CESAR VALERA NAMED TO POSTSEASON ALL-STAR TEAM

GARY, IN – The Lincoln Saltdogs and the American Association jointly announced today that Saltdogs second baseman Cesar Valera was named to the league’s Postseason All-Star Team.

Valera has started all 96 games for Saltdogs this season.  The Venezuela-native leads the team in batting average (.327), hits (125), runs (69) and doubles (19).  He has the third-most hits of any player in the league, his average ranks as the fifth best and he has scored the eighth most runs in the league.  The 25-year-old has the second best on-base percentage on the team and the ninth best in the league at a robust .399.

Defensively, Valera has made countless highlight-reel plays at second base.  He boasts an impressive .986 fielding percentage and has made just six errors this season.  He has the most putouts (186) and the second-most assists (239) of any second baseman in the league.s

Valera joined Saltdogs catcher Dashenko Ricardo on the American Association Mid-Season All-Star Team.

The right-handed hitter was claimed off waivers from the Laredo Lemurs on August 15, 2016.  He played 20 games for the Saltdogs last season, hitting .307 with six RBIs.  Before the American Association, the 25-year-old spent six seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals organization reaching High-A Palm Beach.

Valera had two hits and scored a run in Friday’s win over the Gary SouthShore RailCats.  The victory clinched the Central Division championship for Lincoln.

To view all of the American Association Postseason All-Stars click this link: http://www.americanassociationbaseball.com/2017-american-association-postseason-all-star-team-announced/.

The Saltdogs (58-38) face the RailCats in three games to conclude the regular season.  First pitch on Saturday night is at 6:10 PM with coverage beginning at 5:40 PM on ESPN 1480 and saltdogs.com.

The Saltdogs will host the first two games of the playoffs on Wednesday and Thursday.  Tickets are available at https://saltdogs.com/playoffs/.  For the latest information on the Saltdogs follow the team on Facebook and Twitter/Instagram @saltdogsball.