Maryland MVPs

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Announce your team's yearly MVP below...

Yearly Team MVPs
2013: Bob Roberts
2014: Kevin Reynolds
2015: Kevin Reynolds
2016: Kevin Reynolds
2017: Willie Patton
2018: Shawn Curran
2019: Jose Ibarra
2020: Esteban Osorid
2021: Jose Ortiz
2022:
2023:
2024:
2025:
2026:
2027:
2028:
2029:
2030:
2031:
2032:
2033:
2034:
2035:

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California Golden Eagles/Maryland Bridegrooms Team MVP
2013: CF Bob Roberts
2014: SP Kevin Reynolds
2015: SP Kevin Reynolds
2016: SP Kevin Reynolds
2017: C Willie Patton
2018: SP Shawn Curran
2019: 3B Jose Ibarra
2020: SP Esteban Osorid
2021: 2B/3B Jose Ortiz
2022: 3B Jose Ortiz (.287/.346/.595, 49 HR, 103 RBI, 100 R, 7.1 WAR)
2023: SP Jeremy Emery (15-8, 27 GS, 2.80 ERA, 146 ERA+, 189.2 IP, 179 K, 1.02 WHIP, 3.8 WAR)
2024: SP Jeremy Emery (14-10, 33 GS, 2.83 ERA, 141 ERA+, 219.2 IP, 229 K, 1.11 WHIP, 6.2 WAR)
2025: SP Kevin Reynolds (15-8, 32GS, 2.90 ERA, 135 ERA+, 220 IP, 171 K, 1.19 WHIP, 3.5 WAR)
2026: SP Jeremy Emery (13-10, 33 GS, 3.68 ERA, 115 ERA+, 229.2 IP, 234 K, 1.21 WHIP, 6.0 WAR)
2027: SP Jeremy Emery (10-9, 33 GS, 3.27 ERA, 128 ERA+, 231 IP, 229 K, 1.13 WHIP, 5.0 WAR)
2028: 3B Jose Ortiz (.297/.373/.581, 42 HR, 105 RBI, 87 R, 6.1 WAR)
2029: SP Jeremy Emery (13-11, 33 GS, 3.14 ERA, 131 ERA+, 229 IP, 199 K, 1.17 WHIP, 5.5 WAR)
2030: 3B Jose Ortiz (.247/.318/.447, 30 HR, 71 RBI, 63 R, 2.7 WAR)
2031: SP Jeremy Emery (8-15, 33 GS, 3.63 ERA, 112 ERA+, 213.1 IP, 203 K, 1.17 WHIP, 5.6 WAR)
2032: SP Ernesto Candelaria (8-13, 33 GS, 3.91 ERA, 99 ERA+, 202.1 IP, 162 K, 1.35 WHIP, 2.4 WAR)
2033: SP Ernesto Candelaria (8-11, 35 GS, 3.65 ERA, 99 ERA+, 202.1 IP, 186 K, 1.33 WHIP, 3.2 WAR)
2034: LF: Billy Kaufman (.314/.351/.465, 10 HR, 84 R, 42 SB, 5.4 WAR)
2035: RF Cedric Boyd (.383/.419/.531, 12 HR, 93 R, 49 SB, 4.6 WAR)
2036: 3B Eddie Taylor (.336/.371/.473, 11 HR, 68 R, 41 SB, 5.2 WAR)
2037: SP Ed Jackson (17-7, 33 GS, 2.85 ERA, 137 ERA+, 192.1 IP, 187 K, 1.23 WHIP, 3.7 WAR)
2038: 3B Eddie Taylor (.336/.406/.527, 14 HR, 115 R, 61 SB, 8.3 WAR)
2039: 3B Eddie Taylor
2040: C Garry Taylor

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2013 Most Valuable Player

The California Golden Eagles have announced that CF Bob Roberts is the team's Most Valuable Player for the 2013 season. Roberts led the Frontier League in stolen bases (66), doubles (42), plate appearances (725), at-bats (680), and tied for the league lead in triples (12). His 198 hits was good for second in the Frontier League. On the season, the versatile Roberts spent two-thirds of his time in center field, and the rest at third base. Roberts featured in 160 of 162 games this season. 

