Wednesday, February 3, 2016 is National Signing Day as Fort Hays State head football coach Chris Brown and the Tiger football staff announce signings for the 2016 season. The next Tiger Football recruiting class will be sending in their National Letters of Intent (NLI) throughout the day.

Chris Brown National Signing Day Press Conference

Updated at 2:15 pm on 2/3/2016

By Eligibility
High School: 24
Transfers/Other: 6

By State/Country
Kansas: 10
Missouri: 6
Florida: 5
Texas: 3
Colorado: 2
Oklahoma: 2
Maine: 1
Nebraska: 1

By Position
Defense: 19
Offense: 9
Athlete: 1
Special Teams: 1

2016 High School Signees

Jaden Abernathy
6-3, 290, DL/OL
Hutchinson, Kan. (Buhler HS)
Planned Major: Undecided
Notes: All-state selection on the defensive line…Two-time all-league first team selection on both the offensive and defensive line…Earned league’s Defensive MVP as a senior in 2015…Named among the Top 33 in Kansas by theWichita Eagle.

Amari Angram-Boldin
6-2, 365, DL
Pahokee, Fla. (Pahokee HS)
Planned Major: Undecided
Notes: Two-time all-conference first team selection…Three-time all-county first team selection…Among the top 30 players in Palm Beach County…Nominated for the PrepBuilders Vince Wilfork Award…In his career, recorded 213 tackles, 81 tackles for loss, 23 sacks, eight forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and 315 pancake blocks.

Elijah Cordero
6-3, 175, DB
Denver, Colo. (Denver East HS)
Planned Major: Pre-Engineering
Notes: Academic all-state first team selection…Recorded 74 tackles, one interception, and one fumble recovery.

Braydon Delzeit
6-1, 230, DL
Hays, Kan. (Hays HS)
Planned Major: Undecided
Notes: All-state honorable mention as a senior in 2015…Two-time all-conference selection, earning first team honors in 2015 and honorable mention status in 2014…All-conference first team selection in wrestling as a junior…All-conference honorable mention selection in baseball…As a senior, recorded 55 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, four sacks, one forced fumble, and two blocked kicks.

Hunter Gnose
6-2, 190, DB
Skiatook, Okla. (Skiatook HS)
Planned Major:  Education
Notes: Two-time all-state honorable mention selection…All-Tulsa World selection at defensive back…Class 5A-3 Safety of the Year…Served as team captain as a senior…All-state honorable mention selection in wrestling…For his career, recorded 343 tackles and 16 interceptions.

Brandon Gonzales
6-0, 250, OL
Kearney, Mo. (Kearney HS)
Planned Major: Health & Human Performance
Notes: Served as team captain during senior year…Recorded 81 pancake blocks as a senior.

Cooper Griffith
6-0, 215, LB
Scott City, Kan. (Scott Community HS)
Planned Major: Beef Cattle Management
Notes: As a senior, earned Kansas Class 3A Defensive Player of the Year honors…All-state selection at linebacker as a senior and junior…All-state selection at running back as a senior…Garden City Telegram Area Player of the Year as a senior…Hutchinson News Top 11 as a senior and Defensive Player of the Year as a junior…Two-time all-league first team selection…Amassed 419 career tackles and over 2,600 career rushing yards.

Da’Juan Johnson
5-8, 160, WR
St. Petersburg, Fla. (Gibbs HS)
Planned Major: Undecided
Notes: Earned county MVP honors…Helped team to district county championship…County all-star game MVP…As a senior, posted over 2,466 passing yards, 898 rushing yards, 40 total touchdowns (27 passing, 13 rushing), 396 kick return yards with two touchdowns…Had 25 tackles on defense with an interception.

Tate Kaufman
6-7, 225, TE
Halstead, Kan. (Halstead HS)
Planned Major: Communications
Notes: All-state honorable mention selection by the Topeka Capital Journal and Wichita Eagle as a senior and junior…Two-time all-league first team selection at both tight end and defensive end…Named to Sports in Kansas All-Non Senior Team as a junior.

