January 2 - The Falls Church Barons have been named the magazine’s 2016 Men’s Team of the Year as part of our year-end feature honoring Northern Virginia’s top teams.
The Barons, coached by Rafael Martinez, finished 2016 with an overall record of 34-8-2, winning the D.C. Wood men’s league’s summer and fall season championships. The team was 22-2-2 during the summer season, setting a league record for victories, then by winning the fall title became the league’s first to sweep both season championships since 2010.
The team featured six players that played collegiately at the Division I level, and a number of former Division II and Division III players as well. Pitcher Jake Mintz had six wins and struck out 70 batters while compiling a 0.36 earned run average and limiting opposing hitters to a .112 average to pace the team’s staff.
The offense was led by outfielder Jared Bolden, who hit .453 with four home runs and 35 RBI for the year, as well as outfielder Leno Torres (.446, 3 HR, 24 RBI) and first baseman Shaun McEnhimer (.410, 4 HR, 34 RBI). The Barons, with players ranging in age from 18 to 40, were founded in 2014 and have now claimed four league championships.
Other Nominees:
Outlaws: Coached by Troy Patrick, the Outlaws went 15-4 overall in 2016, winning the Legends Baseball League’s spring and fall season championships. The two titles give the team four consecutive league season titles, and the Outlaws avenged both fall regular season losses by beating the Hurricanes, 12-1, in the championship game in November. Two brothers, Collin and Cody Palmer, were Co-Most Valuable Players of the championship game after Collin pitched five shutout innings and Cody had two hits and drove in a run. The team has lost just seven games total over the past four seasons. The Outlaws scored 252 runs in their 19 games.
Potomac Clementes: Coached by Frankie Ramirez, the Clementes went 15-5-1 during the Industrial Baseball League of Northern Virginia’s season, which took place over the spring and summer. The team posted 171 runs in 18 regular season games while claiming the top seed in the league playoffs, then advanced to the IBL semifinal round before falling, two games to one, to FedLock.
Oakton Orioles: Coached by Kevin McGuiney, the Orioles went 16-8 en route to the Federal Baseball League championship during the spring and summer. In its 21st year of operations, the team has appeared in league championship series in five of the past six years, also winning a title in 2012. Oakton began the season by dropping six of its first 10 games, but rallied to win 12 of its last 14 behind its seven league All-Stars: Paul Vogt, Glenn Gray, Kevin McGuiney, Brian Tomardy, Scott Kelske, Chris Simms and Alex Hart. “This was a really close team both on and off the field, and it showed in the way we played, with guys constantly picking one another up in key situations,” McGuiney said. “This was by far one of my favorite squads I've been a part of. We showed a lot of heart and character.”
Note: All nominees were submitted by league administrators or team coaches.
Photo courtesy of Falls Church Barons
