4641
by buck84
Five RubberDucks selected for 2015 Eastern League All-Star Classic
By Spencer Davies
Special to the Beacon Journal
Five Akron RubberDucks were selected to participate in the 2015 Sullivan Tire Eastern League All-Star Classic, the league announced Wednesday.
Anthony Gallas, Yandy Diaz, Todd Hankins, Josh Martin and Jeff Johnson will all represent the RubberDucks for the league’s Western Division, tying the Altoona Curve for most players chosen for the team.
“Extremely proud of those guys,” said manager Dave Wallace, whose Ducks have won seven of their last nine games and sit just three behind the first-place BaySox.
“They’re very deserving of it. I’m proud of not only their numbers and how they perform on the field, but how they’ve gone about their business. They’re all very focused and get their work done, and I think that’s a huge reason why we’re seeing so much success on the field.”
The game will be played at 7 p.m. July 15 in Portland, Maine, at Hadlock Field, home of the Sea Dogs.
Gallas, in his second season with the Ducks, leads the team in home runs with seven and doubles with 19. Since his promotion to Double-A last June, he’s batting .283 with 23 home runs and 81 RBI. He is the only player on the team with multiple minor league All-Star Game selections, and this will be his third since being signed by the Indians organization as an undrafted free agent in 2010.
“Feels great, unexpected,” said Gallas, who is hitting .326 in June. “Earlier in the year, I was struggling a lot. I’m just taking it one day at a time. There’s still more work to be done, but it’s always good when you get recognized.”
Diaz, in his first year with the Ducks, has arguably been the team’s best batter. Diaz not only has a team-high 82 hits, he also leads the entire Eastern League in on-base percentage (.403) and walks (44).
Also in his first season with the Ducks, Hankins has assumed multiple roles this season. With the majority of his games being played at second base, the utility man has played 14 games in the outfield and four as a designated hitter. At the plate, Hankins is batting .276 with the second-most hits on the team (81).
Gallas said he is happy that Hankins will be joining him as an all-star.
“He didn’t know where he was going to be out of spring training,” Gallas said. “It’s almost like validation for him, like ‘Here, you know you can play at this level,’ and I think he’s got a high ceiling. He really doesn’t know how good he can be.”
Martin is one of the Eastern League’s best relievers, posting an ERA of 1.07. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound right-hander is a perfect 5-0 this season and has held hitters to a .152 batting average, which is second best in the league.
Ducks closer Johnson, meanwhile, has converted 12 saves in as many chances and has been one of the team’s most reliable arms in key situations. After missing all of last season after Tommy John surgery, the right-hander has come back with a 1.52 ERA and has allowed only five earned runs in 28 appearances.
“It was pretty exciting,” Johnson said. “It’s a privilege to be able to go to this. I’m pretty stoked about it.
“I think there’s plenty of other guys that also could’ve gotten in there. Unfortunately they only have so many spots. But everybody, I’m really proud of. They’ve all done a great job.”
om/scoreboard/index.jsp?cid=&lid=&org=114&sc=&sid=milb&t=affiliate&ymd=20150629