Blowing in the Wind 2056.2: 2055 Was The Year For Mr. Congeniality

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"It was an honor just being nominated," said the multiple runner-ups for major awards on the Jacksonville roster. Two players, Bernie Stuart and Alejandro Chavez, both finished as runner-ups in the major pitching categories, while GM Aaron Weiner finished tied for second place in the JL GM of the Year voting.

"This year was definitely a team effort, but we had some outstanding individual performances," said Weiner. "I'm honored to have been on so many ballots for GM of the Year, but also I can tell you that I cast my own vote for David Burdicki, and the guy who broke the wins record definitely deserves the crown."

Weiner's magnanimity aside, there's little question that Burdicki was highly deserving of the award, as his Charm City team won 120 games this season. That said, Weiner deserved to be in the top three: he finished with the second most first place votes (2), improved the team a dozen games, and made several impressive signings, including Stuart, who finished second in Steve Nebraska voting.

"For a while there I thought I might finally win one," said Stuart, who has finished as either the second or third place vote-getter in Steve Nebraska five times in his career but has never won the top prize. "To have been in the running so many times, though, really makes a guy proud of the career he's had. I've still got a lot of good years ahead of me, so I'm still hoping that maybe I win one in the future."

Stuart finished with a 15-3 record and a 3.03 ERA; his .833 winning percentage led the Johnson League. Stuart finished second in ERA and strikeouts, while his 15 wins tied for fourth place.

"It helped a lot that I didn't have the pressure of having to carry the staff," said Stuart. "We have so many good pitchers that I felt free to just go out and sling it every day and I knew the rest of the team would pick me up."

Alejandro Chavez had won the Jason Egan Award before, and has now finished third or better in three of his eight major league seasons. The veteran righty had just come off of his worst full campaign as a major leaguer, so the huge bounce back season for the fireballing righty has to be a huge lift to the team.

"We had a lot of great performances in our bullpen this year," said Chavez. "It wasn't just all me. I'm grateful to my teammates who got me the ball so I could get so many saves."

Chavez finished with a 5-4 record and a career high 43 saves. Chavez allowed just three home runs in 66 innings, and also lived up to his "Mr. October" nickname by winning two games and saving another in the postseason.

"We're going to probably start talking extension for Alejandro the minute the financial year flips over to 2056 and we're allowed to start talking to him about it," said Weiner. "He's such an integral part of the team and we hope he's a Jacksonville lifer."