1950 Season Awards - Baseball Review
October 6th, 1950.
With the Championship Series now over and the dust settled it was time to count the votes of baseball writers and coaches for the league's first player awards.
National League North
Player of the Year
It's been a year of triumph for veteran Dean Ainley of the Sheffield Steelmen as he hit his way to the 1950 National League North Player of the Year Award.
The 30-year-old compiled a .335 average and .387 on-base percentage by putting together 110 hits, 19 doubles, 4 triples, 15 home runs and 28 walks. He also scored 58 times and drove in 50 runs.
He received 7 first place votes out of a possible 8. Jake Aitken of the Manchester Elephants finished second in voting with 1 first place vote, while Terry Crookes of the Sheffield Steelmen finished third.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Dean Ainley - Sheffield Steelmen - 7 - 98
Jake Aitken - Manchester Elephants - 1 - 73
Terry Crookes - Sheffield Steelmen - 0 - 55
Pitcher of the Year
Nicolas Legg of the Manchester Elephants impressed voters as one of the elite pitchers in the National League North this year. He capped off a sensational 10-8 season by taking home the coveted Pitcher of the Year Award.
Making 26 starts, he tossed 192.1 innings, struck out 75, walked 80 and registered a 2.81 ERA.
He received 4 first place votes out of a possible 8. Edward Johnson of the Liverpool Giants finished second in voting with 3 first place votes, while Mark Evans of the Sheffield Steelmen finished third with 1 first place vote.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Nicolas Legg - Manchester Elephants - 4 - 44
Edward Johnson - Liverpool Giants - 3 - 33
Manager of the Year:
The Manchester Elephants had an outstanding season, much of it due to their astute and gifted skipper. For his managerial excellence, Clinton Bayman reaped the reward of being voted National League North Manager of the Year.
"A manager is only as good as the players he's managing," Bayman told reporters. "If I didn't have the talent to work with, making all the right moves wouldn't have helped a bit."
Under Bayman the Elephants finished second in the National League North with a record of 53-57.
Great Glove Award
They made the routine plays, the tough plays and everything in between. The winners of the National League North Great Glove Award for 1950 showed a defensive excellence all season long. The winners are:
Pitcher
Edward Johnson (Liverpool Giants)
Catcher
Patrick Dowell (Liverpool Giants)
First Baseman
Sean Grant (Leeds White Sox)
Second Baseman
Dean Ainley (Sheffield Steelmen)
Third Baseman
Jack Kennedy (Liverpool Giants)
Shortstop
Bert Wood (Liverpool Giants)
Left Fielder
Jacob West (Sheffield Steelmen)
Center Fielder
Douglas Porter (Manchester Elephants)
Right Fielder
Harrison O'Malley (Leeds White Sox)
National League South
Player of the Year
What a way to finish off the year -- being honored with the 1950 Player of the Year Award in the National League South. It had already been a very special season for London's Oscar Cookson, but today's announcement really put the icing on his cake.
All season long Oscar Cookson gave opposing pitchers fits by hitting .334 as he collected 127 hits, 28 doubles, 14 triples, 17 home runs and 73 RBIs.
He received 8 first place votes, as a unanimous winner. Gael Keith of the London Monarchs finished second in voting, while Derby Fisher of the Bristol Pirates finished third.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Oscar Cookson - London Monarchs - 8 - 112
Gael Keith - London Monarchs - 0 - 60
Pitcher of the Year
The Nottingham Sheriffs have a rising superstar. It's James Bayman, this year's National League South Pitcher of the Year Award selection. This blossoming hurler wowed fans, peers and sportswriters with a fabulous performance.
Bayman compiled a 14-7 record in 28 starts, tallied 104 strikeouts in 211.2 innings and recorded a 3.23 ERA. Other clubs managed only a .248 batting average against him.
He received 8 first place votes, as a unanimous winner. Jack Ferguson of the Birmingham Athletics finished second in voting, while Zachary Sharp of the Bristol Pirates finished third.
Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
James Bayman - Nottingham Sheriffs - 8 - 56
Jack Ferguson - Birmingham Athletics - 0 - 25
Manager of the Year
Robert Giblin stepped before the microphone today and accepted his National League South Manager of the Year award, thanking the whole Nottingham Sheriffs organization for making the 1950 season such a success.
Giblin struggled to find the right words. "My father served in the Royal Navy. He taught me that you have to work hard, set goals and accept responsibility for your actions. That's what the entire Nottingham organization did this year. My dedicated owner, coaching staff, hard-working and talented players and loyal front office all made this award possible. I thank them for it."
And what a year it was. Giblin sparked the Sheriffs to a 62-49 record and a first in the National League South standings before crowning it all with the British Championship Trophy.
Great Glove Award
A great defense can often be the difference between winning and losing, and this year's winners of the National League South Great Glove Award provided great defense all year long. The 1950 winners are:
Pitcher
James Bayman (Nottingham Sheriffs)
Catcher
Benjamin Gill (London Monarchs)
First Baseman
Ronald Wraight (Bristol Pirates)
Second Baseman
Jack Cove (London Monarchs)
Third Baseman
Dylan Moore (Nottingham Sheriffs)
Shortstop
Derby Fisher (Bristol Pirates)
Left Fielder
Oscar Cookson (London Monarchs)
Center Fielder
Robert Mullen (Birmingham Athletics)
Right Fielder
Billy Capell (Nottingham Sheriffs)