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Colorado Rockies affiliates: 3 Albuquerque Isotopes on PCL All-Star roster

By Michael Parnell

DENVER, CO - APRIL 21: Mike Tauchman #3 of the Colorado Rockies scores on a D.J. LeMahieu RBI double in the fifth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field on April 21, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - APRIL 21: Mike Tauchman #3 of the Colorado Rockies scores on a D.J. LeMahieu RBI double in the fifth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field on April 21, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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Three Albuquerque Isotopes players were selected to the Pacific Coast League roster for the annual Triple-A All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 11. Members of the Colorado Rockies affiliate selected are outfielder Mike Tauchman, infielder Josh Fuentes and pitcher D.J. Johnson.

The game is scheduled to be played at Huntington Park in downtown Columbus, Ohio.

Tauchman, 25, who spent time with the parent Colorado Rockies this season, is crushing PCL pitching for the second year in a row. At the break, he has 13 home runs, 52 runs batted in and 10 stolen bases with a .337 batting average and .400 on-base percentage. He is expected to start the All-Star game and has already made a big impact in Columbus by showing off his skills.

Fuentes, 27, will be a reserve infielder. Nolan Arenado‘s cousin has nine homers, 64 RBI, a .328 BA and .354 OBP this season.

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Johnson, 28, has picked up 12 saves in 32 games closing for the Isotopes this year. He has struck out 53 in 36.2 innings and is pitching to a 4.91 earned run average in the hitter-friendly PCL.

The 2018 Eastern League All-Star Game will also take place on Wednesday, July 11 in Trenton, N.J., and it includes six Rockies’ prospects on the roster although one of those, pitcher Peter Lambert, has been promoted to Albuquerque. Lambert was 8-2 with a 2.23 ERA in 92.2 innings in Hartford. He struck out 75 and posted a WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched) of 0.99 there.

Yard Goat pitchers Mitch Horacek and Matt Pierpont were named to the Eastern League East squad. Horacek has struck out 54 in 43 innings with a 2.51 ERA coming out of the bullpen for the Goats. Pierpont has 24 saves and 53 strikeouts in 38.1 innings with a 1.64 ERA as the Goats’ closer.

Infielder Brendan Rodgers, the Rockies’ best prospect, has 17 home runs, 58 RBI, 11 stolen bases, a .273 BA and a .336 OBP. He’s likely ticketed to Albuquerque in the near future.

Outfielders Sam Hilliard and Yonathan Daza both made the squad. Hilliard has hit seven homers with 29 runs batted in and has 20 stolen bases thus far. He’s batting .285. Daza has a .306 BA, four home runs, 25 RBI and four stolen bases.

Next: A look at the first three 2018 Rockies draft picks

One of the top Rox prospects, second baseman Garrett Hampson, split his season between Hartford and Albuquerque and thus didn’t make either All-Star roster. But Hampson stole 19 bases with a .304 batting average for the Yard Goats and has batted .315 with 12 stolen bases for the Isotopes. So, hitting above .300 with 31 stolen bases in half a season and not an All-Star? That qualifies as an All-Star snub.

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