All-Star Game bids bring excitement
Dodger blue is becoming a normal sight at the TripleA All-Star weekend.
On Thursday, the Pacific Coast League named Oklahoma City’s Manny Banuelos, Pat Venditte, Rocky Gale and Alex Verdugo to the Triple A All-Star team. The four Dodgers will travel to Columbus, Ohio, to play in the 2018 Huntington Bank Triple-A All-Star Game on July 11. The four selections are tied with Fresno for the most in the PCL while this marks the second consecutive season the Oklahoma City Dodgers have sent four players to the All-Star Game.
“It’s a good accomplishment,” Verdugo said. “We work hard down here. Our goal is to be recognized, so to see when I got the AllStar nod, it’s a nice little award.”
League field managers, general managers, broadcasters and media voted for Banuelos and Venditte’s entries into the contest. PCL officials selected Gale and Verdugo.
For the second straight season, Verdugo will represent Oklahoma City in the All-Star Game, which pits the PCL against the International League.
Going into Thursday’s matchup vs. Nashville at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, Verdugo led the Dodgers with 68 hits, though he has played in only 51 of the team’s 74 games. The outfielder led Oklahoma City last season with 136 hits.
Banuelos, who has been one of Oklahoma City’s most consistent arms this season, owns an 8-4 record and leads the PCL with 91 strikeouts. He has the second-most wins in the league with a 3.14 ERA. The All-Star selection is Banuelos’ third of his career.
Venditte, a pitcher, has thrown 34 innings and owns a 1.59 ERA. Going into Thursday’s game, he held opponents to one or no earned runs in 27 of his 28 appearances. This is Venditte’s third All-Star appearance.
Gale leads all PCL catchers with 49 games played and 419 putouts this season. This is the first All-Star selection for Gale, who has thrown out 44.7 percent of attempted base stealers this season, good for second in the league. Both Gale and Verdugo have 13-game hitting streaks this season.
Verdugo said the accomplishment helps him and his teammates get closer to their ultimate goal.
“We all want to be in the big leagues,” Verdugo said. “I’m just trying to control what I can and do what I can do. If I keep playing hard and keep playing good and the Dodgers see that, hopefully I will give them no choice to pull me up there.”