How Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns big leaguers are performing at MLB All-Star break

Major League Baseball's midway point is just around the corner.

Sunday marks the official conclusion of the season's first half, although its teams already surpassed the 81-game threshold. The All-Star Game is set for Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

To this point, eight players with Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns ties have suited up in the big leagues during the 2022 season. Here is a rundown on how the area's baseball stars have performed, listed in alphabetical order.

Nick Fortes, Miami Marlins

Catchers are putting up woeful offensive numbers across the board this season, but DeLand High grad Fortes has swung a relatively hot bat since returning to Miami.

The 25-year-old is batting .273 with a .485 slugging percentage, smacking three home runs and stealing three bases. Fortes' signature moment of the first half occurred on June 26, hammering an Adam Ottavino slider with two outs in the ninth to seal a 3-2 walk-off win over the New York Mets.

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Fortes' walk rate (8%) is nearly identical to his late-season cameo from 2021, while he has cut down on strikeouts as well — 17.3%, compared to 23.5% last year.

Eligible for arbitration in 2025, Fortes looks like a potential long-term piece of the puzzle for Miami in their efforts to return to the playoffs.

Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners

Gilbert, a former first-round pick out of Stetson, should rightfully feel snubbed after being left off the American League's All-Star team.

The 6-foot-6, 215-pound right-hander is tied for second in the AL in wins (10), averaging 8.49 strikeouts against 2.46 walks with a 2.80 ERA. Advanced metrics are not quite as favorable for Gilbert, whose expected ERA is nearly a run-and-a-half higher (4.20) with a fielding-independent pitching mark of 3.60, per FanGraphs.

When opponents make contact against Gilbert, it's often on balls hit hard. Gilbert ranks in the bottom 10th percentile in the majors in average exit velocity (90.9 mph) with neither his fastball nor his breaking balls posting particularly impressive spin rates.

Still, it's a big leap for the 25-year-old in his second full season in the majors. He is the No. 2 starter in the Mariners' rotation, behind reigning AL Cy Young winner and prized offseason acquisition Robbie Ray.

Seattle (48-42) entered play Thursday on a 11-game winning streak, leapfrogging Boston for the second wild card spot in the AL.

Shane Greene, New York Yankees

Greene rejoined the Yankees organization, the one which selected him in the 15th round out of Daytona State College in 2009, on May 26. He has not pitched for New York yet this year; instead, he made one appearance in Los Angeles.

The former All-Star reliever pitched two scoreless innings for the Dodgers before being outrighted to Triple-A. He refused the assignment, electing to test free agency and signed with the Yankees.

So far, he's made 14 appearances for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, going 1-1 with a 4.42 ERA. New York ranks second in the majors in bullpen ERA, paced by breakout closer Clay Holmes, so Greene might have a tough time breaking back into the big leagues.

Austin Hays, Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles matched Seattle's double-digit win streak, pulling within two games of the playoffs and surprisingly surging above .500. Oddly enough, Baltimore's turnaround coincided with Spruce Creek grad Hays' slump.

Hays produced just three hits in his first 34 at-bats in July; his batting average dipped all the way down to .258 — compared to .297 a month earlier. In his age-27 season, the everyday corner outfielder has totaled 11 home runs and 21 doubles.

According to FanGraphs, Hays ranks third among Orioles players in wins above replacement (1.5) — trailing only center fielder Cedric Mullins (2.2) and starting pitcher Jordan Lyles (1.7).

The franchise's lengthy rebuild is finally starting to bear fruit. Not to mention, the Orioles own the first selection in Sunday's MLB Draft.

Corey Kluber, Tampa Bay Rays

After three injury-riddled seasons, former Stetson star Kluber looks reborn with the Rays.

The 36-year-old veteran, twice a winner of the AL's Cy Young Award, is 5-5 with a 3.58 ERA in 88 innings. For comparison's sake, Kluber logged a grand total of 116⅔ innings between 2019-21 — with Cleveland, Texas and the New York Yankees, respectively.

Kluber's control (1.43 walks per nine innings) remains among the game's best even with his strikeout numbers (8.08 per nine) dipping a bit. He is one of just four Tampa Bay pitchers to top double digits in starts, along with presumptive All-Star Game starter Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs.

Justin Lawrence, Colorado Rockies

The Daytona State product currently in the majors, Lawrence has pitched 15 games out of the bullpen for the struggling Rockies.

Lawrence, a 27-year-old native of Panamá, has allowed nine earned runs and 13 walks in 15⅔ innings. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound right-hander struck out 20 batters with his sinker-slider combo.

He has fared better for Triple-A Albuquerque — 4.43 ERA, 36 Ks and 10 walks in 20⅓ innings — but Lawrence is 0 for 4 in save opportunities for the Isotopes.

Patrick Mazeika, New York Mets

The undisputed king of the walk-off fielder's choice, Mazeika has shuttled back and forth between Syracuse and Queens. He's played 18 times for the Mets, and 28 for their Triple-A affiliate.

In the majors, Mazeika is slashing .182/.211/.309 with four doubles, one home run and eight strikeouts across 58 plate appearances. For the Triple-A Mets, those numbers jump to .266/.384/.340 with two homers and eight RBIs.

Mazeika rejoined the Mets on July 10, called up when the team placed James McCann on the injured list with a left oblique strain. Tomás Nido will handle the bulk of the catching duties.

Luke Weaver, Arizona Diamondbacks

The DeLand High grad, a key piece the D-Backs acquired in the Paul Goldschmidt trade, lost his place in the starting rotation during spring training. He then missed more than two months of action due to right elbow inflammation.

Arizona activated Weaver on June 12, and gave him a start in the absence of Humberto Castellanos. The Minnesota Twins tagged the 28-year-old for nine earned runs on 10 hits in 3⅔ innings.

To Weaver's credit, he has posted four scoreless innings of relief this month. The 6-foot-2, 183-pound right-hander lowered his ERA to 9.49 for the season.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Logan Gilbert, Corey Kluber leading the way at MLB All-Star break