There were six Victoria HarbourCats in the West Coast League all-star game Tuesday night in Longview, Washington. But a 鈥機ats player not there is stating his case as maybe the unsung story of the season.
Catcher Joe Prior was named WCL player of the week for going 11-for-20 with a double, homer, five RBIs and four runs scored. Overall this season for Victoria, the NCAA Fresno State Bulldog is batting .325 with four doubles, four home runs and a team-leading 22 RBIs.
鈥淧rior got robbed [by not being named to the all-star game],鈥� said Victoria head coach Graig Merritt.
鈥淚 think he started coming on just a little too late for the selections. He is a real leader behind the plate and the best offensive catcher in the league.鈥�
Good players use snubs as motivation.
鈥淭his [not playing in the all-star game] might give [Prior] a chip on his shoulder and something to prove down the stretch drive,鈥� said Merritt.
A grinding drive it will be with 18 games in 19 days to close out. Victoria [28-8] opens it with a three-game home set beginning tonight at Royal Athletic Park against the Bellingham Bells [20-16].
鈥淭his stretch drive puts us up against teams like Bellingham and Corvallis which have historically been strong and are good again this year,鈥� said Merritt. 鈥淚t is going to be a big test for our guys.鈥�
The HarbourCats have built-in a cushion for themselves by already clinching a playoff berth by winning the first-half North Division title.
鈥淪o, we鈥檙e in no panic,鈥� said Merritt.
鈥淲ith the 18 games in 19 days, we can rest guys. And we can try out different things while the other teams have to press. It鈥檚 a great position to be in and will help us prepare for the playoffs.鈥�
Meanwhile, the WCL all-star game was in progress at press time. Representing the HarbourCats were pitchers Austin Dondanville, Josh Mitchell and Will McAffer, who were scheduled to throw one inning each. The Victoria position players/batters playing were Ben Polshuk, Jarron Silva and Griffin Andreychuk.
The South Division led the North Division 4-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning. Silva, a Grade 12 graduate headed to the UCLA Bruins as a freshman, played the full game in left field into the seventh. Andreychuk did not play because of an undisclosed ailment.
Polshuk, the league home run co-leader at five with Colorado Rockies draft-pick Michael Toglia of the Wenatchee AppleSox, took part in the WCL home-run derby which preceded the all-star game. Jake Vieth of the Bells won the derby, out-slugging Willie MacIver of the Walla Walla Sweets 4-3, in the final round. Polshuk finished third.
