Monday, June 20, 1955
SOUTH ISLAND LEAGUES NAME MVPs AND TOP GLOVEMEN FOR 1955 SEASON
The South Island Leagues, the Supreme League and the Secondary League, named their top players for the 1955 season... heading up the starstudded list were Delta first baseman Nick Hill, the Supreme League Most Valuable Player and St. Pete first baseman Mike Williams, the Secondary League Most Valuable Player... the two leagues also announced the Golden Glove Award winners.
The South Island Supreme League Most Valuable Player Award went to 25-year-old Nick Hill, the star first sacker for the Delta Stars... Hill tied for the best batting average with his teammate Gene Frazier... they both batted a scorching .436 and collected 17 hits each to top the league... Hill also led the league with 13 RBIs and 6 doubles... Delta ended up in fourth place in a tight pennant race, 2 games off the pace... runner-up in the MVP voting was Braxton catcher Andy Brown... he topped the Supreme League with 4 homers...Brown batted .306 and drove in 8 runs, while helping his Bruins wind up tied for second place in the standings, just one game behind champion Jackson.
Mike Williams of the league champion St. Pete Pelicans was acclaimed the standout player in the South Island Secondary League... he was named the 1955 Secondary League Most Valuable Player because of his league-leading .435 BA, league-leading 8 home runs and 14 RBIs... Williams, only 20 years of age, outpolled Grin Hill's talented catcher Lindsey Nelson for the MVP honor... Nelson also enjoyed an outstanding year with a .313 BA, 7 roundtrippers and a league-leading 17 runs batted in... Nelson was also named to the Secondary League Golden Glove team... his Smileys finished a very close third in the pennant race.
Home runs and high batting averages seem to get the most headlines, but the unsung guys that play standout defense also play a big part in the outcome of a baseball game... Golden Glove trophies were also presented to the top defenders in the South Island Leagues.
1955 South Island Supreme League Golden Glove Team
Pitcher: Roland Carlson - Columbia (1.000 FA) (2-7/5.20 ERA/10 games) (.313 RBI/1 HR/7 RBI/5 R)
Catcher: Tim Jardin - Columbia (.980 FA 18.2% RTO) (.222 BA/0 HR/2 RBI/5 R)
First Baseman: Nick Hill - Delta (.978 FA) (.436 BA/2 HR/13 RBI/7 R)
Second Baseman: Harper Lovejoy - Jackson (1.000 FA) (.324 BA/0 HR/4 RBI/7 R/7 SB)
Third Baseman: Ricky Keegan - Pelham (1.000 FA) (.316 BA/0 HR/3 RBI/3 R)
Shortstop: Matt Swain - Braxton (1.000 FA) (.355 BA/0 HR/7 RBI/2 R/1 SB)
Left Fielder: Mike Bryan - Braxton (1.000 FA) (.216 BA/2 HR/5 RBI/4 R)
Center Fielder: Karl Meier - Columbia (1.000 FA) (.244 BA/0 HR/0 RBI/7 R)
Right Fielder: Tommy Clark - Columbia (1.000 FA) (.256 BA/1 HR/5 RBI/7 R)
1955 South Island Secondary League Golden Glove Team
Pitcher: Jim Smiley - Grin Hill (1.000 FA) (2-0/5.35 ERA/11 games) (.409 BA/0 HR/3 RBI/3 R)
Catcher: Lindsey Nelson - Grin Hill (.986 FA/42.9% RTO) (.313 BA/7 HR/17 RBI/9 R)
First Baseman: Cody Kaiser - Grin Hill (.988 FA) (.356 BA/6 HR/14 RBI/14 R)
Second Baseman: Eric Lynch - St. Pete (.957 FA) (.298 BA/3 HR/15 RBI/13 R)
Third Baseman: Howard Hayes - Gull Lake (1.000 FA) (.315 BA/0 HR/6 RBI/5 R)
Shortstop: Eddy Wright - Gull Lake (.985 FA) (.163 BA/0 HR/8 RBI/5 R/1 SB)
Left Fielder: Sal Geraci - Gull Lake (1.000 FA) (.352 BA/1 HR/10 RBI/12 R/5 SB)
Center Fielder: Deke Tanner - Billings (1.000 BA) (.121 BA/0 HR/2 RBI/1 R)
Right Fielder: Nate Wiggins - Moon Valley (1.000 FA) (.222 BA/1 HR/6 RBI/7 R)
1955 Supreme League Batting Leaderboard
1955 Supreme League Pitching Leaderboard
