Dodd, Steiner, Birdsong, Klotz Named Prospect League All-Stars

Two members each from the Hannibal Hoots and Quincy Gems are among the 31 players named to the 2018 Prospect League All-Star team.

The 16 member West Division All-Star squad included Hannibal starting pitcher Dylan Dodd and reliever Jonny Steiner, along with Quincy second baseman Cody Birdsong and designated hitter Cody Klotz.

Dodd had a 4-1 record for the Hoots with a 2.84 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 44 innings. Steiner struck out 35 in 20 innings, with an ERA of just 0.87.

Birdsong hit .321 for the Gems with eight home runs and 46 RBI, while Klotz hit .341 with 13 homers and 50 driven in.

The Danville Dans placed five players on the West Division All-Star team, while Chillicothe was represented by seven players on the East Division squad.

EAST DIVISION ALL-STARS

1B Andrew Czech      Chillicothe Paints      Walsh University

2B Ian Walters            Kokomo Jackrabbits Rend Lake College

3B Gehrig Anglin         Champion City Kings Wright State University

SS Maddux Houghton West Virginia Miners Lipscomb University

OF Joe Acker              Champion City Kings University of Nebraska

OF Marcos Sanchez   Kokomo Jackrabbits SE Community College

OF Dillon Dingler         Chillicothe Paints The Ohio State University

C John Sechen            Kokomo Jackrabbits University of Illinois Springfield

DH Chad Roberts        Chillicothe Paints Northern Kentucky University

SP Michael Jacob        Chillicothe Paints University of Toledo

SP Chandler Coates    Kokomo Jackrabbits Howard College

SP Chris Modrzynski   Chillicothe Paints Western Michigan University

RP Jack Raines           Chillicothe Paints Baldwin Wallace University

RP Ben Bulchik           Chillicothe Paints Walsh University

RP Josh Konecek        Kokomo Jackrabbits University of Missouri

WEST DIVISION ALL-STARS

1B Bryce Ball          Lafayette Aviators North Iowa Area Community College

2B Cody Birdsong  Quincy Gems Quincy University

3B Adam Lopez      Springfield Sliders Southwest College

SS Jason Cryar      Lafayette Aviators University of Montevallo

Craig Shepherd      Terre Haute REX University of Evansville

OF Richard Miller   Springfield Sliders Towson University

OF Zach Huffins     Danville Dans Arizona Western College

OF Kam Smith       Lafayette Aviators Northern Illinois University

C Ben Bianco         Danville Dans University of Louisville

DH Cody Klotz       Quincy Gems Maryville University

SP Dylan Dodd       Hannibal Hoots Kankakee Community College

SP Steven Washilewski Danville Dans University of Kansas

SP Alec Harris        Springfield Sliders Maryville University

RP Matt Gammon   Danville Dans Southeastern Illinois College

RP Blake Schilleci   Danville Dans Auburn University

RP Jonny Steiner     Hannibal Hoots Lindenwood University Belleville

The Galen Woods Fireman of the Year, given each season to the league’s top reliever, is Chillicothe’s Jack Raines from Baldwin Wallace University. The left-handed pitcher from Akron, Ohio, appeared in 20 games during the regular season, allowed just three earned runs and struck out 35 batters over 27 innings and had an ERA of 1.00. Raines collected nine saves on the season, second-most in the Prospect League in 2018.

The 2018 Prospect League Mike Schmidt Player of the Year is Springfield’s Richard Miller from Towson University. The Clarence, New York, native led the Prospect League with a .373 batting average, 17 home runs, 41 extra-base hits, an .811 slugging percentage and 150 total bases. Miller also ranked second with six triples and ranked third in RBIs with 48 and third in doubles with 18.

With a tie in voting, Chillicothe’s Dillon Dingler and Springfield’s Richard Miller are co-Roland Hemond Pro Prospects of the Year. Dingler hit .374 with two home runs and 32 RBIs in 35 games for the Paints. The North Canton, Ohio, native also hit 13 doubles and a pair of triples while splitting time between right field and catcher.

The Prospect League Manager of the Year is Kokomo’s Gary McClure. McClure helped transform a Jackrabbits team that was 13-12 at the end of June into the East Division Champions who went 24-10 to finish the season, hitting nearly .300 as a team in that span.