Roller Named Cape Cod MVP
August 10, 2009 | Baseball
Aug. 10, 2009
BOURNE, Mass. - East Carolina designated hitter Kyle Roller was named Most Valuable Player of the Cape Cod Baseball League on Saturday, Aug. 8 in Bourne prior to the start of the West Divisional Championships.
Roller, a two-time CCBL Coco Cola Player-of-the-Week selection, led the league in home runs (10), RBI (33), doubles (13), slugging percentage (.644), extra-base hits (24) and runs scored (33) and ranked second in batting (.342), hits (51) and on-base percentage (.449).
"He had a monster year," said Braves Manager Harvey Shapiro. "There's guys in the major leagues who haven't done (on the Cape) what he did. He's been locked in, and with guys on base he's been even better."
The Rockingham, N.C. native was drafted by the Oakland A's this summer but has remained unsigned thus far and continued the drive for a championship with the Bourne Braves. As the Braves play into August, Roller continues to scare pitchers.
In the two-game divisional series, Roller drove in the Braves first run to cap a 3-2 come from behind win and in the series clincher he was 2-for-3 with three RBI and a pair of runs in the Braves 8-0 win over the Firebirds.
"Winning the award was nice, but winning the game was more important," he said after Bourne's most recent dramatic comeback. "One out in the ninth and you come back and score a couple of runs to come back, that's what baseball's all about."
The All-Star first baseman said he wasn't even aware that the league awarded an MVP until he received it. "It was a huge honor," he said after the presentation. "You come here, where the best players in the country come to play baseball every summer. To be named the MVP of that group is really amazing."
Among past winners of the Pat Sorenti MVP Award are Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, (Chatham '05) his teammate and Hyde Park native Carlos Peña, (Wareham '97) and Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek (Hyannis '93).
Roller along with current ECU hurler Seth Maness will take on Cotuit in the best-of-three Championship Series that is scheduled to start Tuesday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m.
