The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Bridgewater, NJ – The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball has honored three Somerset Patriots players on the End-of-Season All-Star Team and Red, White and Blue All-Defensive Team.
Second baseman Eric Farris was named to both the End-of-Season All-Star Team and the Red, White and Blue All-Defensive Team. Farris hit .301 over a team-leading 492 at bats and 123 games played. The former Major Leaguer scored 74 times, had 148 hits, 21 doubles, eight home run and 66 RBI.
Defensively, Farris finished with the best overall fielding percentage for a second baseman with .988. He also finished second in total chances (400), putouts (163) and assists (232). Farris led the league in double plays turned (54) and had just five errors all season.
Third baseman David Vidal was named to the End-of-Season All-Star Team. Vidal led the Somerset Patriots with a .320 average and 26 home runs. He also had 101 hits, 19 doubles and 62 RBI despite missing a month in the first half of the season. His 26 home runs was second in the league this year.
Outfielder Aharon Eggleston was selected to the Red, White, and Blue All-Defensive Team. In his fourth season in Somerset, the three-time Atlantic League All-Star finished with the second-best fielding percentage at his position with .990. He had 203 total chances, 189 putouts and 12 assists in 104 games played as an outfielder. Eggleston had just two errors for the season.
“The profound level of talent throughout the Atlantic League was evident from Opening Day through the final out,” says League President Rick White. “Each of the players selected was tremendously deserving of these honors, and we are incredibly proud of all their accomplishments this past season.”
Players were selected through voting from league club managers and executives.
The following is the schedule for the remainder of this year’s Atlantic League awards:
Tuesday, October 18 – Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Manager of the Year and Rawlings Gold Glove Defensive Player of the Year
Thursday, October 20 – Club Awards, including the Ken Shepard Award for Promotional Excellence, the Joe Klein Executive of the Year, the Ray Cipperly Grounds Keeping Award, Mascot of the Year, Ballpark of the Year, Promotion of the Year and Outstanding Community Service Award
About The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
The Atlantic League has been a leader in professional baseball and a gateway to Major League Baseball since 1998. Over 36 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 800 players and 50 managers and coaches have joined MLB organizations directly from the ALPB. The Atlantic League emphasizes winning baseball games, showcasing the talent of top-caliber players and offering affordable family entertainment to metropolitan markets serving nearly 15% of the US population.
For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
