The Frederick Keys, Class-A Affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, will send a Carolina League high six players to the 2009 Carolina/California League All Star Game in Lake Elsinore, CA Tuesday, June 23rd. The total equals a franchise high with the 1998 season when the Keys had six all-star participants.

LHP Zach Britton, SS Pedro Florimon, C Caleb Joseph, RHP Luis Lebron, LHP Brian Matusz and 1B Brandon Waring will all represent the Carolina League at The Diamond, home of the Advanced Class-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres, the Lake Elsinore Storm.

Britton, the Orioles third round pick in 2006, is third in the Carolina League with a 2.35 ERA having allowed two earned runs or less in eight-of-ten outings this season. The groundball specialist has a 2.21:1 grounball to fly ball out ratio and has held hitters to a .218 average against in the first half. He is also striking out nearly a batter an inning (50 strikeouts in 53.2 innings pitched).

Florimon has has a stunning resurgence at the plate after entering the season with a career .222 batting average in five years prior. Not only has Florimon hit for average (.304), but he has hit more home runs (7) than he had in his five-year career prior (5). Florimon leads the league in runs scored (36), is second in slugging percentage (.578), extra base hits (26) and triples (4).

Joseph has made the leap from Short-Season-A ball in Aberdeen to Frederick with ease as he leads the Carolina League in batting (.340) upon selection to the All-Star Game. A .261 hitter with Aberdeen in his first professional season, Joseph has batted above .300 in each month this season. He is hitting .367 in front of the home faithful at Harry Grove Stadium.

Lebron is starting to realize his potential as the Keys fireballing closer has dominated the Carolina league in the first half. Lebron has worked 16 scoreless appearances in 18 overall outings striking out 41 batters in 25.1 innings. He is 1-1 with a 1.42 ERA having compiled nine saves in 2009.

Matusz will return to just an hour from where he played collegiately at the University of San Diego. The Orioles first pick with the fourth overall selection of the 2008 draft leads the league in innings pitched (66.2) and strikeouts (74). The strikeout total is 16 more than any other Carolina league pitcher. Of late Matusz has been spectacular. The Keys southpaw has worked 23 consecutive innings without allowing a run.

Waring has overcome a strong crop of first baseman to gain the starting nod. In his first season in the Orioles organization, Waring leads all league first basemen with eight home runs and 33 RBI’s. Waring was acquired in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds this off-season that saw C Ramon Hernandez head to the national league.
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