Sea Dogs Present Team Awards

Portland, Maine- The Portland Sea Dogs, Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, presented their annual team awards for the 2011 season prior to Monday's final game of the season. The team awards are voted on by the fans and are presented by Irving Oil and Creative Awards. The team awards are handed out in four different categories: Most Valuable Player, Pitcher of the Year, 10th Player Award and Citizen of the Year.

 

The 2011 award winners are:

• Most Valuable Player: Chih-Hsien Chiang
• Pitcher of the Year: Alex Wilson
• 10th Player Award: Jon Hee
• Citizen of the Year: Jeremy Kehrt

 

Most Valuable Player - Chih-Hsien Chiang                                         88 G, .340 AVG, 37 2B, 18 HR, 76 RBI

Outfielder Chih-Hsien Chiang had a monster season hitting .340 with 18 home runs and 76 RBI for the Sea Dogs in 88 games.  Chiang was selected as the Eastern League Player of the Month for June and July.  He finished runner up to Travis d'Arnaud of New Hampshire in 2011 Eastern League MVP voting.  Chiang participated in both the Major League Baseball Futures Game on July 10th in Phoenix, Arizona and the Eastern League All-Star Game on July 13th in Manchester, New Hampshire.  Additionally, Chiang a native of Taitung, Taiwan, was selected to the 2011 Eastern League season-ending All-Star Team.   Chiang was traded on July 31^st to the Seattle Mariners in the deal that sent Erik Bedard to Boston.  At the time of the trade, Chiang was leading the Eastern League in batting average (.340, 109-for-321), RBI (76), doubles (37), extra-base hits (59), runs scored (68) and slugging percentage (.648) and had tallied four triples and 18 home runs.

 

Chiang spent parts of two seasons with the Sea Dogs appearing in 209 games.  He ranks second in career doubles (72), ranks fourth all-time in slugging percentage (.524), seventh in home runs (29), eighth in RBI (141) and tied for ninth in total bases (398). The left-handed slugger holds the Sea Dogs franchise record with three grand slams and joins Josh Reddick as the only Sea Dogs to homer in four straight games.

 

Pitcher of the Year - Alex Wilson                                                             21 G, 9-4, 3.05 ERA, 99 SO

Right-hander Alex Wilson, a 2011 Eastern League All-Star, notched a 9-4 record with a 3.05 ERA in 21 starts for the Sea Dogs in 2011. His 3.05 ERA ranks fifth amongst Eastern League hurlers.   He led the team in innings pitched (112.0) and strikeouts (99) prior to being called up to Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday, August 16^th.   The Boston Red Sox selected Wilson in the second round (77th overall) of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Texas A&M.  While with Portland, Wilson was spectacular at home posting a 5-1 record with a 2.45 ERA in 66 innings while recording 56 punch outs. He is rated by Baseball America as having the best "Slider" in the Red Sox Farm system.

 

10th Player Award - Jon Hee                                                       98 G, .275 AVG, 26 2B, 4 HR, 40 RBI

Infielder Jon Hee has done it all for the Sea Dogs this season and has become a fan favorite in the process.  Despite opening the season as a utility player, Hee appeared in 98 games for the Sea Dogs hitting at a .275 clip. The native of Honolulu, Hawaii has played at least ten games at four different infield positions (1B, 2B, 3B, and SS). Hee batted .311 (33-for-106) through the first two months of the season and found himself seeing regular playing time when Will Middlebrooks and Reynaldo Rodriguez spent time on the disabled list.  The 26 year-old broke out offensively, establishing new career highs in batting average, games played, hits, runs, doubles, home runs, RBI, on base percentage and slugging percentage. His four home runs this season doubled his career total in 248 previous professional games. Hee was selected out of the University of Hawaii by the Red Sox in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft after his impressive collegiate career in which he was named a NCAA Division I Gold Glove Shortstop by the American Baseball Coaches Association.    

 

Citizen of the Year - Jeremy Kehrt                                                           22 G, 3-2, 4.64 ERA, 38 SO

The native of Indianapolis, Indiana has spent time between Portland and Pawtucket during the 2011 season. Kehrt started the year in Portland, pitching primarily from the bullpen after being a starter for the Sea Dogs during the 2010 season.   The right-hander posted a 3-2 record with a 4.64 ERA in 77.2 innings (22 appearances, 6 starts) with the Sea Dogs and 1-0 record with a 3.45 ERA in 15.2 innings (7 appearances, 2 starts) for Pawtucket. Outside of his breakout season, Kehrt has been even more impressive off the field. The well-spoken pitcher volunteered much of his time to the community. Kehrt made numerous appearances at schools to speak to young students about the importance of education and living a healthy/active lifestyle. Kehrt has become a great role model for young fans as he participated in speaking arrangements, team building exercises, radio appearances, and summer camps throughout the year.  Furthermore, Kehrt would volunteer to sign autographs at the Sea Dogs' autograph table at least once every homestand.  

 

Individual tickets for the 2012 season will go on sale at the Hadlock Field Ticket Office at 9:00 AM on Saturday, November 5^th.  Season tickets are currently available.