AZUSA, Calif. -- Former Azusa Pacific outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis will make his second consecutive minor-league All-Star appearance when he takes the field in the Double-A Eastern League All-Star Game in Harrisburg, Pa., Wednesday night. Nieuwenhuis is the second Azusa Pacific baseball product to appear in a minor-league all-star game this season, following Stephen Vogt’s appearance in the Florida State League (Class A Advanced) All-Star Game just over a month ago.

The 2010 season marks a pair of firsts for Azusa Pacific products in professional baseball. The 9 former Cougars playing for MLB affiliates this season is an all-time high, and having 2 All-Star representatives in the same season is also a first for the program.

Nieuwenhuis, the New York Mets’ 2008 third-round draft pick, was named Eastern League Player of the Week and was listed at No. 2 on Baseball America’s Prospect Hot Sheet last week, and the 22-year old outfielder will also participate in the Home Run Derby as part of the festivities leading up to Wednesday night’s Eastern League All-Star Game.

One of nine former Azusa Pacific players currently playing professionally for minor-league affiliates of MLB organizations, Nieuwenhuis is the first Cougar product to garner multiple All-Star appearances with his second consecutive All-Star selection after starting at right field in the 2009 Florida State League (Class A Advanced) All-Star Game. He enters the All-Star break as the Eastern League leader in doubles (29), extra-base hits (45), and runs scored (69), and he ranks second in the league in total bases with 173. He ranks in the top 10 of all levels of Minor League Baseball in doubles (4th), runs (5th), and extra-base hits (8th), and he is the Double-A leader in runs scored, all despite missing 2 weeks of action in mid-June.

His recent play has caught the eye of Baseball America, which listed him at No. 2 last week in its weekly Prospect Hot Sheet rankings, his first appearance on the list since the end of the 2009 campaign when he appeared 3 consecutive weeks in the top 5 of the weekly report. He currently has a 10-game hitting streak that includes 8 multi-hit games, batting .511 (24-for-47) with 12 doubles, 3 home runs, 15 runs and 9 RBIs during his recent 10-game tear.

Azusa Pacific was represented for the second straight year in the Florida State League All-Star Game when Vogt’s stellar first-half production landed him on the FSL South All-Star team. Vogt, the 2007 12th-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays, took a .365 batting average into the June 12 FSL All-Star Game, and he produced a 2-for-2 effort off the bench to help the South side to the 5-4 10-inning win over the FSL North All-Stars.

Vogt, who appeared in just 10 games before suffering a season-ending injury in 2009, heated up quickly with Class A Advanced Charlotte, reeling off a 17-game hitting streak that lifted his average from .077 (1-for-13) to .388 in exactly one month of action (April 23 to May 23). He took a .365 average (38-for-104) into the June 12 FSL All-Star Game, and after his 2-hit All-Star performance, Vogt registered 3 straight multi-hit games to get the second half of his 2010 campaign off to a red-hot start. Vogt was named Tampa Bay’s minor league hitter of the month in May, batting .404 (21-for-52) with 4 doubles, 2 home runs, 19 RBIs and 12 runs in the month.

Vogt has also been featured in some of Charlotte’s promotional videos, which can be accessed at the Stone Crabs’ official website. Vogt has prominent roles in the spots titled “The Catchers Lounge” and “Rain Delay,” which are both shown below.