Coastal Plain League Alums Highlight 2009 MLB All-Star Teams

Three former Coastal Plain League standouts were recently named 2009 MLB All-Stars. Boston’s Kevin Youkilis (Florence, 1999), Detroit’s Justin Verlander (Wilson, 2002) and Washington’s Ryan Zimmerman (Peninsula, 2003) were all named to the 2009 MLB All-Star Teams for their respective leagues.

Youkilis, the starting first baseman for the Boston Red Sox, is making his second appearance as an American League All-Star. He is currently batting .301 this season, and has hit 14 home runs and knocked in 47 RBIs for the Red Sox in 2009. The Red Sox are currently holding onto the number one spot in the AL-East standings going into the week.

While with the Florence RedWolves in 1999, Youkilis batted .284 and racked up 16 RBIs. He also went onto be named as the starting third baseman for the South Division CPL All-Star Team. He is also a member of the Coastal Plain League’s All-Decade Team.

Also making his second appearance as an AL All-Star, Verlander, leads the AL with 130 strikeouts. The Tigers right-hander has an 8-4 record and a 3.54 ERA. Thanks in part to Verlander’s dominance on the mound, Detroit currently holds the top spot in the AL- Central standings.

As a member of the Wilson Tobs in 2002, Verlander had an ERA of 2.68 and a record of 1-4, yet still struck out 54 batters in his seven appearances on the mound before being selected as the second overall pick in the 2004 MLB draft. Verlander was also selected to the CPL’s All-Decade Team in 2006.

Zimmerman, meanwhile, was selected as a MLB All-Star for the first time in his career. The Nationals third baseman is off to the best start of his career, after posting the longest hitting streak of 2009 – 30 consecutive games – earlier this season. On the season Zimmerman, is batting .293 and he has slammed 13 home runs while bringing in 47 RBIs.

While playing with the Peninsula Pilots in 2003, he earned team best marks in batting average (.331), hits (47), slugging percentage (.423) and total bases (60). Numbers like those saw Zimmerman named to the CPL’s All-Decade Team.

Furthermore, in the Final Vote race for the last spot on the NL All-Star team roster is former Fayetteville SwampDogs player and current Arizona Diamondback, Mark Reynolds. Reynolds is one of five NL players up for that final spot, giving fans the opportunity to vote and choose which one will make the team. Reynolds leads all third baseman in home runs and RBIs with 24 and 61 respectively. On the season, he is batting .269 with 81 hits. Back in 2003 as a SwampDog, Reynolds had 11 hits, nine RBIs and three home runs in his 16 games.

Fans can help vote for Reynolds by visiting http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2009/fv/ballot.html. Voting for the final spots on the MLB All- Star Teams ends Thursday at 1 p.m., with the winners being announced on MLB.com shortly thereafter. The 80th MLB All-Star Game will be on July 14 in St. Louis.

The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league, heading into its 13th season. Featuring 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, the CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with wooden bats during the summer months. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at http://www.coastalplain.com.