Familiar Names Among FSL All-stars

Justin De Fratus

Florida State League all-stars were announced on Friday and there were plenty of familiar names for regular PhoulBallz.com readers. Close friends Justin De Fratus and Travis D'Arnaud will reunite as members of the FSL North division squad. De Fratus and D'Arnaud were key members of the 2009 South Atlantic League champion Lakewood BlueClaws last season. De Fratus posted a 5-6 record with a 3.19 ERA in 36 games (12 starts) for Lakewood in 2009. His battery mate, Travis D'Arnaud, was sent to Toronto by the Phillies in December as part of the Roy Halladay trade, after hitting .256 with 13 homers and 71 RBI for the BlueClaws in 2009. This season with the High-A level Clearwater Threshers, De Fratus, a 22-year-old right hander, has posted a 1-0 record with 8 saves and a 1.64 ERA in 16 games. With Dunedin in 2010, D'Arnaud is hitting .309 with 5 homers and 22 RBI, despite missing over 3 weeks with an injury.

Travis D'Arnaud

In addition to the reunion with D'Arnaud, De Fratus is excited to be teamed up with another pal, Brewers prospect Erik Komatsu, who was once a high school rival of De Fratus in California. Komatsu (.316 avg. in 46 games) has been named to the Northern all-star team as well.

Also chosen to represent the Northern division, in the June 12th all-star exhibition to be played in Viera, Florida, were Clearwater players Austin Hyatt, Trevor May and Cody Overbeck.

Hyatt, a 24-year-old righty pitcher, was the set-up man for Lakewood in the playoffs last year but is now starting for the Threshers. Hyatt has struggled greatly in his most recent three starts, losing 2 games and posting a 15.68 ERA. Prior to that, Hyatt had a 6-1 record and a 1.90 ERA.

Trevor May, a 4th round draft pick in 2008, is a 20-year-old right handed hurler. In 10 games this season, he has posted a 3-4 record with a 4.98 ERA. Also, May has struck out an astounding 65 batters in 43 1/3 innings pitched this year.

Overbeck is a 23-year-old third baseman, who was drafted in the 9th round in 2008. In 48 games this season, Overbeck is batting .326 with a 1.003 OPS.

De Fratus, May, Hyatt, Overbeck and the rest of the Threshers are currently in 3rd place in the FSL Northern Division, 3 games behind D'Arnaud and the first place Dunedin Blue Jays.

______________________________________

Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE.

Share on Facebook

Comments

PhoulBallz Interview: First round pick Bryson Stott

Bryson Stott, image- Jay Floyd Shortstop Bryson Stott , the Phillies' first round draft selection this year, has enjoyed a successful initial pro campaign. En route to being recognized as an All-Star for the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters the 21-year-old UNLV product has tallied a .295 average with six home runs and 25 RBI in 45 minor league contests. Last week I spoke with the lefty hitting Stott to discuss his transition to professional baseball, joining the Phillies organization and plenty more. Read ahead for that interview. -Obviously, your performance and the production on the field is going well, but how do you feel you have adapted to the pro life? It feels good. You hear about the everyday grind, but you don't really believe it till you feel it. I would say that's the difference between college and the pros, is you're not practicing, you're playing games every day. I would say that's the biggest difference. But I...

Ring-a-ling

This week I heard old news about how when the Indianapolis Colts won the Super Bowl, they gave former Colt Edgerrin James a championship ring. "Edge" had been a Colt for seven years, and even though he was gone when they won the big one, the team and the coaching staff felt as though James had contributed in building the team that won it all, so they awarded him a ring. This got me wondering which people, in an extended Phillies phamily , would be deserving of a 2008 World Series Champions ring. I heard an interview with Mike Schmidt, in the days that followed the Series, and when asked if he thought he'd get a ring, he said, "They have my (ring) size." Schmidt, the Hall of Fame thirdbaseman , was a long time Phillie, a one time coach of the single-A Clearwater Threshers (where he managed World Series MVP Cole Hamels ) and appears as a guest hitting instructor in Phillies spring training every year. With all those things in mind, of course Mike Schmidt shou...

Q&A with Justin De Fratus

Justin De Fratus is a 21 year old right handed relief pitcher with the Lakewood BlueClaws. An 11th round draft choice in 2007, Justin had been a starter in his first two seasons in the Phillies organization. Informed this spring that he'd be switched from the rotation to the bullpen, Justin has excelled and become one of the most reliable pitchers on the Lakewood staff. In 19 games this season, Justin is 2-0, with a 1.83 ERA and 0.89 WHIP over 39 1/3 innings pitched. PhoulBallz.com spoke with Justin De Fratus just last night. Here's how that went down... Justin, South Atlantic League all star selections were announced this week, and you were named to the team. Can I get your reaction to that? How excited were you? Very excited about it. Well, especially this year because I just got moved to the bullpen, so this is a new role for me. So, if anything, it's reassuring that I'm doing my job. It's the first time in my pro career that I've been selected as an all star...

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog