KCL Writers’ Association Awards Voting
With the conclusion of the 2024 Kernels Collegiate League season, it is time to name the award winners for this year. The voters for these awards are all members of the KCL Writers’ Association, which is comprised of Baseball Analytics Interns, Broadcasting Interns, and other staff members with advanced knowledge of the KCL. The voting breakdown for each nominee is provided, as well as analysis from Kevin Collins, Owen Crandall, and Jess O’Brien. 1st through 5th places votes are worth a respective 14, 9, 8, 7, and 6 points each.
Please note these are not the official KCL awards, which were decided by the Coaches Poll. The coaches named Shea Zbrozek Player of the Year and Braden Alexander Pitcher of the Year.
Also note these are regular season awards, so statistics recorded in playoff games were not considered.
Player of the Year: Shea Zbrozek
Voter Breakdown:
| Player | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Total Points |
| Shea Zbrozek | 4 (56) | 3 (27) | 2 (16) | 99 | ||
| Mateo Casillas | 3 (42) | 3 (27) | 1 (8) | 1 (6) | 83 | |
| John Shuey | 2 (38) | 2 (16) | 1 (7) | 1 (6) | 67 | |
| Kody Morton | 2 (18) | 3 (24) | 1 (7) | 49 | ||
| Jimmy Anderson | 5 (35) | 2 (12) | 47 | |||
| Clay Conn | 1 (9) | 1 (8) | 1 (7) | 2 (12) | 36 | |
| Ashton Horchem | 1 (7) | 2 (12) | 19 | |||
| Mitch Murphy | 1 (6) | 6 |
Kevin Collins: Mateo Casillas
In order to rank the nominees, I developed a point system based on batting, base running, and defensive statistics. First, the 8 players in the KCL with the highest oWAR (offensive wins above replacement) were nominated for player of the year. The nominees were Mateo Casillas (Ground Sloths), Shea Zbrozek (Ground Sloths), Kody Morton (Merchants), Jimmy Anderson (Ground Sloths), Clay Conn (Merchants), Ashton Horchem (Merchants), Mitch Murphy (Bobcats), and John Shuey (Blue Caps). In order to rank the nominees, I considered oWAR; wRAA: weighted runs created above average; wOBA: weighted on base average; OPS: on base + slugging percentage; H: hits; XBH: extra base hits; HR: home runs; AVG: batting average; RBI: runs batted in; BSR: base running runs created; SB: stolen bases; FPCT: fielding percentage; TC: total fielding chances; APO: fielding assists + putouts; E: fielding errors; and DP: double plays turned. For each category, I ranked players 1-8, 1 being the best statistically, and 8 being the worst statistically. The player ranked first received 5 points, second received 4, third received 3, fourth received 2, and fifth received 1. Players ranking 6th-8th in a statistical category did not receive a point for that category. This stats based system removed bias from selection.
This system identified Mateo Casillas as the front runner for player of the year. Casillas led nominees in oWAR, wRAA, wOBA, OPS, and FPCT, and committed the fewest errors. He was second in hits, home runs, and batting average. Casillas was top 5 in every single category considered. He amassed 58 points, leading second place Shea Zbrozek by 13. The rankings are as follows: Mateo Casillas (58), Shea Zbrozek (45), Kody Morton (43), Jimmy Anderson (35), Clay Conn (28), Ashton Horchem (19), Mitch Murphy (13), John Shuey (10). This is the order I chose for my ballot.
Owen Crandall: Mateo Casillas
I had a very tough time deciding between Casillas and Zbrozek for this award. The often two and three-hole hitters for the Ground Sloths made a lot of noise this year, leading the league in ten offensive categories between them. Ultimately, Casillas’s better advanced stats and impeccable defense won out. His league leading OPS, oWAR, and wOBA were all higher than Zbrozek by a wide margin. Given the small-sample nature of the KCL, I’m more inclined to trust these advanced numbers for deciding this award. Zbrozek made some flashy plays and played all around the infield, but Casillas ended the season with a perfect fielding percentage and no errors while splitting time between first base and right field. He also helped turn 6 double plays. The extra wrinkle on top of this decision was that Zbrozek and Casillas, as well as my fourth-place vote Jimmy Anderson, played for the Ground Sloths, who ended with the worst record in the league. It just felt strange that the Ground Sloths had three of the best hitters (as well as major vote-getters for other awards) and had such little success. However, this is likely more of an indictment of a short schedule and the randomness that comes with it, and as this is an individual award, I’m still confident in my decision.
Zbrozek had an incredible season that he should be very proud of, but I don’t believe it was enough to beat out his teammate Casillas. My third, fourth, and fifth place votes also put up amazing years. Kody Morton led the Merchants with a .514 wOBA and a 1.012 OPS, and was second in the league in oWAR. Jimmy Anderson finished with an OPS of 1.025 and led the league with 3 home runs. John Shuey was the best hitter on the Blue Caps, hitting .355 and swiping 6 bags.
Jess O’Brien: Shea Zbrozek
The Kernels Collegiate League (KCL) is composed of four teams: BlueCaps, Bobcats, Ground Sloths, and Merchants. Our KCL Writer’s Association, the Analytics and Broadcasting Interns, decided on Top 8 final candidates for Player of the Year. Those candidates were: Mateo Casillas, Shea Zbrozek, and Jimmy Anderson of the Ground Sloths, Mitch Murphy of the Bobcats, Kody Morton, Ashton Horchem, and Clay Conn of the Merchants, and John Shuey of the BlueCaps. Surprisingly, despite being the two worst teams in the league, the Ground Sloths (4) and Merchants (3) each had three players of our Top 8 candidates for Player of the Year.
While the race ironically involving two Sloths, Shea Zbrozek and Mateo Casillas, was close for Player of the Year, ultimately I ran with Zbrozek being the all-around better performer of the year. Zbrozek played in 23 games, had 85 plate appearances, and 76 at bats. My choice in Player of the Year fell mostly upon the classic statistics of baseball: batting average, hits, and RBIs. Shea Zbrozek led the Top 8 in all three categories. His batting average was the highest of the KCL, hitting 0.421 for the year, compared to Castillas’ 0.417. He had 32 hits, topping Casillas’ 25 and Ashton Horchem’s 24. His RBIs totaled 17, topping Kody Morton’s 16 and Casillas’ 15. Zbrozek’s offensive statistics ranked Top 2 in almost every category, falling behind Casillas in wRAA, wOBA, and OPS. On the defensive side, Zbrozek was an all-around fielder with a fielding percentage of 0.948. He appeared at 2nd, 3rd, Left Field, and Center FIeld, and even pitched during a game, while Casillas only appeared at 1st or Right Field this season.
As I mentioned, Mateo Casillas was a close second for Player of the Year. He played in 21 games, had 75 plate appearances, and 60 at bats. He led the KCL with oWAR (offensive wins above replacement), wRAA (weighted runs above average), wOBA (weighted on base average), and OPS (on base plus slugging). Casillas was a major threat offensively and defensively, as was Zbrozek. Casillas’ fielding percentage was a perfect 1.000 and he made 0 errors. My final considerations were Kody Morton, Jimmy Anderson, and Ashton Horchem. Morton assisted in 9 Double Plays, ranked 2nd in oWAR (0.963) after Casillas, ranked 2nd in RBIs (16) after Zbrozek, and had the most extra base hits (10). Anderson played the most games (26) of the Top 8 candidates, had 3 HRs, 13 RBIs, and assisted in 9 Double Plays, like Morton. Horchem had the most at bats (79) of the candidates, ranked 3rd in hits (24) following Zbrozek and Casillas, had a 0.946 fielding percentage, and stole 20 bases.
Pitcher of the Year: MacCallan Conklin
Voter Breakdown:
| Pitcher | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total Points |
| MacCallan Conklin | 5 (70) | 2 (18) | 1 (8) | 96 |
| Braden Alexander | 3 (42) | 5 (45) | 1 (8) | 95 |
| Caleb Diver | 1 (14) | 1 (9) | 2 (16) | 39 |
| Lucas Frank | 1 (9) | 3 (24) | 33 | |
| Dylan Nagle | 2 (16) | 16 |
Kevin Collins: MacCallan Conklin
MacCallan Conklin of the Sloths dominated the KCL this year with 9.29 K/7 (11.94 K/9). He also had a 0.923 WHIP, which is near the top of the KCL. Opposing hitters batted only 0.115 against Conklin. In a league that featured high rates of run scoring, Conklin effectively held opposing offenses at bay in his 17.1 IP.
Owen Crandall: MacCallan Conklin
There were as many as ten candidates for this award in my opinion. As there were very few pitchers in the KCL this year who threw significant innings, we decided to set the qualification at 10 IP, yielding a large crop of solid arms for consideration. Sadly, there can only be one pitcher of the year, and I decided to go with MacCallan Conklin of the Ground Sloths. There were several pitchers with lower ERAs than Conklin, but his was the closest to his FIP (2.42 ERA & 2.3 FIP). This leads me to believe that his success had the least amount to do with luck/defense. Braden Alexander and Caleb Diver, who I selected second and third for this award, had great years but had much higher differentials between their ERAs and FIPs (1.62 & 3.57 for Alexander and 1.2 & 3.24 for Diver). Conklin was also tied for second in the league in strikeouts, with 23 in only 17.1 innings, while only walking 9 batters and allowing just 7 hits. Quick shoutout to my hypothetical Reliever of the Year, Ethan Plym, who led the league with 3 saves and had a 2.76 ERA and 2.73 FIP.
Jess O’Brien: MacCallan Conklin
MacCallan Conklin started 4/6 games, faced 70 batters, and threw 285 pitches. He had 23 total strikeouts (11 K-L), 0.923 WHIP, a very low BAA (batting average against) of 0.115, and low FIP (fielding independent pitching) of 2.299. He only had 7 hits against him in his 17.1 innings pitched. While his 2.423 ERA (earned runs average) was higher than some of the final candidates, his WHIP, BAA, and FIP led me to choose him as Pitcher of the Year.
My second and third place considerations, Braden Alexander and Lucas Frank each pitched 21.2 innings. Alexander started 3/10 games, faced 90 batters, and threw 303 pitches this season. His 1.108 WHIP, 1.615 ERA, 0.323 BB/INN (walks per inning), and his 7 total walks led me to choose him as runner-up. Frank played 12 games, faced 94 batters, and had the most pitches in the KCL with 341. His 21 strikeouts, 1.292 WHIP, and 0.218 BAA influenced my choice to award him bronze in the Pitcher of the Year race.
Hitter of the Year: Mateo Casillas
Voter Breakdown:
| Hitter | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total Points |
| Mateo Casillas | 6 (84) | 1 (9) | 1 (8) | 101 |
| Shea Zbrozek | 3 (42) | 6 (54) | 96 | |
| Kody Morton | 1 (9) | 3 (24) | 33 | |
| Jimmy Anderson | 4 (28) | 28 | ||
| Luca Morelli | 1 (9) | 1 (8) | 17 |
Kevin Collins: Mateo Casillas
Casillas of the Ground Sloths led qualified KCL hitters in Offensive WAR, wRAA, wOBA, and OPS. He was second in the league with a 0.417 batting average. Casillas occupied the Sloths 3 hole for the majority of the season, leading the Ground Sloths to the highest scoring offense in the KCL
Owen Crandall: Mateo Casillas
My voting for this award was the exact order as my player of the year voting (1. Casillas, 2. Zbrozek, 3. Morton). I already touched on Casillas and Zbrozek’s excellent years, so I’ll take some time to talk about Kody Morton’s great season for the Merchants. He finished hitting .333/.467.545, with 0.96 oWAR and walked more than he struck out. He also led the league in extra-base hits and stole 14 bases. He finished top 5 in 18 major offensive categories. His offensive profile also benefited greatly from hitting behind the speedy Clay Conn and Ashton Horchem, who were both candidates for Baserunner of the Year. Overall, an excellent season from a great player on a good team.
Jess O’Brien: Mateo Casillas
While Mateo Casillas fell to Shea Zbrozek in my selection for Player of the Year, there’s no question that he is my Hitter of the Year. Leading the entire league in oWAR (1.14), wRAA (11.6), wOBA (0.583) and OPS (1.117), and averaging 0.417 at the plate. He went 11/11 on stolen bases, had 25 hits (7 extra-base hits), and contributed 16 runs to the Ground Sloths. Truly phenomenal offense.
Casillas’ fellow Ground Sloth Shea Zbrozek had an outstanding year hitting as well, achieving the highest batting average of the league (0.421), 9 extra-base hits, and crossing the plate 22 times. Merchant Kody Morton had the second-highest oWAR in the league (0.963), just trailing Casillas. He had an equal number of hits and runs at 22, with 10 hits allowing him to surpass first-base.
Fielder of the Year: Nate Cooley
Voter Breakdown:
| Fielder | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total Points |
| Nate Cooley | 7 (98) | 1 (8) | 106 | |
| Clay Gadbois | 2 (38) | 3 (27) | 2 (16) | 81 |
| Hayden Stork | 3 (27) | 2 (16) | 43 | |
| Daniel Bastidas | 4 (32) | 32 | ||
| Charlie Graham | 3 (27) | 27 |
Kevin Collins: Nate Cooley
Cooley was a defensive stalwart for the Sloths all season behind the plate. He caught 96.2 innings, leading the KCL by a wide margin. In those 96.2 innings, Cooley only committed 1 error and boasted a 0.991 fielding percentage. In addition to being a reliable target for his pitchers, Cooley threw out 7 would be base stealers, which led the KCL. Catchers were vital for teams this season, as pitch count limits caused frequent pitching changes; and no catcher was better than Nate Cooley.
