Six Biscuits Players Named to Southern League AllStar Team
The Southern League announced Tuesday that six Montgomery Biscuits players have been named Mid-Season Southern League All-Stars for the 2017 Southern League All-Star Game, which will be played on Tuesday, June 20 at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, Florida. Representing the Biscuits are pitchers Diego Castillo and Mike Franco, outfielders Cade Gotta and Braxton Lee, pitcher Jose Mujica, and catcher Justin O’Conner.Castillo has burst onto the scene in just his first year at the Double-A level. The Dominican reliever has flustered Biscuits’ opponents all season with his wicked fastball and devastating slider, going 1-3 with a 1.86 ERA in 21 appearances out of the bullpen. The 23-year-old right-hander also has eight saves this season, plus 32 strikeouts in 29 innings. Castillo was just recently promoted to AAA Durham, and will be unable to participate in the All-Star Game.
Franco, who is pitching in his first year at the Double-A level, has continued to flummox hitters across the south. The 25-year-old is a perfect 5-0 on the year with a 2.39 ERA-fourth-best in the Southern League. Franco struck out a career-high nine batters on Monday night away at Jacksonville, and the Biscuits are an astounding 10-1 in games that the right-hander has started this season.
Gotta, who is in his second season with the Biscuits, has taken his game to another level in 2017. After an early-season promotion to AAA Durham, the 25-year-old outfielder now leads the Southern League in batting average with a .340 clip-20 points higher than the man in second, teammate Braxton Lee. Gotta has also launched five home runs and knocked in 25 RBI, and has wreaked havoc on the base paths with 14 stolen bases-tied for second-most in the Southern League with Biloxi’s Johnny Davis. The Biscuits have hit back-to-back home runs three times this season, and Gotta has been a part of each instance.
Lee has put together a remarkable second year at the Double-A level, hitting .320, which is second-best in the Southern League. The 23-year-old outfielder hit his first professional home run on April 9 against Biloxi, which was the Biscuits’ first round-tripper of 2017, and has added another one since. Lee won Southern League Player of the Week honors for the week of May 15 -21, and strung together a 33-game on-base streak earlier this season that was the third-longest in Biscuits history behind Evan Longoria (37) and Hak-Ju Lee (46). The Ole Miss product has also tallied five outfield assists.
Mujica, who is the youngest Biscuit at just 20 years old, has become one of Montgomery’s most reliable arms after a mid-April promotion up from A+ Charlotte. The Valencia, Venezuela native has gone 4-3 with a 2.97 ERA in his first year at the Double-A level, and is also third in league in WHIP (0.97) and fifth in opponents’ batting average, having held Biscuits’ foes to a .199 clip. The right-hander has gone the deepest of any Biscuit starter this season as well, having tossed eight innings of one-run ball in a 7-1 win over the Chattanooga Lookouts on May 11th.
O’Conner, who is in his fourth year at this level, has become one of the leaders in the Biscuits clubhouse, and has made an enormous impact following a back injury that ruled him out for most of 2016. The 25-year-old is putting together his best Double-A season thus far, hitting .261 with five home runs, 11 doubles, and 28 RBI. O’Conner is also still the only Biscuit to hit a Grand Slam in 2017, and is one of three Biscuits to knock in four runs in any one game.
The 2017 edition of the Southern League All-Star Game takes place on Tuesday, June 20 at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, Florida. Players were selected by a vote of League field managers, radio broadcasters, general managers and print media. All players on Southern League rosters as of May 31 are eligible in the voting process.
