Lew Ford - 2014 Atlantic League Player of the Year

(Top) Autographed 2015  Long Island Duck Yearbook Page
(Center) 2015 SGA Bronze "2014 Atlantic League Player of the Year" Statue(
Left Cent) Autographed 2009 Choice Long Island Ducks Team Set Card #23(
Bot Left) Autographed 2011 Choice Long Island Ducks Team Set Card #7 
(Bot Cent) Autographed 2014 Choice Long Island Ducks Team Set Card #8 (MVP Card)
(Bot Right) Autographed 2015 Choice Long Island Ducks Team Set Card #28 

Out of Beaumont, Texas, Lew Ford spent 5 years (2003-07) in the Major Leagues with the Minnesota Twins playing in 3 Divisional Series.  Ford was American League Player of the Week August 21, 2005.

Ford fought his way back to the big league roster again on July 29, 2012, with the Baltimore Orioles, -- after 5-years of not playing in the Majors -- hitting consecutive-game home runs with the Orioles on August 27th & 28th. Ford batted .375 in the 2012 Division Series and drove in the lone RBI for Baltimore against New York Yankee pitcher C.C. Sabathia in game 5.

Ford has spent parts of 6 different seasons with the Long Island Ducks and set an Atlantic League season record with 189 hits -- and 140 games played -- in 2014 securing himself a .347 batting average for the season and the Atlantic League Player of the Year.

Through the 2014 season, Ford is the Flock's career batting average leader with a .340 lifetime Atlantic League regular season average.

Dwight Maness - All-Time Atlantic League & Camden Rivershark Great

Autographed 2007 Camden Riversharks DAV Team Set #261
Autographed 2004 Camden Riversharks Choice Team Set #15

Out of New Castle, DE, Dwight Maness was selected in the third-round of the 1992 Amateur Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.  After reaching the level of Triple-A with the New York Mets, and winning the 2000 Eastern League Championship with the New Haven Ravens (SEA-AA), Maness put on a Camden Rivershark uniform in 2001, and wore it for the next seven years.

The right-hand hitting centerfielder would go on to have one of the most successful offensive careers in Atlantic League history. From 2001 through 2007, “Dewey” as his team mates called him, averaged 74 runs, 114 hits, 23 doubles, 15 home runs, 66 RBI’s and 27 stolen bases in what was at that time a 126-game season.

A strong case can be made that Maness was the most prolific combination of speed and power that the Atlantic League has ever seen. Upon his retirement in 2007, Maness placed in the second slot in league history in the power rankings of home runs and RBI’s (behind Nashua’s Glenn Murray); and first in doubles, second in triples and third in stolen bases in the speed categories. Seven years after his retirement, Maness’ career statistics still hold up very well as his name is still widespread throughout the top of the career offensive leader boards in the Atlantic League.

Dwayne Pollok - 2012 & 2013 Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year

Autographed 2012 Lancaster Barnstormers SGA Promo Card  #09 (Pitcher of Year Card)

Autographed 2013 Lancaster Barnstormers Choice Team Set #28 (Pitcher of Year Card)

Having Reached the AAA Level with the Dodger and White Sox organizations, Dwayne Pollok landed in the Atlantic League in 2012, with the Lancaster Barnstormers and opposing batters immediately fell victim to his spot-fast ball and commanding breaking ball.

The former Texas A&M Aggie put together two of the most dominant back-to-back pitching seasons the league has even seen carrying home both the 2012 & 2013 Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year Awards.

In 2012, Pollok went 14-4 with a 2.30 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 34 appearances.  He followed through in 2013, with arguable a better year, finishing with an 18-3 record, 2.92 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 27 appearances.

Pollok equaled his two Atlantic League distinctions by being named the back-to-back Pitcher of the Year (2011/12 & 2012/13) in the Venezuelan Winter League as well.

The greatest compliment of Pollok’s talent was from his Barnstormer pitching peer, Ross Peeples, whom told Lancaster Online, "You sit in the bullpen with guys who have spent years in the big leagues, and they say that Pollok could be a No. 4 or 5 starter in the big leagues right now.’

Pollok walked off the mound into retirement in 2013, at the top of his game with an .820 AL winning percentage, to the relief of Atlantic League hitters.

