(July 3) — Six members of the York Revolution have been selected to represent the Freedom Division in the 2017 Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) All-Star Game, the league announced Monday.
Pitchers Brad Allen and Chase Huchingson will join catcher Isaias Tejeda, first baseman Michael Burgess, and outfielders Alonzo Harris and Travis Witherspoon in the mid-summer classic, Wednesday July 12, at TD Bank Ballpark, with festivities beginning at 5:00 p.m. and first pitch set for 7:10 p.m. Each squad features 22 players – 13 position players and nine pitchers.
The all-stars were chosen by a combination of balloting of league and team officials, managers, and media representatives and fan voting. Nearly 35,000 ballots were cast by fans to help choose this year’s teams. The Freedom Division will be managed by Sugar Land skipper Gary Gaetti, while the Liberty Division will be managed by Somerset’s Brett Jodie.
Brad Allen was one of the most reliable arms in Mark Mason’s bullpen in the first half, excelling as both an eighth inning option and as a closer. He finished the first half with a 2.17 ERA in 28 appearances, saving seven games, which ranks tied for fourth in the Atlantic League. Allen struck out 20 batters, while allowing just seven walks in his 29 innings of work, and posted a 13-game scoreless streak from May 27 through June 24.
Michael Burgess has supplied much of the power for the Revs in the first half, leading the team with 10 home runs. Burgess also finished the first half with a .268 average, 33 RBI, and 10 doubles. Burgess worked the count well, producing a lot of lengthy at bats, and his plate discipline paid off with a team leading 35 walks, tying him for fourth in the league.
Alonzo Harris has been a spark near the top of the Revs order throughout the first half of the season. Harris leads the team in average at .328 and stolen bases with 11. His average ranks fourth in the Atlantic League, and his slugging percentage of .522 also ranks fourth. Despite missing three weeks with an oblique injury, Harris has tallied 59 hits in 47 games, including 12 doubles, and seven home runs. The power numbers have surged of late for Harris, as all seven home runs came in a span of 16 games, including two home runs in a game against Southern Maryland on June 22.
Chase Huchingson had the best start to the season of any Revs pitcher. He did not allow an earned run in his first 14 outings of the year and finished the first half with a 2.16 ERA in 26 appearances. In 25 innings, he struck out 21, and opponents hit just .217 against him in the first half. He also picked up two wins in relief and recorded his lone save of the season June 3 against Lancaster.
Isaias Tejeda has been one of the most clutch York batters this season. He leads the team with 37 runs driven in, and 16 of those RBI have come with two outs. Tejeda finished the first half 10th in the league in batting at .299, with 9 home runs and 18 doubles, tying him for second best in the league. Tejeda posted a 7-game hitting streak June 20-26, and on June 28 against the Bluefish became the first player in Revs history to collect four extra base hits in a game, as he smashed three doubles and a triple. He also hit a grand slam on May 23 against New Britain.
Travis Witherspoon becomes the fifth player in Revs history to be selected to multiple all-star games, joining Andres Perez (4), Corey Thurman (3), James Shanks (2), and Eric Patterson (2). After starting in center field in 2016 for the Freedom Division, Witherspoon will be the first Rev to make back-to-back all-star appearances since Patterson in 2013-14. Witherspoon batted .297 with 4 home runs and 26 RBI in the first half. His 73 hits were tied for third most in the Atlantic League, and Witherspoon hit safely in 13 of 14 games from May 23 to June 7. Witherspoon owns the longest hitting streak of the season on the team, hitting safely in nine straight games, June 20-28. On the final day of that streak, he posted a four-hit game against Bridgeport. Witherspoon also ranks second on the team with 10 stolen bases.