In American Association Daily, the Minor League Sports Report and This Week in the Association name Chicago Dogs first baseman Keon Barnum the American Association Most Valuable Player. Barnum finished the season with 31 homers and 90 RBI.

Keon Barnum Named League MVP

Chicago Dogs first baseman Keon Barnum was named as the American Association Most Valuable Player. Barnum set a league record this past season, hitting 31 homers. He also drove in 90 runs, which was second in the league and the Chicago Dogs star hit .311, finishing just outside of the top 10 in batting.

Barnum was a consistent hitter for the team all season. He started out the year by hitting .289 with five homers in May, then hit .292 with seven homeruns in June. In July, the first baseman was on fire, hitting .381 with seven homers and 32 RBI in 26 games. Those numbers earned him the American Association Player of the Month by the Minor League Sports Report and This Week in the Association. He closed out the season with 11 homers and a .281 average in the final month.

Keon Barnum led the league in total bases with 237 and was first in extra-base hits with 58. He was also first in slugging percentage at .635. Barnum was twice named the Player of the Week. Barnum was also named to the American Association All-Star team, playing for the North Division.

Robertson, Lago Named Runner-Ups

The Cleburne Railroaders Daniel Robertson finished second in the balloting and the Sioux Falls Canaries Alay Lago finished third. Robertson began the season with the Kansas City T-Bones, but was released two weeks into the season and became a key bat in the Railroaders lineup. Robertson hit .339 in 72 games for Cleburne and, combined, had seven homers and 57 RBI. He also scored 76 runs, second most in the league.

Alay Lago finished third, hitting .339, tops in the league. Lago scored 58 runs, hit 13 homers and drove in 57 runs. He also hit 30 doubles, tied for fourth.

By Robert Pannier