Breaking Down the Northwoods All-Star Game

All-Star Roster Reaction

The 2013 Northwood’s League All-Star game will be taking place on June 23rd in Eau Claire, Wisconsin at Carson Park, home of the Eau Claire Express. The Home Run Derby begins at 6:00 PM and the All-Star game starts at 7:35 PM. The first official rosters were released on Friday- and here’s my immediate reaction to the lists.

North Division

The key names are here; led by Willmar first basemen Marc Flores who has torn up the league, hitting .340 with nine home runs and 39 RBIs. Also featured is Chesny Young whose hit .331 with nine doubles and three triples from Waterloo; Keith Curcio from Duluth who’s hitting .377 with 23 stolen bases and 28 runs and Adam Martin of St. Cloud who leads the league in home runs with ten.

Adam Dian anchors the pitching, as the ace from Waterloo brings a 0.47 ERA from 16 appearances out of the pen; Cameron Gianni, one of Mankato’s six selections is the probable starter with a 5-1 record and a 1.87 ERA with 46 strikeouts over six starts. Another key part of the North pitching is the other pitcher from Mankato, the righty Jess Amedee who is another powerful reliever with a 1.45 ERA over 18.2 innings with eight saves and 30 strikeouts.

Surprisingly, there were multiple snubs I didn't see coming on the North roster. Alexander Sohn, the Alexandria shortstop did not receive a bid- even with a .337 batting average, 12 doubles, 26 RBIs and 19 steals. Another surprise was Thunder Bay’s third baseman Jason Vosler, whose .278 average was decent but his 10 doubles, six home runs, 30 RBIs and 26 runs scored really warranted a bid.

South Division

Again, the key names are here, and a potent outfield shows that. The outfield is headlined by Wisconsin Rapids Donnie Dewees, who has put up an incredible line so far this season- a .336 average, nine home runs, 31 RBIs, 34 runs scored and 16 stolen bases. Also, rounding out the solid outfield is Madison’s Drew Weeks, who is hitting .333 with 41 RBIs, 35 runs scored, eight doubles and six home runs; and Battle Creek’s Cam Gibson with a .355 average and 19 swiped bags to go with 39 runs scored.

The pitching is solid, led by Madison’s trio of aces, Sam Forkert (3-0, 33.2 IP out of the pen, 0.80 ERA), Luke Staub (3-2 over 7 starts with 38 strikeouts and a 1.58 ERA) and Hunter May (0-2 with a 2.21 ERA and nine saves).

The biggest snub also comes out of Madison, though. Cam Verbeke missed out on the All-Star game, even after posting a 4-1 record over 10 appearances, mixed between starts and relief. He also holds a 2.76 ERA and has struck out 41 batters over 32.2 innings thrown.

The other key addition on pitching is JP Feyereisen from the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, who has a 0.72 ERA over 18 games and 25 innings pitched. He also has a 3-1 record with 32 strikeouts and nine saves. The other key part is Kyle Bouman from Lakeshore, who has a 4-0 record over seven starts with a 1.65 ERA and 32 strikeouts over 43.2 innings pitched.

All in all, this year’s All-Star game has two surprising snubs, which is always a staple in any All-Star game- but the rosters look good from then on. Expect a interesting game, as some of the best pitchers go up against the best hitters. Gianni v. Dewees. Feyereisen v. Flores. It’s the Northwood’s All-Star game, and is just 10 days away.