Gillaspie Headlines Rays Organization All-Stars
Each year MiLB.com compiles a list of Minor League All-Stars for every Major League club. The Rays’ Organization All-Stars were released on Wednesday, and were headlined by 1B Casey Gillaspie, who split the season between Double-A Montgomery and Durham.
Gillaspie joined Durham just after the Triple-A All-Star break in July, and went on to hit .307 with seven homers and 23 RBI in 47 games for the Bulls. The switch-hitter posted a .389 on-base percentage, while committing just one error at first base.
While Gillaspie was the only member of the Bulls to make the squad, a number of players from Montgomery were named to the team, and many of them could make their way to Durham in 2017.
First among them is SS Willy Adames, who hit .274 with 11 homers for the Biscuits. Ranked the №19 prospect in baseball by MLB.com, the 21-year-old was one of the key pieces of the three-team David Price trade in 2014.
1B/OF Jake Bauers was named to the team, as was RHP Brent Honeywell. Bauers has spent the last season and a half at the Double-A level, and appears ready for a promotion after a season in which he tallied 14 homers and 78 RBI. Honeywell, on the other hand, will most likely open 2017 in Montgomery after splitting this past season between Advanced-A and Double-A, but could see a midseason promotion. The 40th-ranked prospect in baseball by MLB.com, Honeywell went 7–3 with a 2.34 ERA across two levels this season, while walking only 25 in 115 1/3 innings.
For a local flavor, UNC product Michael Russell was named to the team as a utility player. Taken out of Chapel Hill in the 5th round of the 2014 draft, the 23-year-old played corner outfield and around the horn in the infield for Single-A Bowling Green, hitting .293 with 41 extra-base hits.
