With the conclusion of the 2014 season comes the naming of the various team awards. Several are traditionally voted on by the players, such as the MVP award, the Cy Young award, the Gold Glove award, and the Rookie of the Year award. This year the team will be voting on Cy Young and Gold Glove only, and those awards will be announced at a later date.

 

The Silver Slugger award, the "Rolaids" Relief Man award, the Mr. Versatility, and the Comeback Player of the Year award are named based on the statistical record.

 

MVP -- Jimmy Merling

 

Merling set new club single-season records for batting average (.423), slugging percentage (.667), hits (33), doubles (10), home runs (3), total bases (52), and RBI (16). His .471 on-base percentage is the second-highest in club history, as is his 17 runs scored. He will begin the 2015 season on a 13-game hitting streak. He had nine multi-hit games, including two four-hit games.

 

Silver Slugger -- Jimmy Merling

 

The Silver Slugger award is for the player with the highest qualified gross production average. Gross production average is possibly the best method of measuring a batter's ability to generate runs. The formula is [(1.8 x OBP + SLG) / 4]. The result can be read just like a batting average. An average of 2.4 plate appearances per team games (22 in 2014) resulted in a minimum of 53 plate appearances needed to qualify. This year's Silver Slugger award winner is Jimmy Merling. His GPA was .379. Two other players had qualified GPA's over .300 (Tim Nylund, .303, and Corey Pavlich, .302).

 

Rookie of the Year --Jimmy Merling

 

See the above two awards for Merling's offensive performance. He was also an invaluable asset defensively at both second base and center field. He began the season at second base and recorded a .947 fielding average there (15 put outs, 21 assists, two errors) and moved to center field, where he racked up 17 put outs without an error, when second-baseman Evan Scherber joined the team full-time at the conclusion of the American Legion season.

 

"Rolaids" Relief Man -- Matt Dolsen

 

Dolsen, a rookie southpaw, led all the club's relievers with 13.2 innings pitched and 11 strikeouts. He was 1-1 W-L with one save and a 1.98 ERA in four relief appearances. He earned a win on June 7 at Grand Rapids with seven shutout relief innings pitched, and he picked up a save in the Dukes' 3-2 win over the Upper 13 League champion Ashland Merchants at Ashland on July 13.

 

Mr. Versatility -- Travis Bartlett

 

Bartlett, a rookie, joined the club in late June and was an immediate shot in the arm due to his ability to play every position on the diamond. He played catcher, first base, second base, shortstop, and outfield for the Dukes in 2014, and compiled a .939 fielding average.

 

Comeback Player of the Year -- Corey Pavlich

 

Is it possible to earn a Comeback Player of the Year award two years in a row? Yes. The award's previous title was "Most Improved Player," and it still holds the same meaning. Pavlich batted .360 in 2014 compared to .259 in 2013. His on-base percentage improved from .375 to .448, and his slugging percentage jumped from .296 to .400. Pavlich scored three runs in 2013 and 15 in 2014. His hit total went from seven to 18, and he had one RBI in 2013 compared to 13 in 2014.