Pat Kelly
6-6, 275, OL
North Bridgton, Maine (Bridgton Academy)
Planned Major:
Notes:

Rayvon Lewis
6-0, 170, DB
Blue Springs, Mo. (Blue Springs HS)
Planned Major:
Notes:

John Lucero
6-2, 255, OL
Raymore, Mo. (Raymore-Peculiar HS)
Planned Major: Undecided
Notes: All-state second team selection as a senior…Also garnered all-district first team honors and all-metro honors as an offensive lineman…Two-time all-conference selection, earning first team honors in 2015 and honorable mention honors in 2014.

Mitchell Miller
6-2, 200, ATH
Kansas City, Mo. (Liberty North HS)
Planned Major: Health & Human Performance
Notes: All-state third team selection as a punter during senior year…All-district first team punter and all-district second team defensive back…First team all-league selection at both punter and defensive back as a senior…All-league honorable mention honors as a defensive back as a junior and sophomore…Recorded 109 career tackles with 11 interceptions and averaged 38.0 yards per punt with a career-long of 63 yards.

Christien Ozores
5-10, 195, DB
Junction City, Kan. (Junction City HS)
Planned Major:
Notes:

Jhimon Preston
5-11, 190, DB
Missouri City, Texas (Ridge Point HS)
Planned Major:
Notes:

Javaris Sanders
5-11, 290, DL
Largo, Fla. (Largo HS)
Planned Major: Undecided
Notes: All-county and All-Tampa Bay Area First Team selection…Big County Preps First Team selection…Recorded 77 tackles and 11 sacks as a senior.

Logan Stewart
6-1, 185, DB
Loveland, Colo. (Mountain View HS)
Planned Major:
Notes: Two-time all-conference first team selection…All-area first team selection…Three-time all-conference performer in track and field…Earned Northern Conference Field Athlete of the Year honors in track and field…Recorded five interceptions, three kick return touchdowns, three forced fumbles, and three sacks.

Sterling Swopes
6-4, 220, DL
Lee’s Summit, Mo. (Lee’s Summit North HS)
Planned Major:  Athletic Training
Notes: All-state and all-district selection by the Missouri Football Coaches Association…Lettered four years in football.

Jacob Taber
6-0, 210, LB
Sand Springs, Okla. (Page HS)
Planned Major: Applied Industrial Technology
Notes: All-state and all-metro selection…Oklahoma Class 6A-II Co-Defensive Player of the Year…Recorded 374 career tackles…As a senior, recorded 157 tackles and one interception.

Brandon Wagner
6-1, 260, DL
Omaha, Neb. (Omaha Central HS)
Planned Major: Undecided
Notes: Recorded 50 tackles and eight sacks during senior year…Three-year letterman in football.

Dakota Williams
6-2, 280, OL
Topeka, Kan. (Topeka HS)
Planned Major: Biology/Physical Therapy
Notes: All-city first team selection on the offensive line…Named one of the top 25 offensive linemen in Kansas…All-state and all-league honorable mention honors…2015 Kansas State Powerlifting Champion…Team captain as a senior…Recorded 100 pancake blocks as a senior.

Jacoby Williams
6-3, 220, QB
Dallas, Texas (Garland HS)
Planned Major: Communications
Notes: Texas District 11-6A MVP…All-state honorable mention selection at quarterback…Recorded nearly 3,000 passing yards on 197 completions with 34 touchdowns, while also rushing for four touchdowns during senior season.

Blake Wilson
6-2, 250, DL
Wentzville, Mo. (Fort Zumwalt North HS)
Planned Major: Secondary Education
Notes: All-state selection on defense…Two-time all-conference first team selection on defense and one-time all-conference selection on offense…Two-time all-district selection on defense and one-time all-district selection on offense…Over 200 career tackles with 20 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and five fumble recoveries.

Jerry Wrightner
6-1, 175, DB
Texarkana, Texas (Texas HS)
Planned Major: Kinesiology
Notes: All-state, all-area, and All-Texas District 15-5A selection as a senior…Recorded 110 tackles, nine interceptions, two forced fumbles, and four touchdowns in his career.

