Rios, Arhart lead by example

Seals third baseman Brian Rios and catcher Josh Arhart selected to the 2010 GBL All-Star team...

Back in May when the Bret Boone experiment came crashing down, Seals management had a tough decision: do they begin the search for a new field boss at a time of year when anyone who wants to be in baseball probably already has a job, or do they go with what they have and elevate some existing talent. They chose the latter of course, and gave the reins to pitching coach Kip Gross - making him first interim manager before finally promoting him to the position early in June.

At the same time, they realized the presence of veterans on the squad and asked them to step up. Brian Rios was promoted to player-manager, joining Josh Arhart in the role he was given to start the season. Together the vets were expected to help out Gross both on the field and off, and lead the Seals by example.

Then it all went bad. The Seals were mired in a ten game losing streak, and lost 14 of 15 contests putting up with dismal road trip conditions through Yuma and Tucson.

Then the brawl at second base, and the comeback wins, and the Alberta road trip, and suddenly they were back. The recent Tijuana home stand showed a different team than the one that started out June winless. The team has composure, the team has spirit, and the team has leadership - Rios and Arhart.

The two have been on fire the last two weeks of the month. Leading by example, pulling wins from the jaws of defeat. Settling down wayward pitchers, stepping into altercations. Arhart has been a one-man wrecking crew at the plate, with everything finding a hole - or a fence to climb over. Rios has been solid as well with clutch hits and timely RBIs.

In the field, with Arhart getting quite a few starts at first and Rios playing every game at third, the two have committed only a single error between them in the past 10 games.

The leaders are truly leading by example. Rios leads the Seals in batting average, Arhart in slugging percentage. Arhart also leads the team in home runs, RBI, and on-base percentage.

It's no wonder these two players will represent our team in next week's All-Star game in Tucson. No small feat this year, as the Golden League is forming only a single team this year to play the All Stars from the Northern League.

Best of luck to our All-Stars, and continued leadership success!