NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



 Lynchburg Hillcats

LYNCHBURG HILLCATS: 2016 Season Review

September 19, 2016 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release


SUMMARY

Lynchburg broke a seven-game postseason losing streak and advanced to the Mills Cup Championship for the first time since 2012 before losing in four games to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. The Hillcats won the first-half Northern Division Title outright and were co-champions in the second-half to make the playoffs for the fifth straight year.

#THRILLCATS LIVE UP TO NAME

Lynchburg finished with the second-most wins in the Hillcats era to advance to their second straight postseason. Lynchburg traveled to Potomac for Game One of the Northern Division Championship Series. The 'Cats suffered a 7-0 loss to the Nationals in a rain-shortened contest and were placed on the brink of a fourth consecutive early elimination. At City Stadium for Game Two the Hillcats and Nationals played a 14-inning thriller, which featured 32 hits, defensive highlights, and concluded with a Bobby Bradley walk-off single. Sean Brady took the mound in Game Three and held the Nats to three hits in 5 1/3 shutout innings. A two-run homer from Yu-Cheng Chang in the seventh put the 'Cats up 3-0 and all but solidified a position in the Mills Cup Championship Series.

Immediately following the celebration, Lynchburg traveled to Myrtle Beach for Game One of the Mills Cup. The Hillcats found themselves in a familiar extra-inning affair. The 'Cats battled to a 4-3 win in 12 innings to commence the best-of-five series. It would represent Lynchburg's final win of the 2016 season, as they dropped the next three contests. The Pelicans evened the series in Game Two with the help of a five-run fifth frame. Carolina League Pitcher of the Year Trevor Clifton came through in Game Three for the Pelicans with six shutout innings. The Pelicans clinched the championship the following day with a 5-3 victory in a game the Hillcats led for six innings.

LIFE AT THE TOP

After dropping a 13-inning game to Winston-Salem on Opening Day the Hillcats rattled off 14 wins in their next 16 games, including a season-high 10-game winning streak. The 'Cats finished with a record of 17-6 in the month of April to take early command of the Northern Division. Lynchburg dominated for much of the first-half, as it finished with a 45-25 record. The 'Cats spent 62 days in first place and 68 days above .500. The Hillcats led the league in runs (385), home runs (62), total bases (949), RBIs (343), slugging percentage (.413), on-base percentage (.354) and had the second best ERA (3.54) at the All-Star Break. The 'Cats finished the first half with the fourth-best record among all full-season MiLB teams. Lynchburg placed six members on the first-half Carolina League All-Star team.

The Hillcats faced more adversity in the second half with promotions and injuries, but they still managed to win 39 games and clinch a share of the second-half Northern Division title. Lynchburg's offense remained a juggernaut throughout the season, hitting a home run in 82 of its 140 games. The 'Cats finished with 129 homers, which fell just two shy of the team record set in 2002. The Hillcats led the league in countless offensive categories including runs (763), total bases (2000), doubles (300), home runs (129), RBIs (699), sacrifice flies (57), hit by pitches (88), walks (560), slugging percentage (.427), and on-base percentage (.353). The pitching staff was solid throughout the 2016 campaign. Lynchburg finished third with an ERA of 3.85 but were the league leaders with 1,124 strikeouts.

ALL-STAR CALIBER ROSTER

Lynchburg sent a Carolina League-high six players to the 2016 Carolina League-California League All-Star Game. Infielders Bobby Bradley, Yu-Cheng Chang and Daniel Salters joined outfielder Greg Allen and pitchers Julian Merryweather and Justus Sheffield on the 2016 Carolina League All-Star roster. It was the sixth straight season the Hillcats have sent at least three players to the midsummer contest.

The six players flew out to Lake Elsinore, Calif., to participate in the festivities. Bradley and Chang competed in the Midway Classic Home Run Derby aboard the USS Midway aircraft carrier in San Diego. Chang hit three homers in the first round but came up short. Bradley hit six home runs in 10 swings to advance to the semifinals where he eventually lost by one homer.

The 'Cats shined bright in the game, as all six made an impact in the 6-4 victory. Allen was in his familiar leadoff role and went 1-4 with three runs scored. The San Diego native made himself right at home early as he walked to begin the game and proceeded to steal second and third base on the next two pitches before scoring on a sacrifice fly to give the Carolina League a 1-0 lead. Merryweather started the game and threw a perfect inning, which included striking out the leadoff hitter, to earn the win.

