July 27th, 2017 at 8:00 am 
by Harold Uhlman The 2017 mid-season Pioneer League All-Star team was announced on Tuesday. The team will once again square off against the Northwest League’s All-Star Team with the game being played on Tuesday, August 1 at Ron Tonkin Field, the home of the Hillsboro Hops in Oregon.
“These players are the best of the best,” Pioneer League President Jim McCurdy said. “We are honored to have them represent the PBL in the third PBL-NWL All-Star Game, a true classic.”
The 2017 Pioneer League All-Star contingent features five selections from the Ogden Raptors with catcher Hendrik Clementina, outfielder Starling Heredia and designated hitter Luis Paz being named as starters. Relief pitcher James Carter was also named to the team, as was infielder Nick Yarnall who will not play in the contest because of his recent promotion to the Great Lakes Loons.
Ogden’s Lindquist Field (Photo courtesy of alwaysogden.com)
Clementina is a catcher from Willemstad, Curacao signed as an international free agent by the Dodgers in 2013. That will most likely ring a bell for Dodger fans. The just turned 20-year-old catcher is from the same hometown as Dodger All-Star closer, Kenley Jansen, and Dodger fans know so very well that Jansen started out as a catcher in the Dodgers minor league system.
Now in his fourth year of professional baseball, the right-handed hitting Clementina is having a bit of a breakout year offensively, although he has always hit quite well. During the current campaign, his batting average of .354 ranks fourth in the Pioneer League. The 6’0”/165-pound backstop has hit three home runs along with 20 runs batted in during his 21 games played, all as a catcher, while sporting a .995 fielding percentage.
Paz definitely puts an international flavor on the Ogden Raptor All-Star selections. He is a native of Marilia, Brazil who was signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent in 2013 during the same signing period as teammate Hendrik Clementina.
Paz, who bats left and throws right, turned 21 on July 5. The 6’1”/211-pound first baseman/outfielder who is also listed as a catcher, has pretty much taken over the league since returning from the Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League. His batting average of .360 is good for third place while five other offensive categories primarily rank first in the league – 1.166 OPS,.750 SLG, 75 total bases, 35 runs batted in, 10 home runs.
Eighteen-year-old left fielder Heredia was signed by the Dodgers during their international signing blitz during the 2015-16 signing period. He is in just his second year of professional baseball. The native of Santo, Domingo in the Dominican Republic has played 16 games with the Raptors after being promoted from the Arizona League Dodgers with whom he started the 2017 season.
A right-handed hitter, the 6’2”/200-pound Heredia has hit safely in 14 of his 16 games, including nine multi-hit games. He sports a .406 batting average and a .481 OBP along with a 1.206 OPS. Thirteen of his 28 hits have been for extra bases, including four home runs.
Yarnall was selected by the Dodgers in the 35th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Pittsburgh. As mentioned he will miss the All-Star game as he was recently promoted to the Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League. However, the native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania left his mark on the team and league before his departure.
Hitting from the left side, the 6’0”/200-pound first baseman ranked second in the league with a .368 batting average before his recent departure for the Loons. His 1.077 OPS ranked second while his .621 slugging percentage came in third behind teammate Luis Paz and first baseman Anthony Villa of the Great Falls Voyageurs. Yarnall, 22, chipped in with six home runs and 25 runs batted in.
Right-handed pitcher Carter was selected by the Dodgers in the 21st round of the 2016 June Draft out of the University of California, Santa Barbara. He pitched only one inning with the Arizona League Dodgers during the 2016 season so in essence is in his first year of professional baseball.
Now 23, he has thrived in relief with the Raptors. He has logged 19.1 innings over nine appearances posting a 3-1 record with a 2.33 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. The 6’3”/185-pound reliever struck out 29 while walking just 4 hitters and limited the opposition to a .194 batting average against him.
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