Archive | August, 2012

Ivan of the Fish Sticks Named 2012 EWL Rookie of the Year

2 Aug
2012 EWL Rookie of the Year Ivan Maldonado

2012 EWL Rookie of the Year Ivan Maldonado

Ivan, who was a late addition to the Fish Sticks roster just days before the regular season started, was voted the 2012 EWL Rookie of the Year and is the first winner of the award. Ivan edged out several solid candidates after receiving considerably more first and second place votes (combined) than any other player.

Ivan quickly established himself as the leadoff hitter for the Fish Sticks and thrived in the role, winning the EWL batting title in his first season in the league. He hit .611, setting a new single season record for batting average. He hit 11 points better than the second best hitter, and nearly .50 points better than the third best hitter. Despite playing only 14 games, he finished in the top 5 in runs, singles, doubles, triples, and slugging percentage. His speed to first was unrivaled in the league, and he became the toughest out in the EWL. His presence at the top of the order sparked the Fish Sticks to the greatest offensive stretch in league history, when they scored 99 runs in 6 games, averaging over 16 runs per game. He had four games with 7 or more hits and he is tied for the single-game record for hits and runs. His 5 HR in one game is an EWL record that has never been matched.

Evan, of the Ham Slams, finished second in the voting. He was a legitimate MVP contender throughout the season until early July when he fell off the map and missed the rest of the regular season. He was on pace to contend for the batting title, was one of the best power threats in the league, and was also one of the league’s top fielders, making spectacular catches on a regular basis.

Mark and Anthony finished third and fourth in rookie of the year voting and each had great rookie seasons. Mark hit 23 homeruns (third behind only his brother Brad and Morrison), was one of the league’s most dangerous hitters, and played as hard as anyone in the EWL. Anthony may be the fastest player in the history of the EWL, was a threat to extend a hit into a triple every time he put the ball in play, and had incredible range in the field with the ability to track down balls that should have been well out of his range. Both made great contributions to their team and the league.

Tags: , , , ,

Vassallo of the Fish Sticks Named 2012 EWL Most Improved Player

1 Aug
2012 EWL Most Improved Player Adam Vassallo

2012 EWL Most Improved Player Adam Vassallo

Vassallo, left fielder and cleanup hitter for the Fish Sticks, has been named the first ever winner of the EWL Most Improved Player award. In a close vote, Vassallo edged out the five other players nominated for the award and received by far the most first place votes after delivering a career season in 2012.

He first showed signs of what he was capable of in the 2011 playoffs when his clutch late-game heroics helped push the Fish Sticks to the championship. He picked up where he left off in early 2012, showing increased power in addition to his already stellar fielding. Vassallo not only improved in every offensive category, in some cases doubling or even tripling his 2011 output, but he established himself as an elite-level talent in the EWL. He finished the season as a legitimate MVP candidate and was among the league leaders multiple offensive categories. Some of his improvements from 2011 include:

– His batting average increased by over 100 points from .403 to .509.
– He was one hit shy of doubling his 2011 season hit total of 29 with 57 in 2012.
– He nearly doubled his 2011 doubles total from 7 to 13 in 2012.
– After hitting 1 triple in 2011, he hit 6 in 2012.
– His slugging % increased from .819 to 1.321.
– He averaged less than a run scored per game in 2011 with only 13 runs, but scored over 2 runs a game in 2012 with 42 runs scored in 20 games.
– After accumulating only 14 RBI in 16 games in 2011, he had 48 RBI in 2012
– He more than tripled his homerun total from 7 in 2011 to 22 in 2012

In addition to these improvements, he played in all 20 games in 2012 and hit safely in all of them, a remarkable feat. He has an active regular season hitting streak of 23 games. The only statistical category he didn’t improve on was putouts; he collected 80 in 2011 but only 73 in 2012.

Vassallo’s previous awards include being named an EWL Field Master in 2011.

Vassallo narrowly received more votes than Brad, of Downtown Bobby Brown, and Ron, of the Caucasians. Brad also significantly increased his production at the plate in 2012 along with becoming one of the finest defensive players in the game. He more than tripled his putout total from 2011 and increased all of his offensive numbers as well. Ron improved his batting average by nearly 250 points and improved his already impressive power numbers from 2011. Vassallo, Brad, and Ron were all deserving candidates after turning in impressive 2012 seasons.

Tags: , , , ,

Newer Entries →