Hillcats Dominate Postseason All-Star List
For the second straight year, a Lynchburg Hillcat received Carolina League MVP with Bobby Bradley earning the distinction in 2016. Additionally, the league honored Mark Budzinski as Manager of the Year to headline a postseason all-star list that included six Hillcats players on the 13-man roster.
In addition to Bradley, Yu-Cheng Chang, Greg Allen, Anthony Santander, Mark Mathias, and Francisco Mejia made the Carolina League Postseason All-Star Team. The all-time record for postseason All-Stars for the Hillcats is seven, established by the 2002 squad.
Bradley joins last year's winner in Nellie Rodriguez, along with Brad Eldred, Jose Guillen, Aramis Ramirez and Chris Shelton as players to win Carolina League MVP since the Hillcats era began in 1995. With the exception of Rodriguez, who is in Double-A now, every Hillcat previously named Carolina League MVP made it to the Majors. Overall, Bradley becomes the 12th Lynchburg player to win the Carolina League MVP Award since the franchise joined the league in 1966.
BOBBY BRADLEY
The 20-year-old slugger dominated many offensive categories in the Carolina League in 2016. Bobby Bradley leads the circuit with 29 home runs, 101 RBIs and 71 walks. Bradley was the first player to hit two grand slams in the Carolina League this season, accomplishing the feat on May 2 against Potomac and June 6 against Salem. Bradley's 80 runs scored are third on the league charts, and his .494 slugging percentage checks in at fourth. In the team record book, Bradley has already tied Aramis Ramirez's 29 homers in 1997 for the most by a Hillcat. The all-time Lynchburg mark is 30 home runs by Randy Bass in 1974, while Ramirez holds the all-time RBI crown with 114 in the 1997 campaign.
GREG ALLEN
Greg Allen paced the league in a number of categories at the time of his promotion July 25 and still tops all Carolina League players in a few categories one month later. Batting leadoff for the best offense in the eight-team circuit, Allen scored 93 runs in 92 games, which is still seven more than the next-closest player, fellow Hillcat All-Star Anthony Santander. His 38 stolen bases remain at the top of the league leaderboard, and Allen's .424 on-base percentage is only two points behind Frederick's Wynston Sawyer for the top spot in that category. Allen fueled his on-base percentage with a league-leading 19 hit by pitches, and he still qualifies for fourth in the league with a .298 batting average. Furthermore, the San Diego State product made significant contributions defensively by using his speed to track down a wide range of fly balls and turn in numerous highlight-reel catches.
YU-CHENG CHANG
Until a trip to the Disabled List derailed some of his record-pace numbers, Yu-Cheng Chang consistently ranked in the league's top five in several offensive categories. Despite only playing six games so far in August, Chang continues to rank fifth in runs scored and slugging percentage with marks of 74 and .482. On July 24, Chang saw his name third on the league leaderboard for RBIs with 67. With the injury, he has only driven in three since, but his 70 total for the year are still just two outside of the top five. Chang is the first Hillcat to be named the league's postseason All-Star shortstop since Andrelton Simmons in 2011.
MARK MATHIAS
Mark Mathias has played in 111 games for the Hillcats this season, compiling a batting average of .273 and a Carolina League-leading 38 doubles. He has 59 RBIs and 67 runs scored to go with a .356 on-base percentage. In the second-half alone he is hitting .284, which is 24 points higher than his first-half average. The California native has tallied 31 multi-hit games. He had a 14-game hitting streak that began July 5 and ended July 22. During that span, he recorded eight multi-hit games with 11 doubles, 18 RBIs and 17 runs. As part of that tear, Mathias had a 3-5 performance against Wilmington July 16 in which he drove in three runs, scored three runs, hit a double, and crushed a solo home run.
ANTHONY SANTANDER
Anthony Santander is scattered across the Carolina League offensive leaderboard this season. He is fifth in the Carolina League with a .296 batting average in 120 games played. The switch-hitter has the third-most home runs with 19, the second-most RBIs with 91, and the second-most runs scored with 86. He is also tied with Mathias for the most doubles in the league with 38. The 21-year-old is leading the Hillcats with 36 multi-hit games. His hit total of 138 is tied for second on the eight-team circuit. The Venezuelan native also ranks second in the league with a slugging percentage of .499 and fifth with a .373 on-base percentage. In the months of July and August, he has hit .328 with 18 doubles and 11 home runs. He has also driven in 42 runs and scored 40 in just 52 games.
FRANCISCO MEJIA
Francisco Mejia recorded a 50-game hitting streak dating back to his time in Low-A Lake County. It was tied for the fourth-longest in MiLB history but the longest in MiLB modern history and the longest by a catcher. During the streak he hit .386 with an OPS of 1.022 to go with 21 multi-hit games and 25 extra-base hits. The switch-hitter participated in the Midwest League All-Star game and the MLB Futures Game at Petco Park. With the Hillcats, he is currently batting .322 with 27 RBIs, 21 runs scored, and 15 extra-base hits. The 20-year-old has four homers with the 'Cats, including a grand slam in the first inning against the Mudcats July 23 to extend the streak to 37 games. Mejia has hit safely in 32 of his 35 games since joining Lynchburg and has an OPS of .855, which is second on the team to only Santander.
ON DECK
Lynchburg plays Potomac Saturday night at Calvin Falwell Field in a matchup of the top two Northern Division teams. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Luis Lugo (8-3, 3.85) will be on the mound for the Hillcats against fellow southpaw Hectore Silvestre (0-0, 4.50). Fans can listen to the action on 93.3 FM and 1320 AM as well as www.lynchburg-hillcats.com, beginning with the Hillcats On-Deck Show at 6:15 p.m.