Colin Kleven of Kamloops has been honoured by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Kleven, a pitcher for the Single-A Lakewood, N.J., BlueClaws, was named the Phillies' first recipient of the Minor League Community Service Award, which goes to the player "in the Phillies' player development system with exceptional performance off the field," according to a news release.
The 6-foot-7, 240-pound righty compiled 12 hours of community service, the most of any Phillies' minor leaguer. He served as a celebrity waiter at an event for ALS, did meet-and-greets with the Boys and Girls Club, and also participated in events with the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America.
Not counted in his hours was his performance during the BlueClaws' final home game, on Sept. 3. Kleven did everything (except pitch), according to a news release - he "dressed as a hot dog and took part in a BlueClaws staff meeting in the executive conference center; helped the ground crew remove the tarp; greeted fans and took tickets at the gates; took the lineup card to home plate; ran in the pork roll, egg and cheese race (he won as cheese); spent the 7th inning in the radio booth; and helped with musical chairs between innings."
Kleven will be honoured before the Phillies' home game against the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 21 - his parents, Barry and Gail, also will be flying down to see the ceremony. Two other Phillies prospects, top hitter Darin Ruf and best pitcher Tyler Cloyd, also will be honoured before the game.
Along with his outstanding community service, Kleven was solid on the field - the 21-year-old went 9-8 with a 3.99 ERA. Originally drafted in the 33rd round of the 2009 MLB draft, Kleven led the BlueClaws in victories, starts (27), innings (151) and strikeouts (119).
It was his third season of minor-league ball, and he represented Lakewood at the South Atlantic League All-Star Game in Charleston, S.C., on June 19. And Kleven had a great end to the season, putting up a 1.07 ERA over his final four starts (25 2/3 innings), three of which he won.
The BlueClaws didn't make the SAL postseason.
