Alex Isola named Atlantic League midseason All-Star catcher for Hagerstown

Alex Isola’s .286 average and 1.048 OPS put him on the 2026 Atlantic League Mid-Season All-Star Team as the league’s catcher, a spot that rarely goes to a player who has to hit and handle the most demanding job on the field at the same time. For Hagerstown, it was another clear sign that the Flying Boxcars’ first-half surge was built on more than a hot stretch.

The Atlantic League announced the 17-player team on July 14, selecting it by a vote of league managers. The group included representatives from eight of the league’s 10 clubs, and Hagerstown was the only North Division team to land a selection. The league also said eight of the 17 All-Stars had contracts acquired by MLB organizations or international leagues, a reminder of how much high-end talent was spread across the circuit.

Isola’s numbers made the choice hard to miss. He led Hagerstown in several offensive categories while giving the Boxcars the kind of steadiness behind the plate that managers value but fans often notice only when it is missing. Catcher is the toughest place to separate yourself in this league because the bar is set by defense, game-calling and durability first, then by the bat. Isola cleared it with both.

His arrival in Hagerstown came in a March 24 trade with the Lancaster Stormers for a player to be named later. At the time, manager Mark Minicozzi pointed to Isola as a strong defensive catcher with real offensive production and said he would fit into the club’s veteran core. The Boxcars got exactly that profile, and the midseason honor confirmed it.

Isola brought a track record with him. He spent the 2019 through 2024 seasons in the Minnesota Twins organization and reached Triple-A, then played 107 games for Lancaster in 2025 and hit 12 home runs with 58 RBI and 39 extra-base hits. That kind of résumé gave Hagerstown a catcher who could drive the ball and handle the staff, and the selection showed the league noticed.

The recognition also fits the bigger Hagerstown story. The Flying Boxcars clinched the Atlantic League North Division first-half title and their first playoff berth in franchise history on June 27, then finished the half with 41 wins, already topping the club’s previous full-season highs of 36 in 2024 and 31 in 2025. The league called the first-half run under Minicozzi one of the great turnarounds in ALPB history.

The second half began July 3, and the playoffs are set to start Sept. 15. Hagerstown now has a catcher on the All-Star team and a roster that has already rewritten the franchise standard before the stretch run even really started.