Omaha sends four to Triple-A All-Star Game
The Pacific Coast League announced their selections for the 25th Annual Triple-A All-Star Game to be held on July 11 at Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo, N.Y. The contest, which features the PCL All-Star squad and the International League’s best, will air live on MLB Network at 6:00 p.m. CDT. Omaha outfielder Wil Myers has been selected as a starter for the PCL. First baseman Clint Robinson will represent the Storm Chasers in a reserve role along with left-handed pitchers Tommy Hottovy and Ryan Verdugo.
Myers, 21, began the season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas before joining Omaha in mid-May. He has a combined .325 average with 19 doubles, 25 home runs and 65 RBI, including 12 home runs and 35 RBI in 40 games with Omaha. Kansas City’s third-round pick in 2009, Myers currently leads the entire minor leagues in home runs. He will also participate in the XM All-Star Futures Game for the second straight year.
Robinson, 27, the Royals’ 25th-round selection in 2007, is batting .313 with 21 doubles, 10 home runs, 44 RBI and 41 runs scored in 71 games. Robinson made his Major League debut on June 8 at Pittsburgh. He appeared in four games with Kansas City, all in a pinch-hitting role.
Hottovy, who will turn 31 on July 9, is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA and seven saves in 20 relief appearances for Omaha. The Kansas City native also appeared in five games for his hometown Royals, recording a 3.38 ERA over 5.1 innings. A graduate of Park Hill South High School and Wichita State University, Hottovy signed with the Royals as a minor league free agent on November 18, 2011. A fourth-round selection by Boston in 2004, Hottovy made his Major League debut with the Red Sox on June 3, 2011.
Verdugo, 25, has compiled a 5-2 mark and a 3.65 ERA over 14 starts in his first action at the Triple-A level. He was on Kansas City’s 25-man roster in early June, but did not appear in a game. The LSU product was selected by San Francisco in the ninth round of the 2008 June Free Agent Draft and acquired by Kansas City in a trade on November 7, 2011.