(Free Preview of Premium Content)The last-place New Britain Rock Cats will send three players to the 2005 Hannaford Eastern League All-Star Game. Left-handed relief pitcher Jason Miller, first baseman Daniel Matienzo, and outfielder Doug Deeds will all be on hand when the Northern Division takes on the Southern Division at Hadlock Field in Portland, Maine on July 13.
Jason Miller has been great out of the bullpen for New Britain this season. In his 22 games of work, he has a 2.59 ERA to go with four saves. His 1-2 record is deceiving considering batters are hitting .170 off of him.
He has dominated righties this season, as they are only batting .152 against him. Always clutch, Miller has a 1.50 ERA with runners in scoring position and two outs. In ninth innings, Jason has a 0.00 ERA and has let up only four hits.
Daniel Matienzo has been putting on a hitting clinic all season long. He ranks in the top five in many Eastern League statistics including, home runs(3rd), doubles(5th), RBI(2nd), and slugging percentage(4th). His 16 home runs are the highest total in the entire Minor League organization. The 24-year old power hitter could hear from Rochester before the year is out.
In June, Matienzo hit a monthly-high seven home runs. He drove in 28 runs in 30 games and he also hit eight doubles. He hit .281 and half of his 32 hits went for extra-bases.
Matienzo loves being the clean-up hitter, where he has 12 of his 16 home runs. He also has terrorized right-handed pitching, with 10 of his 16 homers coming off righties. Splitting time as a DH also, Matienzo thrives when in the field at first base. He is batting .316 with 10 home runs when he plays first, compared to .242 with four home runs as a designated hitter.
Douglas Deeds is the captain of the outfield and has been great in the number three hole for the Rock Cats. The 24-year old is batting .287 in 80 games this season and has blasted eight home runs. His 40 RBI ranks fifth in the Twins Minor League system. When batting third, Deeds hits at a .314 clip and has five of his eight home runs.
A lefty batter, Deeds struggles against left-handed pitching. He is batting .243 against lefties, in sharp contrast to the way he battles righties. When a right-handed hurler is on the mound, Deeds is batting .301 with five home runs and 37 RBI in 229 at-bats.
A fan of the road, Deeds is hitting .316 away from New Britain with 19 extra-base hits. At home, he is batting .263 with 33 strikeouts. He has scored only 17 runs in 41 games at New Britain.
The game will be televised throughout New England on the New England Sports Network (NESN) and www.minorleaguebaseball.com will have live streaming audio on their website. Teams were selected based on fan balloting and selections from the media, managers, team personnel and league officials. Game time is 7pm EDT.