Bradley brought his power from the Home Run Derby into the game and opened the fourth inning with a homer over the wall in right field. Salters entered the game as a defensive replacement and later singled in his only at-bat of the game. Chang came in as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and drove in a run with a single to left field, which gave the Carolina League a comfortable 6-1 lead. The 'Cats hitters combined to go 4-11 with four of the team's six runs and two RBIs. In Sheffield's lone inning of work, he allowed a leadoff single and a walk. Both runners attempted to steal second, but Salters threw them both out to help his fellow Hillcat.

The Hillcats dominated the postseason All-Star list, placing six Hillcats on the 13-man roster, including the Most Valuable Player Bobby Bradley. In addition to Bradley, Chang, Allen, Anthony Santander, Mark Mathias, and Francisco Mejia made the Carolina League Postseason All-Star Team.

Most Valuable Player Bobby Bradley slugged his way to the top of many offensive categories. He led the league with 29 home runs, 102 RBIs, and 75 walks. Chang was one of the top run producers for Lynchburg, as he placed fifth in the league with 78 runs. He also drove in 70 runs with the help of 51 extra-base hits. Allen was the table setter for the 'Cats until his promotion July 25. Despite only playing in 92 games, he led the league with 93 runs. He had the highest on-base percentage at .424 and the second most stolen bases with 38. Santander's name was scattered across the Carolina League leaderboard. He ranked first in doubles (42), second in runs (90), second in total bases (247), third in home runs (20), third in slugging percentage (.494), third in RBIs (95), and third in hits (145). Mathias consistently delivered for Lynchburg in the 2016 campaign. He batted .274 with 39 doubles. In the second half alone, he hit .286, which was 26 points higher than his first-half average.

On top of Lynchburg's substantial presence on the midseason and postseason All-Star rosters, the Hillcats also tied a team record with 10 Carolina League weekly award recipients. Lynchburg saw four players take home Carolina League Pitcher of the Week accolades, while six different Hillcats earned Carolina League Player of the Week in 2016. The 10 combined awards matched the 2015 team's mark. Mike Papi received the initial Carolina League Player of the Week award handed out in 2016. Chang, Santander, Bradley, Tyler Krieger and Dorssys Paulino also claimed the distinction before the season ended. Merryweather began the season with 18 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings and was named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week in early May. Sean Brady, Thomas Pannone and Luis Lugo all earned the award in the second half.

HITTING INTO HISTORY

Francisco Mejia arrived in Lynchburg after the All-Star Break in the middle of a 24-game hitting streak, which was the longest in the Midwest League. The 20-year-old phenom hit safely in his first 26 games as a Hillcat to extend his streak to 50 games, which goes down as the longest in Minor League Baseball's modern era (since 1963) and tied for the fourth-longest all-time. The 26-game hitting streak during his time in Lynchburg was the longest in the Carolina League for 2016. It fell five games shy of the all-time Carolina League hitting streak, which was set by Orge Pat Cooper in 1948.

During the streak, Mejia extended it in his first at-bat in 25 of the 50 games, including five doubles, one triple and five home runs. Of the five home runs, Mejia hit a first-inning grand slam July 23 against Carolina after not being in the lineup for six days. Only once during the streak did he need a hit in his final at-bat to extend it when he hit a ninth-inning double at Salem to move it to 46 in a row. In the other 49 contests, he extended it before his last at-bat.

Mejia underwent a root canal, flew round-trip across the country to participate in the MLB All-Star Futures Game in San Diego and also missed a few games due to illness during the streak, but nothing seemed to faze him. F rom when the streak started on May 27, he went 78-202 (.386) with an on-base percentage of .413 (88-213) and a slugging percentage of .609 for an OPS of 1.022. He posted 25 extra-base hits and 21 multi-hit games while going 81 days between hitless contests.

MAKING HIS MARK

Mark Budzinski was named 2016 Carolina League Manager of the Year. The Hillcats advanced to the playoffs for the second consecutive year with Budzinski at the helm. He has lead every team he has coached to the postseason, including the 2014 Lake County squad. Furthermore, every team he has managed has won at least 38 games in the second half. The Hillcats have had back-to-back League MVPs, 10 midseason All-Stars and eight postseason All-Stars in two years under his watch.


• Discuss this story on the Carolina League message board...

Carolina League Stories from September 19, 2016


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Lynchburg Hillcats Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central