Long Island Ducks' 15th-Year Anniversary Team

Autographed 2014 Long Island Ducks 15th-Year Anniversary AARP Team Set

Early in 2014, to mark the 15th anniversary year of the Long Island Ducks playing in the Atlantic League, the franchise asked fans to vote and create a 15th Anniversary Team  -- marking the greatest Ducks in franchise history. The task was to select one player at each position, a manager and final vote selection for a player that may have been overlooked. To commemorate this undertaking, the Ducks released a 15th Anniversary Team baseball card set in May highlighting the final selections.

This is a great keepsake for all Duck fans really highlighting their history! The selections were as follows:

Header Card – Bud Harrelson (Autographed);

Catcher – Francisco Morales (Autographed);

1st Base – Doug Jennings; (Autographed)

2nd Base – Ray Navarrete (Autographed);

Shortstop – Dan Lyons (Autographed);

3rd Base – Bryant Nelson (Autographed);

Outfielder – Justin Davies (Autographed);

Outfielder – Lew Ford (Autographed);

Outfielder – Kimera Bartee (Autographed);

Designated Hitter - Patrick Lennon (Autographed);

Left-hand Starting Pitcher – Randy Leek (Autographed);

Right-hand Starting Pitcher – John Brownell (Autographed);

Reliever – John Valentine (Autographed);

Closer – Bill Simas (Autographed);

Manager – Kevin Baez (Autographed);

Final Vote – Mike Loree (Autographed).

John Brownell - 2015 Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year

Autographed 2013 Long Island Ducks Choice Team Set #6
Autographed 2014 Long Island Ducks Choice Team Set #7
Autographed 2015 Long Island Ducks Choice Team Set #4 (Pitch/YR Card)

Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2006 Amateur draft out of the University of Oklahoma, John Brownell has been one of the best pitchers in Independent Baseball over the last decade averaging double-digits wins; 153 innings pitched; and 116 strikeouts since the 2008 season.

Brownell broke on to the Atlantic League scene at the end of the 2012 season and right away became a fan favorite on Long Island by featuring a smooth windup on the front end of his delivery followed by a back-end mastery of changing speeds that perplexed hitters. These physical abilities framed Brownell’s calm demeanor and competitive heart that was custom made for big-game opportunities.

Brownell left his mark on the 2013 Championship Series as he was awarded the series’ MVP by earning win decisions in game one and five of the series while striking out nine against the Somerset Patriots bringing the Championship home to Central Islip.

The 2015 season saw "Brownie" log his 1,000th professional strikeout pitching with the Long Island Ducks and in recognition for his workhorse reliability and performance during the year he was named the 2015 Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year.

The award was well earned. He led the Atlantic League in Innings Pitched (175.2) Wins (12-tied), Strikeouts (146) Complete Games (4) and shutouts (2-tied). His six losses could have been easily converted to a few more wins if he had more robust offensive support on those dates. The Ducks’ offensive only averaged 1.5 runs per game when looking at games where he was saddled with losses in 2015.

To underscore Brownell’s success since coming into the Atlantic League, with only three full seasons under his belt-- at the end of the 2015 season -- he is only five victories away from breaking into the league’s top 10 all-time career wins list.