By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

One was a big bopper when he was drafted and signed in 2000.

The other was a slugger when he signed as a free agent in 2015.

And this week they are together.

Scott Thorman (Cambridge, Ont.) and Vlad Guerrero, Jr. (Montreal, Que.) are both on the rookie-class Appalachian League all-star team.
 
Guerrero Jr., 17, son of former Montreal Expos and Anaheim Angels slugger Vlad Guerrero hit .278 with eight homers, 43 RBIs, 15 steals and a .363 OBP in 54 games for the Bluefield Blue Jays in his first minor league season. He made the all-star team at third base, while his pop was an outfielder and a DH.

Thorman, who belted 16 homers his first full season of pro ball for the Macon Braves in 2002, hit 158 others in the minors (rookie-class Gulf Coast Braves, class-A Myrtle Beach, double-A Greenville, double-A Mississippi, triple-A Richmond, Navojoa and Mexicali in Mexico, triple-A Oklahoma City, triple-A Omaha and triple-A Toledo) plus 16 with the Atlanta Braves in 2006-07. 

He earns all-star ranking for managing the Burlington Royals as Appalachian League manager of the year. Burlington is 34-23 (.596) for a 1 1/2 game lead over Bluefield in the East Division. Thorman is in his second season managing.   -     

2016 APPALACHIAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR TEAM
NAME    POS    TEAM    MLB ORG
Andrew Knizner    C    Johnson City    STL
Bobby Melley    1B    Princeton    TB
J.R. Davis    2B    Johnson City    STL
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.    3B    Bluefield    TOR
Allen Cordoba    SS    Johnson City    STL
Nicky Lopez    UT INF    Burlington    KC
Lewin Diaz    DH    Elizabethton    MIN
Eleardo Cabrera    OF    Princeton    TB
Alex Kirilloff*    OF    Elizabethton    MIN
Kort Peterson    OF    Burlington    KC
Matt Fiedler    UT OF    Johnson City    STL
Ethan Clark    RHP    Princeton    TB
Cristian Castillo†    LHP    Burlington    KC
Patrick McGuff    Reliever    Elizabethton    MIN

Scott Thorman    Manager    Burlington    KC
(* Player of the Year)
(† Pitcher of the Year)