Frontier League Beat
by Andrew Kappes
June 16, 2005 - Frontier League (FL)
Twenty games down in this Frontier League season, and what great baseball action it's been. Big suprises highlight the standings so far, a four-way tie in the FL East Division sparks the most interest. Through 20 games, the Washington Wild Things, Florence Freedom, Evansville Otters, and the Chillicothe Paints are all tied for first with 11-9 records. In the West, Kalamazoo has fed off their large crowds to lead them to a one-game advantage over Rockford with a 14-6 record.
The most suprising team may be the Florence Freedom. Under brand new ownership, the Freedom have gone from basement dwellers to contenders, in just a matter of months. Only five players remain from the previous ownership, and the current ownership has proven that their are committed to winning.
Here are my Awards so far this season:
Most Valuable Player:
Mike Galloway OF Florence Freedom
He spent last season in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, and he must have learned something. As of 6/16, he leads the league in homeruns, RBIs, slugging percentage, and is third in batting average. Nine homers, 26 RBIs, and a .417 batting average is definitely worthy of an award. I think he's a big reason why the Freedom are contending.
Most Valuable Pitcher:
Brandon Smith SP Gateway Grizzlies
The numbers say it all, 4-0, 1.74 ERA, with 26 strikeouts. Right now, his team isn't opening eyes in a good way, but I think they can turn it around, especially when their staff is led by this guy.
Mr. Everything Award:
Kyle Geswein UTIL/SP Florence Freedom
His batting numbers aren't mouth dropping, .263, 5 homeruns, and 9 RBIs, but look past the numbers, the hitting numbers. Every five days, he isn't in the hitting lineup, he's on the mound. 7.04 ERA isn't anything to brag about either, but how many people can say they threw 70-100 pitches, and the next night hit a homerun. Wow.
Questions, comments, and suggestions can be e-mailed to me at andrew_kappes@yahoo.com.
Frontier League Stories from June 16, 2005
- Schutt extends hitting streak and provides 11th inning heroics in win over the Roosters - Rockford RiverHawks
- Otters sweep ThunderBolts - Evansville Otters
- Wild Things win in bottom of the ninth - Washington Wild Things
- Frontier League Beat - OSC Original by Andrew Kappes
- Rockford Outlasts Roosters in Twelve Innings - Richmond Roosters
- Riverhawks triumph over rain, Roosters - Rockford RiverHawks
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
