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LOS ANGELES -- The Double-A Tulsa Drillers have been the Dodgers affiliate to watch in 2016, with several prospects all gelling together. The team was rewarded on Tuesday with a whopping nine players named as Texas League All-Stars.
The rosters are determined by managers, coaches and media members in the league, and the game will be played on Tuesday, June 28 at Hammons Field, home of the Springfield Cardinals.
Three Drillers were voted to start for the North Division — second baseman Willie Calhoun, shortstop Drew Maggi and outfielder Alex Verdugo.
Calhoun has won Player of the Week honors twice in the last three weeks, and on the season is hitting .276/.344/.511, leading the club in hits (62), runs (38), home runs (12), doubles (15) and RBI (40). Verdugo is hitting .282/.339/.455 with eight home runs all while patrolling center field at age 20, entering the season as the youngest player in the Texas League.
In addition, four members of the Drillers starting rotation were named All-Stars as well — Brock Stewart, Trevor Oaks, Chase De Jong and Scott Barlow. Stewart, who had a minuscule 1.12 ERA in nine starts with Tulsa, was promoted last week to Triple-A and made his debut start with Oklahoma City on Monday.
Oaks (2.25), De Jong (2.70) and Barlow (2.83) rank third, eighth and ninth, respectively, in the Texas League in ERA, and Oaks is tied for sixth with 60 strikeouts. The Drillers lead the league with a 2.96 ERA, including 3.10 from the starters.
The other two All-Stars to round out the Tulsa contingent are catcher Kyle Farmer and outfielder Jacob Scavuzzo. Farmer is hitting .296/.342/.465 in 39 games, but has been on the disabled list since getting hit by a pitch on his hand on May 29.
Tulsa (35-27) began play on Tuesday a half-game up on Springfield in the North Division.