OFFICIAL SOMERSET PATRIOTS RELEASE:
Bridgewater, New Jersey – Minor League Baseball has announced that Somerset Patriots OF Elijah Dunham, RHP Carson Coleman and INF Andres Chaparro have been named 2022 Eastern League All-Stars. Somerset’s Dan Fiorito has been selected as the Eastern League Manager of the Year.
Dunham, the Yankees No. 19 prospect, played the full 2022 season in Somerset. His 63 RBI led the team and he finished second in runs (67) and stolen bases (37). Dunham slashed .248/.348/.448 and added 17 home runs in 110 games played.
He split time this season in left and right field where he had six outfield assists and dazzled with his defense.
Congratulations to our 2022 Eastern League ALL-STARS, and to Dan Fiorito on being named Eastern League Manager of the Year!🤩 pic.twitter.com/ACqy30PpnC
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) November 8, 2022
During the postseason, Dunham hit a home run and drove in four runs to go along with a .368 average in the five games played.
Coleman, the Yankees No. 30 prospect, was the Eastern League Reliever of the Year after he finished with a 2-3 record, 2.86 ERA and 15 saves in 35 Double-A games. He struck out 69 batters and posted a .191 average against him over 44 innings pitched.
Coleman finished the postseason 1-0 without allowing a run and six strikeouts in his 3.1 innings of work in four games. He pitched the ninth inning of the championship-clinching combined no-hitter against the Erie SeaWolves in game three of the series.
Chaparro broke out in a big way and led the team with his 19 home runs during the 2002 season. He finished third among all Yankees minor leaguers with his 20 total homers.
In 34 games following his return from the injured list on August 4, Chaparro hit .333 with a 1.092 OPS, 11 home runs and 36 RBIs. During that stretch, he ranked among the Eastern League leaders in RBI (36, 1st), SLG (.683, 1st), HR (11, T-1st), OPS (1.093, 2nd), TB (86, 2nd), BA (.333, 3rd), OBP (.410, 4th) and H (42, T-6th).
Chaparro added a .300 average, a home run and three RBIs in the postseason.
Fiorito led the Patriots to a Double-A best 83-53 regular season record and their first Eastern League Championship as a Yankees affiliate.
He and his coaching staff had the top Double-A staff ERA (3.60) as well as the most home runs (205) and stolen bases (205).
Fiorito guided 15 of the Yankees’ top-30 prospects during the season, including SS Anthony Volpe, the team’s No. 1 prospect. He also worked with 10 players on MLB rehab assignments on their way back to the big-league club.