Norwood and Anderson Named All-Star Starters

BILOXI, Miss. - The Southern League announced that Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp right fielder John Norwood and third baseman Brian Anderson will start for the South Division All-Stars at the 2017 Southern League All-Star Game on Tuesday, June 20, at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, Florida.

Norwood will play in right field and bat in the clean-up spot (fourth) in the lineup, while Anderson will play third base and bat eighth. The lineup was selected by Pensacola manager Pat Kelly, who is managing the South Division All-Stars for the game.
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This is the second straight season that Norwood has earned midseason All-Star honors, after he was a 2016 Florida State League All-Star for the Jupiter Hammerheads. Norwood this season is hitting .286 with nine home runs and 22 RBI, and his .814 on-base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS) leads all active South Division players. This is the first season for Norwood at the Double-A level, and he entered this year as the Marlins No. 29 prospect according to Baseball America. Norwood, 24, is a native of Peapack, New Jersey, and starred collegiately at Vanderbilt, where his go-ahead home run in the third game of the 2014 College World Series led the Commodores to the National Championship. Norwood was signed by the Marlins in August 2014.

This is the third straight season that Anderson has earned midseason All-Star honors, after being a Florida State League Midseason All-Star with the Jupiter Hammerheads in 2015 and 2016. Anderson is hitting .243 with a team-best 10 home runs and 39 RBI for the Jumbo Shrimp in 59 games, the second-most games played by any Southern Leaguer in 2017. Anderson is tied for the league lead with his 39 RBI, and is also tied for the league in runs scored at 39. Anderson, 24, is the Marlins No. 3 prospect for 2017 according to MLB.com, and in 2016 was the Marlins Minor League Player of the Year for his work at Jupiter and Jacksonville. Anderson continued his success in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, where he was named a Rising Star and a part of the All-Prospect Team. Anderson was selected by the Marlins in the third round of the 2014 draft out of the University of Arkansas, and he is a native of Edmond, Oklahoma.
 
Anderson and Norwood will be joined at the All-Star Game by Jumbo Shrimp left-handed pitchers Mike Kickham and Matt Tomshaw, who earlier this week were named to the South Division All-Star roster.

The 2017 All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, June 20, at Blue Wahoos Stadium, home of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, at 7:35 p.m. ET.

The Jumbo Shrimp open a series in Biloxi at 7:35 p.m. Friday, when Jacksonville right-hander Omar Bencomo (4-3) is scheduled to face Shuckers right-hander Aaron Wilkerson (4-2). The Jumbo Shrimp return home for a five-game series with Pensacola Wednesday, June 14. Gates open at 6 p.m. for a Date Night Special, when a pair of tickets, two hot dogs, two sodas and popcorn is just $20 at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville box office windows. Watch for the Kiss Cam!

ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are beginning a new era of affordable family fun with the 2017 season presented by Community First Credit Union at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. With a new lineup of ticket and group options, there is a reason for everyone to get part of the action by calling the Jumbo Shrimp at (904) 358-2846 or visiting www.jaxshrimp.com.