Carolina's Dave Sappelt Named Southern League's Most Valuable Player

MARIETTA, GA- The Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs is pleased to announce that Carolina Mudcats outfielder Dave Sappelt has been named its Most Valuable Player as voted upon by the league's field managers, radio broadcasters and print media.

A native of Graham, NC, where he still resides today, Sappelt graduated from Southern Alamance High School and went on to play at Coastal Carolina University. He was drafted in the 9th round of the 2008 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. Starting out as a rookie he played for the Billings Mustangs with a .299 average for the 2008 season with thirty-five RBI, seven homeruns and five triples. The next year he ripped through the Midwest League and the Florida State League with a combined .281 average, forty-seven stolen bases, forty-six RBI, seven homeruns and ten triples.

Sappelt, who began his season playing for Single-A Lynchburg, quietly hit a ground-ball single in his first atbat for the Mudcats on April 30. What transpired for the next three months was Sappelt maintaining an impressive batting average, keeping in the forefront of both his team and the league in that category. When he was promoted to Triple-A Louisville in early August, he led his team in triples (8), RBI (62), and on-base percentage (.416). He led the league with the highest batting average of .361. His batting average and on base percentage still lead the league to this day and his slugging percentage is still the third best in the league (.548).

While Carolina didn't manage a winning record this year, Sappelt was a burst of energy that exploded in almost every game he played for the Mudcats, often hitting 3-for-4 or even 4-for-5 as he did on May 14 against the Tennessee Smokies. In July, he commenced an eleven-game hitting streak where he racked up nineteen hits in forty-three at bats, with a .442 average for July 3-17. His sneakiness paid off as well, stealing fifteen bases during his Southern League career. He was selected as an outfielder for the North Division All-Star Team and went 1-for-2 with a second inning double. He ran home after singles by two teammates and the North ended up taking the game 3-2. He was also selected for the Postseason All-Star Team. Sappelt joined the Louisville Bats August 12 and is already enjoying a .289 batting average with four RBI, three triples and two doubles in less than three weeks of play.