2016 Transfers

Richard Benjamin
6-0, 210, WR, Jr.
Tampa, Fla. (University of Louisville)
Planned Major:
Notes: Played defensive back at Louisville and appeared in one game as a redshirt-freshman in 2014…Attended Tampa Bay Tech High School, where he was rated the 67^th-best prospect in the state of Florida by 247Sports.com…Rated 4-star prospect by ESPN.com and Scout and Rivals.com…Ranked 246 on the ESPN 300 List… Most Valuable Player of the 58th Annual Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-Star game, registering three interceptions in the contest…Recorded 35 receptions for 509 yards and five touchdowns, along with 718 rushing yards and another six touchdowns on 103 carries as a senior…Totaled four interceptions on defense.

Chance Clark
6-2, 200, P, Jr.
Hutchinson, Kan. (Highland (Kan.) CC)
Planned Major:
Notes: Two-time All-KJCCC Honorable Mention selection at punter…Averaged 32.9 yards per punt in 2015, which included a long of 59 yards and 22 punts inside the 20-yardline…In 2014, averaged 38.5 yards per punt with a long of 62 yards and 23 punts inside the 20-yardline.

Ty Clark
6-3, 225, LB, Jr.
Fowler, Kan. (Dodge City (Kan.) CC)
Planned Major:
Notes: As a sophomore in 2015, recorded 41 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and an interception…As a freshman in 2014, recorded 17 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and one sack.

Ty Hart      (2015 HS Graduate)
6-3, 215, LB, R-Fr.
McPherson, Kan.
Planned Major:
Notes:

Hunter Knoblauch
5-11, 180, DB, R-Fr.
Andale, Kan. (Kansas State University)
Planned Major:
Notes: Helped Andale High School to the state championship as a senior in 2015… Finished career with 117 tackles and seven interceptions, helping Andale go 33-3 during that span…Recorded 3,832 rushing yards in his career…Named one of the top 11 players in the state of Kansas and an All-Class 4A-Division II First Team selection.

Irick McDonald        (2015 HS Graduate)
6-3, 225, DL, R-Fr.
Miami Springs, Fla. (Miami Springs HS)
Planned Major:
Notes:

FHSU Athletics

FHSU Athletics

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State University announced today, with the continued success of its women’s basketball program and in mutual agreement with the Kansas State High School Activities Association, the Kansas Class 1A Division I State Basketball Tournament will be moved to Dodge City Civic Center this year.

The move comes in support of the Fort Hays State University women’s basketball team and its potential to host the NCAA Central Regional. The Tiger women currently hold a record of 18-2 overall and 12-2 in the MIAA. They were ranked No. 7 in the latest WBCA Division II National Poll.

While the 1A Division I high school tournament is scheduled for March 9-12, the NCAA Regional dates are March 11, 12, and 14. The conflicting dates do not allow for both tournaments to run simultaneously at FHSU’s Gross Memorial Coliseum, since the NCAA Women’s Basketball Regional must be played on the dates designated by the NCAA.

In order to secure the alternate site of Dodge City in advance, the decision needed to be made prior to the Fort Hays State women’s basketball team securing the No. 1 seed in the Central Region. The NCAA regional host is not officially determined until a few days prior to the start of the state high school tournament in March.

Given the success of the FHSU women’s basketball team, the decision to make the hosting opportunity available is a show of support for the efforts and success of the FHSU women’s program. The team enters February with the top record in the Central Region against NCAA Division II competition.

Dr. Mirta M. Martin, FHSU President, said it was unfortunate the university would not be able to accommodate both tournaments, and the decision had to be made now. “We greatly value our relationships with Kansas high schools and with the KSHSAA, and we look forward to hosting all types of high school events in the future, but obviously our first loyalty must be to our own student-athletes.”

Athletic Director Curtis Hammeke noted the long-standing relationship between FHSU and the Kansas State High School Activities Association and its staff members. “We have worked diligently together over many years to accommodate various state events around FHSU events,” he said. “For the second straight year, however, the conflicts related to hosting the NCAA women’s basketball regional have created a set of challenges that we cannot resolve in the best interests of all involved. This decision allows us to support the outstanding accomplishments of our women’s basketball team once more, while not compromising the format of the 1A Division I high school state tournament.”

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Fort Hays State dropped its third straight dual meet to ranked opponents, suffering a 26-12 defeat to the No. 4 ranked Maryville University on Sunday (Jan. 31). The Tigers never held a lead and the closest score was an early 6-6 tie.

