Medina Dominates
Calgary’s Francisco Medina proved that he is among the dominant hitters in the BBA last year and finally got the attention he deserved. Medina led the league in HR and was 2nd in RBI. He won the JL Silver Slugger Award for RF and was selected to the All Star team for the first time.
“It is about time that people woke up to the fact that Francisco is the best power hitter in the game today,” said Calgary GM Kevin Dickson. “He has averaged 50 homers a year for the past 5 and if there is a guy on base I know he is bringing them home.”
Medina set career highs in nearly every category. He hit .317, .380 OBA, .686 SLG and 1.067 OPS. He hit 61 homers, drove in 153 runs and hit 45 doubles. For awhile it looked like he was going to join the 50-50 club, but it didn’t happen. He also led the league with 170 strikeouts.
To show how big a year he had, here is where it ranks on Calgary’s leaderboards” .686 SLG #1, 1.067 OPS #2, 427 TB #1, 61 HR #2, 153 RBIs #3.
“I hit behind Mao, so that is a good spot to be in the lineup,” Medina said. “Him and I are like Ruth and Gehrig.”
The two have made quite the combo over the past 2 seasons. They are the only combo in BBA history to hit 50 or more HR in consecutive seasons. This year they almost became the first combo to both hit 50 HR and have 150 RBIs. Mao finished with 149.
Medina has flown under the league radar despite being the most prolific power hitter of the past 5 years. He has hit 245 HR during this period, twice breaking 50. This year marked his first all star appearance and he didn’t disappoint hitting a homer in his only at bat.
Another feat the Medina accomplished this year is hitting 3 home runs in a game. He did it twice this season and has done it three times in his career, more than any other Pioneer.
