Boston Red Sox 2018 Minor League Award winners announced
By Hunter Noll
The 2018 Boston Red Sox Minor League award winners were officially announced. Who won what awards? Here’s a hint, there aren’t many surprises.
The Boston Red Sox 2018 Minor League award winners for the 2018 season have been announced. There were six categories up for grabs, and five separate winners.
The Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year awards both went to Bobby Dalbec. This was anything but a surprise.
Dalbec was a monster offensively, hitting 32 home runs and driving in 109 runs between Advanced-A and Double-A this season. The right-handed hitter also mashed 35 doubles and scored 73 runs.
His defense is highly overshadowed by the absurd numbers at the plate. At third base this year, Dalbec had 20 errors (.932 fielding percentage). While that’s not great, the hot corner isn’t easy to manage. Especially in the minors when you’re still having growing pains. You should also consider that the first basemen are also growing defensively. That means they might not be making the error-saving plays a lot of MLB first basemen would.
Dalbec has an absolute cannon for an arm and solid footwork and range. All together it makes for a pretty reliable defender who can make game-changing plays with his arm.
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The Pitcher of the Year award should come as no surprise either, as it went to Denyi Reyes.
Reyes started the year in Full-A with the Greenville Drive. There he pitched so well, that he won the South Atlantic League’s 2018 Most Outstanding Pitcher award. He then went on to Advanced-A continued to dominate.
Overall, Reyes posted a 1.97 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. He struck out 145 batters in 155 2/3 innings while walking just 19.
Baserunner of the Year went to Kervin Suarez. Saurez spent the year in Full-A where he stole 25 bases in 31 attempts. He also hit 19 doubles and five triples, and scored 71 runs. The 19-year-old definitely has plenty of speed, but is also extremely smart when it comes to deciding when to go and when to advance an extra base.
The Latin Program Position Player of the Year went to Gilberto Jimenez. Jimenez played in 67 games for the Dominican Summer League and slashed .319/.384/.420. The 18-year-old didn’t hit any home runs but did manage 10 doubles and eight triples. He also stole 16 bases while scoring 42 runs.
The Latin Program Pitcher of the Year was Miguel Suero. Suero threw 52 innings between the Dominican Summer League and the Gulf Coast League. In that time, the right-hander accumulated a 1.56 ERA and 0.77 WHIP. Opponents hit .177 against the 21-year-old, who allowed just one home run the entire season.
Finally, the Lou Gorman Award was given to Ryan Brasier. The Lou Gorman award is basically a “comeback player of the year award” for the Red Sox. It’s given to a minor leaguer who worked his way to the Majors during the year while showing dedication and perseverance in overcoming obstacles.
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That perfectly describes Brasier, who overcame multiple Tommy John’s and being out of the Majors since 2013.