Wood Ducks have seven players selected to All-Star game

A flock of Down East Wood Ducks will be representing Kinston in the Carolina League All-Star game.

Seven DEWDs were named to the Southern Division team. The game is June 18 at Nymeo Field in Frederick, Va. Woodies pitchers Jason Bahr, Joe Barlow and Demarcus Evans, infielders Disobel Arias, Ryan Dorow and Yonny Hernandez, and outfielder Leody Taveras were all selected, but Barlow and Evans won’t play due to being promoted to Double-A.

Bahr has given up two earned runs or fewer in all 10 of his starts, posting a record of 5-1, and an ERA of 1.90 — the latter statistic placing him second in the Carolina League. In 52 innings this season, Bahr has fanned 51 and walking 23, with opponents hitting just .183 against him.

Barlow was promoted to the Frisco Roughriders on May 29, but in 17 appearances for the Woodies, he posted a 4-0 record with four saves and a 0.38 ERA. Barlow struck out 44 in 23.2 innings, and opponents batted just .132 against him.

Evans, who was also sent to Frisco May 29, was just as dominant in relief for the DEWDs. Evans fanned 40 batters in 22.1 innings over 17 appearances, pitching to a 4-0 record and an ERA of 0.81. Opponents hit just .127 against him.

Arias has been on a tear, and entering the week, he ranks among league leaders in doubles (17, tied for second), hits (72, tied for third), average (.312, fourth), total bases (96, tied for fourth) and RBIs (35, eighth). Arias leads the Wood Ducks with 20 multi-hit games this season and was named the Carolina League Player of the Week for May 27-June 2, after going 11-for-19 (.579).

Dorow has provided the Wood Ducks with some of the most memorable moments in the first half. He hit a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning on April 16 to break a scoreless tie against Salem before a walk-off home run to beat the Fayetteville Woodpeckers 11 days later. Dorow also hit a walk-off double against the Keys on June 7 and garnered Carolina League Player of the Week honors May 20-26 after hitting four home runs in a three-day span against Potomac, and driving in ten runs over the seven days.

Dorow, the reigning Defender of the Year for the Rangers organization, has also made countless web gems at third base in the first half of play. Entering the week, Dorow ranks amongst league leaders in RBI (39, tied for third), runs (40, tied for fourth), walks (32, fifth), and home runs (eight, tied for seventh).

Hernandez collected Carolina League Player of the Week honors for April 22-28, reaching base 16 times over six games. Hernandez also had a 25-game on base streak from April 20 through May 15 over which he hit .377 and posted an on-base percentage of .477. Entering the week, Hernandez ranks among league leaders in walks (39, second), OBP (.425, third), runs (38, sixth), stolen bases (16, sixth), average (.301, ninth) and hits (63, ninth).

Taveras opened the season with a four-hit, four-RBI game against Carolina and hit safely in the first eight games of the year. He would go on to have first half on-base streaks of 11 and 19 games, tallying 19 multi-hit games as of the beginning of the week. Taveras ranks among league leaders in triples (four, tied for second), stolen bases (18, tied for second), runs (41, third), hits (70, fifth), and average (.303, seventh).

Taveras was also named a Carolina League All-Star for the Wood Ducks last season, in addition to being recognized as a Rangers organizational All-Star with Down East, by MLB.com. He was additionally selected to represent the Rangers and the World Team in the Futures Game at Nationals Park last year.

The Woodies clinched their first opening-half division title Sunday.