SEVEN BLUE CRABS HEADED TO 2010 ATLANTIC LEAGUE ALL-STAR GAME
Monday, June 28, 2010
Owens, Garcia, Crozier, Craig, Benjamin, Reichert And Speier Earn Selection, Hobson To Manage Liberty Division All Stars
Seven Southern Maryland Blue Crabs have been named to the Atlantic League Liberty Division All-Star Team, including centerfielder Jeremy Owens, shortstop Travis Garcia, first baseman Eric Crozier, designated hitter Matt Craig, second baseman Casey Benjamin and right-handed pitchers Dan Reichert and Ryan Speier. The 2010 Atlantic League All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday, July 6 at 7:05 p.m. at Suffolk County Sports Park in Central Islip, New York, home of the Long Island Ducks.
The Blue Crabs seven All-Star selections ties the York Revolution of the Freedom Division for tops in the Atlantic League. Both clubs are currently in first place in their respective divisions, tied with a league high 37 wins at the time the All-Star teams were announced.
Jeremy Owens earns his second Atlantic League All-Star selection a season after leading the ALPB with 28 home runs and playing in last year’s game at Newark. He is tied for second in the league in home runs with 10 and has 33 RBI this season. Owens has been especially impressive in June, knocking eight of his homers and driving in 22 runs this month, in his 13th season as a pro.
This will be Travis Garcia’s second consecutive Atlantic League All-Star Game, as he carries a .272 average with nine home runs and 27 RBI in his eighth professional season. His nine homers are tied with teammate Eric Crozier for third in the league.
In his fifth Atlantic League season, Eric Crozier will play in his first ALPB All-Star Game with a .273 average, nine homers and 29 RBI. A season ago, Crozier was selected to the All-Star Game but could not participate, due to being the first ever Blue Crab to be signed by the Baltimore Orioles. In June alone, Crozier is hitting .306 with 15 of his RBI. In his 11th professional season, Crozier debuted as a Major Leaguer for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004.
Matt Craig earns an All-Star selection in his first season in the Atlantic League. He led the Crabs with a .347 average, 34 RBI and 18 doubles at the time the All-Star teams were announced. Craig’s average is also second overall in the league as he puts together perhaps his finest season in nine as a professional.
Casey Benjamin also earns selection to the All-Star Game in his first Atlantic League season. He is tied for the team lead in triples with five, and is second on the club in average at .302 The eight-year pro also holds the team’s season-long hit streak at 16 games from May 22 - June 10.
Former Major League pitcher Dan Reichert will make his first Atlantic League All-Star Game appearance in his 14th pro season. He leads the Blue Crabs in wins (7), strikeouts (63) and innings pitched (81.0). Reichert is 7-5 with a 3.89 ERA this season. The right-hander has pitched in five Major League seasons, predominantly with the Kansas City Royals, but most recently in 2003 with the Toronto Blue Jays. Reichert has 124 Major League games under his belt, including 51 starts with 240 strikeouts in 395.1 innings pitched.
Reliever Ryan Speier rounds out the Blue Crabs 2010 All-Stars, making the squad in his first ALPB season and his ninth as a pro. He has surrendered just one earned run in 21.2 innings for a remarkable 0.42 ERA since signing with Southern Maryland on May 12. Opponents are hitting just .169 against Speier this season. The right-hander has also pitched in four Major League seasons with the Colorado Rockies between 2005 and last season. In 2007, he pitched out of the Rockies bullpen in Game 1 of the World Series against the Boston Red Sox. He is 7-3 overall in the big leagues with a 3.99 ERA in 90 games.
Blue Crabs Manager Butch Hobson, the only skipper the team has known in its three seasons, will manage the Liberty Division All-Stars, and will bring Crabs Pitching Coach Marty Janzen along with him. Hobson earned this privilege due to the Blue Crabs winning the Liberty Division Championship a season ago. It was the franchise’s first division crown and appearance in the Atlantic League Championship series, in just the second season of Southern Maryland Blue Crabs baseball. Hobson, an eight-season Major League veteran as a third baseman, also managed in the Major Leagues, guiding the Boston Red Sox from 1992 through 1994.
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