Varsho, Green win D-backs’ Player and Pitcher of the Year awards
Sep 27, 2019, 1:54 PM
AFL East All-Star, Daulton Varsho #8 of the Arizona Diamondbacks bats during the Arizona Fall League All Star Game at Surprise Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Arizona Diamondbacks announced on Friday their organizational Player and Pitcher of the Year award winners, honoring the top players in the team’s minor league system.
Catcher Daulton Varsho was the Player of the Year, while right-hander Josh Green was the Pitcher of the Year.
Varsho hit .301 with 18 home runs, 58 RBIs, 21 stolen bases and four triples in Double-A Jackson this year in 108 games. He ranked first in the Southern League in runs (85), slugging percentage (.520) and OPS (.898), and also ranked third in average, tied for fifth in home runs and tied for ninth in stolen bases.
A left-handed hitter, Varsho was the MVP of the Southern League Championship Series after he hit .300 with three RBIs and four runs in five games. He’s the first catcher to win the award, and is ranked the No. 5 prospect in the organization by MLB Pipeline.
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Green, meanwhile, spent time with Single-A Visalia and Double-A Jackson this year, posting a 2.71 ERA in 22 starts with a 1.20 WHIP and 101 strikeouts to just 21 walks. He ranked first among all D-backs minor league players in wins (11) and second in ERA behind Kane County’s Levi Kelly. He also had a 1.38 ERA in the playoffs, which included seven shutout innings in the Championship Series.
Green is the No. 21 prospect in the organization, according to MLB Pipeline.
Past winners of the Player of the Year award include Jake Lamb, Chris Owings, Paul Goldschmidt (twice), Justin Upton and Chad Tracy. Previous Diamondbacks Pitcher of the Year honorees include Jon Duplantier, Archie Bradley, Trevor Bauer, Tyler Skaggs, Micah Owings and Brad Penny.
