Six members of the South Bend Cubs have been rewarded for their first have success by being named to the Midwest League All-Star Game.
OF Eloy Jimenez, OF Donnie Dewees, INF Andrew Ely, INF Jesse Hodges, LHP Carson Sands and RHP Adbert Alzolay will represent the Cubs in the Midwest League All-Star Game on June 21 in Cedar Rapids.
South Bend and Bowling Green led the Eastern Division with six players elected to participate in the game. And four SB Cubs were named starters for the Eastern Division: OF Eloy Jimenez, OF Donnie Dewees, INF Andrew Ely and INF Jesse Hodges.
Andrew Ely was promoted to High-A Myrtle Beach on Wednesday afternoon. And will be replaced on the All-Star Game roster.
LHP Carson Sands and RHP Adbert Alzolay will be part of the Eastern Division’s pitching staff.
Eloy Jimenez, 19, has gotten off to an excellent start with the South Bend Cubs. Jimenez was the organization’s Minor League Player of the Month for May. Jimenez will start in the outfield for the Eastern Division. The Cubs signed Jimenez as a non-drafted free agent. Jimenez was part of the same IFA Class as SS Gleyber Torres.
In 54 games for the South Bend Cubs this season, Jimenez hit .318/.359/.509 with 15 doubles, a triple and eight home runs for a .869 OPS.
Outfielder Donnie Dewees has had quite a year. The Cubs selected Dewees in the second round of last June’s Draft and 12 months later he is a Midwest League All-Star. Dewees, 22, will also be in the starting outfield for the Eastern Division team. Dewees, through 54 games, had a .280/.343/.444 line with nine doubles, 10 triples and two home runs for a .787 OPS. Dewees had 20 walks with 26 strikeouts in 214 at-bats.
Andrew Ely, 23, was scheduled to start at second base. The Cubs selected Ely in the 32nd round of the 2014 draft. Through 44 games, Ely was batting .295/.368/.398 with 11 doubles and two home runs for a .766 OPS. Ely was promoted Wednesday to High-A Myrtle Beach.
Jesse Hodges, 22, signed with the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent in 2012. Hodges will be the starting third baseman for the Eastern Division. Hodges has performed well at the plate this season. Through 33 games, Hodges had a .294/.374/.376 line with five doubles and two triples for a .750 OPS.
Southpaw Sands pitched his way to a spot on the Eastern Division staff. Carson Sands, 21, was the Cubs’ fourth round selected in the 2014 draft. Sands had a rough start to his season and really turned it on in May (4-0, 1.24 ERA, 1.03 WHIP).
After nine starts with the South Bend Cubs, Sands was 5-0 with a 3.30 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. Sands allowed 17 runs on 37 hits with 23 walks and 28 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings.
Adbert Alzolay, 21, was signed by the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent in 2012. Alzolay is one of the good young arms in the system that not many have talked about to this point of his career. Alzolay, in nine starts for South Bend, posted a 4-2 record with a 3.72 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. In 48 1/3 innings, Alzolay allowed 22 runs, 20 earned, on 36 hits with 15 walks and 27 strikeouts.