Atlantic League Reveals 2024 Midseason All-Star Team
Image credit: Matt Bottcher (Photo courtesy of the Atlantic League)
Baseball America presents the 2024 Atlantic League Midseason All-Star team, as voted on by league managers. The team highlights the league’s top performers from the first half of the season. York outfielder Donovan Casey was the lone unanimous selection after hitting .361 with 10 homers through 60 games.
The Atlantic League is a MLB Partner League that has produced more than 125 players to the majors. You can find the league’s schedule here.
Here is the full roster:
C: Kole Cottam, Lexington — .313/.401/.625, 17 HR, 49 RBI
1B: David Washington, York — .298/.362/.693, 23 HR, 60 RBI
2B: Matt Bottcher, Lexington — .307/.382/.507, 8 HR, 29 RBI
SS: Matt McDermott, York — .320/.369/.509, 8 HR, 38 RBI
3B: Cristian Santana, Lancaster — .423/.472/.782, 13 HR, 47 RBI
OF: Donovan Casey, York — .361/.415/.574, 10 HR, 75 RBI
OF: Tyler Dearden, Long Island — .361/.410/.634, 12 HR, 46 RBI
OF: Josh Stowers, Gastonia — .313/.402/.558. 14 HR, 52 RBI
DH: Frank Schwindel, Long Island — .355/.434/.627, 11 HR, 38 RBI
SP: Aaron Leasher, Staten Island — 7-2, 2.21, 73.1 IP, 57 H, 23 BB, 67 K
RP: Phoenix Sanders, Gastonia — 3-0, 1.80, 25 IP, 16 H, 33 K, 6 BB
CP: Matt Seelinger, Long Island — 0-0, 0.44, 20.2 IP, 9 H, 31 K, 8 BB
You can find player-by-player breakdowns below.
Atlantic League All-Star Capsules
CATCHER
Kole Cottam has been a fixture in Lexington’s lineup throughout the season. At the midway point, he was hitting .313 while leading the Legends with 17 homers and 49 RBIs. He ranks third in the league in home runs, is fourth in slugging percentage (.625) and shares the league lead with two grand slams. Cottam was also named to the ALPB Postseason All-Star team in 2023.
FIRST BASE
York’s David Washington was the ALPB Player of the Month in June. He finished the first half with 23 home runs and 60 RBIs along with a .298 average. The first baseman was on pace to challenge the Atlantic League’s season home run record of 48 until his contract was purchased by Saltillo in the Mexican Baseball League. Washington led the league in the first half with 35 extra-base hits, 142 total bases and a .693 slugging percentage while placing second in RBIs.
SECOND BASE
Lexington’s Matt Bottcher hit .307 with eight home runs and 29 RBI through the first half of the year. He successfully stole 14 bases on 15 attempts over 54 first-half games while posting a .507 slugging percentage and an OPS of .889.
SHORTSTOP
Matt McDermott found a home in York in the first half. After opening the season in Gastonia, he was traded to York where he has thrived, hitting .320 with 15 doubles, eight home runs and 38 RBI. McDermott led the Atlantic League in at-bats (269) in the first half and was second in runs scored (56) and hits (86) while posting a league-best six triples. His 33 stolen bases were second in the league over the first half of the season.
THIRD BASE
Cristian Santana only played 35 games for Lancaster in the first half but he made an indelible impression, posting a .423 average with 13 homers and 47 RBI. When his contract was purchased by Chihuahua in mid June, Santana was riding a 12-game hitting streak and had recorded an RBI in each of his last nine games. His 1.254 OPS was unmatched by any ALPB player in the first half.
OUTFIELD
York outfielder Donovan Casey was the lone unanimous selection to the team. Casey led the league with 75 RBIs in the first half while adding 10 home runs. At the halfway mark, he was the league leader with 64 runs scored, 88 hits, and 75 RBIs while ranking third with 18 doubles and fourth with 30 extra-base hits. Casey was second in the Atlantic League in batting average by a fraction, hitting .3606 to Long Island’s Tyler Dearden at .3613.
Tyler Dearden of Long Island led the Atlantic League in batting average during the first half, posting a .361 average along with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs. Dearden slashed .410/.634//1.044 in the first half and finished second with 19 doubles and fifth with 128 total bases. His .634 slugging percentage was second only to David Washington in the first half. Dearden’s efforts were recognized as his contract was purchased by the Minnesota Twins on July 2.
Josh Stowers played a critical role in helping Gastonia win the Atlantic League’s South Division first half pennant by a whopping nine games over High Point. With Stowers posting prolific numbers in June, including a .375 batting average and 30 RBI in 24 games, Gastonia went 20-6 during the month. Stowers was 10th in the league with a .313 batting average in the first half, third in hits (73) and runs (51), fourth in total bases (130) and fifth with 27 stolen bases.
DESIGNATED HITTER
Long Island’s Frank Schwindel finished third in the league in batting average with a .353 mark during the first half. He scored 32 runs, the third-highest first half total in the ALPB while also ranking third with a .434 on-base percentage and a .627 slugging percentage. The three-year MLB veteran earned ALPB Player of the Month honors in May, hitting .386 with a 1.139 OPS.
STARTING PITCHER
Staten Island’s Aaron Leasher earned the vote from the league managers as the top starter in the first half after posting a 7-2 record. Leasher led the Atlantic League with seven first half wins and a 2.21 ERA. The league’s Pitcher of the Month in June, he won five of his last six outings. He allowed one run or fewer in five of those six starts. He allowed just 57 hits over 73.1 innings. Leasher recorded four of his seven wins over league contenders Lancaster (twice), High Point and Gastonia.
RELIEVER
Phoenix Sanders played a critical role in Gastonia’s first half South Division pennant. Sanders tied for the league lead with 11 first-half saves while posting a 3-0 record and 1.80 ERA. Over his 25 innings of work, Sanders allowed just 16 hits and six walks while striking out 33.
CLOSER
Matt Seelinger appeared in 21 games for the Long Island Ducks before Detroit purchased his contract in late June. The righthander allowed just nine hits and two runs over 20.2 innings of work while yielding eight walks and striking out 31. He posted a 0.44 ERA and held opponents to a .129 batting average. Seelinger was the league’s co-save leader in the first half with 11, tied with Gastonia’s Phoenix Sanders.
ATLANTIC LEAGUE FIRST HALF NOTES
The Gastonia Baseball Club won the South Division pennant and set the league mark for the highest winning percentage in a half. The Baseball Club went 46-17 through the first 63 games. Their .730 winning percentage surpassed the previous mark of .727 set by Southern Maryland (48-18) in 2022. Gastonia has now won or tied for the South Division pennant in five consecutive half-seasons.
The York Revolution took the North Division pennant by 12 games over archrival Lancaster. The Revolution went 43-20 to lock up their first playoff berth since 2019.
Gastonia and York will now have the option on which Division Championship games to host. The first half winners can select to be at home for either Games 1 and 2, or games 3, 4 and 5.
The Lancaster Stormers set the Atlantic League record for single-game attendance when they drew 8,636 at home against Staten Island on June 27. The record crowd was the result of a quiet campaign to create a “Showcase” game at Clipper Magazine Stadium. The Stormers full and part-time staff team up to invite guests to attend their first game ever or their first game in many years. The goal of the Showcase is to show fans the excitement and fun that takes place at a Stormers game. From the professional baseball to entertainment provided for the guests, everyone walks away with memories of this night.
