Projecting All 12 NECBL Teams' All-Star Representative

The NECBL All-Star team rosters are always up in the air, all the way up to the day they come out. The rules state that all 12 clubs must be represented, so what follows are projections for the 12 players that are most likely to represent their teams at the All-Star Game on July 19th.

Plenty of teams will have three, four representatives at Goodall Park in Sanford, but here are the standouts who are locks to take part.

Danbury Westerners: Cody Acker, OF
The Westerners are in the cellar of the league, having already dropped 18 games and are seven games out of a playoff spot in the Southern Division. En route to a third consecutive losing season, Danbury ranks lost in ERA (4.95) and runs scored (67).

Cody Acker (.365/.397/.460), however, is well-deserving of an All-Star nod. The VCU rising senior is sixth in the league in average and already has six doubles in just 16 games. He's swiped seven bases and is on a five-game hitting streak (11-for-18).

Also in the running: N/A

Keene Swamp Bats: Zach Willeman, RP
Scouts flock to the All-Star Game to see good pitching, and Willeman fits that description. He is fifth in the league in strikeouts, despite only throwing 14 innings. He trails the leader by nine strikeouts, even though he has 18 innings less.

The Kent State product has more then twice as any strikeouts (27) as hits allowed (10) and after blowing a save in his first outing of the summer, Willeman has four saves and has a 9:1 K/BB ratio. His lockdown performance in the first half has him well deserving of a spot.

Also in the running: Garrett Christman, INF; Paul Covelle, RP

Laconia Muskrats: Timothy Viehoff, SP
This is a no-doubter, but expect Laconia to have plenty of representation this year. Viehoff has been unhittable for the Muskrats over five starts, as the Southern New Hampshire left-hander leads the league in wins, strikeouts and is second in ERA.

He's 4-0 with a 0.28 ERA, having allowed just one earned run on 13 hits over 32 innings of work. Viehoff's walked 14 batters, but has 36 strikeouts and is limiting opposing hitters to a just .120 average at the plate. Arguably a favorite to start the All-Star game for the North, Viehoff has had his spot on the All-Star team locked up since he got here.

Also in the running: Brian Mims, 2B; Deon Stafford, C; Braxton Martinez, 3B

Mystic Schooners: Willie Rios, SP

Mystic's run to the top of the Southern Division has been powered by the league's only pitching staff with a sub-3.00 ERA, and Rios has been at the center of that. He's overpowered opponents over five starts, piling up 30 strikeouts in 24 innings.

Walks (19) have been a problem, but the Maryland left-hander has worked out of jams and compiled a 1.88 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .190 against him as he has almost twice as many strikeouts as hits allowed (16).

Also in the running: Ben Ruta, OF; Aaron Hill, SS

New Bedford Bay Sox: Tyler Orris, SS

Orris is well-deserving of the starting role at short for the Southern Division, having established himself as one of the league's top hitters. The Millersville rising junior has an impressive .341/.430/.396 slash line and has knocked in 14 runs while swiping eight bases for the Bay Sox.

He's also drawn 15 walks to just five strikeouts, with his 3:1 BB/K ratio the best in the league. Orris also already has 31 hits in 24 games and had a 12-game hitting streak that lasted much of June.

Also in the running: Charlie Dant, SP; Jayson Sullivan, OF

Newport Gulls: Joven Afenir, OF
Newport, like Laconia, features a large selection of players who are all deserving of All-Star honors. However, Afenir has been one of the leagues best outfielders, both defensively and at the plate. As a member of the league's top offensive teams, Afenir has a slash line of .370/.459/.511 and has four home runs and 16 RBIs.

A left-handed hitter from Kansas, Afenir has the leagues second longest hitting streak this summer (13 games) and has homered in back-to-back games while driving in five runs. He's second in the league with 20 runs scored, third in hits (34) and total bases (47). His .459 on-base percentage also ranks fourth.

Also in the running: Shea Donlin, 2B; Drew Lugbauer, C; James Karinchak, SP; Brendan Spagnuolo, RP

North Adams SteepleCats: Dakota Edwards, SP
Offensively, the SteepleCats don't feature a player over .300, but their rotation features plenty of deserving candidates. Edwards, who threw a no-hitter earlier this summer, leads the staff with a 0.47 ERA having given up just one earned run in 19 innings of work.

In his first start of the summer, Edwards held Sanford hitless while walking a pair and striking out six for the first individual no-hitter since 2011. He hasn't had any run support in his past two outings, but he's allowed just eight hits over 10 innings and lowered his season ERA to 0.47. He has a 0.74 WHIP and opposing hitters are hitting juts .127 against.

Also in the running: Dalton Westfall, SP; Josh Garran, SP; Victor Sorrento, 1B

Ocean State Waves: Tim Lynch, 1B

Lynch has been dismantling NECBL pitching this summer. The Southern Miss product has gone yard seven times, first in the league, and is on pace for 14 home runs- the most in the league since 2012. An early pick to win the Home Run Derby, Lynch also boasts a slash line of .304/.387/.620.

He's drawn more walks (12) then strikeouts (11), ranks third in slugging (.620), first in extra base htis (15) and second in total bases (57). Lynch has also driven in 18 runs for the Waves and his .315 isolated power leads the league.

Also in the running: Ryan Blanton, OF; Ryan Gray, SP; Dylan Burdeaux, OF

Plymouth Pilgrims: Brent Rooker, OF
The Southern Division will look scary with Rooker and Lynch both in the lineup, as Rooker is hitting .407 with five home runs and a league-high 21 RBIs. A participant in last year's NECBL Home Run Derby, Rooker is in the top five in plenty of categories.

His five home runs rank third while his .659 slugging percentage and 13 extra-base hits are second. Rooker leads the leagues in runs scored (22), total bases (60) and hits (37). A second straight appearance in the home run derby would make sense as well.

Also in the running: Keven Pimentel, P; Mandy Alvarez, 3B

Sanford Mainers: Dalton Thomas, DH

Thomas has emerged as one of the league's top hitters, posting a .372 average that ranks fourth in the league while piling up 10 extra-base hits in just 19 games. The Arkansas-Little Rock product has had three hits in three of his last four games, raising his average 60 points in the past week.

His 46 total bases is fourth in the league as well. A knock on him in his tendency to strike out (22 strikeouts to just two walks) but it comes with the territory as a power hitter.

Also in the running: Shaine Hughes, 1B/3B; Cody Dube, P

Valley Blue Sox: Bryan Goosens, SP

We could continue the trend of hitters, but Goosens has been one of the league's top starting pitchers. Siena's opening day starter, Goosens also started Valley's season opener and spun a gem, striking out six over seven shutout innings.

He's continued to do that this whole summer, and has gone six-plus innings in all but one of his starts. The right-hander has made five starts and has 25 strikeouts to just four walks over 31 2-3 innings of work. Goosens opened the season with 14 shutout innings and has a 1.42 ERA that is sixth in the NECBL.

Also in the running: Manny De Jesus, OF; Garrett McCain, OF; Perry Kulaga, SP

Vermont Mountaineers: Thomas Roulis, 2B

Roulis is well-deserving of a second consecutive start at the NECBL All-Star Game. After missing the whole spring season with an injury, Roulis leads the league with a .467 average and already has 35 hits in just 20 games.

A third-year NECBL veteran, this would be his third appearance at the leagues prestigious event and second for the Mountaineers. Roulis has eight doubles, a .500 on-base percentage and a .613 slugging percentage, all marks that are near the top of the league.

Also in the running: Casey Brown, SP; Garrett Copeland, 2B; Adam Seibert, RP