Kansas City’s Ban Johnson baseball league announces 2022 awards, plus other honors
.jpg "The Ban Johnson Baseball League held its annual awards banquet Tuesday night, with Frankie Circello (top left) winning league MVP, Joe Daneff (top middle) winning the Hustle Award, Austin Brooks (top right) the Rick Sutcliffe Pitcher award and Dylan Grego (bottom left) the Frank White Award for Fielding Excellence.")
The Ban Johnson Collegiate Baseball League honored its best and brightest at an annual awards banquet held Tuesday night at the Marriott Overland Park hotel.
Founded in 1927, the Ban Johnson Baseball league features area college players on nine teams that play throughout the Kansas City area.
The BJ Raiders swept the divisional playoffs and championship series to capture the league title for the third consecutive year.
A highlight of each season is the annual Ban Johnson All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadium. David Cone, Rick Sutcliffe and Frank White are among the Ban Johnson alums that progressed to outstanding pro careers.
Here’s the rundown of this year’s award winners:
Lester Milgram Most Valuable Player
Frankie Circello, a BJ Raiders first baseman, won this award as well as the 2022 Bob Allison Offensive Player of the Year. Circello finished best in the league with a .746 SLUG and second in the league with a 1.208 OPS+slugging percentage.
He had the most home runs (eight) and tied for most RBIs with 27. According to BJ Raiders manager Jake Bradshaw, “Frankie was the heart of our lineup and a staple for us at first base. He came up with some big timely hits and even bigger home runs.” The Staley High and Crowder College graduate attends Marshall University.
Hustle Award
Joe Daneff, the Creche Innovations Stars’ third baseman/shortstop, tied for most RBIs with 27. He had five home runs, fourth best in the league, and was fifth in the league with a .500 on-base percentage. According to his manager Kyle Clifton, “Joe was the keystone of the Stars. He made some plays I’ve never seen a player make at this level.” The Park Hill High graduate attends Emporia State.
Rick Sutcliffe Pitcher of Year
This award went to Austin Brooks, a BJ Raiders righthanded pitcher who finished with a 5-0 record and league-best 0.75 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and .070 opponent’s batting average. His 47 strikeouts were second most in the league. Said Bradshaw, the Raiders manager: “Brooks was lights-out this year on the mound.” The Plattsburg High and Metropolitan Community College graduate is now the pitching coach for MCC.
Frank White Award for Fielding Excellence
Dylan Grego, a BJ Raiders shortstop, had a 0.986 fielding percentage. His manager, Bradshaw, said: “Dylan was rock -solid in the field.” The Staley High graduate now attends Ball State.
Ban Johnson Hall of Fame
Mike Peterson was introduced as the 46th inductee into the Ban Johnson Hall of Fame. Peterson has been a member of the staff of the Milgram Mustangs team since 1976. He was a decades-long coach under legendary manager Don Motley and currently serves as general manager for the team.