(aka Rising Stars Showcase) will be played this Friday. Haven’t seen a complete roster for the 25-man squad, but Matt Albers and Hunter Pence are on the East Division team. Pence will have played in three all-star games this season, including the Texas League and Futures Game contests.
Rosters were selected by a vote of major league scouting and farm directors. League director Steve Cobb on that selection process:
“What we were essentially asking was, ‘Who are the players with the highest ceilings?’ It’s not necessarily an ‘All-Star’ team, because it’s difficult to put that together just 10 or 11 games into the season.”
Edited to add:
Roster is now available and it confirms that Albers and Pence were the only two Astros on the squad.
Edited further to add game results:
Pence was the hitting star of the contest in game without a lot of offense. Batting 6th for the East squad and playing CF, Hunter went 2-3 with a double and a walk and scored the game’s first run in “little ball” fashion as described in the game recap:
Quote:
…Pence walked with one out and broke for second base an instant before left-handed Gio Gonzalez threw to first. Pence was caught in a rundown, but made it back to first base safely when the East team botched the rundown.
Pence stole second on the next pitch, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball.
Albers was the second pitcher used for the East team and went 1.1 scoreless/hitless frames with two strikeouts.
