The 2017 Manitoba Junior Baseball League season came to an end back on August 2nd at Optimist Park in Winnipeg when the St. James A's defeated the Elmwood Giants 6-2 and swept the best-of-five final in three straight games.

"I think the parity in the league stood out for me," said MJBL president Jamie Bettens. "From top to bottom there were never too many easy games on the schedule. The playoffs were very exciting and for a team like St. James, that hasn't always enjoyed success, to win their first title since the 1980's capped off a very exciting season for us."

The A's added some much appreciated depth to their roster when a handful of Winnipeg South players joined the team after the Chiefs decided to take a leave of absence just before the start of the 2017 season.

"The fact that they moved to their rival next door to them speaks volumes for the ability for young gentlemen to bond together and have a pretty special run in the playoffs," said Bettens. "To play a team like the Elmwood Giants, who have a history of winning championships and sweep the final says a lot about the team that coach Kevin Turney had."

The A's first championship since the 80's was just one of many highlights the league enjoyed in 2017.

You can add the Brandon Marlins capturing a second straight Western Canada Championship to that list.

"They hosted a great event and put on a great show," said Bettens. "They have a strong team. The Brandon area and all of our rural areas, I'm very proud of the product they put on the field, so it's not really a surprise to us. The fact that they played St. James in the final was kind of a nice thing too and it was a tip of the cap for our league."

Bettens was also thrilled with the return of the Interlake Blue Jays to the Manitoba Junior Baseball League.

"Another great story. Adam Kirk ended up being our Manager of the Year. He got a lot more out of those players than anyone expected from a first-year franchise with a lot of new faces that had no MJBL experience. All the players have indicated they are coming back and so they are going to reload and take another run at it and be the powerhouse we know Interlake baseball to be."

And there is talk of another team joining the league in 2018.

"A couple of different groups have declared interest," Bettens said. "We have a solid one in the south central area to kind of continue to add to the strengths of our league out that way. It's a bit of a Portage-Neepawa opportunity. We're looking very forward to them putting in their formal application and going through the process like every other team would. Nothing is formalized by any stretch but we're very excited to be able to add a fourth team in four years into our league. We think that shows solid growth even in that age group where players tend to drop off and our product only getting better."

As for the return of the Winnipeg South Chiefs.

"We're still in that waiting stage right now," said Bettens. "The graduating players from their midget program doesn't give me a strong sense of the true number that will be moving up. So there might be some moving parts to this. However as a league we are dedicated to doing whatever we can to really try to get this franchise going again because adding a team only adds strength to the league, to the schedule and to the product."

 

Manitoba Junior Baseball League 2017 Award Winners

League Champions – Daryl Steen Trophy - St. James A's

MVP – Carey Candy Trophy - Cole Armstrong, St. James A's

Batting – Vic Bozyk Trophy - Brady Nault, St. James A's

Sportsmanship & Ability – Jacobucci Domes Trophy - Clark Whelpton, Brandon Marlins

Baseball & Education – Kevin Paul Halford Trophy - Nate Smith, Altona Bisons

Umpire of the Year – Sam Tascona Trophy - David Forde

Manager of the Year – Ken Prodonick Trophy - Adam Kirk, Interlake Blue Jays

Outstanding Pitcher – Jack Hind Trophy - Garret Virtue, St. Boniface Legionaires

Outstanding Defensive Player – Len Gzebb Trophy - Austin Pistawka, St. James A's

Rookie of the Year – Jack Thompson Trophy - Liam Lenton, Carillon Sultans

David Bowles Bursary – Garret Virtue, St. Boniface Legionaires




Manitoba Junior Baseball League 2017 All-Stars

Catcher - Austin Pistawka, St. James A's

1B - Adam Nocita, Elmwood Giants

2B - Wyatt Kemball, St. James A's

SS - Cole Armstrong, St. James A's

3B - Drake Pilat, Elmwood Giants

OF - Marshal Burgess, Brandon Marlins

OF - Nathan Agar, St. Boniface Legionaires

OF - Brady Nault, St. James A's

DH - Troy Martyniuk, St. James A's

Utility Player - Troy Martynuik, St. James A's

Lefthanded Pitcher - Nate Smith, Altona Bisons

Righthanded Pitcher - Garret Virtue, St. Boniface Legionaires