Remembering that time two future O's battled for a minor league batting title with a unique ending

You can say the topic you will read about here today is pretty random and I can’t argue that. I had no expectation of what I would write about today yesterday afternoon but would have not figured on this. It was a conversation in the comments section yesterday about what it takes for a player to qualify for league leader stats that jogged my memory.

It needs a good jogging often.

But I remember the 2015 Double-A minor league season when one player hit .359 but didn’t have enough plate appearances to qualify for the Eastern League leaders. But an 0-for-29 he never really actually took led to him winning the batting title that year.

This story does have Orioles ties.

The player that won that batting title by taking an 0-for-29 that never really happened was Trey Mancini. The player he beat out for that batting title was Adam Frazier, a 2023 Oriole.

Mancini, who the O’s had drafted in round eight out of Notre Dame in 2013, played 84 games with Bowie that year batting a very robust .359/.396/.586/.981. He would win O’s Minor League Player of the Year honors.

Frazier hit .324 in 103 games for Pittsburgh’s Double-A Altoona club. He qualified for league leaders that year in the Eastern League.

Players needed 2.7 plate appearances per league games scheduled for his team. Frazier had enough, Mancini didn’t. But he would have enough if could add 29 plate appearances and would have a .330 average even if he took an 0-for-29.

Per league rules he could indeed take the o-fer and win the batting title. And, because he could do that, he actually kept his .359 average and that is what is reflected now years later on Mancini’s official batting record you can view here.

During the 2015 Eastern League playoffs, I asked Mancini how he felt about winning the title by taking an 0-for-29 he never really took, and he said he wasn’t sure how to feel.

"I didn't really know how it all worked," he said. "The timing was a little weird for me, especially with the playoffs starting that day (when he found out) and that is all I was concerned about. They asked me if I wanted to take an 0-for-29. I didn't know if you actually take an 0-for-29 or not.

"Adam Frazier had a great season and he qualified. Frazier, I feel like won it, but the league still ended up giving it up to me. It was cool, but the playoffs are 10 times more important than a batting title."

And so, they were.

Bowie won the final two games of a best-of-five series to beat Reading 3-2 in the Eastern League finals. There was even a weird story with that too. Leading the series 2-1 with the final two games coming up in Bowie, someone from Reading’s team asked if they could buy the champagne that Bowie had ready to go in case it won the title. That was a bad move. It angered the Baysox, who won the last two games to take the 2015 EL championship.

Mancini got his batting title and a league title.

Awesome honor for Henny: The Orioles announced yesterday that they will name their press facility the Jim Henneman Press Box after the legendary former O's writer for the News American and Baltimore Sun, who has covered Baltimore sports for eight decades.

The team will formally dedicate the press box at Oriole Park at a later date to be announced.

The news was revealed at a Camden Yards lunch Tuesday where many of us that cover Baltimore sports were called to an afternoon to honor someone, but we didn't know who or what was coming. This news was heartily embraced by Jim's friends and colleagues who pretty much adore the guy and so much respect all he has done and accomplished.

For me he has been a dear friend and mentor for a long time. He has provided me encouragement and great advice when needed and is just someone you can turn to discuss and get a great perspective on just about anything Oriole, past or present. 

Simply put, he is a Baltimore legend.

It will be an honor to work in the Jim Henneman Press Box.

Here are some tweets from yesterday, here, here and here.