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Burning Rubber
International League Hurlers Hoping to Bring More Heat to Oklahoma City
Jonathan Roybal
MinorLeagueNews.com06.20.02 - In the 15th annual Triple-A All-Star Game, International League All-Star Manager Dave Miley and pitching coach Grant Jackson will be looking to prove that old baseball adage, “good pitching will always beat good hitting”.
On July 10th, at SBC Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, they sure will have an impressive array of pitchers at their disposal to test that ancient theory.
The ten pitchers selected as IL All-Stars have combined for a 51-18 record with 485 strikeouts, 58 saves, and a 2.38 ERA this season.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre right-hander Joe Roa gets the start as the leading vote-getter among International League pitchers, thanks to his 10-0 record and 1.98 ERA. [-Joe was featured in MLN article Roa’s on a Roll.]
Other pitching selections include Richmond's dynamic duo of Doug Linton, who ranks first in the IL with a 1.47 ERA, and Trey Hodges, a league-leading 11 game winner; along with Australian John Stephens of Rochester, who leads the league with 92 strikeouts and 105.1 innings-pitched.
If things get a little hot out there, the IL bullpen features some of the minors’ best firemen in Toledo's Oscar Henriquez [17 saves], Durham's Lee Gardner [14], Charlotte's Edwin Almonte [13] and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's Pete Zamora [11].
Swinging the bat, the International League promises to be just as potent with Norfolk second baseman Marco Scutaro, who boasts a IL best .354 batting average, followed by Buffalo DH Chris Coste [.351], and Ottawa outfielder Endy Chavez [. 347].
Louisville third baseman Brandon Larson is a legitimate triple crown candidate who can hit for average, .335, as well as power; he ranks second in the IL with 19 home runs and 55 RBI behind fellow All-Stars, DH Josh Phelps from Syracuse (21 HR) and Louisville first baseman Kevin Witt (60 RBI).
I’d bet Miley would like to see a low scoring affair, a testament to his fine pitching staff. If the PCL wants to get into a slugfest though, the IL might just have the lumber to keep pace with them this year.
Here is a look at the 2002 International League Triple-A All-Stars:
**STARTERS**
POS/NAME
C JOHNNY ESTRADA
1B GARY BURNHAM
2B MARCO SCUTARO
3B BRANDON LARSON
SS NICK PUNTO
OF LARRY BIGBIE
OF CARL CRAWFORD
OF RAUL GONZALEZ
SP DOUG LINTON
SP JOE ROA
RP LEE GARDNER
RP OSCAR HENRIQUEZ
DH JOSH PHELPS* * RESERVES * *
POS/NAME
C JASON L. PHILLIPS
INF JOE CREDE
INF ORLANDO HUDSON
INF ANDY SHEETS
INF KEVIN WITT
OF ENDY CHAVEZ
OF EDGARD CLEMENTE
OF BILLY McMILLON
P EDWIN ALMONTE
P DERRIN EBERT
P TREY HODGES
P JASON C. PHILLIPS
P JOHN STEPHENS
P PETE ZAMORA
DH CHRIS COSTE
MANAGER DAVE MILEY
COACH GRANT JACKSON
COACH ERIC WEDGE
TRAINER JOHN YOUNGTEAM
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