Van Stratten Named League All-Star

SIOUX FALLS, SD -- Sioux Falls Canaries outfielder Nick Van Stratten has been named a 2013 American Association Postseason All-Star, the league announced on Friday.

Van Stratten is the only Canaries player awarded the honor determined by the votes of the 13-team league’s field managers and media personnel. The league will unveil the entire list on Saturday.

The 28-year-old’s name is peppered across lists of statistical leaders as the Canaries’ leadoff hitter.  He is currently tied for second in the league with a .349 average and leads the circuit with 136 hits. He is third in total bases (205) and second in triples (14). In addition, he is second in the league with 12 outfield assists.

Van Stratten’s 14 triples are new team single-season record, and his 136 hits ties him with Charles Peterson (2001) for second most in one season by a Canaries hitter. (The team record is 155, set by Beau Torbert in 2010.)

“Nick is very deserving of this award,” Canaries manager Steve Shirley said. “He is one of the best players in the league, and he proves it every day.”

The former Kansas City Royals prospect from Birmingham, Mo., has displayed remarkable consistency in his first season of independent baseball. He has hit safely in 76 of 92 games played with 42 multi-hit games. He posted a 17-game hitting streak in August that overshadowed two other nine-game streaks.

Van Stratten also has six home runs and 51 RBI, with a .400 on-base percentage and a .526 slugging percentage. He has 22 stolen bases.

Earlier this season, the American Association tabbed Van Stratten as a Batter of the Week for July 8-14.

Courtesy:  Sioux Falls Canaries