Six Wild Things Named 2018 Frontier League All Stars, Three Set to Start for Experienced Team

WASHINGTON, Pa. (July 2) - The 2018 Frontier League All Star Teams have been announced, and the Washington Wild Things will have five representatives at the All Star Game at CarShield Field Wednesday, July 11. This marks the ninth time in franchise history that Washington will have at least five players donning the Wild Things' uniform at the All Star Game. A full list of the teams is available at frontierleague.com

Washington had three positions players selected as well as two pitchers. Left-handed pitcher Thomas Dorminy and right-handed pitcher Zach Strecker are the two pitchers, while center fielder James Harris, left fielder Roman Collins and catcher Kyle Pollock are the position players. Harris, Collins and Pollock were also selected as starters.

All of them will play for the Experienced team, as the league has switched to a Rookie versus Experienced format, which are the two major subclassifications for players in the league. Rookies are players who have made their pro debut this season or have one season under their belt, with a few qualifiers, while the experienced classification is for those players with two or more professional seasons played.

Strecker and Pollock join an small group of players in Wild Things' history who have been selected to the All Star Game twice. They become the eighth and ninth players in franchise history to do so, joining Trevor Foss, Stewart Ijames, CJ Beatty, Chris Sidick, Aaron Ledbetter, Jacob Dempsey and Robbie Knapp. For Pollock, it will be the second-straight year he has started the game behind the dish, as he started the game in Joliet last year in place of an injured Larry Balkwill.

Dorminy, Harris and Collins will all make their first Frontier League All Star Game appearance. Harris and Collins will be starting outfielders, while Dorminy could be named the starting pitcher. That will be determined by the Experienced team's manager, who will be the manager of the first-place team in the West Division after play Wednesday, July 4.

Harris is batting .324 (tied for 4th best BA in FL), with seven home runs (tied for 7th most in FL) and 37 RBI (tied for 2nd most in FL). Harris' 16 stolen bases are the second most in the league, while his seven triples are the most amongst Frontier League players in 2018.

Pollock is out to a great start as well, as he is sporting a .306 batting average with eight home runs (tied for 5th most in FL) and 34 RBI (5th most in FL). His 15 doubles are the most for a Wild Thing and are tied for the third most in the Frontier League.

Collins leads the Frontier League with 39 RBI, as of this release, to go along with six home runs and a .291 batting average. He currently holds a road-game on-base streak of 21 games, meaning he has reached in every road game for Washington this season.

Dorminy comes off his best start of 2018, as he spun a complete-game shutout yesterday against the Schaumburg Boomers for his sixth win of the season. He's now 6-2 with the third-best ERA in the Frontier League at 2.16.

Strecker has allowed just one run in a league-leading 24 games this season to this point. He's scattered 17 hits over 26 innings and walked only eight to go with 21 strikeouts. His 10 saves are the third most in the league.

“We have been really fortunate to have some great players over the years, and 2018 is no exception," said assistant general manager of baseball operations Tony Buccilli. "The three position players selected certainly deserved the starting nod. They have produced for us since day one and have been mainstays as league leaders in extra base hits and RBI. Dorminy made some quick adjustments to the league and has really settled in as a key part of our rotation. Strecker is as reliable as it gets in this league so we are happy he gets the call, alongside Pollock, as a two-time All-Star.”

The manager of the first-place team in the East Division will manage the rookie team. Both first-place managers will name the final three participants to each team once the managers are set. Washington manager Gregg Langbehn will be the skipper for the Rookie squad if the Wild Things win one of their next two games or if Lake Erie loses one of its next two.

The Frontier League All Star break will begin Monday, July 9 through Thursday, July 12. The game itself takes place Wednesday, July 11 with the home run derby slated for Tuesday, July 10. More information is available at rivercityrascals.com.

UPDATE (JULY 4):

The Frontier League has announced the final additions to the All Star rosters on both the Experienced side and the Rookie side. One of the additions is Wild Things' second baseman Carter McEachern, who will be the only Wild Thing on the rookie roster for the All Star Game next week in O'Fallon, Missouri.

McEachern joins teammates James Harris, Roman Collins, Zach Strecker, Kyle Pollock and Thomas Dorminy as All Star Game selections, which gives the Wild Things six All Stars for the third time in franchise history.

The former Division III national champion infielder is in his first season with the Wild Things after spending last year with the Three Rivers Eagles of the Can-Am League. The Thunder Bay, Ontario native is hitting .268 as f this writing, with a .337 on-base percentage. McEachern has driven in 23 runs, which is the most RBI for an active second baseman in the Frontier League. He's also doubled 11 times and tripled once.

McEachern joins Gateway's Alec Kisena and Trae Santos, Southern Illinois' Chance Shepard and Kyle Tinius and River City's Kevin Suarez an Jonny Ortiz as the final additions to the respective rosters. A full list of the all star rosters is available at frontierleague.com. The All Star Game managers will be announced tomorrow.