Bryant Nelson - All-Time Atlantic League Hit King!



Autographed 2012 Long Island Ducks Choice Team Set #10
Autographed 2013 Long Island Ducks Choice Team Set #19

Drafted in the 1993 MLB amateur draft by the Houston Astros, Bryant Nelson would achieve the Major League level with 25 games with the Boston Red Sox in 2002.

Nelson would enter the Atlantic League in 2006, and throughout the next 11 seasons would be a staple of the league with tenures in Bridgeport (2006/15), Long Island (2008/12/13), Lancaster (2010/15), York (2011/14), Camden (2009/14) and Southern Maryland (2015/16).

Far from being just a hired journeyman, the switch-hitting Nelson had instrumental roles with the 2011 York Revolution and back-to-back 2012/13 Long Island Ducks championships earning three Championship rings.

In 2011, Nelson hit a walk-off homerun in the first game of the Freedom Division Series against Lancaster to set the stage for York moving onto the Championship Series and eventually the 2011 Atlantic League Championship trophy.  

Likewise, Nelson was an instrumental player in the 2012 & 2013 Long Island Ducks' championships. The Crossett, Arkansas-native launched a 2-run, eighth-inning home run while the Ducks were trailing Southern Maryland and facing elimination in the 5^th game of the 2012 Liberty Division Championship; propelling the Flock to the Championship Series they would eventually win.

In 2013, Nelson had the game-winning hit in game two, and drove in the championship winning RBI in game five, against the Somerset Patriots to bring the second, consecutive Championship to Long Island in what is arguably the most classic, intense Championship Series in Atlantic League history.

Nelson joined the Atlantic League 1,000-Hit Club on June 2, 2016, joining only Jeff Nettles (7/27/2012) and Ray Navarrete (8/3/2013) to achieve this career league milestone.

On August 3rd, 2016, Bryant Nelson replaced Jeff Nettles as the All-Time Atlantic League Hit King with career league hit 1,053 off of Lancaster pitcher Bryan Evans in Waldorf.

Nelson’s consistency and value to a roster has had him achieved at least 100 career hits with five different Atlantic League teams (Bridgeport, Camden, Lancaster, Long Island and Southern Maryland).

The fan-favorite Nelson was selected by the Long Island Ducks organization as the 3rd baseman for the team's 15^th Anniversary Team in 2014.

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.

Tommy Herr - All Star Second Baseman and 1982 World Champion

Autographed 2010 Lancaster Barnstormers Choice Team Set #26
2005 Lancaster Barnstormers Choice Team Set #27

As a thirteen-year MLB veteran (1979-1991) and All-Star second baseman, Tommy Herr played in three World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals (1982/85/87) winning the fall classic as a member of the 1982 World Championship Cardinals. However, it was 1985 that was actually Herr’s best year highlighted by the extremely efficient production of 110 RBI’s with only 8 home runs for the season. This led to Herr finishing 5^th in the voting for National League MVP that year.

In 2005, Herr served as the inaugural manager of his hometown Lancaster Barnstormers and led them to the Atlantic League Championship the following season in 2006 against Bridgeport. Subsequently, Herr served as the bench coach under Von Hayes in 2009, then opportunistically returned once again as manager in 2010 where he witness first hand his son Aaron win the 2010 Atlantic League Player of the Year.

In three seasons, Herr finished with a 202-203 managerial record with the Barnstormers.

Tommy Everidge - 2011 Atlantic League Player of the Year

Autographed 2011 Lancaster Barnstormers Choice Team Set #03 (MVP Card)

Selected in the 10^th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft by Oakland, Sonoma Valley-native Tommy Everidge progressed through the Athletics’ minor league system reaching the majors in June of 2009.

After additional stints within the Seattle and Houston farm systems, the power-hitting first baseman signed with the Lancaster Barnstormers in 2011, and quickly dominated the Atlantic League at the plate.

In that season, Everidge led the league in hits (160), doubles (41), home runs (28), and total bases (285); and ranked second in runs scored (94) and RBI’s (94). All this was accomplished while maintaining an elevated .319 batting average and playing in all 125 games for the Barnstormers.

In August, Everidge flirted with batting .400 for the entire month; falling just shy at .394 leading to Everidge being named the Atlantic League Player of the Month.

For his offensive season -- which also included setting a league extra-base hit record (69) -- Tommy Everidge was awarded the Atlantic League Player of the Year for 2011.

Everidge currently works as a hitting coach in the Oakland organization.

2003 Atlantic League All-Star Game - Nashua, New Hampshire

2003 Atlantic League All-Star Card Set Selections

To celebrate the 2003 Atlantic League All-Star Game at Holman Stadium, the Nashua Pride put out a 52 card set detailing both the rosters of the North (red borders) and South (blue borders) Division teams. This set, although not high-end production, is a great time capsule of the early days of the Atlantic League.

Some of the players representing their clubs that year in this card set are: Hall of Famer and Stolen-Base King Rickey Henderson; Atlantic League Home Run King Glenn Murray; Somerset greats Jeff Nettles and Michael Warner; Rivershark greats Ben Simon, Brad Strauss , Francisco Morales and Linc Mikkelsen; past and present managers Kevin Baez, Butch Hobson and Wayne Krenchicki; and Long Island’s Justin Davies.

The South Division won the game that year 2-1, with Rickey Henderson driving in the game-winning RBI.

Jon Hunton - Atlantic League All-Time Career Save Leader

(Top) Autographed 2013 Somerset Patriots Choice Team Set #14
(BL) Autographed 2014 Somerset Patriots Choice Team Set #20
(BR) Autographed 2015 Somerset Patriots Choice Team Set #19

Drafter in the 11^th round of the 2004 draft by the Chicago Cubs, Jon Hunton would achieve the Triple-A level within the Oakland A’s organization in 2010.

After briefs roster stints with Lancaster (2007), Somerset (2008) and Long Island (2011/12), the Plainfield, NJ native would come home and find a home with the Somerset Patriots in 2013 becoming the premier closer in the Atlantic League with three consecutive, 30-save seasons. In 2014, he established the single-season Atlantic League save record with 49 saves. During this three-year period, Hunton would save an incredible 45% of the Patriots victories.

With this dominance, the 6’9” closer would establish the Atlantic League career saves record on May 10, 2016, eclipsing Southern Maryland's Jim Ed Warden’s career total with 135 saves.

As a significant member of the 2015 Somerset championship team, Hunton claims off-the-field contributions to this banner as well, as Hunton also has been serving in the dual role of the team’s Director of Player Personnel since the 2014 season.

Roger Clemens - All-Time Baseball Great - Seven Cy Young Awards

Autographed 2012 Sugar Land Skeeters Scorecard Lineup Insert

Considered one of the most dominant pitchers in Major League history, Roger Clemens established a legendary 24-year career from the mound with 354 wins, 4,672 strikeouts and more Cy Young Awards than any other pitcher in MLB history - seven.

In 2012, the ‘Rocket” came out of retirement and donned the imperial blue uniform of the Sugar Land Skeeters after not pitching professionally for five years.

Clemens thrilled 7,724 Constellation Field fans by taking the mound on August 25, 2012, and pitching 3.1 scoreless innings against Bridgeport while striking out two Bluefish batters. 

On September 7, Clemens faced the Long Island Ducks also not allowing a run in 4.2 innings while registering a strikeout in front of 8,597 fans -- which established a home attendance record for the franchise.

On this September date, Clemens also formed a sentimental, father-son battery with his son Koby, who was signed as a catcher with Sugar Land and would play with them through the 2014 season.