Owen Crandall: Nate Cooley
Nate Cooley was a beast behind the plate this year. Given the limited amount of fielding data available for the KCL, the eye test was very important for this award, and Cooley certainly passed it. He caught more innings than anyone else by a wide margin (33.2 more than the next highest catcher), only committed one error, and sported a 0.991 fielding percentage. He also led the league in runners caught stealing and made 10 assists from behind the plate. Given the volatile nature of KCL pitchers, catching that many innings while playing excellent defense is very impressive. Clay Gadbois, my second-place vote, played a very solid center field while also spending time on the mound, with a .980 fielding percentage and only one error. Daniel Bastidas, my third-place vote getter, led the league in caught-stealing percentage, with a ridiculous 25% of runners thrown out.
Jess O’Brien: Nate Cooley
Playing in 96.2 innings, over 30 innings more than any other catcher in the league, is already an impressive statistic for Ground Sloth Nate Cooley. Add onto that his singular error, 114 total chances, 103 putouts, and 10 assists. Not to mention, he caught players stealing 7 times and had a 0.991 fielding average. It is obvious, Cooley was the best catcher and Fielder of the Year.
Following Cooley in my second and third selections were Charlie Graham and Daniel Bastidas. Graham, another Ground Sloth catcher, caught 61.1 innings, had a fielding average of 0.988 with only 1 error, contributed 7 assists, and threw out players stealing 5 times. Bastidas, of the Merchants, had the highest percentage of catching players stealing, a whopping 25% of the time. In his 60.2 innings, he had 75 putouts and a fielding average of 0.975.
Base Runner of the Year: Clay Conn
Voter Breakdown:
| Baserunner | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total Points |
| Clay Conn | 8 (112) | 1 (8) | 120 | |
| Ashton Horchem | 1 (14) | 7 (63) | 77 | |
| Kody Morton | 1 (9) | 3 (24) | 33 | |
| Riley Hendren | 1 (9) | 2 (16) | 25 | |
| Blake Crancer | 3 (24) | 24 |
Kevin Collins: Clay Conn
In 26 games, Conn swiped 27 bags on 27 attempts. That is not a typo. Clay Conn was not thrown out on a steal attempt all season. He led the KCL at over 4 runs created above average on the base paths (BSR). Conn consistently put pressure on defenses when he was on base. If he reached first, he was likely in scoring position before the next at bat ended. Conn had a slight down year at the plate, only batting 0.216, which makes his gaudy stolen base numbers even more impressive. Conn had 16 hits and 21 walks, yet stole 27 bases. Conn’s impact on the base paths was substantial enough that he ranked 5th in KCL in offensive WAR, while only ranking 25th in wRAA. Clay “Rickey Henderson” Conn is the clear choice for baserunner of the year.
Owen Crandall: Clay Conn
There should really be no debate about this award. Clay Conn stole a perfect 27 for 27 bases in only 26 games, had more stolen bases than hits, and hit into zero double plays. He also led the league in runs scored and finished fifth in oWAR, despite being 23rd in batting average. His dominance on the base paths was enough to land him on the Player of the Year ballot, and undoubtedly landed him the Baserunner of the Year award. His teammate Ashton Horchem also had an excellent year on the basepaths, stealing 20 bases and only being caught once. He also scored 22 runs, and frequently set the table with Conn for their teammate Kody Morton. Blake Crancer of the Ground Sloths was my third-place award winner, stealing 12 bags without being caught and scoring 17 runs.
Jess O’Brien: Clay Conn
Clay Conn was untouchable when it came to stolen bases in the Kernels Collegiate League. It’s criminal how the Merchants infielder was able to go a perfect 27/27 stealing bags in his 26 games. With those 27 stolen bases, Conn scored 25 runs, the most in the KCL, for his Merchants. Conn’s 4.49 BSR and brilliant base running added 4.5 more runs above average for his team. While he had a mediocre hitting season, with a batting average of 0.216, his 100% success rate of stealing landed him in the Top 8 for Player of the Year and ultimately secured him as the front-runner for Baserunner of the Year.
Merchant Ashton Horchem and Ground Sloth Blake Crancer also had great base running this season. Horchem stole 20 bases and was only caught stealing once. He added almost 3 more runs above average for his team with a BSR of 2.73 in his 24 games played. Crancer was perfect in his stolen bases going 12/12, added about 2 runs above average to his Sloths team with a 1.93 BSR, and ended the regular season with 17 runs in his 22 games.