NEW CARLISLE- In a season filled with ridiculous offensive numbers, many players were
worthy of Most Valuable Player consideration. In total, 14 sluggers either tied or broke the
previous record of 59 home runs for a season. Eleven players had a batting average of .600
or better, and 15 drove in more than 100 runs.
However, team performance comes into play when determining an individual’s value as well.
Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the managers chose players who led their respective
teams to the ORWBL World Series.
The 2012 Most Valuable Player awards were given to Wes Ellis of the G-Slugs in the
American League and Jay Ryans of the Warriors in the National League.
Ellis has been one of the most feared hitters in the game for the past five seasons.
Unfortunately for him, this season was the first time full season statistics were kept by the
Slugs franchise, so we have no idea how good his career numbers actually are. However,
the stats he put up in 2012 were borderline insane. Ellis hit .613 with 107 HR and a league
record (by a wide margin) 181 RBI. He is one of only two players (Nick Arndt being the other)
to hit over 100 homers in a season.
Ryans, a rookie for the 2012 ORWBL Champions, did it both at the plate and on the mound for
the Warriors. He finished second in the NL Cy Young voting and was narrowly beat out by
teammate Scott Soos for NL Rookie of the Year. However, Ryans takes home the top
individual prize as MVP. At the plate, he batted .630 with 85 HR and 149 RBI. On the mound,
he went 11-5 with an 8.94 ERA. More impressive was his performance in the ORWBL World
Series, holding the G-Slugs, the league’s most powerful offense, in check throughout the five
game series.