He went .291/.332/.410 (.743 OPS) on the year with 5 home runs, 63 RBI, 102 runs scored and posted a 4.3 WAR. The popular 31-year old is well-loved by the fans because of his gritty, all-out style of play.

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2014 Most Valuable Player

The California Golden Eagles are happy to announce that 28-year old left-handed starting pitcher Kevin Reynolds is the team's Most Valuable Player for the 2014 season. Reynolds went 10-15 in 30 starts this year, compiling a 3.59 ERA (119 ERA+), 1.04 WHIP, and 5.2 WAR. Reynolds struck out 234 batters against 46 walks in 205.2 innings pitched. Like many California starters, Reynolds was starved for run support, receiving just 2.90 runs per game from the Eagles when he pitched.

The ace of the Golden Eagles staff was esentially shut down in September as a precautionary measure, throwing a total of 9 innings the rest of the season after his 8-inning no-decision against Colorado on September 1.

Honorable Mention:
SP Jose Baez 16-13, 4.07 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 3.4 WAR - Baez set a new team record for wins in a single season. His 16 victories are very impressive considering the club went 68-94 on the year. Baez has the most career wins in team history with 27.

CF Bob Roberts .317/.356./.410, 66 RBI, 76 R, 68 SB, 3.0 WAR - Last year's winner again spent the majority of his time in center field, but played 40 games at third base when regular 3B Mike Terry spent two stints on the Disabled List during the season. Roberts is the current AFBL all-time stolen base leader with 134. 

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2015 Most Valuable Player

For the second consecutive year, starting pitcher Kevin Reynolds has been named the team MVP of the California Golden Eagles.

Reynolds was one of the lone bright spots for California in 2015, going 13-9 with a 3.07 ERA and 1.11 WHIP on a club that lost 99 games. Reynolds struck out 218 batters in 202 innings pitched while walking 51. Reynolds posted career lows in HR allowed (21) and earned runs (69) in 2015, and posted a fantastic 6.2 WAR.

Honorable Mention:
SP Ed Haney 3-7, 4.18 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 0.9 WAR - After a horrible start to the season where he started 0-6, Haney buckled down and put up respectable numbers when the Golden Eagles were completely out of it, going 3-1 the rest of the season and putting up a number of quality starts. At 24-year old, Haney has likely forced himself into the starting rotation for 2016. In April, Haney threw a no-hitter and struck out 13 for AAA Long Beach in a game against the Indianapolis Indians.

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2016 Most Valuable Player

The only starting pitcher in team history with a career winning percentage over .500, Kevin Reynolds was named the team MVP for the 2016 season. Reynolds posted a 15-13 record in 33 starts, 3.25 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 244 strikeouts in 224.1 innings pitched for a 9.8 K/9, and 7.7 WAR. The 7th overall pick in the AFBL Inaugural Draft was selected to his second All-Star Game in 2016, becoming the first player on the club to go more than once.

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2017 Most Valuable Player

In his second pro season, 26-year old catcher Willie Patton showed the kind of superstar player he can be, hitting .291/.355/.543 with 38 home runs, 96 RBI, 94 runs scored and a 5.4 WAR to be named the team's MVP for the year. Patton went to his first All-Star game in 2017, and is one of the select few players in AFBL history taken in a First-Year Player Draft to never play an inning in the minors before making his AFBL debut.

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2018 Most Valuable Player

In the wake of the Kevin Reynolds trade in 2017, the Maryland Bridegrooms starting rotation needed a shot in the arm heading into 2018. And Shawn Curran delivered just that. Acquired in 2015 from the Oregon Explorers for shortstop Alex McCullagh, 22-year old Curran burst onto the scene with a 10-7 record, 3.63 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 3.0 war on a team that was 70-92. Curran led the league in HR/9 with an incredible 0.38 HR/9 and in ground ball percentage with 0.71.

