Shuckers nominated for four year-end MiLBy awards
BILOXI, MS - The Biloxi Shuckers have been nominated by Minor League Baseball for year-end annual "MiLBY" awards in the categories of "Best Team", "Game of the Year", "Breakout Prospect" for Orlando Arcia and Brett Phillips and "Top Offensive Player", Phillips. The winners will be determined by fan votes, beginning now through Oct. 27.
The Shuckers finished their historic inaugural campaign as one of the top stories in baseball, recording the league's top record at 78-59 and a First Half South Championship. Fittingly, Biloxi is a finalist for four of its top honors including the unprecedented road to MGM Park and the magic that took the country by storm.
Best Team: "The Shuckers opened the season with a 54-game road trip, but that didn't stop them from winning the South Division's first-half title. The wins kept coming after moving into MGM Park as the Shuckers finished with the Southern League's best regular-season record (78-59) and team ERA (3.25)."
Game of the Year: "Double-A Biloxi spent the first two months -- 54 total games -- of its existence on the road while waiting for MGM Park to be ready for baseball. On their first night in their beautiful new digs, the Shuckers wrote the perfect script, rallying from a run down to walk off in the 14th."
Top Offensive Player: Brett Phillips, "Phillips couldn't be fazed this year -- he put up at least one four-hit game for each of the three teams he played for across two organizations. After bashing 15 California League homers, he showed a continual ability to get on base and find gaps the rest of the season. He was dealt from the Astros to the Brewers on July 31."
Breakout Prospect: Orlando Arcia and Brett Phillips, "Playing mostly as a 20-year-old at Double-A this season, Arcia set full-season career highs in all three slash-line categories and doubled his home run output from 2014. Between that offensive profile and his Gold Glove work on defense, he moved from No. 88 in MLB.com's preseason prospect rankings all the way to No. 12 by season's end."
"For Phillips, the big question was whether he could carry a big 2014 to the higher levels. Given the numbers he put up at Class A Advanced Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi/Biloxi this season, the answer was an emphatic yes. The 21-year-old outfielder, dealt to the Brewers in the Carlos Gomez deal, is now MLB.com's No. 32 prospect after starting the season outside the top 100."
Shuckers' fans can vote as often as you'd like. Voting will continue until Oct. 27 with winners for the 13 categories being announced from Oct. 28-Nov. 5.
CLICK HERE for a direct link to the fan voting portal.
The Biloxi Shuckers are the AA affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and a member of the Southern League. For the latest information on the Shuckers visit www.biloxishuckers.com, like the team on facebook, www.facebook.com/biloxishuckers, or follow them on twitter, www.twitter.com/biloxishuckers.