Blue Wahoos Arraez, Castillo Among 22 Southern Leaguers Named All-Stars

Full 2022 Major League Baseball All-Star teams were announced on Sunday, and two former Blue Wahoos - Luis Arraez and Luis Castillo - were among the stars selected to play in the 92nd Midsummer Classic on Tuesday, July 19 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Arraez, a member of the 2019 Blue Wahoos squad during Pensacola's affiliation with the Minnesota Twins, showed off his prodigious hitting ability at Blue Wahoos Stadium. In 38 games with the Blue Wahoos, Arraez hit .343, knocking 50 hits and reaching base at a stellar .415 clip. He was soon called up to Triple-A Rochester, where he remained for just 16 games (hitting .349) before making his Major League debut with the Twins on May 18, 2019. From that day forward, he was in the Major Leagues to stay, hitting .334 in 2019 and .321 in 2020. Now in his fourth season at the MLB level, Arraez has established himself as the league's best contact hitter, leading all of MLB with a .355 average this season.

Opposing Arraez on the National League roster will be 2017 Blue Wahoo starting pitcher Luis Castillo. Already a top prospect when he arrived in Pensacola, Castillo served as the Blue Wahoos ace in 2017, holding a 2.58 ERA and striking out 81 batters in 14 starts with the Blue Wahoos. Castillo was so dominant with Pensacola that the Reds called him up directly from Double-A in June. Since, Castillo has been one of the National League's most dependable starters, holding a 3.64 ERA across 135 starts in the Major Leagues. This year, he's been better than ever, holding a 2.92 ERA with 74 strikeouts across 71.0 innings pitched for the Reds.

Beyond Arraez and Castillo, there are numerous familiar names to Blue Wahoos fans on the 2022 All-Star rosters, as 22 All-Stars played in the Southern League during their Minor League careers. Of those 22, 14 played at Blue Wahoos Stadium!

Southern League Alumni On 2022 MLB All-Star Rosters:

Ronald Acuña Jr.: The Atlanta superstar represented the Mississippi Braves at the 2017 Southern League All-Star Game at Blue Wahoos Stadium, falling to Pensacola's Gaby Guerrero in the Home Run Derby. During the regular season, Acuña played five games at Blue Wahoos Stadium, going 2-for-20 with a double.

Paul Blackburn: A member of two Southern League teams in 2016 due to a trade between the Cubs (Tennesse Smokies) and Mariners (Jackson Generals), Blackburn threw 6.0 shutout innings against Pensacola on June 26 in Tennessee.

Corbin Burnes: Before he was a Cy Young winner, Burnes was a Biloxi Shucker. On July 27, 2017, Burnes started for the Shuckers at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Entering the game with a 1.72 ERA on the season, a Blue Wahoos lineup that featured top prospects Nick Senzel and Aristides Aquino touched Burnes for four runs in 2.0 innings.

Byron Buxton: The electrifying Buxton hit 12 triples in just 59 games for the Chattanooga Lookouts in 2015. While he did appear in Mobile, Buxton was promoted directly to the Major Leagues before Chattanooga visited Pensacola that year.

Miguel Cabrera: The all-time legend appeared in the Southern League in 2003 with the Carolina Mudcats, the franchise that would later go on to be moved to Pensacola to become the Blue Wahoos. Double-A was no match for the budding star who would win a World Series later that year with the Marlins, as Cabrera hit .365/.429/.609 with the Mudcats.

Jazz Chisholm: Thanks to a mid-season trade, Chisholm split the 2019 season between Jackson and Jacksonville before going on to become the face of the Miami franchise. Squaring off against Pensacola in Jackson, Chisholm hit .286 in four games.

William Contreras: Atlanta's talented young backstop played against Pensacola eight times during the 2019 season, including twice at Blue Wahoos Stadium. In Pensacola, Contreras knocked one hit in six at-bats.

Wilson Contreras: William's older brother Wilson was a Tennessee Smokie in 2015, playing seven games against the Blue Wahoos (four in Pensacola). He left Blue Wahoos Stadium with four hits in four games.

Edwin Diaz: Before he was one of baseball's most dominant closers, Diaz was a starting pitcher for the Jackson Generals in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, Diaz started twice against Pensacola (once at Blue Wahoos Stadium), giving up 10 runs in 10.0 innings. In 2016, Diaz tossed 6.0 quality innings at Blue Wahoos Stadium on April 23, allowing three earned with eight strikeouts. Three weeks later, Diaz moved to the bullpen. After 10 scoreless appearances as a reliever, he was promoted directly to the Major Leagues.

Max Fried: The Atlanta ace made two MiLB starts against the Blue Wahoos in 2017, allowing nine runs in 11.2 innings with 11 strikeouts. He pitched once at Blue Wahoos Stadium on June 12, allowing five runs in 6.0 innings with Aristides Aquino and Alex Blandino combining for four hits and five RBI against him.

Paul Goldschmidt: Prior to becoming a four-time Silver Slugger, Goldschmidt played his Minor League ball just up the road from Pensacola with the Mobile BayBears in 2011. There, he hit 30 home runs in 103 games, skipping Triple-A and being promoted to Arizona for an August MLB debut.

Josh Hader: Hader pitched parts of two seasons with the Biloxi Shuckers in 2015 and 2016, starting three games against the Blue Wahoos. In two appearances in Biloxi against Pensacola, Hader tossed 10.0 one-run innings, striking out 14. In his lone start at Blue Wahoos Stadium, he allowed one earned across 5.2 innings with eight strikeouts.

Ian Happ: The Blue Wahoos likely grew tired of Happ in 2016, as the then-top prospect hit .455 with 15 hits in 10 games against the Wahoos. Half of those games came at Blue Wahoos Stadium, where Happ was held to a more manageable .222 average.

Jorge Lopez: Lopez is no stranger at Blue Wahoos Stadium after pitching three seasons with the Biloxi Shuckers. In 2015, Lopez made four starts against the Blue Wahoos, including three in Pensacola. He pitched once against the Blue Wahoos in 2016 and then six more times in 2017. In total, Lopez pitched 11 times against Pensacola (six appearances at Blue Wahoos Stadium), holding a 3.19 ERA across 48.0 innings.

Joe Mantiply: The Arizona reliever appeared briefly in the Southern League in 2019 with the Chattanooga Lookouts.

Shane McClanahan: The Blue Wahoos faced McClanahan once during the 2019 season, knocking 11 hits and scoring eight runs in 3.1 innings against the Biscuits in Montgomery.

Joc Pederson: The slugger spent the 2013 season with the Chattanooga Lookouts, then a Dodgers affiliate, drilling 22 home runs in 123 games. 10 of those games came against the Blue Wahoos (five in Pensacola) and Pederson amassed a .324 average (12-for-37) with a pair of doubles against Pensacola.

Kyle Schwarber: A star with the Tennessee Smokies in 2015 (.320/.438/.579 with 13 homers in 58 games), Schwarber traveled to Pensacola on May 5-9, recording a pair of hits against the Blue Wahoos in the series.

Giancarlo Stanton: Before the Blue Wahoos became a franchise, Stanton lit up the Southern League in 2009 and 2010, drilling 37 home runs in parts of two seasons with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

Dansby Swanson: The #1 overall pick in the 2015 draft, Swanson was clearly on his way to the Major Leagues when he visited Penscola in 2016 as a member of the Mississippi Braves. Swanson played 10 games in Penscola during the season, hitting .310 with a pair of homers at Blue Wahoos Stadium, before a late-season promotion to the Major Leagues.