LEAGUE NEWS: Pitcher and Player of the Year Announced09/13/2007 2:40 PM - The Northern League announced Calgary Vipers outfielder Darryl Brinkley was voted Northern League Player of the Year and Gary Railcats pitcher Willie Glen was voted Northern League Pitcher of the Year as voted on by the league’s managers, radio announcers, and local media.
Brinkley, who became the first player in Northern League history to bat .400 in a season, was a near unanimous selection as Player of the Year receiving 95% of the first place votes. Playing 87 games for the Vipers, he led the league in batting (.400), runs (88), hits (150), and on-base percentage (.456). His 150 hits established a new single-season record in the Northern League. The previous record being 143 set by Bryan Warner of the Lincoln Saltdogs in 2005. A career .329 batter in over 1,500 games played, Brinkley received the Rawlings Player of the Month award in June and was twice named Player of the Week (June 11th and June 25th). The 38-year-old veteran also had a league-high 23-game hitting streak (May 18th – June 13th) in ‘07. The 5-11, 205-pound outfielder, has been playing professionally since 1991 and has played pro ball in Holland, Italy, Canada, Mexico, Korea, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico in addition to the United States. The Norwalk, CT native has played parts of five seasons in the Northern League. Darryl Brinkley – Calgary Vipers AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS SLG OBP .400 87 275 88 150 32 1 14 82 37 45 18 11 .603 .456 Northern League Players of the Year Year Player Team 2007 Darryl Brinkley Calgary Vipers 2006 Joe Mathis Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 2005 Bryan Warner Lincoln Saltdogs 2004 Mario Delgado Schaumburg Flyers 2003 Eddie Pearson Kansas City T-Bones 2002 Bryan Warner Lincoln Saltdogs 2001 Clay Eason Lincoln Saltdogs 2000 Anthony Lewis Duluth-Superior Dukes Glen, who has a career record of 32-9 in three seasons with the RailCats, went 12-1 with a 3.03 ERA on his way to being named 2007 Northern League Pitcher of the Year. The 29-year-old right-hander led the league in strikeouts (162), setting a new modern era Northern League single-season record. The old record of 153 set in 2002, was held by Bobby Madritsch of the Winnipeg Goldeyes The 6-1, 185-pounder, finished the year third in wins (12) and ERA (3.03). On the season, he recorded a league-high 12 strikeouts in a game against the Kansas City T-Bones on August 15th as well as posting three separate 11 strikeout games in ’07. In addition, he is the RailCats franchise leader in career victories (32) and strikeouts (384). He has also gone a perfect 6-0 in seven post-season starts for Gary SouthShore, including 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA in ’07. Glen, a native of Indianapolis, IN (now residing in Plainfield, IN), was named to the Northern League All-Star team for the first time this year and was honored as the Rawlings Pitcher of the Month (August) and NL Player of the Week (May 28th). Willie Glen- Gary SouthShore RailCats OPP. W-L S ERA G GS CG SHO IP H R ER BB SO AVG 12-1 0 3.03 23 23 2 1 139.2 111 51 47 36 162 .214 Northern League Pitchers of the Year Year Player Team 2007 Willie Glen Gary SouthShore RailCats 2006 Jonathan Krysa Kansas City T-Bones 2005 Brandon Culp Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 2004 Rich Hyde Joliet JackHammers 2003 Rafael Gross Winnipeg Goldeyes |