Fresno Grizzlies All-Stars revel in recognition

With the Fourth of July game in the books and the All-Star break approaching, a pair of Fresno Grizzlies players are preparing to enjoy the national spotlight.

Outfielder L.J. Hoes and reliever Tyson Perez were named earlier in the week to the Pacific Coast League All-Star team that will face the International League stars July 15 at Werner Park in Omaha, Nebraska. The game will be televised on the MLB Network.

“I’m excited and appreciative, for sure, for everyone who selected me and voted for me,” Hoes, who was chosen in fan balloting, said ahead of Saturday’s game, a 10-3 win over Tacoma. “It means a lot.

“I’ve tried to stay consistent, going out every day, try to hit hard and find holes. It’s cool that I’ve stayed in one place long enough to play in an all-star game.”

Hoes, 25, sported the third-best batting average in the PCL entering Saturday at .336 and added on, going 3 for 5 with an RBI against the Rainiers. He has three homers, 42 RBIs, 46 runs scored and 11 steals.

Perez, who was selected by coaches and media, is 1-2 with a 2.67 ERA in 25 appearances after pitching a scoreless ninth inning Saturday. He has 22 strikeouts compared to five walks in 30.1 innings.

The former Hanford High and Fresno City College standout began the season at Double-A Corpus Christi, but within two weeks earned his first promotion to Triple-A.

“Last year is when I made my biggest improvements with everything I’ve been doing,” Perez said. “This year has been learning how to stay sharp with all of the travel.

“In the big leagues, you’re going to be traveling a lot. You’re not always going to have a great night’s sleep.

“But you’ve got to get used to staying mentally prepared and sharp every single game. I think that’s what’s helped me put up the numbers to get selected.”

Grizzlies outfielder Domingo Santana and first baseman Jon Singleton also had received enough votes to start for the PCL All-Star team. But both were called up by major league parent club Houston as voting closed, removing them from consideration.

Santana, however, has been optioned back to the Grizzlies, so he could still end up being a replacement selection if another All-Star gets called up or injured. Santana was hitting .320 with 11 homers and 38 RBIs in 56 games with Fresno.

Singleton was leading the PCL with 17 home runs and 66 RBIs before he was promoted last week.

“How L.J. and Tyson have performed, I think they’re both very deserving to be all-stars,” Grizzlies manager Tony DeFrancesco said. “And I’m sure Domingo is at the top of the list if they need a replacement.

“We’ve had a good first half and I think our all-star selections reflect that. They’ve all played a role to our success.”

The Grizzlies (48-35) have one of the PCL’s top records and also a chance to increase their Pacific Northern Division lead with the second-place Rainiers (41-42) in town for a four-game series.

Fresno is trying to reach the playoffs for the first time since the franchise’s inaugural season in 1998.

“Every series, our goal is to take 3 of 4,” DeFrancesco said. “We lost some guys, good power hitters, to the majors. Our goal is always to help the big league club first.

“But there’s a lot of depth in our organization and guys will step up.”

This story was originally published July 4, 2015 at 10:38 PM with the headline "Fresno Grizzlies All-Stars revel in recognition."