The 2016 Texas League All-Star game will be played on Tuesday, June 28 at Springfield’s Hammons Field. Tulsa Driller fans, able to attend or watch, are in for a treat. Well, it’s the same treat they have been enjoying all season long but on a bigger stage.

Nine Drillers have been voted in to represent the North Division of the league, the most of any team in the league. Members for the All-Star teams are determined by voting from league managers, coaches and media members.

It seems that with the stellar starting pitching of the Drillers the strength of the offense gets a bit over-looked. Tulsa will have three position players in the starting lineup with Willie Calhoun, Drew Maggi and Alex Verdugo representing the club for the North as well as two bench players in Kyle Farmer and Jacob Scavuzzo.

Second Baseman Willie Calhoun leads the Drillers with 12 home runs and 40 runs batted in. He is presently third in the league in both of those categories keeping pace with Alex Bergman of the Corpus Christi Hooks. Bergman was the second overall pick by the Houston Astros in the 2015 June Draft. The 21-year old Calhoun was selected by the Dodgers in the 4th round of the same draft. He has twice been named the league’s Player of the Week in the past three weeks. In June he has been hitting at a .311 clip with a .415 OBP. His OPS for the month is 1.126.

After spending the final two months of the 2015 season with the Advanced Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Dodgers second base prospect Willie Calhoun began the 2016 season at Double-A Tulsa where he leads the Drillers in home runs (12) and RBIs (40).
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Shortstop Drew Maggi has emerged as a team leader on the Drillers. Signed as a minor league free agent by the Dodgers on January 24, 2016 the versatile Maggi has played in the outfield, at second and third base but has been primarily a shortstop with the Drillers. He leads the team with a .319 batting average and a .409 OBP. Maggi has played six games on the season with the Oklahoma City Dodgers where he hit .385. His time with the Dodgers means he has not had enough at bats with the Drillers to post his league-leading batting average. Teammate Chase De Jong, when asked, picked Maggi as his team’s first-half MVP. “I’d pick a guy like Drew Maggi,” De Jong said. “With his clutch defense and his ability to grind out at-bats and steal some bases he keeps the team in games. He’s the kind of guy you want on your team. You need [guys like] Drew Maggi to be successful as a unit.”

Center fielder Alex Verdugo was selected by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2014 First Year Player Draft out of Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Arizona. He has moved quickly through the Dodgers farm system with successful stints with the Ogden Raptors, Great Lakes Loons and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. He started the season with the Drillers as a 19 year old, turning 20 on May 15th. On the season Verdugo continues to be solid at the plate and in the field with a .282 average, 8 home runs and 32 RBI along with a .339 OBP. He has played in 55 of Tulsa’s 62 games having had a brief stint on the 7-day DL at the end of May.

Although only 20 years old, Dodgers 2014 second-round draft pick Alex Verdugo is quickly making his way through the Dodgers farm system and could very well be MLB-ready by the 2018 season … or sooner. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Catcher Kyle Farmer has been limited to 39 games with the Drillers on the season having had two stints on the 7-day DL. He was selected by the Dodgers in the 8th round of the 2013 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Georgia. The Drillers press release indicates that, “Farmer earned a spot after almost single-handedly carrying Tulsa offensively for the first month and a half of the season before going on the disabled list at the end of May after being hit by a pitch on the hand.” And though he will be unable to participate in the League’s All-Star Game because of his injury, Farmer posted a .296 batting average, a .342 on-base percentage for an impressive .807 OPS in the first half.

Dodgers catching prospect Kyle Farmer is hoping to be back in action shortly after the All-Star break.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Left fielder Jacob Scavuzzo is almost like the forgotten man on the team but has continued his stellar play from 2015. He has played in 56 of the Drillers first 62 games, batting .285 with 5 home runs, 10 doubles and 22 RBI. His batting average is the highest official average on the team, due to Maggi’s total at bats, and just outside of the top 10. He was selected by the Dodgers in the 21st round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Villa Park High School in California.

Scavuzzo will forever be remembered for his crucial walk during the 2015 Cal League South Division playoffs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning that sparked an impossible come-from-behind victory. The Quakes would go on to win the 2015 Cal League Championship.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Not surprisingly four of the Drillers starting pitchers have been named to the North Division All-Star squad – Brock Stewart, Chase De Jong, Scott Barlow and Trevor Oaks. As a team the Drillers pitching staff has an a combined ERA of 2.96.

Brock Stewart has been promoted to the Oklahoma City Dodgers of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League so will not be participating in the Texas League All-Star game. Before leaving the scene in Tulsa he left his mark on the fans and the league. He left behind a league leading ERA of 1.12 and a WHIP of 0.83 along with 62 strikeouts in 56.1 innings and 10 walks. Stewart was a sixth round pick by the Dodgers out of Illinois State University in the 2014 June Draft.

Right-hander Chase De Jong was acquired by the Dodgers from the Toronto Blue Jays on July 22, 2015 along with second baseman Tim Locastro. He has posted a 2.57 ERA along with a WHIP of 0.95. On three occasions he has pitched seven innings giving up two or fewer runs. His ERA is the seventh best in the league while his WHIP is the third best just behind Northwest Arkansas Naturals Jake Junis and former teammate Brock Stewart.

Right-hander Trevor Oaks is perhaps the surprise of the pitching staff right behind Stewart. He was selected by the Dodgers in the 7th round of the 2014 Amateur Draft out of California Baptist University. He had a good season in 2015 with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the A+ California League but nothing to suggest a year as he is having with the Drillers. His eight wins leads the league and his ERA of 2.25 is the third best in the league only behind David Paulino of the Corpus Christi Hooks and the aforementioned Brock Stewart. Oaks is not a strikeout pitcher with 35 on the season but has walked only eight in 56 innings of work.

In addition to being Drillers teammates (and 2015 Cal League Champions), Chase De Jong, Trevor Oaks and Scott Barlow are also very close friends and 2016 Texas League All-Stars. (Photo courtesy of @ChaseDeJong)

Scott Barlow was selected by the Dodgers in the sixth round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita, California. He is having the kind of year in 2016 that was expected of him as he progressed through the Dodgers farm system. The 23-year old right-hander has a 2.83 ERA which ranks ninth in the league giving the Drillers four starting pitchers with an ERA of less than 3.00. His WHIP of 1.16 also places him in the top 10.