10/17/09: POSTSEASON AWARDS

    The coaches have sent in their votes for the 2009 MVABL Award winners....and here are the results:

Thunder catcher Drew York Snags MVP Honors
    Miami Valley Thunder backstop Drew York registered five first place votes on his way to earning his second straight MVABL Most Valuable Player award. Drew batted .529 and led the league in RBIs for the second consecutive year, and tied for the league lead in hits. Drew also belted 7 home runs and 11 doubles. Batting champion John Milliron of the Indians finished second in the balloting. This is how the rest of the voting went:

    1. Drew York (Thunder) - 18 pts.
    2. John Milliron (Indians) - 11 pts.
    3. Clint Wolf (Rangers) - 6 pts.
    4. Chris Jergens (Royals) - 5 pts.
    5. Jonmarc Lippincott (Rangers) - 2 pts.
    6. Andrew Verrett (Slammers) - 1 pt.
       Matt Owens (Slammers) - 1 pt.
       Jeff Cherry (Shockers) - 1 pt.
       Taylor Hause (Shockers) - 1 pt.
       Chris Flaherty (Dragons) - 1 pt.
       Phil Crisp (Astros) - 1 pt.
Haffner is League's Top Pitcher
Dayton Astros right-hander Shawn Haffner won the 2009 Cy Young award with an impressive 9-1 record. Haffner led the league in wins, tied for the league lead with 2 saves, and tied for third in strikeouts with 64. His 3.64 ERA was fourth-highest among pitchers with at least 30 innings of work. Shawn earned four first place votes in nominations from the coaches. Coming up a close second was Indians righty Matt Spradlin who picked up two first place tallies. This is how the rest of the voting went:

    1. Shawn Haffner (Astros) - 14 pts.
    2. Matt Spradlin (Indians) - 11 pts.
    3. Jeff Cherry (Shockers) - 9 pts.
    4. Matt Addis (Astros) - 5 pts.
    5. Jonathan Silverman (Rangers) - 3 pts.
       Brad Clark (Rangers) - 3 pts.
       Kevin Reynolds (Royals) - 3 pts.
ROY goes to Royals' Jergens
    Royals left-handed slugger Chris Jergens was the only rookie nominee to pick up multiple first place votes. Jergens batted .405 and was second in the league in RBIs with 36. Once again the league has provided a ton of rookie talent as shown by the 13 different players to receive votes. Other rookies to pick up first place votes included Justin Dunlap, Josh Allen, Brandon Howard, Phil Crisp, and Brandon Ward. This is how the rest of the voting went:

    1. Chris Jergens (Royals) - 10 pts.
    2. Matt Addis (Astros) - 8 pts.
    3. Josh Allen (Shockers) - 4 pts.
       Brandon Howard (Rangers) - 4 pts.
    5. Justin Dunlap (Slammers) - 3 pts.
       Robert Riley (Rangers) - 3 pts.
       Phil Crisp (Astros) - 3 pts.
       Brandon Ward (Sox) - 3 pts.
    9. Chris Flaherty (Dragons) - 2 pts.
       Lance Berner (Thunder) - 2 pts.
    11. Shawn Haffner (Astros) - 1 pt.
       Brian Bay (Dragons) - 1 pt.
       Jon Rose (Dragons) - 1 pt.
Slammers' Rick Anderson is MVABL Top Skipper
South Dayton Slammers head coach Rick Anderson earned the 2009 Coach of the Year honor after taking over the Kettering Outlaws, and transforming the team into a contending ballclub. The Slammers finished the regular season with 9 wins and added 5 more victories during the playoffs. The 14 total wins were a franchise best for the team. Rick led the Slammers into a game-three championship finale before bowing out to the Rangers.
    Jonmarc Lippincott of the Dayton Rangers finished a close second in the balloting, followed by votes for Dustin Vincent (Astros) and Thomas Fluty (Shockers).