Tanner Nivins named IBL MVP
Posted Sep 1, 2016 11:06:53 PM.
Last Updated Sep 2, 2016 11:18:24 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Jack Couch Park was home to the hottest bats and the most dominant offence in the IBL in 2016.
The park is also home to some new hardware and a home grown MVP.
25-year old Kitchener native, Tanner Nivins has been named the recipient of the John Bell Memorial Trophy for most valuable player in a vote held Thursday afternoon.
Nivins was a player that the Panthers counted on night in and night out and that showed in the numbers he produced.
He led the league in home runs with 17, finished second with a .432 average and was top seven in the league in OBP (.494), OPS (1.288), and RBI’s (40).
Nivins scored 23 MVP votes and beat out Toronto Maple Leafs hitter, Justin Marra with 21 MVP votes.
This is the second straight year a Panthers hitter has been named league MVP. Sean Reilly was the 2015 league MVP.
First team all-star votes were also held Thursday. Five Kitchener Panthers were named to the roster including Cuban import pitcher, Ian Rendon, Justin Interisano, Mike Glinka, Tanner Nivins, and Sean Reilly.
Frank Camilo Morejon and David Whiteside were both voted onto the second all-star team.
It was quite the season for the Kitchener Panthers which saw a number of accomplishments throughout the year.
It was the first time in league history that Cuban players were allowed to participate in a league outside of Cuba. Noelvis Entenza, Frank Camilo Morejon and Ian Rendon all had breakout years for Kitchener.
All three hope they are back with the Panthers next season.
Sean Reilly managed to break two IBL records. He smashed the hits record and surpassed Kevin Hinton in May and then smashed former Panther Randy Curran’s home run record in July.
It is unclear whether or not we will see the 39-year old back in a Panthers uniform next year – which would be his 21st season in the IBL.
The Panthers had a shot at their first IBL pennant since 1996, however, with a late season surge and an eight-game win streak to finish off the season, London claimed top spot in the IBL.
The Panthers lost a one game playoff to the Majors and went into the playoffs as the second seed. They swept the Hamilton Cardinals in the first round of the playoffs.
Kitchener faced the Barrie Baycats in the second round and ran into the hottest pitching staff in the IBL. The Baycats swept the Panthers in four straight games.
After the Panthers finished the season, Tanner Nivins signed with the Quebec Capitales of the Can-Am League.
