FL all-star game is treat, honor
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Third baseman Ian Walters is one of eight Washington players in tonight’s Frontier League All-Star Game at Wild Things Park.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Shortstop Nick Ward, right, will be returning to the Wild Things for a third season in 2023. Ward was Washington’s top hitter last season.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Washington’s Rob Whalen will be the starting pitcher tonight for the West Division in the Frontier League All-Star Game at Wild Things Park.
An event that has been four years in the making – the Frontier League All-Star Game – finally plays out tonight at Wild Things Park.
The last time the Frontier League gathered for an all-star game it could call its own was in 2018 in O’Fallon, Mo. In 2019, a team of Frontier League all-stars played the now-defunct Can-Am League in Pomona, N.Y., a game that paved the way for a merger of the two leagues, bringing membership to 16 teams. For the record, the Frontier League won that game, 7-0.
Washington was to host the all-star game in 2020 but the season was canceled because of the pandemic. The Frontier League resumed play in 2021 but it was decided that an all-star game should not be held.
So, for the first time in four years, the Frontier League gathers for its own all-star game. First pitch will be at 7:05 p.m.
The night will be a celebration of the league’s past and present. At 6:40 p.m., five former players, including Jacob Dempsey, a designated hitter for Washington (2008-10), and current Waynesburg University baseball coach Perry Cunningham, will be inducted into the Frontier League Hall of Fame.
The all-star game is a rare time when records and standings do not matter. It’s a time when Wild Things mingle with Crushers, Grizzlies mix with Capitales, Titans get together with Y’alls and Jackals hang out with ThunderBolts. For one night, nobody will care if you’re in first place or your team has a 3-54 record.
This is a night for players to forget about the grind of the season, forget about wins and losses, batting averages and ERAs, pitch velocities, spin rates and launch angles, batting titles and strikeout leaders. But it’s also an all-star game that players take seriously and do not skip because of fake injuries.
It’s also a time for fans to get a glimpse of the best players in the league.
In other words, the night is a treat for the fans and a well-deserved honor and break for the players.
This has been the Year of the Hitter in the Frontier League as an average of 11.6 runs are scored per game, an increase of almost two runs over this time a decade ago.
Even with the offensive pyrotechnics this year, the league has a solid group of pitchers, led by Washington’s Rob Whalen (9-2, 3.36), who will start for the West Division.
The East pitching staff features league ERA leader Miguel Cienfuegos (7-1, 1.80) and Sussex County’s Dwayne Marshall (6-3, 2.20).
There is plenty of offense on the East as it features batting leader Dalton Combs of New Jersey (.388), Ottawa power hitter Jake Sanford (.323, 14 home runs and a league-leading 58 RBI) and Quebec’s L.P. Pelletier (.378). The East also has Trois-Rivieres catcher Carlos Martinez (.337, 14 HR, 57 RBI), who homered last month off Tri-City’s Kumar Rocker, whom the Texas Rangers made the third overall pick Sunday in the major league draft.
The West has firepower, too. There’s Gateway second baseman Trevor Achenbach, who has 18 home runs and 48 RBI, and Schaumburg outfielder Chase Dawson, who has already set the league’s single-season triples record with 17. The old record of 16 was held by former Washington standout Chris Sidick.
The Wild Things will be well-represented with eight players, including shortstop Nick Ward (.367, 15 HR, 45 RBI, 16 SB). The other Washington selections are first baseman Andrew Czech, second baseman Scotty Dubrule, third baseman Ian Walters, outfielder Wagner Lagrange, catcher Alex Alvarez and relief pitcher Lukas Young.
Washington’s Tom Vaeth will manage the West with Quebec’s Pat Scalabrini handling the East.
Extra bases
The teams will wear jerseys of Negro League teams, part of a celebration of the 50th anniversary of former Homstead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords standout Josh Gibson’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The jerseys will be auctioned off during the game. Proceeds benefit the Josh Gibson Foundation. … If the game is tied after nine innings, a home run derby will be held to determine the winner. … Sussex County shortstop Errol Robinson was to play for the East but his contract was purchased Tuesday by the St. Louis Cardinals. … The Wild Things have been involved in 18 all-star games and produced the game’s MVP three times: Mike Arbinger in 2005, Bralin Jackson in 2017 and J.J. Fernandez in 2019. … This is the third all-star game to be played at Wild Things Park. The first was in 2005 and the most recent was in 2013.