The 2017 Midwest League All-Star Game and related activities are scheduled for Dow Diamond in Midland on June 19-20. The Loons last hosted the All-Star game in 2008 one year after their inaugural season in Midland.

The Midwest League Home Run Derby presented by Chemical Bank is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on Monday, June 19. The competition features eight sluggers from the Midwest League All-Star teams. The format for the derby will follow a shot clock system that will have timed rounds through the finals. Participants for the derby will be announced at a later date.

Past participants in the Midwest League All-Star Game include former Loons Clayton Kershaw, Corey Seager and Julio Urias along with other major league All-Stars including Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols, Chris Archer, Felix Hernandez and Mike Trout.

The 2017 Loons have only two members on the Eastern Division team. Eighteen-year-old catcher Keibert Ruiz and 19-year-old right-handed pitcher Dustin May will represent the Loons.

Ruiz was signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent in July of 2014. The native of Valencia, Venezuela quickly made his mark in the Dodgers farm system by hitting .300 with an OBP of .340 in 2015 as a 16-year-old playing in the Dominican Summer League.

Keibert Ruiz
(Photo credit – Michael Grennell)

Ruiz followed up his first season in professional baseball with an even more impressive 2016 season with the Ogden Raptors of the rookie level Pioneer League. In 48 games with the Raptors he posted a .354 batting average which was fourth best in the league. He had a .393 OBP assisted by good plate coverage resulting in only 23 strikeouts in 206 plate appearances while drawing 12 walks.

Ogden manager Shaun Larkin was impressed by the maturity of Ruiz in only his second year in the Dodgers farm system stressing that the young catcher had become his go to guy towards the end of the 2016 campaign.

“Keibert Ruiz, just turned 18 and he’s a pure hitter. The moment never gets too big for him and tonight was no different. He has a way of slowing the game down when it gets big, and he’s been getting big hits for us for the last two weeks. If there’s anyone I want hitting in that situation, it’s Ruiz and he came up big for us.”

With the Loons in 2017 the 6’-0” / 200-pound switch-hitting catcher is hitting .302 through 46 games with an OBP of .361. In May he hit at a .339 clip and ramped that up to .350 in June.

Ruiz is ranked 12th in the MLB pipeline Prospect Watch. His review indicates he displays more power from the left side but has a better contact-oriented approach from the right side. It further notes he makes consistent contact rather than trying to do too much.

Defensively his review rates him as an advanced defender with soft hands and impressive receiving ability for a teenager. His arm should become average as he matures aided by quick feet and accurate throws.

Dustin May was selected by the Dodgers in the 3rd round of the 2016 First-Year player Draft out of Northwest High School in Justin, Texas being the first player ever drafted directly out of Northwest.

Dustin May
(Photo credit – Suzanne May)

One person not surprised by May being picked so early in the 2016 June Draft was his high school head coach , John Herrick, who had observed May closely on and off the diamond.

When asked what he thought May had that could make him a success at baseball’s highest level, coach Herrick was quick to respond: “ Dustin May is a very humble young man, and he goes about his business in a very quiet, hardworking fashion. After 33 years of coaching, I was blessed to have a high school player with enough ability to play pro ball out of high school.” He continued, “Dustin has a great work ethic and God-given talent that he will use to be successful in baseball.”

The 6’6”/180- lb native of Justin, Texas had committed to college power house Texas Tech and also had caught the eye of baseball scouts. While placing a high premium on education, May just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to launch his pursuit of a professional baseball career when drafted by the Dodgers.

“It’s an outstanding feeling knowing that there is such a small percentage of people that get drafted and I’m so blessed with the opportunity to fulfill my dreams as a professional athlete,” said May.

The God given taken mentioned by his high school coach includes a fastball that regularly sits at 93-94, touching 95 with potential for greater velocity as his 6’6” frame fills out. The complement to his fastball is his high spin rate that gives it “riding life” as described in one report. May moved up the 2016 draft ladder by displaying some of the best spin rates at the World Wood Bat Association World Championship in the fall before his high school senior year.

He likewise generates high spin rates on his curveball but also has had success with a harder slider that he began throwing during his senior season. His change-up is a work in progress.

May began his professional career in 2016 with the Arizona League Dodgers. In 10 appearances over 30.1 innings he posted a 3.86 ERA while striking out 34 and walking only four. His strikeouts to nine innings pitched ratio was 10.1 while his walk ratio was 1.2 per nine innings.

With the Great Lakes Loons in 2017 he has pretty much stayed the course. The right-hander is 3-3 with a 3.90 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 12 starts  this year while striking out 61 and walking 11 in 55.1 innings pitched. His strikeouts to nine innings pitched ratio is 9.9 while his walk ratio per nine innings has increased only minimally to 1.8.

On Sunday, June 4 Dustin May had his best outing as a professional when he threw a career-high seven innings, leading the Great Lakes Loons to an 11-0 win Sunday over the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Dow Diamond. He gave up five hits, struck out seven, issued no walks and threw 83 pitches, 68 for strikes.

Loons manager, Jeremy Rodriguez, spoke to May’s success in his career game.

When his tempo is on beat, he gets ahead of hitters and gets quick outs,” Rodriguez said. “I talked about it with him and [Great Lakes pitching coach] Connor McGuiness before the game about getting his change-up working. He used it today and enjoyed throwing it.”

“He’s working on things to get better, but to be honest, the most important thing for him is to continue to get ahead of hitters early and then work his tempo,” the skipper said.