August 9, 2011 at 3:43 PM
Johnson, De La Cruz, Schwindenhammer, Cecchini selected to NYPL All-Star team
With the Lowell Spinners hosting the 2011 New York-Penn All-Star Game at LeLacheur Park, the team managed to get four of its players elected to the American League team. All three starting outfielders for the Spinners made the cut in Matty Johnson, Keury De La Cruz, and Seth Schwindenhammer, along with injured third baseman Garin Cecchini.
Johnson, signed out of the independent Frontier League in 2010, has impressed with his speed and energy in his first season with the organization. A switch-hitter and listed at just 5-foot-7, the 23-year-old is batting .330 with 15 steals and just 1 caught stealing in 31 games with Lowell. He has also shown great on-base ability this season with a .427 OBP, though is lacking in power with no home runs and just 7 extra base hits.
De La Cruz, 19, has impressed with his all-around game as the Spinners' every day center fielder. The 2009 Red Sox Latin Program Player of the year is batting .299 this season with 4 home runs and 15 stolen bases.
In his second go-around with the Spinners, Schwindehammer has been able to translate some of the raw power that made him a fifth round pick in the 2009 Draft into game action. He leads the team and is second in the NYPL with 9 homers this season, which is also already a club record for a left-handed batter. Though he leads the team and the league with 79 strikeouts, he has also earned 13 walks, fifth-most on the team.
Cecchini, currently the 15th ranked prospect on SoxProspects, got off to a great start to his professional career with Lowell before suffering a non-displaced fracture of the wrist, likely ending his season. Boston's fourth round selction in the 2010 Draft, Cecchini was batting .298 with 12 steals and 16 extra base hits, including 3 long balls. He seemed to be finding a groove at the plate prior to the injury on July 23, earning NYPL Player of the Week honors just before taking a pitch off the wrist.
For those wanting to attend the event in Lowell at LeLacheur Park, gates will open at 3:30 and feature autograph signings by both the American League and National League Teams followed by a skills competition, the game, and post-game fireworks. A limited number of tickets to the game are still available by visiting www.LowellSpinners.com or calling the Box Office at (978) 459-1702.