ULB awards announced; Hernandez wins Pitcher of the Year

Well, the Broncos can feel happy about one development today.

Ace right-hander Santo Hernandez (7-6) was named as ULB's Pitcher of the Year today. Hernandez has the league's lowest ERA at 3.49 and leads the league in strikeouts at 122 with six games remaining in the season.

He's walked 34 batters all season.

Here's the full report on the awards released by ULB:

EDINBURG, Texas- With the United League playoffs set to begin on Monday, August 18, it’s no surprise that the top two seeded teams going into the post-season have won the bulk of United League Baseball’s End-of-Season Awards.

The top-seeded Amarillo Dillas, ULB’s first-half champions, and the second-seeded San Angelo Colts, who currently have the league’s best record at 50-29, each garnered three awards.

Shortstop Danny Bravo, the league’s leading hitter, becomes the first Dilla to be voted the league’s Most Valuable Player, and Dillas manager Brady Bogart has been named 2008 ULB Manager of the Year, leading Amarillo to a first-half title in his first year as skipper.

In addition, La Kiva Hotel in Amarillo was honored as Hotel of the Year.

Bravo has led the league in hitting for the majority of the season and is still on top, batting .381 over 81 games, 54 as a shortstop and 27 as a second baseman.

The 31-year-old is still versatile in the field, proving he can play anywhere on August 9, when he played all nine positions in Amarillo’s 12-8 win over the Harlingen WhiteWings. The former Triple-A farmhand for the White Sox has been in the top five of all three Triple Crown categories throughout most of the season.

The switch-hitter currently ranks third in the league among active players with 17 home runs and second in the league with 85 RBIs. Bravo, in his third year with the Dillas, is also second in hits (119), tied for second in doubles (26), fourth in extra-base hits (44), and third in on-base percentage (.472).

Bogart, in his first season as Dillas manager after serving as pitching coach in 2006 and 2007, guided Amarillo to a first-half title after the team finished third overall last year.

The Dillas finished the 2008 first half with a record of 27-18 and earned the No. 1 seed entering the 2008 ULB playoffs. Currently, Amarillo, who has won eight of their last 10, is tied for second most wins in the league (48) with Alexandria.

The only time the Dillas have been under .500 was when they lost their first game of the season on May 13. Amarillo has posted several exceptional records under Bogart in different facets of the game, going 27-17 at home, 21-17 on the road, and 13-7 in one-run games.

The Laredo Broncos boast the Pitcher of the Year: hard-throwing right-handed starter Santo Hernandez.

Hernandez, in his second year with Laredo and third overall in the United League, has the league’s lowest ERA at 3.49 and has given up more than four earned runs in just three of his 17 starts.

The righty has also lasted six innings or more in 14 starts, allowed more than four walks in a game just once, and recorded eight or more strikeouts nine times. For essentially the entire season, Hernandez has led the league in strikeouts and still currently does with 122 in 105 2/3 innings pitched (tied for fourth most innings pitched).

The Dominican Republic native, who is 7-6 on the year with three of those losses against the Colts, has walked just 34 batters all season.

For the Colts, they claim the Rookie of the Year for the second season in a row as right fielder Bryan Frichter took home the award for his outstanding freshman campaign.

Former San Angelo center fielder Ronnie Gaines won the award last year, and was signed by the Chicago White Sox organization following the season. He was recently promoted to Winston-Salem (Advanced Single-A) of the Carolina League.

Just as Bravo and Hernandez were, Frichter was voted to play for the United League All-Stars in the inaugural United League vs. Golden League All-Star Game on July 15, but Frichter distinguished himself as the only rookie on either squad.

The 23-year-old earned himself a spot with the Colts after impressing team personnel at the United League’s open player tryout in Southaven, Mississippi on April 19 and 20. The Chalmette, Louisiana native then made the team out of training camp and has gone on to have a storybook rookie season, batting .348 (sixth in the league) with 12 homers and 58 RBIs in 79 games, 67 of them in right field.

The right-handed hitter has led the league in doubles virtually from the beginning of the season until now, as he continues to do so with 32 doubles. Frichter is also tied for the fourth most hits in the league with 114 and tied for second in extra-base hits with 46.

Also for the second straight season, Colts stadium superintendent Joe Stapp and his crew can take pride in maintaining the Playing Surface of the Year at Foster Field, the home of the Colts. Moreover, San Angelo’s radio announcer, Frank Mentesana, was voted ULB Broadcaster of the Year.

Finally, the Alexandria Aces and their visiting clubhouse manager Eric Doyle were honored with Clubhouse of the Year Award.

The awards were voted on by the ULB field managers, media personnel and league office members.