Team-Record Eight Wild Things Have Been Named 2017 Frontier League All Stars
WASHINGTON, Pa. - The 2017 Frontier League All-Star Teams have been announced, and the Washington Wild Things will have eight representatives at the All-Star Game at Slammers Stadium Wednesday, July 12. The eight representatives are the most for the team in its history. It breaks the previous mark of seven players sent when it was all said and done in 2014.
Washington will have two position players start: outfielder Bralin Jackson and first baseman Kane Sweeney. Jackson is hitting .306 on the year, as of Monday, July 3, and has nine home runs and 33 runs batted in. Jackson has an OPS a tick over .860 and is making his first all-star appearance in his first season with the team. Sweeeney is also making his first appearance in the game in his first season with the Wild Things. Sweeney recently had a 30-plus game, on-base streak snapped, but is hitting .338 with six home runs and 33 runs batted in. Jackson’s and Sweeney’s RBI total is tied for the best on the team. Sweeney’s OPS is 1.074, which is the second-best OPS in the Frontier League.
Other players who will appear in their first ASG in their first season with the team are third baseman Mike Hill, outfielder Rashad Brown and pitcher Zach Strecker. Hill is hitting .224 but has six home runs and 20 RBI on the year and has swung a hot bat of late. Brown is one of the best defensive outfielders in the Frontier League, and is hitting .286 with eight stolen bases and an OBP of .355. Strecker is the dominant closer of the Wild Things, and has a 1.09 earned run average in 33 innings spread across 22 appearances. Strecker has only given up six runs (four earned) and has 11 saves as of this announcement.
The three other Wild Things’ All-Stars are with the team for their second seasons, pitchers Chase Cunningham and Trevor Foss, and catcher Kyle Pollock. Cunningham and Pollock have been named FL All-Stars for the first time, while Foss returns after being named to the 2016 team. Cunningham was named the Frontier League Pitcher of the Week this past week after two wins, and is 6-0 on the season with the fourth-best ERA in the league (2.49). Pollock is hitting .241 with four home runs and 22 RBI, while remaining one of the better defensive catchers in the Frontier League. Foss was named the East’s starter in the game last season but did not end up pitching, and returns to the ASG this year sporting a top-10 ERA in the league (2.82) and a 6-3 record. His strikeout total is the third best in the Frontier League (55). He also set the new franchise record for complete games in his last start with 10 in his one year and change with the team.
Jamie Bennett of the Schaumburg Boomers will be the acting field manager for the East squad and will determine the starting pitcher for the game. For a full list of the All-Star teams visit frontierleague.com.
The Frontier League All-Star break will run from Monday, July 10 through Thursday, July 13. The game itself will take place Wednesday, June 12 at 8:05 p.m. EST. Tuesday’s Home Run Derby in Joliet is slated to begin at 8:05 p.m. EST as well.
