Suns to Honor Javier Baez with 2011 Bragan Award

July 1, 2011 - Southern League (SL1)
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp News Release

JACKSONVILLE, FL - The Jacksonville Suns announced today that Arlington Country Day senior Javier Baez has been selected as the 2011 recipient of the Bragan Award. The Bragan Award is given annually to a North Florida high school senior baseball player who has exhibited outstanding skill on the baseball diamond and strong character and leadership off the field.

"I saw Javier bounce one over the 420 mark in center field and his next time up he beat out a routine ground ball at second base," said Bragan. "I knew then this kid had some special abilities."

The 6-foot-0, 180-pound shortstop hit .771 with 22 homers, 64 hits, 20 doubles and 52 RBIs on the season and only three strikeouts. Baez, starred for Arlington Country Day this year and was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 1st round (9th overall) of the 2011 MLB June Amateur draft. The highest selected in Jacksonville history since Chipper Jones was selected in the 1st round (1st overall) in the 1990 MLB June Amateur draft.

The 2011 Bragan Award will be presented to Baez on Saturday, July 2, during a pre-game ceremony at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Baez is the fifth player to receive the Bragan Award, following Bolles graduate Caleb Denmark. The award is named in honor of Peter Bragan, Sr., who has owned the Jacksonville Suns since 1984 and has made great contributions to the overall cultural and sports scene in Jacksonville, including high school and youth athletics.

The decision was finalized by longtime amateur baseball expert Richard Abis and Suns President & General Manager Peter D. Bragan, Jr. The award is modeled after a 1930's Nokona-brand left-handed fielder's glove that belonged to Bragan Sr. when he was playing semi-pro ball in Philadelphia. The original glove was used to cast a mold from which to make the awards.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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