After FHSU dropped the first two matches by decision (Kregg Clarke at 165 pounds and Dylan Wiesner at 174 pounds) to go down 6-0, the No. 6 wrestler at 184 pounds Jon Inman knotted the dual by pinning Maryville’s Nick Burghardt at the 3:25 mark.

Maryville went on to win the 197-pound bout with a major decision (18-4) by the No. 2 wrestler Ryan Beltz over Cash Drylie, then followed up with a 9-6 decision from the No. 5 wrestler at 285 pounds Donnell Walker over Dakota Gulley pushing back in front 13-6.

At 125 pounds, Adam Ludwin brought the Tigers back within four by defeating Jaret Singh with a 9-6 decision, but the gap widened again as No. 5 Dakota Bauer scored a technical fall (18-1) over the Anthony Calderon at 133 pounds. Noah Killip (141) kept the Tigers alive with a 7-1 decision over Keygan Foster, bringing the score to 18-12 in favor of Maryville.

That was all the Saints allowed as they won the next two matches with back-to-back major decisions by James Krischke (149) and Greg Hegarty (157) to seal the victory by the score of 26-12. William Homalon (149) lost 16-8 and Joey Dozier(157) lost 10-2.

The Saints improved to 1-1 overall on the season and the Tigers went to 5-5 overall. The Tigers look to bounce back in an MIAA match in Hays, Kan. against Central Missouri on Wednesday (Feb. 3). It will be senior night at Gross Memorial Coliseum as the dual is the final home event of the season.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

KEARNEY, Neb. – Nebraska-Kearney shot 54-percent and hit 9-of-19 from 3-point range and beat Fort Hays State 90-64 in front of 3,732 at the Health and Sports Center. The Tigers (13-7, 7-7 MIAA) have dropped three straight while UNK (12-8, 8-6 MIAA) wins their third straight and fourth in their last five games.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The used a 28-8 run to build a 19 point lead late in the first half. The Tigers could only get withinf, but a 28-8 run by the Lopers pushed their lead to 19 late in the half and led by as many as 28 in the second half.

Rob Davis was the only Tiger to reach double figures with 10 points. Connor Beranek led the Lopers with 28 points and 12 rebounds.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State was picked ninth in the 2016 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, released on Friday (Jan. 29). The Tigers are slotted where they finished in the standings in 2015. FHSU enters its sixth season under head coach Steve Johnson.

Fort Hays State looks to snap a two-year absence from the conference tournament. The Tigers finished ninth in the standings last year, just one place shy of qualifying for the tournament. FHSU also looks to snap a two-year string of finishing with a sub-.500 record. The top eight teams in the conference qualify for the tournament once again this year.

The MIAA changed its regular season format for the 2016 season. Each team is scheduled to play the other 13 schools in the conference three times, creating a 39-game conference schedule. Most of the three-game series’ will take place on weekends, but there will be some broken up over the course of three consecutive weeks with one mid-week contest. FHSU has 11 non-conference games scheduled before starting MIAA play on February 26.

Fort Hays State has two All-MIAA selections returning from last year in Austin Unrein and Connor Ross. Both enter their senior seasons in 2016. Unrein was solid in a utility role, making 36 starts at third base, six at designated hitter, and five in left field, while also serving as the team’s closer on the mound in his junior season. He ranked second in hits (58) and RBI (45), and third in batting average (.326), home runs (11), and slugging percentage (.596) for FHSU in 2015, while recording 24 extra-base hits. On the mound, Unrein recorded three saves, while going 3-3 on the year with a 5.68 ERA. Ross had a solid first year of action with the Tigers by ranking second on the team in batting average at .337. He recorded 24 extra-base hits (14 doubles, 1 triple, 9 home runs) and scored 39 times, serving as the Tigers’ leadoff hitter.

The Tigers have two pitchers back with significant starting experience in 2015, seniors Justin Hersch and Joe Mapes. Hersch went 3-3 last year with a 6.14 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 48.1 innings of work. Mapes made all of his starts in the latter portion of the season and went 2-1 with a 4.64 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 33 innings of work.

