2002.04 : Buffalo Sauce - June Awards

[mrbornac]

Here we are, with the month of June (and the first week of July) finally gone. To this point, the Bison have not pulled off any trades, although, they are trying to fill some holes and give the team a better chance in 2003.

Some kudos need to go out to a number of hitters who had a good month in June, including All Star Catcher Jeremy Hunter, who batted .322 for the month, knocking out six home runs, and walking 20 times. Also of note, in limited at bats, Ralph Butt showed off some great skills at the plate, earning the Rookie of the Month award for the FL. Even 1B/OF John Johnston deserves some credit, banging out 11 doubles and driving in 16 runs.

However, the hitter of the month goes out to none other than the relatively unheard of SS Ryan Savaikie. Not only was he second on the team in home runs with five, but he also hit .291 while driving in a team leading 22 runs, giving him a total of 57 through the first three months of the season. He has quietly led the team in this statistic nearly all season, and has taken advantage of almost every opportunity given to him at the plate this year. Meanwhile, he has shown a very steady glove in the field, and has earned his way into a permanent spot on the roster, barring some unfortunate event.

On the other side of the ledger, the picture is not quite so good. For the second time this year, we feel best about recognizing a middle reliever for a good month, and we put our money where our collective mouth is this past month. Oscar Acosta appeared in 10 games for the month, pitching 11 innings, and only giving up six hits and one walk for a WHIP of 0.64. Striking out 12, and giving up 2 runs, he had an ERA of just 1.64. Given Oscar's performance year to date, the team rewarded the 35 year old southpaw with a one year extension worth a reported five million dollars. In nine opportunities, he has earned nine holds, and has shown himself to be one of the best Bison to come out of the pen.