FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 13, 2008
Freedom announces five All-Stars
Florence, KY – The Florence Freedom announced today that the club will have five representatives on the field for the 2008 Frontier League All-Star game on Wednesday, July 16th. Cody Castle, Eddie Gonzalez, Billy Mottram, Angel Molina, and Kelly Hunt will take the field at Wuerfel Park in Traverse City, MI with all the best players in the Frontier League this season.
Kelly Hunt was a late addition to the East squad after Chillicothe shortstop Travis Garcia was forced out of the game due to an injury. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound right-handed power hitter joined the Freedom three weeks into the Frontier League season, and despite missing the first 20 games, he leads the league with 19 home runs. A former Detroit Tigers minor leaguer who entered the season with 90 career home runs, Hunt is on pace to break the Frontier League record for the most homers in one season. The current record is 36 home runs set during the 1998 season by Morgan Burkhart of the Richmond Roosters. Hunt started his tenure with the Freedom as the team’s designated hitter before he was inserted into the defensive alignment at first base. He then spent the final eight games prior to the all-star break at third base. In addition to his torrid home run pace, Hunt has produced a .350 batting average with 33 runs batted in and a .829 slugging percentage in only 123 at-bats.
Eddie Gonzalez rose from the low point of being released by the Freedom at the end of spring training to being voted into his first Frontier League All-Star game. Re-signed by the club shortly after the season began when starting catcher Josh Lex went down with a knee injury, Gonzalez responded with outstanding defensive work behind the plate and some timely clutch hits. The switch-hitting catcher from Tampa, Fla., delivered his biggest hit of the first half when he belted a walk-off solo homer in the 10th inning May 29 to give the Freedom a 7-6 victory over the visiting Midwest Sliders. Gonzalez has appeared in 29 games and has a .229 batting average with four doubles and three home runs. Nine of the third-year Frontier Leaguer’s 16 RBIs have come with two outs.
Cody Castle, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound right-hander from Dayton, Ohio, has thrived in his role as the Freedom closer. In his third year with Florence, Castle has successfully converted all ten of his save opportunities. The former Ashland (Ohio) University star has been scored upon only three times in his first 19 appearances with a 1-1 record and a 2.57 earned-run average. Castle has allowed 15 hits in 21.0 innings with 18 strikeouts and nine walks. His saves total is the third best in the league heading into the all-star break.
Billy Mottram’s all-star selection in his first season in the Frontier League may be the most improbable of the five Florence representatives in the game. Slated for a backup role as a corner infielder and pinch-hitter, Mottram eventually cracked the everyday lineup at second base. Even though he had appeared in only one game as a professional at second base, the 6-foot, 200-pound left-handed batter, spent the past month at the position and has shown continued improvement. Offensively, Mottram has exploded onto the scene with a .340 batting average which ranks among the top five in the league. Signed in the off-season after one year in the Chicago Cubs’ organization, Mottram leads the Freedom with three triples and ranks third on the club with 11 doubles. The Haverhill, Mass., native has also hit four home runs and has driven in 27 runs.
Angel Molina has enjoyed one of the finest all-around offensive campaigns in the league during the first half of the schedule. A former Florida Marlins minor-leaguer, Molina has been a fixture in the middle of the Freedom lineup while splitting his time in the field between right field and first base. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound right-handed hitter has missed only one game while posting a .328 batting average with 14 doubles, 12 homers and a club-high 42 RBIs. A native of Ponce, Puerto Rico, who is in his first season in the Frontier League, Molina is tops in the league with 48 runs scored. He also ranks second in slugging percentage (.589) and is second in extra-base hits with 27.
The 2008 Frontier League All-Star Game is Wednesday, July 16th at Wuerfel Park in Traverse City, MI. The festivities will include a home run derby on Tuesday, July 15th.
The Florence Freedom are a member of the Frontier League, a 12-team Independent Professional Baseball League established in 1993. The Freedom play a 96 game schedule with 54 home games between late May and early September.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Ashley Grotte at the Freedom office by calling (859) 594-4487 x 13 or via email ashley.grotte@florencefreedom.com.