Ahmed, Schlosser Take Lynchburg Organizational Honors
September 13, 2012 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release
Lynchburg, VA - The Lynchburg Hillcats are proud to announce that the Atlanta Braves have named SS Nick Ahmed the Lynchburg Player of the Year and RHP Gus Schlosser the Lynchburg Pitcher of the Year for 2012. The Braves also honored RHP J.R. Graham, who split the season between Advanced-A Lynchburg and Double-A Mississippi, as the Organizational Pitcher of the Year.
All three, along with the rest of the organizational award recipients, will be honored at Turner Field in Atlanta Saturday, September 15. Atlanta Braves General Manager Frank Wren will be there to present the awards prior to the Braves game against the Washington Nationals at 4:05pm.
Ahmed racked up the accolades this season. He was a mid-season and year-end Carolina League All-Star, his coaches picked him as co-MVP with 1B Chris Garcia, and he was also voted as the Hillcats' Most Popular Player by the Lynchburg fans. He capped his Player of the Year season with a 4-for-5 effort in the Mills Cup Championship clinching game. The East Longmeadow, MA native collected three doubles, an RBI, and a run scored, and was honored as the Series MVP after the win. He hit .357 in seven postseason games. During the regular season, the Braves' 2011 second round pick led the Carolina League with 40 stolen bases and 84 runs scored. He finished with a .269 batting average, collecting 136 hits, tied for third most in the circuit.
Schlosser stockpiled his share of honors this year as well. He was a year-end All-Star, and was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Year. Like Ahmed, he played an integral role in the Hillcats' Mills Cup Championship run. He went 2-0 in two postseason starts, throwing 15 scoreless innings while striking out 13 batters. In his first professional season as a starter, the 2011 17th round selection, threw a combined 180.1 innings (regular and postseason). He ranked third in Carolina League in ERA (3.38), second in strikeouts (139), first in innings pitched (165.1), third in WHIP (1.14), and fifth in opponents batting average (.252) during the regular season. He also led the circuit in wins, while also matching a Hillcats record of 13.
Graham was promoted to Double-A Mississippi July 17 after posting a 2.63 ERA in 17 starts with the 'Cats. The mid-season Carolina League All-Star went 9-1, striking out 68 while walking just 17 batters in 102.2 innings pitched. He continued his success at the next level, going 3-1 with a 3.18 ERA in nine starts with Mississippi. He also saw his strikeout rate improve, fanning 42 swingers in 45.1 innings. The Livermore, CA native was selected in the fourth round of the 2011 draft by the Braves.
Ahmed and Schlosser will continue their 2012 seasons in the Arizona Fall League in October.
See below for the complete list of Atlanta Braves Organizational Award recipients.
Atlanta Braves 2012 Minor League Pitchers and Players of the Year
Pitcher of Year Player of Year
Organizational J.R. Graham Todd Cunningham
Gwinnett Braves Cory Gearrin Ernesto Mejia
Mississippi Braves Sean Gilmartin Joe Leonard
Lynchburg Hillcats Gus Schlosser Nick Ahmed
Rome Braves Navery Moore William Beckwith
Danville Braves Mauricio 0 Carlos Franco
Gulf Coast League Braves Luis Merejo Jose Peraza
Dominican Summer League Michael Flores Johan Camargo
Carolina League Stories from September 13, 2012
- Ahmed, Schlosser Take Lynchburg Organizational Honors - Lynchburg Hillcats
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