(July 10, 2024, New York) – The Atlantic League and Baseball America today announced the 2024 ALPB Mid-Season All-Star team. The 12-member team includes representatives from six of the ALPB’s 10 clubs and was selected in a vote by the league’s managers. For the first time, league All-Star selections include players whose contracts were purchased by Major League Baseball and international teams from Taiwan, Korea and Mexico.
A pair of North Division teams, the York Revolution and Long Island Ducks, led the way with three selections each. Lexington and Gastonia each had two players selected while the all-star squad is rounded out with single players from Lancaster and Staten Island. York outfielder Donovan Casey was the only unanimous selection to the team. Casey drove in a league-best 77 runs in the first half, an average of 1.25 per game, and the highest per game average in league history.
York, which won the North Division first half pennant and earned a berth in the postseason playoffs, is represented by Casey, shortstop Matt McDermott and first baseman David Washington, the league home run leader at the halfway point. Gastonia, the South Division first half champion, placed outfielder Josh Stowers and reliever Phoenix Sanders on the squad. Long Island’s three picks include outfielder Tyler Dearden, DH Frank Schwindel and closer Matt Seelinger.
2024 Atlantic League Mid-Season All-Star Team
C Kole Cottam, Lexington Legends
1B David Washington, York Revolution
2B Matt Bottcher, Lexington Legends
SS Matt McDermott, York Revolution
3B Cristian Santana, Lancaster Stormers
OF Tyler Dearden, Long Island Ducks
OF Donovan Casey, York Revolution (unanimous)
OF Josh Stowers, Gastonia Baseball Club
DH Frank Schwindel, Long Island Ducks
ST P Aaron Leasher, Staten Island FerryHawks
REL Phoenix Sanders, Gastonia Baseball Club
CL Matt Seelinger, Long Island Ducks
CATCHER
Kole Cottam has been a fixture in Lexington’s line-up throughout the season. At the midway point, he was hitting .313 while leading the Legends with 17 homers and 49 RBI. He ranks third in the league in home runs, is fourth in slugging percentage (.625) and shares the league lead with two grand slams. Cottam was also named to the ALPB Post-Season All-Star team in 2023.
FIRST BASE
York’s David Washington was the ALPB Player of the Month and June and finished the first half with 23 home runs and 60 RBI along with a .298 average. The first baseman was on pace to challenge the Atlantic League’s season home run record of 48 until his contract was purchased by Saltillo in the Mexican Baseball League. Washington led the league in the first half with 35 extra base hits, 142 total bases and a .693 slugging percentage while placing second with 60 RBI.
SECOND BASE
Lexington’s Matt Bottcher hit .307 with eight home runs and 29 RBI through the first half of the year. He was successful on 14 of 15 stolen base attempts over 54 first half games while posting a .507 slugging percentage and an OPS of .889.
SHORTSTOP
York’s Matt McDermott found a home in York in the first half. After opening the season in Gastonia, he was traded to York where he has thrived, hitting .320 with 15 doubles, eight home runs and 38 RBI. McDermott led the Atlantic League in at-bats (269) in the first half and was second in runs scored (56) and hits (86) while posting a league-best six triples. His 33 stolen bases were second in the league over the first half of the season.
THIRD BASE
Cristian Santana only played 35 games for Lancaster in the first half but he made an indelible impression throughout the league, posting a .423 average with 13 homers and 47 RBI. When his contract was purchased by Chihuahua in mid-June, Santana was riding a 12-game hitting streak and had recorded an RBI in each of his last nine games. His 1.254 OPS was unmatched by any ALPB player in the first half.
OUTFIELD
York outfielder Donovan Casey was the lone unanimous selection to the team. Casey led the league with 75 RBI in the first half while adding 10 home runs. At the half-way mark, he was the league leader with 64 runs scored, 88 hits, and 75 RBI while ranking third with 18 doubles and fourth with 30 extra-base hits. Casey was second in the Atlantic League in batting average by a fraction, hitting .3606 to Long Island’s Tyler Dearden at .3613.
Tyler Dearden of Long Island led the Atlantic League in batting average during the first half, posting a .361 average along with 12 home runs and 46 RBI. Dearden slashed .410/.634//1.044 in the first half and finished second with 19 doubles and fifth with 128 total bases. His .634 slugging percentage was second only to David Washington in the first half. Dearden’s efforts were recognized as his contract was purchased by the Minnesota Twins on July 2.
Josh Stowers played a critical role in helping Gastonia win the Atlantic League’s South Division first half pennant by a whopping nine games over High Point. With Stowers posting prolific numbers in June, including a .375 batting average and 30 RBI in 24 games, Gastonia went 20-6 during the month. Stowers was 10th in the league with a .313 batting average in the first half, third in hits (73) and runs (51), fourth in total bases (130) and fifth with 27 stolen bases.
DESIGNATED HITTER
Long Island’s Frank Schwindel finished third in the league in batting average with a .353 mark during the first half. He scored 32 runs, the third-highest first half total in the ALPB while also ranking third with a .434 on-base percentage and a .627 slugging percentage. The three-year MLB veteran earned ALPB Player of the Month honors in May when he hit .386 with a 1.139 OPS.
PITCHERS
STARTER
Staten Island’s Aaron Leasher earned the vote from the league managers as the top starter in the first half after posting a 7-2 record. Leasher led the Atlantic League with seven first half wins and a 2.21 ERA. The league’s Pitcher of the Month in June, he won five of his last six outings and allowed one run or fewer in five of those six starts. He allowed just 57 hits over 73.1 innings and recorded four of his seven wins over league contenders Lancaster (twice), High Point and Gastonia.
RELIEVER
Phoenix Sanders played a critical role in Gastonia’s first half South Division pennant and is the reliever on the 2024 Mid-Season All-Star team. Sanders tied for the league lead with 11 saves in the first half while posting a 3-0 record with a 1.80 ERA. Over his 25 innings of work, Sanders allowed just 16 hits and six walks while striking out 33.
CLOSER
Matt Seelinger of Long Island has been voted the closer on the Mid-Season team. Seelinger appeared in 21 games for the Ducks before having his contract purchased by Detroit in late June. The right-hander allowed just nine hits and two runs over 20.2 innings of work while yielding eight walks and striking out 31. He posted a 0.44 ERA and held opponents to a .129 batting average. Seelinger was the league’s co-save leader in the first half with 11, tied with Gastonia’s Phoenix Sanders.
2024 Atlantic League Mid-Season All-Star Team
GMS BA HR RBI OBP SLG OPS
C Cottam 52 .313 17 49 .401 .625 1.026
1B Washington 50 .298 23 60 .362 .693 1.055
2B Bottcher 54 .307 8 29 .382 .507 .889
SS McDermott 61 .320 8 38 .369 .509 .878
3B Santana 35 .423 13 47 .472 .782 1.253
OF Dearden 55 .361 12 46 .410 .634 1.044
OF Casey 60 .361 10 75 .415 .574 .989
OF Stowers 60 .313 14 52 .402 .558 .960
DH Schwindel 39 .355 11 38 .434 .627 1.060
PITCHERS GM GS W-L ERA IP H K BB
ST P Leasher 12 12 7-2 2.21 73.1 57 23 66
REL Sanders 23 0 3-0 1.80 25.0 16 33 6
CL Seelinger 21 0 0-0 0.44 20.2 9 31 8
About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
Celebrating its third decade, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. Over its 25-year history, the ALPB has sent over 1,400 players to MLB organizations while drawing over 47 million fans to its family-friendly ballparks. Please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.