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| Simmons, Stott, O'Hoppe and Williams/ Image- Jay Floyd |
Catcher Logan O'Hoppe, outfielder Corbin Williams, infielder Kendall Simmons as well as shortstop Bryson Stott represented the Williamsport Crosscutters and were part of the victorious Blue Team in Staten Island, NY, home of the Yankees affiliate, on Wednesday night.
O'Hoppe (pronounced Oh-HOP-ee), is a local guy who hails from nearby West Islip. The 19-year-old, said the game was attended by approximately 100 friends and family members.
The righty batting O'Hoppe was a 23rd round draft selection last year. In 44 games this year for Williamsport, he has tallied a .217 average with five home runs and 26 RBI.
Williams, who grew up in Philadelphia, is batting .224 with three doubles, three RBI and a league-leading 28 steals thus far in 49 regular season games for the Cutters. The 21-year-old right-handed hitter was a 24th round draft choice by the Phils last year.
Simmons, the Phillies' 6th round draft pick last year, has notched a .267 batting average with 11 homers and 30 RBI in 39 games this season. The 19-year-old righty batter has played second base, shortstop and third base for Williamsport.
Stott was the Phillies' first round draft pick this year. The 21-year-old UNLV product has posted a .294 batting average with five home runs and 20 RBI in 33 games since joining the Crosscutters. The lefty hitter also played in four rookie level Gulf Coast League games upon debuting as a pro this year.
I talked with each of the Crosscutters' top performers prior to the exhibition. Read ahead for their remarks about being honored as All-Stars.
O'Hoppe:
It's been great. It's been everything I could ask for. This has been on the schedule for a while and it was definitely a goal of mine to get here because of that reason, because of the family and because of the people. It's gonna be a good time.
It's so great to have that support system come to life because I mean you're away from home and you're texting people and (make) phone calls and stuff like that, but yeah, it's good to have them here in person and it's pretty overwhelming. But, I'm very blessed and lucky to have all those people in my corner and it's good to finally have them out here and see what I've been talking about.
Williams:
It's crazy. (laughs) I know this might sound crazy, but I didn't come into the season thinking that I could be an All-Star. It's a blessing.
You just go out there and try to play everyday. (Becoming an All-Star) was not my main focus. It's not like, "I've got to get a hit today to make it to the All-Star game!" I'm trying to just develop into the best player that I can be and the fact that I got chosen, it's like I'm doing something right, so keep doing it.
Simmons:
It's truly a blessing. At the beginning of the year, I never thought I would be an All-Star. It's crazy how you mature as a baseball player throughout the year. It seems like I've been in pro ball for a minute now and just last year I was in high school, so I think it's an awesome experience. It's my first time in New York and this is the way I want to spend my first trip to New York.
I take in every bit of it. I mean, God blessed me with this opportunity, not only to be a pro, but just to be a part of something like this and to have friends and family that support me in everything I do and that's huge for me.
Stott:
It's really awesome especially being able to experience it with my three other teammates. And this being my first pro season, and to be an All-Star I think it's very cool. It's cool for everybody and to be here and experience it-- I played with some of these guys in college too, so to see some of them again is really cool.
The one I'm closest to is Nic Ready. He went to Air Force, so I played him a bunch of times throughout college and our schools were really close, so I know him really well. There's a couple guys from Houston in there that I played against and a few others. So, it's pretty cool to see their careers are moving forward too.
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