2014 Triple-A All-Star game: Joc Pederson and not much else

This is the deadest time of the year in sports. None of the Big 4 sports are playing, as MLB games don’t resume until Friday. But, there is the Triple-A All-Star game I’m sure everyone — or no one — is looking forward to.

PCL
IL
4:00 pm PT
Durham, N.C.
CF
Orlando
CF
Carrera
RF
Pederson
2B
Pirela
SS
Taylor
RF
Souza
1B
Jacobs
1B
Aguilar
C
Pena
DH
Betemit
DH
Dykstra
LF
Mahtook
2B
Franklin
3B
Gosselin
LF
Peterson
C
Solano
3B
Noriega
SS
De Jesus
P
Villanueva (R)
P
Hendriks (R)

For Dodger interests, Joc Pederson could be playing his final minor-league game tonight. At least, he should be. He’s starting in right field for the Pacific Coast League tonight. He’s the only Albuquerque Isotope to make it. Alex Guerrero was a lock for the game before he got Miguel Olivo‘d. There really isn’t another real prospect on the ‘Topes worthy of a selection. Clint Robinson and Jamie Romak could have been under consideration, but they only recently returned to the Triple-A.

Here are some notable prospects scheduled to appear in tonight’s game.

Pacific Coast League

OF Joc Pederson, Los Angeles
OF Stephen Piscotty, St. Louis
C Max Stassi, Houston
C Andrew Susac, San Francisco
SS Chris Taylor, Seattle

Cubs’ second baseman Arismendy Alcantara and Brewers’ right-hander Jimmy Nelson were also selected to the team, but have since been promoted to the majors, making them ineligible for the game.

International League

Jesus Aguilar, Cleveland
Anthony Ranaudo, Boston

And former Dodgers, Isotopes, etc., who were selected:

Wilson Betemit
Angel Castro
Ivan De Jesus
Aaron Laffey

=====

Yeah, not a ton of prospect talent in this game, but there are a few names to watch.

As Mike pointed out on the Twitter machine, this would be the optimal time to play the Futures Game, which is — for some reason — played the Sunday before the All-Star Game. It’s a lot more intriguing than the Triple-A game, especially when the PCL/IL game is littered with Four-A guys and career minor-leaguers.

The MiLB all-time home run leader is Mike Hessman, and he’s playing in this game. He’s 36 years old and has hit 404 home runs. It’s something to be proud of (especially considering us bloggers will never be that close to playing professional baseball), but at the same time, who wants to see a 36-year-old playing in a minor-league All-Star game?

Anyway, just watch Pederson rake and/or walk. It could be his final tune-up before starting in center field for the Dodgers on Friday.

About Dustin Nosler

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Dustin Nosler began writing about the Dodgers in July 2009 at his blog, Feelin' Kinda Blue. He co-hosted a weekly podcast with Jared Massey called Dugout Blues. He was a contributor/editor at The Hardball Times and True Blue LA. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with his bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in digital media. While at CSUS, he worked for the student-run newspaper The State Hornet for three years, culminating with a 1-year term as editor-in-chief. He resides in Stockton, Calif.