Lennerton is Tigers' rep at All-Star Futures Game
DETROIT -- Jordan Lennerton hasn't received much fanfare in the Minor Leagues. He wasn't a top pick in the 2008 Draft -- instead going in the 33rd round -- and he wasn't ranked highly as one of the top prospects in the organization before the season.
However, the 27-year-old first baseman, who leads Triple-A Toledo in batting average and on-base percentage, has earned some recognition and will represent the Tigers for the World Team at the 2013 Sirius XM All-Star Futures Game on July 14.
Lennerton, in his sixth year in the Minor Leagues out of Canada, also leads Toledo in OPS and walks, while posting solid home run and RBI numbers.
"He can drive the ball to left-center as well to right-center," assistant general manager Al Avila said. "He has a similar hitting style and approach as the Orioles' Chris Davis. His next step and opportunity should be in the Major Leagues."
Last year, he led Double-A Erie with 21 home runs, 82 RBIs, 34 doubles, 73 runs and 79 walks, while posting a .269/.389/.469 slash line.
"He has had to prove himself at every level, and he has," Avila said. "He has always been a good hitter, but in the past couple of years, he has really stepped it up hitting for average, power and being a run producer in the middle of the order."
The 15th annual SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game takes place at 2 p.m. ET on All-Star Sunday at Citi Field in New York and can be seen live on MLB.com, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD and followed live on MLB.com's Gameday. In addition, XM Radio will broadcast play-by-play coverage of the event live on MLB Network Radio XM 89. MLB.com will also provide complete coverage before, during and after the game. Fans can stay updated by following @MLBFutures on Twitter and can send/receive tweets to/from the U.S. and World Team dugouts during the game by tagging tweets with the hashtags #USDugout and #WorldDugout.
Thank you to my family, friends, and fans for the support! Im very thankful for the opportunity to represent the tigers in the futures game!
- Jordan Lennerton (@oppo_jack_lenny) href="https://twitter.com/oppo_jack_lenny/statuses/350002761456304128">June 26, 2013
Also, for the first time, fans will determine the final player on the U.S. and World Team rosters by casting their votes in the All-Star Sunday Futures Finalists ballot. There are five candidates for each team, and voting ends on Sunday at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Outfielder Nick Castellanos and right-hander Bruce Rendon were chosen for the Tigers in last year's Futures Game, while catcher Rob Brantly, now with the Miami Marlins, was an injury replacement. Castellanos took Futures Game MVP honors, capping a three-hit game with a three-run home run. Rendon tossed 101-mph fastballs in a scoreless two-thirds of an inning, while Brantly hit an RBI double in the sixth inning to score Castellanos.
Castellanos was named one of the five Futures Finalists for the U.S. team, giving Tigers fans an opportunity to send him to New York.
Castellanos is ranked No. 20 on MLB.com's Top 100 prospect list. Just 21 years old, he has spent all season at Triple-A Toledo and was the second-youngest player in the International League on Opening Day. He has a slash line of .296/.375/.476 and has 10 home runs in 80 games.