photo: Nolan Gorman (St. Louis Cardinals)
Johnson City Cardinals press release
Two members of the 2018 Johnson City Cardinals have been named to the 2018 Appalachian League All Star Team. Third baseman Nolan Gorman and RHP Tommy Parsons have been named to the All Star Team for their respective positions.
Nolan Gorman was picked 19th overall in the first round by the St. Louis Cardinals this year out of Sandra Day O’Connor High School in Glendale, Arizona. Gorman burst onto the scene, hitting a home run in his first game as a professional baseball player on June 19th against Bluefield. Only a couple of months removed from high school baseball, Gorman showed why he was the first pick for the Cardinals. He played in 38 games with Johnson City, hit .350/.443/.664, 10 doubles, one triple, and 11 home runs. Gorman was named Appalachian League Player of the Week for July 30th – August 5th. In five games, Gorman hit .522, going 12-for-23 with three doubles, three home runs, and eight RBIs.
Tommy Parsons was signed as a non-drafted free agent this year by the St. Louis Cardinals out of Adrian College, a DIII school in Michigan. Parsons started the season in the bullpen, however he was moved to the starting rotation in the middle of the season and pitched himself to the top of several pitching categories to lead the Johnson City Cardinals. He leads the Johnson City Cardinals in wins (5), ERA (3.24) among starters, shutouts (1), and WHIP (1.22) among starters. The Cardinals have thrown two complete games this season, Parsons has one and it was a shutout.
Brian Walton’s take
The Cardinals having two selections on the 14-man All-Star Team is a good showing, especially considering there are 10 teams in the league and Johnson City is in last place in its division.
As noted above, the two winners have as diverse backgrounds as could be possible. Gorman is a high school first-rounder while Parsons was an undrafted college free agent.
Among other Cardinals receiving support on ballots disclosed by voters online was first baseman/outfielder Leandro Cedeno.
The full 14-man team can be seen here. Former Memphis skipper Danny Sheaffer is the league’s Manager of the Year.
In 2017, Johnson City had three all-stars – first baseman Luis Bandes, second baseman Irving Lopez and outfielder Chase Pinder. Their paths have diverged since. Bandes was released at the end of spring training. Lopez was a mid-season Midwest League All-Star for Peoria and earned a promotion to Palm Beach. Pinder spent most of the season with the Beach Birds before moving up to Double-A two weeks ago.
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Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian on Twitter.
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