Seth Schwindenhammer Crowned Moniker Madness Winner
August 26, 2011 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
Lowell Spinners News Release
LOWELL, MASS. - It took one month, but the rest of the world found out what the Lowell Spinners already knew: Seth Schwindenhammer is the best, most unique name in Minor League Baseball, as the outfielder claimed the title in MiLB.com's fifth annual "Minors Moniker Madness" contest.
The results bring a sense of redemption for "The Hammer," one year after entering the 2010 contest as a No. 15 seed. Schwindenhammer became the tournament's Cinderella story, advancing all the way to the final round before succumbing to Northwest Arkansas' Rowdy Hardy.
"Last year showed the power of the Lowell Spinners faithful and the Hammer Fan Club," said Spinners Director of Media Relations Jon Boswell. "As 'The Hammer' breezed through the 2011 competition while earning an All-Star berth while leading the Spinners in home runs, it was clear this was a year made for redemption."
As the number one seed in the tournament, Schwindenhammer romped through the tournament, with his victory over fellow No. 1 seed Rougned Odor in the semi-finals by 11 percentage points his narrowest margin of victory before the finals.
Matched against the computer savvy Harvard, Schwindenhammer found himself in a dogfight. While the Spinners produced a number of videos to promote Hammer's candidacy, Harvard took to Twitter with the help of his parent organization, the Chicago White Sox, to campaign for votes.
"Harvard put up a valiant effort and it is no surprise with such a distinguished surname," said Boswell. "To have the final voting come down to less than three percentage points shows the power of social media."
A native of Peoria, Ill., Schwidenhammer was a fifth round pick of the Boston Red Sox in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. In 53 games, Hammer is batting .207 with 9 home runs and 29 RBI, batting .448 when he makes contact with the baseball, striking fear into opposing New York-Penn League pitchers.
While "The Hammer" has struck out a league leading 100 times, his mighty bat has propelled not only the Spinners, but the American League All-Stars, as Schwindenhammer's last swing home run won the All-Star skills competition for the AL Stars.
Overall "Hammer" was the leading vote-getter in each of the first four rounds of the competition, including a Round of 16 defeat over No. 5 Bob Stumpo and a quarterfinal victory over No. 2 Bret Butts. The Hammer has his sights now set on a strong finish to the 2011 season and a promotion to Greenville for the 2011 season.
"The Hammer has become a fan favorite in Lowell," said Boswell. "We hope this is the crowning achievement for Hammer on his path to the big leagues."
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