Honorable Mention
CF Liam Meadows .284/.340/.549, 27 HR, 71 RBI, 51 R, 2.6 WAR - Meadows, acquired from NJ prior to the 2014 season in the Byron Newbold trade for his power bat, had his best season yet for Maryland in 2018. As a 20-year old in 2016 Meadows hit 23 home runs and has been improving ever since.

C Willie Patton .266/.317/.489, 31 HR, 75 RBI, 74 R, 3.6 WAR - Last season's winner Patton dropped off slightly from his team record-breaking numbers in 2017, but remained a rock in the middle of the lineup and behind the plate.

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2019 Most Valuable Player

In 2019, 26-year old third baseman Jose Ibarra became the first Maryland player to ever hit more than 40 home runs with a league-leading 43, and break the 100 RBI mark with 106. In his third full season in the majors, the only area of his game where he showed real weakness was his reluctance to walk (just 28 walks in 597 plate appearances). During the second half of the season, Ibarra continually griped to anyone that would listen that he was not selected to play in the All-Star Game, and the 'Grooms promptly traded him to New Mexico prior to the 2020 season.

Honorable Mention
C Willie Patton .284/.352/.531, 35 HR, 89 RBI, 80 R, 4.5 WAR - Another very good year for Patton, and a bounceback to his 2017 production levels.

CL Artie Gregory 4-6, 2.60 ERA, 33 SV, 1.24 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 1.8 WAR - 2019 was Gregory's 4th consecutive season with at least 33 saves and he is a perennial fan-favorite. 

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2020 Most Valuable Player

After trading away just about all of their star players in the off-season, the 2020 version of the Maryland Bridegrooms posted the worst record in franchise history, topping the 100 loss mark for the first time with a  61-101 season. With that in mind, 32-year old Esteban Osorid, acquired in the Kevin Reynolds trade with Colorado in 2017, was the team's MVP on the strength of a 7-12 season, 3.93 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 3.0 WAR. Osorid's great work ethic and easy personality made him instantly popular in the clubhouse and he had a decent season going until a sore shoulder ended his campaign prematurely at the end of August. The injury actually was pain radiating from his elbow, and Osorid, who had been a consistent innings-eater for Maryland, would end up missing the entire 2021 season with a ruptured ulnar collateral ligament and may eventually be moved to the bullpen.

Honorable Mention
RF Scotty Knox .238/.345/.484, 37 HR, 92 RBI, 85 R, 11 SB, 2.8 WAR - Acquired from New Mexico prior to the season, Knox basically replaced the power output of Jose Ibarra without blinking an eye. An all-or-nothing type of hitter, switch-hitting Knox was warmly embraced by the Bridegrooms faithful. 

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2021 Most Valuable Player

Jose Ortiz, the man who made Jose Ibarra expendable, capped his second full season in the majors with an All-Star appearance and impressive .280/.340/.534 line, with a team record-tying 43 home runs, 105 RBI, 95 runs scored, and 2.7 WAR. The Cuban infielder spent most of the season at second base but will be installed as the permanent third baseman for the 2022 season and beyond. Ortiz is a man who never saw a pitch he didn't like, striking out 171 times in 670 plate appearances. One of the signature moments in another dismal season for Maryland was Ortiz hitting a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the 10th inning in a 5-4 win over Colorado in mid August.

Honorable Mention
SP Artie Gregory 8-17, 5.70 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 6.3 K/9, 3.1 WAR - By all accounts Gregory didn't have a very good year. But, after 7 seasons as one of the better closers in the AFBL (216 career saves), Bridegrooms fans gave him a standing ovation as he took the hill as the Opening Day starting pitcher in 2021. Gregory, who had always wanted to be a starter and started 12 games back in 2013, gets the honorable mention mostly for his long-term service to the club and the feel-good nature of the story.

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Have updated the list of MVPs, will probably only do writeups on some of the more controversial ones.