John Cristino Named Frontier League Catcher of the Year & Player of the Week

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New England Knockouts

John Cristino Named Frontier League Catcher of the Year & Player of the Week

September 3, 2024 - Frontier League (FL)
New England Knockouts News Release


BROCKTON, MA - On Saturday, August 31st, the Frontier League announced John Cristino as the 2024 Frontier League Catcher of the Year. Two days later, Cristino was also named the final regular season Player of the Week.

Cristino, age 24, had a career year with the inaugural Knockouts. In 89 games, Cristino batted an impressive .293 at the plate, accompanied by 72 RBIs and a .583 slugging percentage. More importantly, Crsitino slugged a total of 26 home runs during the campaign, the most of any player in the Frontier League. Cristino's 72 RBIs was also third-best in the league.

"I am very grateful that I had an awesome support system to help receive this honor," Cristino expressed. "We had a great group of guys in the clubhouse and we all helped contribute to each other's success. I couldn't have asked for anything more."

Besides his phenomenal hitting capabilities, Crisitino was honored for his defensive prowess. New England's catcher finished with a .976 fielding percentage, including 42 total assists.

"I'm really excited for John to be named as the Catcher of the Year in the Frontier League," Manager Jerod Edmondson expressed. "I think everyone in our organization has seen something special in him since the first day of spring training. To see all of his hard work paying off, and to have it all come full circle, has been amazing to watch. It would be hard to put into words exactly what he has meant to our team this season - Playing the most important position on the field, while also hitting in the middle of the order and carrying our offensive workload, all while being a great clubhouse guy and teammate. He has clearly been one of the best, if not, the best player in the entire league, and I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be his manager."

The Haddonfield, New Jersey native officially collects his first Frontier League award and All-Frontier League Team selection. This is his second season of professional baseball, playing the back of 2023 with the Kane County Cougars (American Association).

In addition to his postseason honors, Cristino was also named the final Frontier League Player of the Week during the regular season. In the final six games of the season, Cristino displayed video game-like numbers. The catcher batted .375, along with six home runs in 11 RBIs. He also had two games with multiple home runs. This was Cristino's first Player of the Week selection.

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