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Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Victor Caratini Named Mills Cup MVP

September 17, 2015 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


Victor Caratini of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Victor Caratini of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans
(Myrtle Beach Pelicans)

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (SEPTEMBER 16, 2015) -- For his contributions in the Mills Cup Championship Series, catcher Victor Caratini was named the Most Valuable Player, as he helped lead the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, to their first Carolina League crown since 2000. The Pelicans defeated the Wilmington Blue Rocks in three games and clinched the title with a 3-2 walk-off win on Wednesday night at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. Tied at 2-2 with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, Pin-Chieh Chen tapped an infield single to the left side of the infield, scoring Mark Zagunis as the winning run.

Caratini, 22, played all three games for the Pelicans during the Championship Series, batting .636 (7-for-11) with three doubles, four RBI, and one walk.

For the entire postseason, the switch-hitting catcher clubbed the most doubles (4) and RBI (7). He also drew four walks. The Puerto Rican backstop had the most second-most hits behind Chen's 10 knocks, and he carried the second-highest batting average during the postseason. His .542 on-base percentage was the highest during postseason play, and he slugged .684, the third-best in the league. Caratini is the first Pelican to win the Mills Cup Championship Series MVP award; the league did not award this honor until the 2006 season.

In Game One of the Mills Cup Championship Series (MCCS), Caratini smacked three hits, including the go-ahead RBI knock in the tenth inning to propel the Pelicans to a 3-2 win.

Caratini provided the Pelicans all the offense they would need in Game Two of the MCCS, ripping an RBI double in the first inning before collecting an RBI two-bagger in the ninth inning to lead the Pelicans to a 2-0 win. He also walked in the contest.

In the finale of the series on Wednesday, Caratini drove in the first run of the contest with a sacrifice fly to center field.

In their inaugural season of 1999, the Pelicans split the Mills Cup title with the Wilmington Blue Rocks when Game Five of the Championship Series was cancelled due to Hurricane Floyd. The Birds went on to win the title outright in 2000, but they had not claimed the Mills Cup until this year. Myrtle Beach claimed played in the MCCS in 2008 and 2014 but fell to the Potomac Nationals each time.

For the regular season, Caratini batted .255 in 112 contests with four home runs and 53 RBI. He clubbed a career-high 31 doubles along with one triple. The switch-hitter improved his patience in 2015, walking a career-high 49 times. He struck out 75 times. Caratini has played primarily behind the plate, catching in 86 games, but he's also manned first base in 12 games and DH'd in 14 other contests.

He was also named the Carolina League Player of the Week for August 24-30.

Caratini was originally acquired by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the MLB June Amateur Draft in 2013. The Cubs picked up Caratini in a trade deadline deal last season in exchange for Emilio Bonifacio, James Russell, and cash considerations.

The 2015 season marks the 17th season for the Pelicans franchise and first as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. For information on tickets to see the Pelicans in 2015, please call (843) 918-6000, e-mail info@myrtlebeachpelicans.com, or visit www.MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.

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Victor Caratini of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Victor Caratini of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans
   

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