Long Island Ducks 2012 & 2013 "Quack-to-Quack" Atlantic League Champions

Autographed Long Island Ducks' Souvenir Ice Cream Cup Helmets (Clockwise from top left: Adam Bailey, Bobby Blevins Jr., Joash Brodin, John Brownell, Lew Ford, Dan Lyons)

The Long Island Ducks achieved “Quack-to-Quack” Atlantic League Championships in 2012 and 2013.

2012 featured their first league championship in eight years defeating the Lancaster Barnstormers 3 games to 2 in a best-of-five -game series. Series MVP and Duck shortstop Dan Lyons brought home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth in the deciding game with a squeeze bunt to win the championship in dramatic fashion.

John Brownell earned MVP honors in the 2013 Championship; winning games 1 & 5 for the Flock (3.38 ERA; 9 strikeouts) against the series-favorite Somerset Patriots. The intense series featured four of the games in the series being decided by one run, and two extra inning games including a Saturday-night game that went 16 innings and over five hours before being decided.

Some notables players on both years rosters that served as the core of these teams where: Kraig Binick, Joash Brodin, Lew Ford, Dan Lyons, Ray Navarrete, Bryant Nelson, Bobby Blevins Jr., John Brownell, Leo Rosales, Eric Niesen, Bob Zimmermann and the Lansford brothers.

Corey Smith - Back-to-Back Atlantic League First-Team Selections

Autographed 2013 Somerset Patriots Choice Team Card Set #23 

After being named Baseball America’s Top-High-School Hitter in the Country, Corey Smith was drafted in the first round of the 2000 draft by the Cleveland Indians.

Smith went on to reach the Triple-A level with the Indian, Angel and Dodger organizations.

Spending an abbreviated season with the Somerset Patriots in 2012, and two full seasons the following years -- Smith made them count.  

The Piscataway native was named Atlantic League Player of the Month for May and Atlantic League All-Star Game MVP by winning a "Home Run Off" that decided the game in extra innings in 2013.

The third baseman was also voted back-to-back Atlantic League First-Team selections for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

Lincoln Mikkelsen - 2006 Atlantic League Player of the Year

Autographed 2002 Camden Riversharks Family Care Set #14 (Pitcher of Year Card)
Autographed 2004 Camden Riversharks Choice Team Card Set #17.

Lincoln Mikkelsen was the anchor of the Camden Riversharks rotation for four years (2000-04) reaching the apex of his time spent in 2002, when his 16-6 record earned him his first Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year Award.

After making the trip east to toe the rubber for the Atlantic City Surf, the right-handed established one of the greatest Atlantic League pitching seasons on record in 2006. Mikkelsen went 15-5 with an 1.85 ERA and 122 strikeouts.  This season was all framed by less than 1 WHIP per inning. His efforts also won him the Independent Pitcher of the Year Award from Sports Ticker. A first for an Atlantic League pitcher.

The highlight of Mikkelsen’s 2006 season came on June 16^th, when he pitched a no-hit gem against Lancaster on their home field. Known throughout his career as a situational pitcher, the final score of the game was appropriately 1-0.

Mikkelsen’s season was so dominent that he became the only pitcher in Atlantic League history – and to date – to win the Player of the Year award usually awarded to position players. Coupled with this, Mikkelsen won his second Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year award becoming the first Atlantic League pitcher to be so honored twice.

Mikkelsen concluded his Atlantic League career in 2007 by placing second in Atlantic League history in all-time wins (62) and strikeouts (577). More importantly, Mikkelsen finished with an incredible .633 career winning percentage for his AL career.

Gary Carter - 2003 Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee

Autographed 2009 Long Island Duck Yearbook Page & Game-used Atlantic League Baseball.
2009 Long Island Ducks Choice Team Set Card #29 (Unsigned)

Five-time Silver Slugger Award recipient, three-time-consecutive Gold Glove winner, and two-time All-Star Game MVP (11 appearances); Gary Carter’s baseball achievements were only matched by his enthusiasm on the field for the game of baseball.

The 19-year MLB Veteran, slugged 298 homeruns as a catcher (324 lifetime) and was an early marquee player for the Montreal Expos and one of the final pieces added to a New York Mets team that would win a World Championship for the city of New York in 1986.

The pinnacle of Carter’s Major League career came in 2003 when he was enshrined at Cooperstown.

