Dean McNeil Wins SL Golden Arm Award

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CRYSTAL LAKE HERALD

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Dean McNeil Wins SL Golden Arm Award
Updated: November 21st, 2032 – 11:50 PM

By Howard Heskin, Gnats Beat Writer and ESPN PEBA Correspondent – Twitter @HowardHeskin1

When Dean McNeil was named the winner of the Sovereign League Golden Arm Award on Tuesday, he was golfing in Mexico with Luppe van Dam, Ernesto Molina, and Richard Neeley. Yes, even McNeil knows how to take a vacation and find a foursome somewhere. In a few weeks, McNeil will once again beat just about everyone to the Gnats' spring training complex on San Pietro Island, Italy. (After realizing this could be a problem, they gave the man his own key.) He has already begun an arm-strengthening program. All right, so vacation isn't all rest.

But claiming another signature moment Tuesday in what was a season full of them, McNeil could finally reflect. After a season for the ages, McNeil said there eventually would be a time for looking back. Being named the winner of the Sovereign League Golden Arm Award provided that. After finishing runner up for the award after the 2031 season this was a fitting achievement for McNeil who has often played second fiddle during his career.

McNeil took charge of a 2032 pitching staff which achieved the best team starter ERA in Gnats History. His work ethic raised the level of everyone around him with teammate Jim MacCowan also posting a career best 2.55 ERA. MacCowan in years past had been the team "Ace" before sustaining a season ending injury in 2030, then struggling the following season before again hitting his stride with the help of McNeil by his side. Fellow teammates, Fred Womack and Jose Trejo also posted career best numbers this season.

"It's by far the most fun I've ever had playing this game," McNeil said. He became the second Gnats pitcher to win the award since Bryan Stewart won the award during the inaugural season of 2007. McNeil won 10 first-place votes from members of the PEBA Writers' Association finishing ahead of Reno's Angel Valdez with 6 votes.

"It was everything I'd hoped it would be," McNeil said. "I'm looking forward to trying to improve on it next year." That will be a tall task. If anything, his work during his time in Crystal Lake simply reinforced what many around baseball knew: McNeil could very well be the best at his craft. Going into the last year of his contract McNeil also will be playing for a bigger pay day beyond his scheduled $25,000,000 salary for the 2033 season. For winning the Golden Arm, McNeil receives a $750,000 bonus.

On Monday, a day before being named the Golden Arm winner, McNeil was revealed as the cover athlete for the 2K Sports video game PEBA 2K33.

"When you talk to him, you see he has an edge to himself," pitching coach Joe Gillespie said. "He has a lot of confidence. The way he went about his business from Day 1. . . . This guy doesn't sit still. There's always something he's trying to do to get better. That's the amazing thing."

McNeil's 1.90 ERA was the lowest for a Gnats starter in team history. McNeil threw 180.1 innings not including 2 rehab starts in AAA after he briefly missed 3 weeks due to an elbow injury. His HR/9 was .2 and BB/0 was .5 - both the lowest in the Sovereign League. He also equaled his own personal best K/9 at 7.1 last achieved when he was 26 in 2025.

His most notable game this season was July 4, 2032 against Shin Sheiki where he pitched 8 scoreless innings, striking out 15, allowing only 2 hits and 1 walk.