As we expected, the BlueClaws have made some All-Star break moves, and so far we know who’s going up to Clearwater but we don’t yet know who is replacing them. Either way, we congratulate the following players and wish them the best in Hi-A…

Steve Susdorf (.333-2 HRs-15 RBIs)…He played just 21 games but he was outstanding. The lefty power bat in the middle of the lineup that Dusty Wathan and Greg Legg were looking for, Susdorf earned his call-up in about a month. Greg Legg said last week that he’s not sure if the BlueClaws would have even won the division without Susdorf, and Lakewood won the division by six games and Susdorf only played 21! Certainly, without him, the BlueClaws would not have clinched on Thursday.

Santo Hernandez (4-2, 2.13 ERA)…One of the big four relievers for Lakewood, Santo has been exceptional since early May, having allowed four earned runs over his last 34 innings. The 25-year old will be missed, as he was good for 2-3 innings at a time on nights when the starting pitchers were laboring to get through five or six innings. He will be much tougher to replace than some may think.

Jon Velasquez (9-2, 4.26 ERA)…It looks like Matt Maloney’s wins record is safe. Velasquez, signed out of a tryout camp in March, has been one of the surprise stories in the Phillies system this year, the way he’s stepped right in and pitched quite well for Lakewood this season. He had an 8 ERA in May and went through a rough stretch after moving into the rotation, but over his last three starts, he’s allowed just three runs in 20 innings. Not sure if he’ll start of come in out of the pen in Clearwater. He’s been successful in both roles with Lakewood.

Good luck fellas.

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This entry was posted on Monday, June 22nd, 2009 at 6:04 am and is filed under 2009 BlueClaws. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.