Remembering: The 2004 Southern League All-Star Game Played In Chattanooga

With the 2014 Southern League All-Star game to be played Tuesday in Chattanooga, it is fitting to remember the 2004 All-Star Game played at BellSouth Field (now AT&T Field). The Lookouts finished the first-half of their season in second place just one game behind Tennessee.

Chattanooga had five players selected to the All-Star roster: Position players :Edwin Encarnacion, Jesse Gutierrez. and Brian Peterson; Pitchers: RHP Brian Rose and closer, Todd Coffey.

 At the time of their selection:

• First baseman Jesse Gutierrez was hitting .305 --- 13 home runs, 55 RBI, and 21 doubles.
• Third baseman Edwin Encarnacion was hitting .300 with 6 homers, 40 RBI, and 19 doubles.
• Catcher Brian Peterson was batting .300.
• Brian Rose was 8-2 with a 3.17 ERA.
• Closer Todd Coffey, 3-0, had 14 saves, with a 1.67 ERA.

Of these five, Todd Coffey spent eight years in the Major Leagues (Reds, Brewers, Dodgers, Nationals) appearing in 461. Currently, he plays with Tacoma of the AAA Pacific Coast League.

Edwin Encarnacion is in his 11th year of ML baseball. After playing with the Reds from 2005, he was traded in the middle of the 2009 season to Toronto. Life with the Blue Jays has pleased Encarnacion who hit 42  homers in 2012 and 36 in 2013. He was signed to a long-term contract.

Gutierrez reached Triple-A but never the Majors. He has played in Mexico since 2009. In 2012 he played 72 games for Southern Maryland in an Independent League.

Brian Rose had already played parts of five seasons in the Majors before he pitched for Chattanooga in 2004. He played in 2005 with AAA Louisville before retiring.

Brian Peterson spent parts of five seasons with the Lookouts, but the hard-working catcher never reached the big leagues. The highest level he reached was AAA followed by four seasons in the Independent Leagues.

How did the Lookouts' players fare in the game:

Chattanooga’s Gutierrez went 3-for-5 with a homer and 11 total bases to win The Sports Network Star of the Game Award.

The Lookouts' Rose picked up the win.