C Joe Bradshaw - 1st All Star Appearance
2042 Stats - .344 BA (7th FL) / 1.060 OPS (5th FL) / 35 2B (1st FL) / 20 HRs / 69 RBI (8th) / 68 Runs (7th FL) / 4.3 WAR (4th FL)
Bradshaw was a run away selection at Catcher for the Frick League and one glance at his stats up to the All Star Break tell the tale. Although, the plan was to have Bradshaw and Davenport platoon the catcher position, Bradshaw's bat has been so hot he's been hitting DH versus Left Starters. The situation has worked extremely well since Davenport has turned around his slow start and Bradshaw has been able to get enough rest hitting DH to play almost full time.
SS Mark Wareham - 7th All Star Appearance
2042 Stats - .244 BA / .429 OBP (4th FL) / 14 2B / 12 HR / 91 BB (1st BBA) / 73 Runs (3rd FL) .861 OPS / 2.9 WAR (1st FL SS)
Twin Cities Fans were shocked and excited to hear that Mark Wareham was going to return to the River Monsters after the team let him go in Free Agency a few seasons ago due to Salary Cap issues. Wareham has already passed his 2041 WAR total and is currently playing at his 2036 Gold Bat production. Manager Juan Martinez and the Front Office were committed to have Mark hit lead off and provide a spark to this offense that it definitely needed. He's done the dirty job of working pitcher counts and getting on base in any way possible for the young talented hitters later in the line up. His 73 runs scored (3rd FL) is a testament to his contribution to an offense that leads or is 2nd in many Frick (or BBA) Offensive categories.
Other TWC players that received consideration
2B Francisco Arrendondo
2042 Stats - .287 BA / 19 2B / 44 Runs / .842 OPS / 1.6 WAR
Francisco suffered a slow start after an injury early in the season kept him out a few weeks, but has come on strong of late (.880 OPS June) to get his name in the running for his 2nd All Star appearance. Though he came up short, he's been a key part of the TWC offensive success.
CL Dan Woodside
2042 Stats - 4W-3L-9SV / 31 Games / 41 IP / 3.07 ERA / 1.00 WHIP / 1.4 WAR
A close selection snub, but Woodside has lead a strong TWC bullpen in the stopper role, often going 2 innings in high leverage situations. With the Starting Rotation performing in the middle of the pack, there's been a lot pressure on the bullpen to go 4+ innings in many games.
CL Juan Cerda
2042 Stats - 3W-1L-15SV / 40 Games / 52.2 IP / 3.35 ERA / 1.29 WHIP / .8 WAR
Twin Cities adopted the Las Vegas Stopper model and has teamed Cerda up with Woodside to take games over in 8th inning. With the Righty/Lefty pairing, it's been a successful approach as Cerda and Woodside have been the best pitchers on the team.
RP Joey Piccoli
2042 Stats - 17 Games - 22 IP - 1.59 ERA - 1.19 WHIP - 0.7 WAR
Joey has struggled to find his rhythm in the BBA over that last few seasons, but has really come on since May. He threw a scoreless 12 innings with 15 Strike Outs in June and continued that scoreless streak into July. The Pitching coach has started to insert him more into key positions in games, but was too late this season to get Joey serious consideration for the All Star break, though he did receive a few votes. Look for him to take a bigger role in High Leverage situations going forward.