The Hall of Famer was a member of the Long Island Ducks’ family for their 10^th anniversary season (2009) and as their manager led the team to a .529 winning percentage for the season and a second-half Liberty Division title

Ray Navarrete - 2009 Atlantic League Player of the Year

Autographed 2009 Long Island Ducks Choice Team Set #19 (MVP Card) & Long Island Ducks Souvenir Baseball.
10th Anniversary All-Time Ducks Choice Team Set #11 (Unsigned)

After a six-year run within the Pittsburgh Pirates’ and New York Mets’ organizations, Ray Navarrete entered the Atlantic League in 2005, and went on to have one of the most successful careers the league has ever known.

The Seton Hall alumnus established himself as the franchise face of the Ducks partaking in eight seasons (2006-2013) and two league championships eventually retiring with Long Island’s career offensive records in six categories including: games played (863); hits (963); home runs (137); RBI’s (548); runs scored (599) and doubles (245).

Navarrete’s best season came in 2009 when he was selected the Atlantic League Player of the Year; compiling a .309 batting average with 25 home runs, 96 RBI’s and 106 runs.

Navarrete entered the Atlantic League 1,000 Hit Club “with an exclamation point” on August 3, 2013, with a home run against York becoming only the second Atlantic League player (with Jeff Nettles) in league history to join this elite group.

The end of the 2013 season brought retirement in style as Navarrete hit a 3-run home run in the deciding game 5 of the Championship Series against Somerset putting the Ducks in the lead for good and bringing the Atlantic League Championship Trophy home to Long Island for a second straight year.

Pete Rose; All Time Hit King - Bridgeport Bluefish Manager For A Day

Pete Rose Autographed NL Baseball.

Bridgeport Bluefish Commemorative Pete Rose Managerial Ticket & T-Shirt

In 1988, Minor league GM and promotional legend Ken Shepard vowed to sleep in a press box until his team, the Geneva Cubs (Class A), broke their losing streak.  Shepard ended up sleeping in the press box for 12 long nights but the national attention his pledge brought increased Geneva’s attendance during this streak by 36%.

But Shepard may have saved his biggest promotional splash for his time as GM of the Bridgeport Bluefish.

On June 16, 2014, – with MLB’s permission – All-Time-Hit-King Pete Rose returned and participated on a roster of a professional baseball team for the first time in 25 years. Rose had received a lifetime ban from MLB for betting on baseball.

Rose served as the Bluefish’s manager that day, as Shepard brought national coverage (ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune, etc…) to the city of Bridgeport and his team. For his efforts, Shepard was awarded the 2014 Atlantic League’s Executive of the Year posthumously.

Brad Strauss; "Mr. Rivershark" - 2003 Atlantic League Batting Champion

Autographed 2003 Camden Riversharks Choice Team Set Card #25

Out of Haddon Township, New Jersey, Brad Strauss had a professional baseball career that stretch fourteen years and by the time he retired “Mr. Rivershark” had spent seven of those years with the Camden Riversharks. The third baseman/infielder had accumulated 889 Hits, 177 Doubles, 391 RBI’s, 497 Runs and 36 Triples in his career with the Atlantic League.

The culmination of Strauss’ career came in 2003, when he was trailing in a batting title race with less than a week left in the season. In the last three games of that season, Strauss went 7 for 9 and claimed the Atlantic League Batting Crown with a .331 mark.

In 2007, The Camden Riversharks retired Strauss’ uniform number, 16, which is the only former Camden player to date to be so honored. 

Blake Gailen - 2012 Atlantic League Player of the Year

Autographed 2012 Lancaster Barnstormers SGA Promo Card Strip #15 (MVP Card)

Autographed 2014 Lancaster Barnstormers Choice Team Set Card #6

Barnstormer-fan-favorite Blake Gailen established himself as one of the premier players of the Atlantic League in 2012, not only winning the 2012 Atlantic League Player of the Year, but also being named Baseball America's Independent Player of the Year.

In 2012, the Lancaster outfielder won the Atlantic League batting crown with a league-leading .338 batting average. Despite a 5’9” frame, Gailen displayed power that year belting 22 home runs and driving in 89 RBI’s. He also had 94 runs and 25 stolen bases highlighting his base-running prowess to compliment his slugging.

2012 was good enough to gain the attention of the Toronto Blue Jays who signed Gailen to an AAA contract (Buffalo). In 2014, Gailen was also signed to a Mexican League contract (Toros de Tijuana), but returned to the ‘Stormers mid-season to spearhead their attack and lead Lancaster to their second Atlantic League Championship in their 10th-anniversary season.