Award Winners
| Award | Winner (Team) |
| A-League | |
| Andy Leonard MVP | Frank Andrews (Spartans) / Dan Sweatland (Mariners) / Yuki Kubo (Spartans) (Shared) |
| Tommy Bond Best Pitcher | Robert Cavicchioni (Hurricanes) |
| Jack Doyle Silver Slugger | Yuki Kubo (Spartans) |
| Patsy Donovan Batting Champion | Kelvin Almonte (Hurricanes) |
| A-League Pennant | Dublin City Hurricanes |
| A-League Championship | Dublin City Hurricanes |
| B-League | |
| Gus Hernandez MVP | Darwin Sanchez (Buccaneers) |
| Bill Beglane Best Pitcher | Dan Sykes (Mariners) |
| Jimmy Archer Silver Slugger | Darwin Sanchez (Buccaneers) / Ryan Wiebe (Giants) (Shared) |
| Fergy Malone Batting Champion | Darwin Sanchez (Buccaneers) / Ryan Wiebe (Giants) (Shared) |
| B-League Pennant | Greystones Mariners |
| B-League Championship | Dublin City Hurricanes |
About the Awards
The Awards are named after Irish-born players who have hit the big-time in Major League Baseball in the USA.
Andy Leonard MVP Award: Andy Leonard was one of the nine “First Boys of Summer” – the first Professional Baseball team – The Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869. He was the only Irish-born player on the team, having been born in Co. Cavan, during the Famine, and having left when he was two years old for America. He continued playing at a high level after the Red Stockings, being part of the Boston Red Stockings Championship Dynasty of 1872 to 1876 and again in 1878. Both the Cincinnati reds and Boston Red Sox claim the heritage of the Cincinnati Red stockings of 1869, with the owner moving the team to Boston, and a new Cincinnati team coming in its’ place.
He also returned to Ireland in 1874, to play for the Red Stockings on a Tour with the Philadelphia Athletics (now Oakland Athletics) and his diary shows delight at beating the Marylebone Cricket Champions in England at their own game, Cricket. He had the second best career average of an Irish player at .299.
Tommy Bond Best Pitcher Award: Tommy Bond was born in Granard, Co. Longford in 1856. He became the first triple crown pitcher when he led the National League in 1877, with 40 Wins, 170 Strikeouts and a 2.11 ERA for Boston.
“Dirty” Jack Doyle Ssilver Slugger Award: Ireland-born Jack Doyle is one of only 20 Major League players to have played 100 games or more at four different positions. He had the most career doubles (315), home runs (26), Runs Batted In (RBI) (968) and highest batting percentage (.385) of all the Irish-born Major League Players.He was born in Killorglin, Co. Kerry.
Patsy Donovan Batting Champion: Patsy Donovan may well have been the most successful Irish-born Major League Player, having played the most games, and had the best batting average. He was also the man responsible for bringing the famous Babe Ruth to the attention of the Boston Red Sox. He was a star player for the Pittsburgh Pirates for 8 seasons, had 6 consecutive seasons with a batting average of .300 or above, and served as player-manager in 1897 and 1899.
References
Websites
[1] Baseball Ireland (2020) Award Winners [Internet] Available from: http://www.baseballireland.com/news.php?search_id=6 [Accessed 10 March 2020]
Social Media
Reference: [2]
[2] Baseball Ireland Facebook Page (2018) Post: October 25, 2018: “2018 Irish Baseball Adult League Award Winners” [Internet] https://www.facebook.com/baseballireland/posts/2125271084184344 [Accessed 17 September 2018]
Images
[3] Baseball Ireland (2017) Baseball Ireland Logo Car Sticker [Internet] http://www.baseballireland.com/images/carsticker.jpg [Accessed 1 May 2017]
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Peter Kavanagh, Baseball Ireland & Peter Mullen, Dublin Black Sox
About this document
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the Irish North American and World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 11 March 2020
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020
You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.
