Santana an All-Star

Lisa Winston was doing the breakdown on all the great catchers in the Cal league and was wondering who would make the cut.

Carlos Santana, Inland Empire 66ers (Los Angeles Dodgers): Once one gets past all the cute comments about his name ("yeah, he's smooth," etc.), it must be acknowledged that the switch-hitting backstop can hit. He is batting .303 with four homers and 38 RBIs with 16 doubles, 31 walks and a .419 on-base average. A converted third baseman, he also has a cannon for an arm.

Today, Minor League Baseball announced that Santana would be the backup catcher on the Cal League all-star team. The announcement was buried beneath this story about how the Giants put 6 players on the all-star team but at least he got some play.

Also from Rotowire, Koss was named to the same all-star team.

Koss was an 11th-round selection of the Dodgers during the 2007 draft after serving as the closer at USC during his senior season. Given that he'll turn 23 next week, he's a shade on the old side for High-A, but look for him to get a look at Double-A before season's end. He's probably not going to dominate hitters enough to close in the majors, but he could be a reliable bullpen option if he continues to progress.