LAKE MARY, Fla.- The Winter Garden Squeeze could be considered to be in a Golden Age for the franchise. The Squeeze have been a top-three team in the Florida League in each of the past two seasons, including a playoff series win last season and a franchise record 21 wins.

 

In the eleven-year history of the Squeeze, perhaps no hitter has been as dangerous at the plate as Mercer infielder Titan Kamaka.

 

Winter Garden shortstop Titan Kamaka has been selected as the 2024 Florida League Player of the Year. Kamaka is the third player in Winter Garden history to win the award, joining Sadler Goodwin and Aaron Anderson, who won the awards in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018.

 

The Florida League Player of the Year award, which has also been given to major leaguers such as the Baltimore Orioles' Austin Hays, is selected via a vote of the Florida League's staff, coaches, and scorekeepers. Kamaka earned the honor following a historic season as one of the most productive hitters in league history.

 

After two seasons at Florida State, Kamaka arrived in Winter Garden in the transfer portal, searching for a new collegiate home. With schools around the nation in pursuit, Kamaka showed why he was a desired target in the portal.

 

Kamaka was a force at the plate, leading the Squeeze, and the Florida League, with 20 extra base hits and 29 runs batted in. Those 20 extra base hits helped the central Florida native to a historic mark, as Kamaka set a new Florida League record with a slugging percentage of .651, breaking a record that had stood for more than a decade. 

 

In addition to his slugging percentage record, the Mercer commit was the Florida League leader in hits, doubles, runs batted in and runs created, and finished in the top ten in OPS, batting average, home runs, and runs scored. His 29 runs batted in were the most for any Florida League player since the 2019 season, when teams played 40 or more games in a season.

 

Kamaka had two or more hits in 14 of his 30 games played in a Winter Garden uniform, including a four-hit effort in the Squeeze's July 5 victory over Sanford. The Orlando native was also a reliable presence in the field for Mike McDaniel's ballclub, playing shortstop nearly every game. In addition to his honor as Florida League Player of the Year, Kamaka was also selected to the 2024 Florida League All-Star Game.