Fort Hays State led the nation last year in home runs per game (1.62) with a total of 76 in 47 games and ranked among the top 15 nationally in slugging percentage (.523). But three of the top four home runs hitters from that team graduated. Though the Tigers had a potent offense that averaged 7.8 runs per game last year, keeping the other team off the board was a struggle. Opponents averaged 8.4 runs per game and FHSU had a team ERA of 7.52 with 88 errors committed in the field. FHSU looks for improvement in those areas this year.

Below is the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State’s Brock Long gathered his third All-America honor for the 2015 season, named to the D2Football.com All-America Team. Long is a second-team selection at linebacker.

Long already earned All-America status on the D2CCA and AP Little All-America squads as a first team selection. Long had a tremendous senior year anchoring the Tiger defense at inside linebacker.

Long set a new school record for tackles in a season with 171, passing the former mark of 164 set by Alex Whitehill in 2011. But tackles were not the only category he soared in as he led the MIAA in tackles for loss, sacks, and forced fumbles at the end of the regular season. He finished the year with 21.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and four forced fumbles to go with his massive tackle count. Long led the team in tackles in nine of the 12 games this season. He averaged 14.3 tackles per game and reached double figures in tackles 10 times.

Long ranks fifth on the career tackles list for the NCAA era at FHSU with 264, accomplishing the feat in just two years. He is tied for 10^th on the career sacks (13.5) and career tackles for loss (26.0) lists at FHSU for the NCAA era. For single-season accomplishments at FHSU, he is now the record holder for tackles and tackles for loss, while tying for second in sacks.

Below is the D2Football.com All-America Team for the 2015 season.

2016 D2Football.com All-America Team

D2Football.com Individual Award Winners

FHSU Athletics

BROOKFIELD, Ill. – The Don Hansen All-Super Region 3 Team has been released for the 2015 football season. Fort Hays State had five players named to the squad, all second-team selections. Earning the honors on offense are Treveon Albert, Shaquille Cooper and Matt Erbert. On defense, Brock Long and Daniel Lindsey earned the distinction.

2015 Don Hansen All-Super Region 3 Selections

Five selections to the Don Hansen All-Super Region Team are the most for the Tigers in program history. The Tigers had four Don Hansen regional selections in 2009.

Albert was one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the nation with both his arm and legs. He finished the season with 1,752 passing yards and 1,228 rushing yards. He finished with the most rushing yards by a quarterback for a single season in FHSU history and fifth most rushing yards in a season overall. He finished his career with 8,111 yards of total offense, setting a new school record. He also set the FHSU career passing touchdowns mark at 55. With 2,399 career rushing yards, he finished seventh on the all-time chart at FHSU. He finished third on the career passing chart with 5,712 yards.

Joining Albert in one of the best rushing combinations nationally was sophomore Shaquille Cooper. He finished the year with 1,441 rushing yards, the third-most in a single season at FHSU. Cooper averaged 120.1 rushing yards per game and he also hauled in a team-high 37 passes for 309 receiving yards. Cooper finished the year with 1,753 all-purpose yards, averaging 146.1 per game.

Erbert adds another all-region honor to his collection. He was named to the D2CCA All-Super Region 3 Team earlier this season. Erbert anchored the offensive line at left tackle, helping the Tigers average 251.1 rushing yards per game.

Long had one of the greatest all-around seasons at linebacker for FHSU. He set a new school record for tackles in a season with 171. It passed the former mark of 164 set by Alex Whitehill in 2011. Aside from the tackles, he also finished with 21.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and four forced fumbles. Long has garnered numerous All-Super Region and All-America honors for his efforts this year.

Lindsey finished the 2015 season with 85 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and four blocked kicks. He also was a huge asset on kick returns, setting a new single-season record for kick return touchdowns at FHSU with two. He averaged 27.9 yards per kick return with a total of 390 yards.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State Softball was picked eighth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, released on Thursday (Jan. 28). Fort Hays State is picked in the same position it finished in the regular season last year when it went 14-12 in conference play.

The Tigers enter their second year under head coach Adrian Mohr’s guidance. FHSU finished with an overall record of 26-27 in 2015, but continued its run of making the MIAA Tournament every year since joining the conference in 2006-07. The Tigers had a rollercoaster season, twice putting together win streaks of four games, but also saw one five-game losing streak.

