Which South Shore player earned the MVP award after the Little League NYS 12s baseball tournament?

The Little League New York State All-Star 12s baseball tournament was a success, as not only did it feature some exciting games, but South Shore also emerged victorious from a field of eight players, qualifying for a regional tournament for the first time in 15 years.

South Shore, of course, had a number of players who made solid contributions to its five state tournament wins. In fact, every one of the team’s 12 players contributed to the championship race at some point.

The tournament, which ran smoothly between district administrator Frank Cambria and hosts South Shore and Great Kills Little Leagues, does not award a Most Valuable Player at the end of the tournament.

And that got us thinking: If there was an MVP Award for the state tournament last week, which player would take home the honor?

SILive.com attended all five of South Shore’s games last week and after tallying the numbers, we’ve determined that four players are in contention for the honor. We’d also like to know who our readers think should win the MVP award.

The candidates, in alphabetical order, are:

Stephen Grippo (first baseman/pitcher): The left-hander was a solid contributor at both the plate and on the mound last week. He batted .500 (7 for 14) with a home run, two doubles, a walk, five RBI and three runs scored. He also went 1-0 with an 0.67 ERA in two appearances on the mound. Grippo allowed just one earned run, five hits and three walks while striking out 19 batters in nine innings of tournament work. The two-year 12s player was also solid defensively.

Joe Irac (second baseman/pitcher): The “Iceman,” as manager Bob Laterza calls him, was a solid, all-around contributor, as evidenced by his .455 batting average (5 for 11) with three RBI, a sac fly and a run last week. He also played solidly at second base and had two pitching appearances. In fact, he was on the mound when South Shore secured its 8-5 victory over Harrison in the championship game on Saturday.

Jake Romero (right-fielder/pitcher): The southpaw hurler turned in two excellent relief performances and earned the win in both, including Saturday’s championship win over Harrison. The 11-year-old surrendered just three earned runs (all in the last of his eight innings), one hit and two walks during his outings. Perhaps most importantly, he retired each of the nine batters he faced in his win over East Greenbush-Castleton and 15 in a row at one point during SS’s championship win over Harrison.

Wine Ruggiero (third baseman/pitcher): South Shore’s leadoff hitter had an offensive performance for the ages in five tournament games, posting a .750 batting average (9 for 12) with seven RBI and seven runs scored. The power hitter finished with three doubles and a pair of homers, both of which came in South Shore’s title game win over Harrison on Saturday.

There will be a poll from Monday 8pm to Sunday 12pm. You can vote as many times as you like.

So who’s it going to be? Who do you think deserved the MVP after the Little League NYS All-Star 12s baseball tournament?

Cast your vote!