# 2016 Carolina League season

The 2016 Carolina League was a Class A-Advanced baseball season played between April 9 and September 7. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with two teams from each division competing in the playoffs.
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Lynchburg Hillcats in the final round of the playoffs.

## Teams

2016 Carolina League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| North | Frederick Keys | Frederick, Maryland | Baltimore Orioles | Harry Grove Stadium |
| North | Lynchburg Hillcats | Lynchburg, Virginia | Cleveland Indians | Calvin Falwell Field |
| North | Potomac Nationals | Woodbridge, Virginia | Washington Nationals | G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium |
| North | Wilmington Blue Rocks | Wilmington, Delaware | Kansas City Royals | Daniel S. Frawley Stadium |
| South | Carolina Mudcats | Zebulon, North Carolina | Atlanta Braves | Five County Stadium |
| South | Myrtle Beach Pelicans | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | Chicago Cubs | TicketReturn.com Field |
| South | Salem Red Sox | Salem, Virginia | Boston Red Sox | Lewis Gale Field |
| South | Winston-Salem Dash | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Chicago White Sox | BB&T Ballpark |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Salem Red Sox finished with the best record in the league for the first time since 1987.

### Standings

North division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Lynchburg Hillcats | 84 | 56 | .600 | – |
| Potomac Nationals | 73 | 65 | .529 | 10 |
| Frederick Keys | 68 | 72 | .486 | 16 |
| Wilmington Blue Rocks | 54 | 84 | .391 | 29 |
| South division |||||
| Salem Red Sox | 87 | 52 | .626 | – |
| Myrtle Beach Pelicans | 82 | 57 | .590 | 5 |
| Winston-Salem Dash | 56 | 83 | .403 | 31 |
| Carolina Mudcats | 52 | 87 | .374 | 35 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | David Bote, Myrtle Beach Pelicans | .337 |
| H | Mason Robbins, Winston-Salem Dash | 159 |
| R | Greg Allen, Lynchburg Hillcats | 93 |
| 2B | Anthony Santander, Lynchburg Hillcats | 42 |
| 3B | Danny Mars, Salem Red Sox | 10 |
| HR | Aderlin Rodríguez, Frederick Keys | 26 |
| RBI | Yasiel Balaguert, Myrtle Beach Pelicans | 96 |
| SB | Jay Gonzalez, Frederick Keys | 41 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Sean Brady, Lynchburg Hillcats Jonathan Martinez, Myrtle Beach Pelicans | 12 |
| ERA | Matthew Grimes, Frederick Keys | 1.45 |
| SV | Ryan Brinley, Potomac Nationals | 16 |
| SO | Jordan Stephens, Winston-Salem Dash | 155 |
| IP | Matt Kent, Salem Red Sox | 156.0 |

## Playoffs

* The Myrtle Beach Pelicans won their fourth Carolina League championship, defeating the Lynchburg Hillcats in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| N1 | Lynchburg | 2 | | | |
| N2 | Potomac | 1 | | | |
| N2 | Potomac | 1 | N1 | Lynchburg | 1 |
| | | | S2 | Myrtle Beach | 3 |
| S1 | Salem | 1 | S2 | Myrtle Beach | 3 |
| S2 | Myrtle Beach | 2 | | | |

## Awards

Carolina League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Bobby Bradley, Lynchburg Hillcats |
| Pitcher of the Year | Trevor Clifton, Myrtle Beach Pelicans |
| Manager of the Year | Mark Budzinski, Lynchburg Hillcats |