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Buffalo Bisons

Montero Named Bisons MVP as Team Announced End of Season

September 1, 2016 - International League (IL1)
Buffalo Bisons News Release


The Buffalo Bisons today announced that 1B/DH Jesus Montero has been named the team's Stan Barron Most Valuable Player for the 2016 season. The Herd also named RHP Dustin Antolin its Warren Spahn Most Valuable Pitcher just prior to Fan Appreciation Night against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Both Montero and Antolin represented the Bisons and the International League at the Triple-A All-Star Game in July. On Tuesday, Montero was also named an IL Postseason All-Star.

LHP Scott Diamond was awarded the 2016 Jimmy Griffin Hometown Hero award while RHP Casey Lawrence was named the 2016 Judge Michael Dillon Comeback Player of the Year. LHP Chad Girodo was selected as the team's the Frank J. Vallone Community Service Award winner and 1B Casey Kotchman was voted by his teammates as the Joe DeSa Most Inspirational Player Award.

The Joe Byron Fan of the Year Award was given to eason ticket holder Andy Lange of Tonawanda, NY.

Stan Barron Most Valuable Player - Jesus Montero Named after Stan Barron, a legend in Buffalo broadcasting, this award is given to the player who demonstrates outstanding ability, good sportsmanship and dedication.

Montero has been a force in the middle of the Bisons' batting order all season long. He leads the team with a .318 batting average and 151 hits, both of which rank in the Top 5 in the International League. If the season ended today, his .318 average would rank as the 8th-best mark in the Bisons' modern era.

Montero also leads the Bisons in extra-base hits (36), total bases (209 -7th in the IL), multi-hit games (48), on-base pct. (.350) and slugging pct. (.442) and ranks second on the squad with 24 doubles, 11 home runs and 58 RBI.

The slugger has hit .283 or better in each month this season and had hit streaks of 15 games (August 5-24) and 13 games (April 15-29). He homered in back-to-back games, June 27-28 and hit a pair of home runs in the Bisons July 10 win over Lehigh Valley.

Warren Spahn Most Valuable Pitcher - Dustin Antolin Established in 2001, this award is presented to the Bisons' pitcher who demonstrates outstanding ability, good sportsmanship and dedication throughout the course of the season.

RHP Dustin Antolin has been one of the International League's best relievers all season long, posting a 2.09 ERA in this his first season at the Triple-A level. Antolin's 45 appearances are eight more than any other Bisons hurler and he also leads all Bisons relievers with 59 strikeouts (in only 51.2 innings of work) and 29 games finished. His 10 saves in 13 chances are second on the Bisons.

Antolin has been particularly tough in recent games, posting a 1.15 ERA in 15 appearances (15.2IP, 3BB, 18K) since the All-Star Break and a 1.09 ERA in 24 total outings since the second week of June. He allowed just one earned run from June 11 to August 23.

Antolin is just the second reliever to ever win the Bisons Most Valuable Pitcher award, joining current teammate RHP Bobby Korecky who took home the honor in 2014.

Jimmy Griffin Hometown Hero Award - Scott Diamond The Hometown Hero Award was created during the 2008 season to honor the impact and support of the former Mayor of Buffalo, Jimmy Griffin. There was no bigger supporter of the team and of a downtown ballpark for the fans of the area than Mayor Griffin. The award is given to the player who performs the best in home games in front of the fans of Buffalo.

Diamond collected six wins at home this season, the highest total for a Bisons' starter since 2010 (Dillon Gee/Pat Misch) and twice as many as any other player this year. The southpaw was 6-5 with a 3.72 ERA in 12 starts at Coca-Cola Field, racking up 44 strikeouts and 12 doubleplays to only 10 walks in 75.0 innings of work.Diamond threw seven quality starts at home this season, including racking up eight scoreless innings twice, in victories over Columbus on June 1 and Indianapolis on August 10.

For the season, Diamond leads the Bisons in wins (9), innings pitched (161) and ERA (4.42).

