LumberKings crown All-Star roster

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LumberKings crown All-Star roster
06/03/2008 6:39 PM ET
By Bryan Smith / MLB.com

The first-place teams in the Midwest League were rewarded mightily for their production to this point as the league announced its All-Star Game roster announcement Tuesday.
Clinton (39-14), which has a 6.5-game edge over second-place Kane County in the Western Division, paced the field with nine berths. Eastern Division leader Lansing (32-25), and Kane County (34-22), second place in the West, will send seven players apiece to Midland, Mich. for the June 17 midsummer classic.
Beloit (30-27) will have six representatives in the game, while the bottom four teams in the league -- Wisconsin, Peoria, Cedar Rapids, Burlington -- will send a total 10 players.
Four LumberKings have been selected to start the game. Catcher Jose Felix (.302-1-11) will man the backstop while first baseman Ian Gac (.329-16-48) and shortstop Renny Osuna (.351-3-34) will man their usual spots. Beloit second baseman Steve Singleton and third baseman Garrett Olson round out the starting infield.
Clinton outfielder Mitch Moreland (.335-5-28) will start in the outfield in his first full season in the Minors. Joining him will be fellow 2007 draftees, Burlington's Adrian Ortiz (.301-2-16, 20 SB) and Kane County's Corey Brown (.267-8-28). Peoria designated hitter Jovan Rosa (.302-2-23) rounds out the lineup.
Neftali Feliz (5-1, 2.05), who was dealt to the Texas organization last year as part of the Mark Teixeira trade with Atlanta, is among the LumberKings' three pitchers. The Dominican Republic native joins a Western Division pitching staff loaded with diversity. Countrymen and Clinton teammate Kennil Gomez (8-1, 2.76) also made the roster, as did Canadians Jamie Richmond (5-3, 3.43) of the Cougars and Wisconsin star Phillippe Aumont (3-3, 1.50). Kane County pitcher Scott Mitchinson (4-2, 1.49), born in Perth, Australia, rounds out the staff.
In all, nine countries will be represented in the game. The roster also features a huge youth movement -- 14 players born after 1988 will make the trip to Midland. The youngest is Lansing third baseman Kevin Ahrens, who turned 19 on April 26. Ahrens is one of seven drafted in the first round of the '07 First-Year Player Draft. The highest drafted representative is South Bend pitcher Jarrod Parker, chosen ninth last year.
Dow Diamond will host the game in its second year of existence. Last year, Baseball Digest named it the Best New Stadium of 2007.
The hometown Great Lakes Loons sport four players on the Eastern Division roster, including starting outfielder Andrew Lambo (.267-7-41). This season, the Loons are fifth in the league in attendance, averaging 3,510 fans through the first 26 home games.
Because of divisional imbalance, the West receives players from one team in the East. This season, the Quad Cities River Bandits sends three to the other side, including two Eastern starters: shortstop Pete Kozma (.274-3-19) and outfielder Charles Kingrey (.308-5-32). It will be a familiar position for those River Bandits, since they will play against the teams that they have battled for three-quarters of their schedule to date.
South Bend has catcher Sean Couglin (.265-6-24) and outfielder Evan Frey (.333-0-22) in the Eastern lineup. The first-place Lugnuts have three players on the bench and one in the starting lineup -- designated hitter Manuel Rodriguez (.310-4-37). The rest of the starting lineup includes Fort Wayne second baseman Andy Parrino (.276-3-15), Dayton third baseman Brandon Waring (.267-11-32) and West Michigan first baseman Chris Carlson (.291-7-32).
The field staffs and starting pitchers have yet to be announced, but Clinton is expected to send manager Mike Micucci to the game. League ERA leaders Craig Italiano (7-0, 0.65) of Kane County and West Michigan's Alfredo Figaro (7-2, 1.22) seem like safe bets.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.