Dopirak Wins R. Howard Webster Award
September 18, 2009 - Eastern League (EL1)
New Hampshire Fisher Cats News Release
Manchester, NH- The Toronto Blue Jays, parent club of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, announced that Brian Dopirak was named the 2009 Double-A winner of the R. Howard Webster Award, recognizing the top player at each minor league level in the Blue Jays' organization. Dopirak will be honored during an on-field ceremony at Rogers Centre in Toronto prior to the Blue Jays/Seattle Mariners 1:07pm game on Saturday, September 26.
Dopirak batted .308 with 19 home runs and 68 RBIs for the Fisher Cats before earning a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas on July 16. At the time of his promotion, the 25-year-old led the Eastern League in HRs, RBIs, doubles (29), extra-base hits (49) and slugging percentage (.576). Dopirak's adjusted SLG% (.548), taking into account the number of hitless at-bats necessary to qualify for the league lead, still was enough to rank him number one. Despite only appearing in 87 of a possible 142 games, he also led New Hampshire in homers, RBIs, extra-base hits and OPS (.951).
On May 8 at Merchantsauto.com Stadium, Dopirak had the greatest offensive game in team history, going 5-for-6 with two home runs, a triple, two doubles, eight RBIs and 15 total bases in the Fisher Cats' 18-6 win over the Connecticut Defenders.
Originally a second-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs in 2002, Dopirak represented the Fisher Cats at the Eastern League All-Star Game in Trenton on July 15 and was named the league's post-season All-Star Designated Hitter. He continued to put up impressive numbers in Las Vegas, batting .330 with 8 HR and 34 RBIs in 52 games for the 51s. Overall, he led the entire Blue Jays' minor league system in HR (27), ranked second in RBIs (102) and third in AVG. (.317).
Outfielder Moises Sierra, who batted .353 with a grand slam and six RBIs in eight games for the Fisher Cats at the end of the season, was named the Dunedin Blue Jays (Advanced-A) Webster Award winner, an honor captured by Dopirak in 2008. Here are this year's other Webster Award winners:
Las Vegas 51s (Triple-A)-Randy Ruiz, DH/1B
Lansing Lugnuts (Class A)-Johermyn Chavez, OF
Auburn Doubledays (Short-Season A)- Sean Ochinko, C/1B
Gulf Coast Blue Jays (Rookie)- Carlos Perez, C
DSL Blue Jays (Dominican Summer League)- Jose Vargas, LHP
Previous winners of the Webster Award for the Fisher Cats are Scott Campbell (2008), David Smith (2007), Adam Lind (2006), Josh Banks (2005) and Aaron Hill (2004).
New Hampshire Fisher Cats 2010 Full- and Half-Season Tickets are on sale now, and tickets to the 2009 Granite State Baseball Dinner, presented by Northeast Delta Dental, scheduled for Saturday, November 21, are also on sale now by calling (603) 641-2005 or visiting www.nhfishercats.com.
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Eastern League Stories from September 18, 2009
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