[BirdWatcher]

In the SJL:




Pat Bergeron will never be considered one of the good guys of the game- in fact he is pretty much universally disliked with his nasty disposition and immature approach to the game and to life- but at least last year he was considered the best relief pitcher in the SJL. At age 32 he has had other very excellent seasons and also several disastrous ones. 1986 was by far the best of his two and half seasons with Jacksonville and he is eligible for free agency this offseason.


In the MGL:




While there were many key contributors in the Phoenix Speed Devils MGL West pennant winning effort, that of 23-year old closer Steve Hensgens should not be lost in the shuffle. The smart and well-liked young groundball specialist has emerged as one of the dominant closers in the game. He led the league in saves in 1985 with 47 but was even better in 1986, in spite of finishing with 10 fewer saves. His ERA dropped from 2.84 to 2.16, his WHIP from 1.20 to 0.94 and after an 0.8 WAR 1985 season he accumulated 3.5 WAR in 1986, despite pitching 8 fewer innings. He well deserves this honor.

Denver closer Dan Folk finished third in the voting but garnered the second most first place votes and all indications are that he and Hensgens are likely to be battling for title of best reliever in the MGL for the foreseeable future. (Though watch for 21-year old St. Louis closer Bryan Ryan too. Not only does he have nasty stuff with a wicked cutter and elite change-up but he also has next level, future Captain makeup.)