FHSU has most of its starting lineup back from last year, which includes five All-MIAA selections. All five returning were honorable mention selections last year. The list includes pitcher Paxton Duran, first baseman Tori Beltz, outfielder Samantha Villarreal, and infielders Courtney Dobson and Kylie Strand. Dobson is a three-time All-MIAA selection, while Duran, Beltz, and Villarreal have two all-conference selections to their credit.

The Tigers open the season on February 12 at the 8-State Classic in Bentonville, Ark., where they’ll play six games in the span of three days.

Below is the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll for the 2016 season.

2016 MIAA Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Central Oklahoma (4)            157
2. Pittsburg State (6)                154
3. Central Missouri (3)              149
4. Missouri Western (1)            142
5. Northwest Missouri               111
6. Emporia State                      106
7. Washburn                              96
8. Fort Hays State                      92
9. Northeastern State                  76
10. Nebraska-Kearney                 57
11. Southwest Baptist                 52
12. Missouri Southern                 35
13. Lindenwood                          34
14. Lincoln                                 13

Kansas City Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Royals announced their 2015 team award winners today, which were voted on by the Kansas City Chapter of the BWAA.  Outfielder Lorenzo Cain was named the Les Milgram Player of the Year, while relief pitcher Wade Davis earned the Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year award.  Both players earned those same honors in 2014.  For the first time since 1991, there were multiple honorees for the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award as Alcides Escobar, Mike Moustakas and Ben Zobrist split the votes evenly.

Cain, 29, enjoyed another fantastic season in 2015, when was selected to his first All-Star Game and finished third in the American League Most Valuable Player voting.  The right-handed hitting outfielder batted .307 with 34 doubles, six triples, 16 homers with a career-best 101 runs scored, becoming the first KC player to score at least 100 runs in a season since 2011.  He also ranked second in the A.L. in stolen bases (28), while finishing fifth in batting average and runs scored.  He started all 16 postseason games in center field, batting .258 with two doubles, a homer, 11 RBI, 11 runs scored and a Major League-best 11 walks.  He is the first player to win the Les Milgram Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons since Billy Butler (2009-10).

Davis, 30, was once again one of the most dominant relief pitchers in the Majors.  The right-hander went 8-1 with a microscopic 0.94 ERA (7 ER in 67.1 IP), while holding the opposition to a .144 batting average.  His eight victories were tied for the most by a Major League relief pitcher in 2015, while his ERA was the lowest among all big league pitchers that threw at least 40.0 innings.  Davis served as the Royals closer during two stints in the regular season, converting 17 of 18 save opportunities.  He worked eight scoreless appearances in the postseason, going 1-0 with four saves in four opportunities and fanning 18 in just 10.2 innings.  Davis becomes the first to earn Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year Honors in consecutive seasons since Greg Holland (2012-13).

Escobar, 29, earned his second Special Achievement Award, also being honored in 2012.  The KC shortstop was selected to the 2015 All-Star Game, was named a Rawlings Gold Glove winner and was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the 2015 American League Championship Series.  Escobar hit .257 during the regular season with 20 doubles, five triples, three homers and 76 runs scored.  He turned it on in the postseason, batting .329 with four doubles, three triples, a homer and 13 runs scored, which also included at least one hit in his final 15 postseason games to set a club record.

Moustakas, 27, captured his first postseason team award.  He enjoyed an All-Star campaign, becoming the first Royal to be selected to the game with the Final Fan Vote, where he received over 19 million online votes.  He hit .284 during the regular season with 34 doubles and set career highs in homers (22), RBI (82), runs scored (73), hits (156) and slugging percentage (.470).  His 51 RBI after the All-Star break were eighth-most in the American League, while he recorded 43 multi-hit games in 2015 after collecting 45 combined in 2013-14.  He started all 16 games at third base during the postseason, batting .215 with a double, a homer and eight RBI.

Zobrist, 34, was acquired by the Royals on July 28 from the Oakland Athletics and batted .284 with 16 doubles, a triple, seven homers and scored 37 runs in the final two months of the regular season.  The switch-hitting utility man batted .303 with a team-record eight doubles, two homers and a Major League-best 15 runs scored during the postseason.  Zobrist signed with the Chicago Cubs during the offseason.