Dernell Stenson FIL MVP Award
Posted on 27. Mar, 2009 by Corey in General Baseball.
Dernell Stenson FIL MVP Award
I want to thank all the readers for the emails and comments about the Dernell Stenson article the other day. It was an emotional story to tell, and I heard from many of you that it was an emotional read also. I feel that is very important for the organization to keep the memory of Stenson alive, and I wanted to share with you how they do that.
Following the minor league season for each affiliate, a number of Reds players are asked to come to the FIL, or Florida Instructional League. This is a minicamp of sorts, very similar to spring training. The mornings are spent working out and having players work on different areas that they need to strengthen. The afternoons are filled with games where the players can put these skills to the test.
Being asked to attend the FIL is a great sign for most players, showing the Reds organization cares enough to want to work extra on some areas of the player’s game. This usually lasts between three and four weeks of action. The talent is mixed from all of the Reds minor league levels from short season rookie ball to select Triple-A players.
At the end of the FIL, the Reds hand out several specialty awards to the top players that attended. One of these awards is the Dernell Stenson Award, given out to the Most Valuable Player of the Cincinnati Reds FIL. The 2008 winner of this award was Devin Mesoraco. Other winners include Paul Janish (2004), Abe Woody (2005), Denis Phipps (2006), and Brandon Menchaca (2007).
The names of the winner appear on the plague pictured above and proudly hangs in the front hall of the Reds Spring Training Complex in Sarasota.
