Three members of the Gary SouthShore RailCats pitching staff, Jack Eisenbarger, Harrison Francis, and Nick Garcia, have been chosen to represent the East Division at the 2022 American Association All-Star Game.
All three pitchers, who are 25 years old or younger, are pitching in their first professional All-Star Games. Two of them, Eisenbarger and Garcia, began their pro careers as RailCats.
In his first full season at The Steel Yard, Eisenbarger emerged as a shutdown reliever at the back end of the RailCats bullpen. In 11 appearances, he sports a 2.56 earned run average, 41 strikeouts, a 1.13 WHIP, and three saves over 28.1 innings. His save and strikeout totals place him tied for 11th and 14th in the American Association respectively, while his ERA is the second-lowest on the team amongst qualified pitchers and he is level with Aaron Phillips for the team’s saves lead.
After graduating from Rockhurst University last year, Eisenbarger pitched for the Frederick Keys in the MLB Draft league before joining the RailCats in late July. He split time between the starting rotation and the bullpen as he made seven appearances with two starts, going 1-1 with a 4.61 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 25.1 innings.
New to the South Shore this season, Francis established himself as a mainstay in the rotation. He has pitched eight times so far, making six starts, and earned a 1-2 record as well as a 3.83 ERA, 42 strikeouts, and one save over 40.0 innings pitched. Francis was named the league’s Pointstreak Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 6th to June 12th for his 13 innings of one-run ball and 13 strikeouts in two starts against the Sioux City Explorers and Lake Country DockHounds.
The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Francis in the fourth round of the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft out of Lawton Chiles High School in Tallahassee, Florida, and he spent four years in their organization before signing with the RailCats last spring.
Garcia transitioned from the bullpen to the starting rotation following his first season as a RailCat last year, and he is flourishing in his new role. In his nine appearances and seven starts in 2022, Garcia is 5-0 with a 4.31 ERA and 24 strikeouts in his 39.2 innings on the mound. He has been at his best with runners on base, as he has stranded 26 baserunners over his last five starts. The RailCats are yet to lose a single game Garcia has started since he entered the rotation full-time.
Garcia graduated from Missouri Valley College in 2019 and made his professional debut for the RailCats two years later. He made 25 appearances, starting one game, in 2021, and he fanned 40 batters in his 50.0 innings while earning five saves, good for second on the team.
The managers for the East and West Division teams, Butch Hobson from the Chicago Dogs and Joe Calfapietra from the Kansas City Monarchs, selected the pitchers and reserves.
The Chicago Dogs host the All-Star Game from July 11-12 at Impact Field in Rosemont, Illinois. The skills competition, home run derby, and free concert take place on the 11th while the game itself is on the 12th at 7:00 p.m.
In addition to the three pitchers, shortstop Daniel Lingua was selected as the team’s representative for the league’s “Last Man In” fan vote. You can vote to send him to the All-Star Game HERE: https://bitl.y/aapbvote