Unlike some of the other All Star Games played last evening, the South Atlantic League saw fireworks from both sides. The SAL South All Stars made a late rally with two runs in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to take down the North as the were victorious 7-5.
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The night started off with a bang. Literally. Ryan O’Hearn, who is leading the SAL in home runs with 16 heading into the All Star Break, started the night’s festivities off by winning the Home Run Derby. The Kansas City Royals prospect, who went on to win the Pioneer League MVP Award after being drafted in June last year, defeated Phillies prospect Rhys Hoskins in the finals 2-1.
When the smoke cleared from the bombs of the Derby, the South actually took a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when the Boston Red Sox No. 4 ranked prospect Rafael Devers drove in a run on a ground out. That would be the last lead the South had all night.
Luke Tendler of the first half champion Hickory Crawdads started the party. The Texas Rangers prospect would crush the first of three North Division two-run home runs on the night in the top of the second inning. Baltimore Orioles prospect Steve Wilkerson would add another in the top of the third, and KJ Woods, the Miami Marlins outfield prospect, would drive Home Run Derby runner-up Hoskins in on a two-run blast in the top of the fifth.
Malquin Canelo, the Philadelphia Phillies shortstop prospect who is ranked No. 29 in their system, took home Top Star honors. The North Division’s leadoff hitter went 2-for-3 on Tuesday night, adding a walk and reaching base a total of four times. He smacked a double and scored on Wilkerson’s home run in the third.
“It’s a good experience and I feel like a professional,” Canelo told MiLB.com. “I just want to do what I do and that’s put the ball in play.”
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While 11 pitchers combined for the victory for the North, Hickory Crawdads pitcher Ariel Jurado took home the win. The Rangers No. 29 prospect is having a sensational season thus far in 2015. The 19-year old righty is 9-0 for the Crawdads with a 2.07 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. The win certainly adds to his season full of highlights which included the SAL’s Pitcher of the Month for May.
The South side’s offense came in large part from the Boston Red Sox’s prospects from the Greenville Drive. While Devers would drive in another run on the evening and finish 1-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI. Fellow Red Sox prospect Javy Guerra went 2-for-2 with two doubles and an RBI. The 19-year old shortstop is the Red Sox’s No. 14-ranked prospect in the system.