Oliver Dunn and Carlos De La Cruz Named Eastern League All-Stars
(Reading, PA) - Oliver Dunn and Carlos De La Cruz, both members of the 2023 Reading Fightin Phils, were selected to the Eastern League All-Star team, announced by Minor League Baseball on Tuesday. Dunn spent the entirety of the season with Reading and hit a team-best .271, with 21 home
(Reading, PA) - Oliver Dunn and Carlos De La Cruz, both members of the 2023 Reading Fightin Phils, were selected to the Eastern League All-Star team, announced by Minor League Baseball on Tuesday.
Dunn spent the entirety of the season with Reading and hit a team-best .271, with 21 home runs and 78 RBI, a mark that also led the team. He set career highs in runs, hits, extra-base hits, home runs and walks. Dunn played 119 games this season, marking the first time in his pro career he played in over 100 games in a season.
Dunn also led the league in on-base percentage, OPS, walks, and extra-base hits. He also ranked within the top five in batting average, home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, hits, doubles, and total bases. The Phillies acquired Dunn in the Minor League portion of last year's Rule Five Draft after he had been in the Yankees' organization since 2019.
New York drafted Dunn in the 11th round of the 2019 draft out of Utah. He split 2021 between High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset. In 2022, he appeared in just 36 games for Somerset and Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes/Barre. Dunn was selected as an All-Star at second base, where he primarily played this season.
De La Cruz, selected as a first baseman, also spent all of 2023 with Reading, appearing in a team-high 129 games. He hit .259 with a team-best 24 home runs and drove in 67 runs. He had the most hits in the Eastern League with 132 and also led the league with 231 total bases. He also ranked in the top five in home runs, doubles and extra-base hits.
De La Cruz signed with the Phillies in 2017 as a free agent. He spent all of 2019 with Single-A Lakewood and was limited to just 63 games in 2021. He had a strong 2022 with Jersey Shore before earning a late-season call up to Reading, where he then he turned in the best season of his career in 2023.
The Reading Fightin Phils return to FirstEnergy Stadium to open the 2024 season on April 9, 2024, against the Portland Sea Dogs. Season tickets, mini plans, and group outings for 2024 are now available. For more details, go to rphils.com, call 610-370-BALL, or at the Customers Bank Ticket Office.
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