Notes:
Younger brother of veteran Derek Byrd, Ian narrowly lost out to Dean Evans in the 2001 Rookie of the Year voting, then came back and narrowly beat Dean in the 2002 Most Improved Player of the Year voting. One of only a few players to ever be traded, he was shipped from the Holy Whites to the Horsemen prior to the final 2003 season in exchange for John Deatrick. Very competitive and always the first person to criticize his play (oftentimes the only), Ian seemed frustrated for much of the 2003 season, much of which could be the result of not being able to play with two-year teammate Scott Carmichael. Suddenly you're not seeing as many pitches to hit and batters are more relaxed when facing you (and more likely to accept the walk). Nevertheless most would consider his 2003 season a success as he proved to be a legitimately talented hitter who, had he been able to play a couple more seasons, would have started to climb the career stats ladder.
--2001 champion (Holy Whites)
--2002 Most Improved Player of the year
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