Judge Michael Dillon Comeback Player of the Year - Casey Lawrence This award is named for the late Judge Michael F. Dillon, who was a three-time Erie County district attorney and served a 14-year term on the State Supreme Court. It recognizes an individual who overcomes injury, personal problems or a rough season and exemplifies the meaning of hard work and dedication.

Lawrence is one of the first Bisons pitchers to win this award for having a comeback within a given season. Lawrence made three starts for the Herd at the beginning of the year and was 0-2 with a 9.24 ERA before being transferred to New Hampshire (AA). On July 5, the righty earned a second promotion to the Bisons and he has been one of the Bisons' best players since.

In the last 11 games with the Bisons, Lawrence is 5-3 with a 2.67 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 67.1 innings of work. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 10 of those 11 starts, and has walked two or fewer batters in each of his last 10 appearances. He delivered the Bisons' lone complete game of the season on August 2 in Pawtucket and has allowed just three home runs to the last 278 batters he's faced.

For the season, Lawrence is 5-5 with a 3.71 ERA in 14 combined starts with the Bisons.

Frank J. "Fremo" Vallone Community Service Award - Chad Girodo The Community Service Award is named for the late Frank J. Vallone, the Bisons good will ambassador and most celebrated fan who served as a host and ticket salesperson from 1987-1990. The award is presented annually to the player who best represents the club in community related activities, charitable and youth oriented activities.

In a season where he earned his first career Major League promotion and has pitched with the Blue Jays on three separate occasions, LHP Chad Girodo has still found time to give back to the Western New York and Southern Ontario communities. From joining the Bisons on community appearances like a visit to the Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo to sharing his love of the game with children during the team's annual 3-Day Youth Camp, Girodo has served as a great ambassador for the Bisons organization all season long.

Girodo has also been one of the team's most reliable options out of the bullpen. In 28 games with the Herd, the southpaw is 2-1 with a 3.89 ERA and one save.

Joe DeSa Most Inspirational Player - Casey Kotchman The Joe DeSa Award is named for the slick-fielding, power hitting player who was with the Bisons from 1985-86. He lost his life in a car accident in December of 1986. The award is voted on by the team and presented annually to the player who truly exemplifies the meaning of inspiration by his play and love of the game.

1B Casey Kotchman played 10 years in the Major Leagues and brought his dedication and determination to Coca-Cola Field throughout the 2016 season. The greatest fielder in MLB history with a .998 fielding pct. showed his glove work at the first base bag all year with just one error in 722 total chances. The veteran also took that discipline to the plate where he walked 35 times and struck out on just 29 occasions. His 12.59 plate appearances per strikeout is easily the best mark in the International League.

For the season, Kotchman hit .263 in 99 games with 18 doubles, eight home runs and 34 RBI.

Joe Byron Fan of the Year - Andy Lange The Fan of the Year Award is named for the late Joe Byron, who is best known for singing the Canadian and US National Anthems at Buffalo Bisons baseball games and Buffalo Sabres hockey games. The award is presented each season to the person who best represents fans through their dedication to the team and to baseball.

ANDY LANGE, 48, has been a Bisons season ticket holder for the last 12 years, sharing his two tickets in the first row of section 102 with his brother, Cameron, as well as his wife of 21 years, Melanie. Lange is regularly one of the first fans in the ballpark when gates open, giving himself plenty of time to grab game note information and lineups to set up the scorebook he uses at every game. His father took him to his first Bisons game at War Memorial Stadium in 1979 and he fondly remembers being at Coca-Cola Field for such moments as the team's 2004 championship and the eight-run, ninth-inning comeback in 2007.

A resident of Tonawanda, Lange has worked as a medical technician at Kenmore Mercy Hospital for the last 24 years. He frequently plans his vacation weeks to coincide with Bisons homestands. He also boosts an impressive collection of Bisons game-used memorabilia and merchandise, which he proudly displays in his 'Bisons room' in his house.

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