All-Star as replacement for George
East Infield
Topher Grant, 1B
Lenoir-Rhyne
Seminole County Scorpions
54 Vote Points
Grant has been one of few bright spots for the Scorpions this season. In 19 games played, Grant has amassed a .340 batting average (18-53), which is good for 6th in the league. He also has an on-base percentage of .444 and a slugging percentage of .396. He has also played a flawless defensive first base this year, with zero errors in 98 innings.
Grant's Best Game: June 10 vs. Leesburg ... 3-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB
2. Trent Taylor, Sanford
3 (tie). Francis Villaman, Sanford
3 (tie). Joe Burke, DeLand
5. Peter Hutzal, DeLand
6. Connor Allen, Sanford
East Outfield
Jarrod Cande
Florida Southern
Sanford River Rats
62 Vote Points
This was probably the easiest choice for voters on the entire ballot. Cande is on the verge of annihilating most of the league's offensive records. He has already tied the record for most home runs in a season (9), and is currently slugging .805, which is 150 points higher than the league record of .645 set in 2013 by Tyler Palmer of Sanford. He ranks in the top three in the league in hits, runs, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, slugging, and OPS. He also chipped in on the mound, tallying ten strikeouts in five innings.
Cande's Best Game: June 24 vs. Leesburg ... 4-5, 4 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI
2. Mark Townsend, DeLand
3. Justin Farmer, Sanford
4. Thomas Broyles, Sanford
5. Alan Alonso, DeLand
West Pitchers
Ryan Stuempfig, RHP
Wichita State
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
48 Vote Points
The Diamond Dawgs have set the standard for pitching this season. Winter Park leads the league with a 2.30 ERA, almost a full run better than 2nd place DeLand, and the best mark since the 2012 Leesburg Lightning (2.25). It was another tough choice for voters, as Ryan Stuempfig, Tate Stone-Frisina, and Brian Carruyo all received first place votes as pitchers. In the end, the starting nod will go to the big righty from Wichita State. Stuempfig has a 1.28 ERA over 21 innings of work with 18 strikeouts against just four walks. He is 2-0 on the year, and has a WHIP of 0.95.
Stuempfig's Best Game: June 26 vs. DeLand ... 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
2. Brian Carruyo, Winter Park
3. Tate Stone-Frisina, Winter Park
4. Jack Wolgast, Winter Park
5. Steven Swift, Winter Park
6. Amir Asghar, Leesburg
7. Peyton Winebarger, Leesburg
8. Victor Gotay, Winter Park
9. Chase Raines, Winter Garden
West Catchers
Luis Cabrera
Southeastern
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
63 Vote Points
Cabrera has been a force at the plate for Winter Park, hitting 20-55 (.364 avg) with four doubles and a home run. He has scored six times, driven in eight, and also walked thirteen times to help his on-base percentage reach .493. He has at least one hit in 12 of the 18 games he has played in, and has five multi-hit games on the year.
Cabrera's Best Game: June 4th vs. DeLand ... 3-4, R, HR, 3 RBI, BB
2. Gerardo Miranda, Winter Park
West Infield
Joe Butts
Catawba
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
54 Vote Points
Butts arrived a few weeks into the season thanks to a trip to the D-2 World Series, but he didn't miss a beat. recording at least one hit in the first nine games he played. Overall, he leads the league in batting average at a whopping .429, and only has three games on the year where has not recorded a hit. The leadoff man has shown plenty of pop as well with five doubles, a triple and a home run. He has scored fourteen times, driven in sixteen and also swiped five bags.
Butts' Best Game: July 1 vs. Sanford ... 3-4, 3 R, 2 2B, 4 RBI, BB
2. Dalton Shuffield, Winter Garden
3. Cole Beeker, Winter Park
4. Luis Lamarche, Winter Park
5. Wesley Faison, Winter Garden
6. Max Law, Leesburg
West Outfield
Luke Reidy
Rollins
Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
62 Vote Points
Reidy has been a utility man of sorts, seeing action in left, third and first. It doesn't matter where he is placed in the field, Coach Chuck Schall knows he will deliver at the plate. Reidy has checked in with a .329/.402/.463 slash line, and is the team leader in home runs (3) and RBI (22), which are also good for 6th and 3rd in the league, respectively. He has picked up a hit in 18 of the 21 games he has appeared in, including seven multi-hit efforts.
Reidy's Best Game: June 21 vs. Winter Garden ... 3-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI
2. Cage Cox, Leesburg
3. Adarius Myers, Winter Park
4. Tate Mathis, Leesburg
5. Parker Pillsbury, Leesburg
The All-Star Game will take place this Saturday, July 6th at Sanford Memorial Stadium. During the afternoon, there will be a private scout showcase for the All-Stars and other selected invitees. The home run derby will follow starting at 5:45 pm. This year's home run derby contestants include:
Reigning champion Joe Burke and Mark Townsend of the DeLand Suns
Cage Cox and Sean Mootrey from the Leesburg Lightning
Jarrod Cande and Connor Allen from the Sanford River Rats
Gunnar Hoglund and Parker Smith from the Seminole County Scorpions
Bryce Jackson and Wesley Faison from the Winter Garden Squeeze
Jack Matero and Luis Cabrera from the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs
We are looking for youth players to shag balls during the derby. If your child is interested, please follow this link to register
The All-Star Game will begin shortly after the derby, with an estimated start time of 7:15 pm.
You can pre-purchase tickets HERE
