Mike Kromar, the Hit Doctor who had a three-game home run streak on the way to leading the league in homers for a consecutive year, is the Lehigh Valley Baseball League Premier Division Silver Slugger.
Kromar, of the Alpha Braves, also known as the Sheriff for his line of work, earned the most first-place votes among Premier Division players. Five Premier players received Silver Slugger votes overall.
"Mike Kromar is the epitome of hitting. Mike works a lot on his craft and it shows in each AB. He's not just a power guy. He can hit to all parts of the park. He stays within himself and tries to drive the ball up the middle each AB. Nine times out of 10, he's going to put together a great AB regardless of whether he gets a hit or not. So for him to finally get recognized by the league is tremendous," Braves Manager Zach Vegh said.
Nick Gattuso, who turned white hot for the Cardinals in the season’s final month to capture the batting title, finished second in the voting. Nic Ampietro of the Salisbury Falcons, a versatile former Moravian College player who hit .420 with pop, finished third.
Teammates call Kromar the Hit Doctor for all the tips he provides for improving and refining their swings. The former Raritan Valley Community College appears to have thad a dose of his own medicine.
Kromar deploys a swing that is not just brute force but graceful, all of the little pointers he gives teammates combined into one smooth stroke with almost impossible leverage. More than swing for the fences, he’s built a swing that can find the fences. "He just puts really good swings on the ball," Vegh said.
The LVBL Silver Slugger Award is awarded to the top hitter in a division (regardless of pitching or fielding contributions) as voted on by the division's managers.
The healthy swing helped the Hit Doctor to seven home runs that led the league after he tied for the league lead with four last season. His 21 RBI were fifth, his 12 walks were top 10, he hit .304 and his .783 slugging percentage was second. The combination of hits, power, and patience were good for a top 5 OPS.
Kromar, who has played before some sizeable crowds before, almost exclusively defers his All-Star selections so that his teammates can enjoy the big stage at Coca-Park. This time, however, there's no getting around the recognition: Kromar is the Premier Division Silver Slugger.
