Confirming what was in the comments earlier this morning, the Hagerstown Suns had five players named to Sally League All-Star team (three starters &two reserves along with manager Matt LeCroy). Here is the complete release

The Hagerstown Suns will be well represented in the 2010 South Atlantic League All-Star Game. Five players plus Matt LeCroy will head to Greenville for the game on June 22nd to represent the Northern Division.

The five representatives for the Suns will be pitchers Dan Rosenbaum, Trevor Holder, third baseman Steven Souza, outfielder Destin Hood and catcher Sandy Leon. Suns manager Matt LeCroy will serve as a coach for the team. Hagerstown ties Hickory and Kannapolis for the most players each on the SAL North team.

“It is a great accomplishment for all of them, all of them had real good first halves, and I was proud that they chose them,” says LeCroy.

Dan Rosenbaum has been elected as the starting pitcher for the Northern Division. In 12 starts this season, the southpaw has a 1-3 record with a 1.85 ERA in 12 starts, including 56 strikeouts to just 11 walks. He has thrown five starts of at least five and a third innings and not allowed a run. He earned SAL pitcher of the week of the week ending May 17th, with two seven inning scoreless outings with 13 combined strikeouts.

“It is quite an accomplishment, it is my first year and I’m really excited about it,” says Rosenbaum, “The fact we have a lot of players going and LeCroy is going to be a lot of fun.”

Steven Souza will be the SAL North’s starting third baseman. He has hit eight home runs, nearly half of the Suns team total, and driven in 44 RBI, third-best in the SAL. He has played every game for Hagerstown this season, one of two players in the League to have played 58 games. He has hit 13 doubles and four triples on the season. On May 1st this year, Souza hit 2-for-3 with a home run plus the eventual game-winning run against Augusta, helping secure Hagerstown’s 2,000th win as a franchise.

“It is an honor, it is thanks to a good supporting cast,” says Souza, “I am thankful to my manager and everybody on my team helping me push to be a better player every year.”

Destin Hood was chosen as the starting left fielder for the game. Playing in 56 games this season, Hood has hit .286, one of the top-25 hitters in the SAL. He carried the team during the first month of the season, hitting .356 with 14 RBIs in the month of April. His 32 RBIs are second-most on the Suns behind Souza. Hood’s home run was the first hit by a Sun at Municipal Stadium this season.

“I feel good, it is a great opportunity,” says Hood, “I’ll try to make the best of it and do well.”

Trevor Holder was chosen to represent the SAL North as a pitcher. In 11 starts this season, Holder has a 4-3 record with a 2.97 ERA. He has the lowest walks per nine innings among qualified pitchers in the SAL, with just six walks in 60.2 innings. From May 7th to the 24th, Holder in four starts had a 4-0 record with a 1.44 ERA, including 15 strikeouts. Holder has only allowed more than three earned runs in a start once this season.

“It is a huge honor and I am excited to represent our team,” says Holder, “I’m looking forward to getting down there, meeting some other players and having some fun.”

Sandy Leon will be the team’s backup catcher. For the Suns, the switch-hitter has been solid with the bat, hitting .299, including .387 against left-handers. He is tied for the team lead in walks with 23. In 44 games behind the plate, Leon has only allowed three passed balls while throwing 60% of base runners, 27 out of 45, the only catcher in the league with over 50% caught stealing.

“I’ve worked very hard in my two years here, and I feel very happy,” says Leon.

Matt LeCroy will be a coach for the North Division, assisting manager Bill Richardson of Hickory. He has led the Suns to a 30-28 record, third place in the SAL North. It is his second season in Hagerstown, overseeing strong improvement from last year’s 56-78 season.

“I live close to Greenville, which will be great, but also to see the guys compete and be part of it, I feel honored,” says LeCroy.

MiLB has named Hagerstown LHP Dan Rosenbaum the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week. While he did not register a decision this past week, he made two starts, allowing just eight hits and no walks over 14 scoreless innings while striking out thirteen. Rosenbaum was a 22nd round selection by the Nationals in the 2009 draft.

4. Derek Norris, c, Hagerstown (Nationals).

BA South Atlantic league report out and just the obvious candidate is present.  List and scouting reports are here.  The chat is later today where we may find out some “honorable mentions.”

Its a testament to Norris’ season that he’s listed as the 4th best prospect in the whole of the South Atlantic league.  His performance lists him ahead of such big time draft names as Tim Beckham (#1 overall in 2008), Tony Sanchez (4th overall in 2009) and Jared Mitchell (23rd overall in 2009).  Here’s a good quote from the scouting report:

“Norris earned near-unanimous praise as the SAL’s best position player, and managers rated him as the league’s best batting prospect and best power prospect at midseason. His swing is similar to his 6-foot, 210-pound frame: strong and compact. He has natural pull-side power and drives the ball to all fields. He also shows good plate discipline, with league highs in walks (90) and on-base percentage (.413).”

Can’t wait to see what he can do at high-A or AA.

There were 4 phillies prospects in the top 20 (helping to explain why their affilliate from Lakewood won the post-season crown).  Rays with 3, Indians, Red Sox, Pirates, White Sox and Yankees each had two prospects each on the list.

I have a hard time quibbling with the exclusion of any other Nats from this list.  Tyler Moore and Steve Lombardozzi had good seasons but might be a bit old for low-A.  Steve Souza (#3 pick in 2007) took a step back from his 2008 numbers at the same level.  Marcos Frias, Juan Jaime and Patrick Lehman all look promising as starters moving forward.  Other guys worthy of consideration got promoted in june and july (Terrence Engles, Drew Storen, Brad Peacock).

Let the debate begin.