6 standouts and Sasaki enthusiasm at the Appy League All-Star Game
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- Remember these names.
The modern version of the Appalachian League -- now a summer collegiate wood-bat circuit -- has already produced its first Major Leaguer (Jordan Leasure) and its first first-rounder (Kaelen Culpepper), and the circuit will only grow from here.
If Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Johnson City’s TVA Credit Union Ballpark (a 4-1 win by the West Division over the East) is any indication, more Appy League talent will impact the future of baseball at the professional level. Watch the replay of the game on MLB Network on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET.
Here are some of the standouts from this year’s All-Star Game (including an update on Japanese phenom Rintaro Sasaki):
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Brodie Johnston, 3B, Greeneville (West)
A Perfect Game All-American this spring, the Tennessee prep star joined the Appalachian League with a ton of hype, and despite being just 18 on a collegiate circuit, he’s met those expectations at virtually every turn, including on Tuesday. The right-handed slugger opened the scoring with a 369-foot homer on the second pitch he saw in the first inning. He recorded two of the night’s three loudest exit velocities: 106.9 mph on the homer and a game-best 110.3 mph liner that turned into a bad-luck double play in the third. He displayed good hitting prowess by shooting the ball the other way for a seventh-inning single. Johnston even showed off his defensive ability at the hot corner by snagging a 99.9 mph rocket in the third and making some strong throws across the diamond for tough outs. The Vanderbilt commit, who leads the league with 69 total bases, was named All-Star Game MVP after finishing 2-for-4 and sent many home buzzing about his potential both with the Commodores and beyond.
Mason Swinney, INF, Kingsport (West)
The game's only other homer came off Swinney’s bat in the eighth -- a 336-foot dinger that left the bat at 93.7 mph and kept carrying and carrying the opposite way over the wall in right. Swinney added a walk to reach twice in his four plate appearances while moving between shortstop, second base and DH. The right-handed slugger is transferring from Alabama to Dallas Baptist next year and will bring plenty of pop to the Patriots. His five regular-season homers are tied for third-most in the Appy League, while his 14 extra-base hits are tied for second.
Michael Rodriguez, OF, Tri-State (East)
Batting second for the visiting East, Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, making him the only player from either team to reach three times in this year’s contest. His fifth-inning two-bagger was also the East’s only extra-base hit of the night. The Bethune-Cookman outfielder, who won’t turn 19 until September, only played 18 games in the spring but has made up for the missed playing time with a .319/.394/.454 line over 32 contests for Tri-State.
Owen Quinn, RHP, Pulaski (East)
The Ball State right-hander struck out all three West batters he faced in the fifth, making him the only hurler to punch out the side in the game. He also tied for the contest lead with five whiffs -- two on his upper-80s fastball and three on his upper-70s curveball. Quinn is known for producing 100 percent spin efficiency that makes him hard to pick up, and his 12-to-6 breaker has been a menace to Appy Leaguers all summer. He sports a 1.93 ERA and ranks fifth in the league with 40 strikeouts over 28 innings.
Brock Toney, RHP, Greeneville (West)
The Grand Canyon hurler got the call in the ninth to earn the save and recorded his three outs on nine pitches, all of them fastballs. Who could blame him? Toney sat 93-95 mph and could be even tougher to touch with an induced vertical break up to 19.6 inches, giving his four-seamer impressive carry beyond his impressive Appy League velo. He got Alexander Wright and Addison Smith to whiff on the heater before securing the win on a broken-bat popout by Noah Murray. Toney has posted a 1.21 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings.
Jayden Lobliner, C, Elizabethton (West)
Lobliner was teammates with Culpepper at Kansas State this spring, and while he’s transferring to the University of San Diego for the 2024-25 season, he’ll hope to follow his fellow former Wildcat’s path from the Appy League to Draft prominence. Tuesday’s performance helped as he provided a double off the West bench and added the night’s only caught-stealing, throwing out Rodriguez at second base in the seventh. Lobliner was lauded by West manager Kevin Mahoney for his quick release behind the dish before the game and backed that up during the showcase. Offensively, he’s tied for the league lead with six homers and sports a .533 slugging percentage.
Rintaro Sasaki update
The Japanese high school home run king only went 1-for-4 for the West in his fifth appearance since joining the Appy circuit from the MLB Draft League last week, but considering how much his every move draws attention ahead of his true collegiate debut, the Stanford slugger deserves a mention here. So does this: his sixth-inning RBI single up the middle came off the bat at 107.7 mph, the second-highest exit velocity of the night. Sasaki continued to show some issues with velocity, whiffing on three four-seamers, but his raw strength was on full display with the most impressive batting-practice rounds of the night and some of the game’s loudest contact.