Lake Superior Sea Dogs

08/20/2016 - 2016 Team Awards: MVP

Jake Lewis and Jimmy Merling are the 2016 Duluth-Superior Dukes co-MVP Award winners.

Lewis led the team in seven pitching stats categories, including tying the club's single-season records for wins and strikeouts. He also was named the club's Cy Young Award winner for the third straight year. This is his first team MVP selection. Lewis posted a 5-5 W-L record and a 2.99 ERA in 72.1 innings pitched over 12 appearances.

He had four games with 10 or more strikeouts, including three consecutive appearances on July 17, 24, and 31.

Lewis, who made is debut for the club in 2011, hold a career 13-13 W-L record with a club-leading 3.14 career ERA.  

Merling earned his third straight team MVP Award. He was also the team's Silver Slugger Award and co-Gold Glove Award recipient. He led the team in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, batting average, games, plate appearances, at bats, runs, hits, doubles, total bases, runs batted in, and stolen bases.

Merling had eight multi-hit games, including five in a row from June 11 to July 3.

He has 87 career hits in three seasons for the Dukes, for a club-best .367 career batting average. 

MVP Award Winners
Year Player(s)
2016 Jake Lewis
Jimmy Merling
2015 Travis Bartlett
Jimmy Merling
2014 Jimmy Merling
2013 Nick Moran
Tim Nylund
2012 Anthony Bush
Jesse Olson
2011 Bob Eastman
2010 Anthony Bush
2009 Dan Solarz
2008 Joe Collier
Alan Schmidt
2007 Steve Halvorson