Sticking Points 2039.3: Flores Wins Sawyer Silk
Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2019 9:19 am
The Pikemen might not have taken home the big trophy this year, but their catcher did get some hardware to put on his mantelpiece. Francisco Flores won the JL Sawyer Silk Award this year. He did it by winning the batting title, and posing the highest WAR in the Johnson League despite playing just 135 games.
"It's a great honor to receive this award, something that means a lot to me," said Flores, 24 years old. "Just knowing the names that have won this award make this very special to me.
Flores is the fourth player in franchise history to win a Sawyer Silk, after Hall of Famers Frank Thomas III (who won three Sawyer Silks) and Rafael Rodriguez, and tragic legend Manuel Aguilar. It is the first Sawyer Silk Award to be won by a Rockville player. Thomas, now a minor league hitting coach for the franchise, appeared at the award ceremony to give Flores the award.
"I hope he breaks all of my team records," said Thomas. "He's a fine young man and a great hitter."
The pick is also likely to be somewhat controversial. Flores didn't have the traditional counting stats of a Sawyer Silk Award winner, with just 93 RBI and 84 runs scored in just 129 starts. However, the nontraditional pick was perhaps the second best defensive catcher in the BBA last year, hit a robust .355, the highest in either league by 20 points, and led the league in wins above replacement, an advanced stat which takes all of Flores' contributions into consideration.
"It's hard to measure exactly what Francisco means to our franchise, but just understand that it was one of our top priorities to make sure that he didn't leave after this year," said Pikemen GM Aaron Weiner. "We think he might be the best catcher in the BBA."
Flores, in six professional seasons, has never had a batting average below .300 at the end of any campaign. The lefty catcher, with his outstanding 2038, now holds the all time record for highest batting average for a catcher in BBA history, though he is unlikely to approach legendary Birmingham catcher Dexter Sheehan (who was also drafted by Weiner) in all-time OPS, or active leader Cisco Arreola.
"I try not to think about all time numbers, but it's an honor just being brought up in those conversations," said Flores. "I'm proud of what I've achieved and I'm looking forward to coming back and doing it again."
"It's a great honor to receive this award, something that means a lot to me," said Flores, 24 years old. "Just knowing the names that have won this award make this very special to me.
Flores is the fourth player in franchise history to win a Sawyer Silk, after Hall of Famers Frank Thomas III (who won three Sawyer Silks) and Rafael Rodriguez, and tragic legend Manuel Aguilar. It is the first Sawyer Silk Award to be won by a Rockville player. Thomas, now a minor league hitting coach for the franchise, appeared at the award ceremony to give Flores the award.
"I hope he breaks all of my team records," said Thomas. "He's a fine young man and a great hitter."
The pick is also likely to be somewhat controversial. Flores didn't have the traditional counting stats of a Sawyer Silk Award winner, with just 93 RBI and 84 runs scored in just 129 starts. However, the nontraditional pick was perhaps the second best defensive catcher in the BBA last year, hit a robust .355, the highest in either league by 20 points, and led the league in wins above replacement, an advanced stat which takes all of Flores' contributions into consideration.
"It's hard to measure exactly what Francisco means to our franchise, but just understand that it was one of our top priorities to make sure that he didn't leave after this year," said Pikemen GM Aaron Weiner. "We think he might be the best catcher in the BBA."
Flores, in six professional seasons, has never had a batting average below .300 at the end of any campaign. The lefty catcher, with his outstanding 2038, now holds the all time record for highest batting average for a catcher in BBA history, though he is unlikely to approach legendary Birmingham catcher Dexter Sheehan (who was also drafted by Weiner) in all-time OPS, or active leader Cisco Arreola.
"I try not to think about all time numbers, but it's an honor just being brought up in those conversations," said Flores. "I'm proud of what I've achieved and I'm looking forward to coming back and doing it again."
