William Jewell outfielder Anthony Hansen earns Lester Milgram award as Ban Johnson MVP
The Ban Johnson League, Kansas City’s longstanding summer baseball showcase, handed out its annual honors Friday night in Overland Park.
Anthony Hansen, KC MSBL Royals outfielder, was honored as the Lester Milgram Most Valuable Player at the league’s yearly banquet.
Hansen had a league-leading .557 batting average, .612 on-base percentage, .886 slugging percentage, 1.497 OPS and 39 RBIs in 24 games played. He was also honored as the Bob Allison Offensive Player of the Year.
“He was head and shoulders above the entire league from an offensive standpoint,” manager Matt Crawford said. “Not only did he lead in every hitting category besides home runs, but he was also one of the more consistent defensive players.
“He (was) a leader on the field but also in the dugout as he was constantly trying to help his teammates in any way possible.
The Hickman (Columbia) High graduate now attends and plays at William Jewell College.
Ben Pautler, Milgram Mustangs second baseman/outfielder, received the Ban Johnson Hustle Award. He led his team in homers and was second with 23 runs scored, said manager Kevin Shaw.
Pautler also attends William Jewell and graduated from Rockhurst High.
Garrison Fields, another KC MSBL Royals player, received the Rick Sutcliffe Pitcher of the Year award. The right-hander led the league with 39 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings and had a 1.25 earned-run average and 0.83 WHIP.
The 2019 Frank White Award for Fielding Excellence went to Grant Burns, the shortstop for the BJ Raiders. He had a fielding percentage of .952, committing just four errors in 84 chances. Manager Jake Bradshaw noted that the Avila student from Rockhurst High played all three infield positions.
Shaw’s Milgram Mustangs received the Ban Johnson Championship trophy Friday night. And Harry Peel and Blake Moore were inducted into the Ban Johnson Hall of Fame.
Peel served as a team sponsor representative and league board member for 37 years. Moore, who took over as BJ Raiders manager in 2000, led the team to four straight titles from 2002-05. He’s one of two managers in league history to coach four straight championship teams. He’s now the Raiders’ general manager.