RubberDucks Place Five on EL All-Star Team

(AKRON, OHIO)- The Eastern League of Professional Baseball Clubs has announced the 2018 Eastern and Western Division All-Star teams for the 2018 Eastern League All-Star Game, and five current Akron RubberDucks players have been selected to play for the Western Division squad. Outfielders Andrew Calica and Connor Marabell , third baseman Joe Sever , shortstop Willi Castro and right-handed pitcher Jake Paulson have all been named Western Division All-Stars.

Players are chosen for the All-Star team from a combination of voting among the league's managers, broadcasters and writers. The All-Star game will be played at ARM & HAMMER Park in Trenton, New Jersey, on Wednesday, July 11 at 7:00 p.m. Here is a look at the Akron RubberDucks 2018 All-Stars through June 28:
Andrew Calica has been among the EL's leading hitters for much of the season. Calica displays tremendous defensive acumen at all three outfield positions. Offensively, he ranks 10^th in the EL and leads the team with a .296 average to go along with five homers and 33 RBI. He also currently ranks 4^th in the EL in on-base percentage (.405) and his 16 stolen bases are a club-best. Calica, 24, was named the EL Player of the Week, June 4-10 (.375-2 HR-7 RBI). An 11^th-round selection out of UC-Santa Barbara in 2016, Calica lives in Chula Vista, California.
Connor Marabell missed the first two weeks of the season with a knee injury, but hit the ground running after joining the RubberDucks on April 14. He is hitting .278 with eight homers and is 2^nd on the team with 42 RBI. Marabell, 24, has enjoyed a pair of nine-game hitting streaks for the Ducks. A versatile corner outfielder, Marabell was a 25^th-round selection in 2015 out of Jacksonville (FL) University. He lives in Jacksonville, Florida.
Joe Sever anchors the Akron infield at 3^rd base. He is currently is tied for the EL lead in doubles (21), is tied for 3^rd in total hits (85), 3^rd in at-bats (283), and is 11^th in hitting (.293). Sever, 27, is in his fourth season with the RubberDucks. He had an eight-game hitting streak, June 3-13, and enjoyed a 4-for-5 day with a homer and 4 RBI at Portland on June 10. A 21^st-round selection in the 2012 draft out of Pepperdine University, Sever resides in San Jose, California.
Willi Castro is one the most exciting shortstop prospects in the EL this season. A member of the Indians 40-man roster, Castro has adjusted well to Double-A pitching despite turning only 21 in late April. He's hitting .257 with a pair of homers and 29 RBI. He has chipped in 11 stolen bases. Castro leads the Ducks and ranks tied for 3^rd in the EL in games played (73). Ranked as the #7 Indians prospect by Baseball America, Castro had a career day versus Richmond on May 25, when he drilled three doubles and drove in five runs in a 14-6 Akron win. Castro signed as an international free agent in 2013. He lives in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Jake Paulson has emerged as a frontline starter for the RubberDucks since being called up from the Carolina League on May 2. Paulson is currently 4-3, with a 2.71 ERA, which ranks 4^th in the EL. A 6-foot-7 right-hander, Paulson has fanned 54 and walked only 15 in 63.0 innings. Paulson, 26, was released in spring training by the Cincinnati Reds and signed as a free agent with the Indians on April 2. This season marks his first action at the Double-A level. Originally drafted by the Red in the 27^th round of the 2014 draft out of Oakland (MI) University, Paulson makes his off-season home in Wixom, Michigan.
The Akron RubberDucks are the Double-A Eastern League affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The 2018 season, powered by FirstEnergy, is the franchise's 22^nd since moving to Akron. For more information, call 330-253-5151 or visit www.akronrubberducks.com. Information about the 2018 Eastern League All-Star Game is available at www.trentonthunder.com.