Colby Lewis to receive Mark Holtz Alumni Award
The Texas Rangers announced today that former pitcher Colby Lewis is the recipient of the 2018 Mark Holtz Alumni Award.
Lewis, who is returning to the organization this season as a Special Assistant to the General Manager, ranks among the all-time Texas leaders in starts (4th, 194), wins (6th, 77), and innings (1174.1). The 38th overall selection by Texas in the 1999 MLB Draft, Lewis made his Major League debut as a 23-year-old in 2002 and spent parts of three seasons with the club. After stops in four other Major League organizations and two successful years in Japan, Colby returned to Arlington in 2010 and was a rotation stalwart for much of the next seven seasons, winning ten or more games four times and working at least 200.0 innings on three occasions.
Lewis excelled postseason play. He went 4-1 with a 3.11 ERA (19 ER/55.0 IP) in 10 career playoff games/9 starts with the Rangers, the most wins and starts (tied) in franchise history. Lewis won two starts in the 2010 ALCS against the Yankees, including the series-clinching Game 6 victory to send Texas to its first-ever World Series, where he recorded the Rangers' lone victory in Game 3 versus the Giants.
In addition, the club announced its 2017 Minor League Award recipients.
Juan Guzman-Tom Grieve Player of the Year
Guzman led Triple-A Round Rock in average (.298), runs (78), hits (140), and multi-hit games (38) in 2017. The first baseman posted an .806 OPS, his highest since an .808 figure in his first professional season in 2012 with the Arizona Rangers.
Kyle Cody-Nolan Ryan Pitcher of the Year
Cody posted the lowest ERA among all Texas farmhands, going 9-6 with a 2.64 ERA (37 ER/126.0 IP) and 136 strikeouts over 23 games/starts with Low-A Hickory and High-A Down East.
Jose Trevino-Defender of the Year
Trevino rated statistically as the top defensive catcher in the Texas League at Double-Frisco, compiling a .996 fielding percentage and leading all TL backstops in games (99), total chances (829), putouts (762), assists (64), and caught stealing percentage at 41.3%. He was awarded a minor league Gold Glove for the second consecutive season.
Ricardo Rodriguez-Reliever of the Year
Rodriguez combined to go 5-1 with 17 saves and 1.34 ERA (7 ER/47.0 IP) in 35 relief appearances with Down East and Double-A Frisco, averaging 11.7 SO/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in the minors this season. He retired 45 consecutive batters at Down East from May 14-June 28 and ranked second in the Carolina League with 12 saves at the time of his promotion to Frisco. Rodriguez made his Major League debut with the Rangers on August 14 and appeared in 16 games with the club.
Lewis and the minor league recipients will be honored at the 2018 Dr Pepper Texas Rangers Awards Dinner, which takes place this Friday, January 19 at Gilley's Dallas. Tickets for the dinner, which will honor a number of baseball personalities and feature appearances by Texas Rangers past and present, are now on sale at www.texasrangers.com/awards. Individual tickets for the Dr Pepper Awards Dinner are priced at $110.00 each with tables of ten also available. Net proceeds benefit the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation. The dinner will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Gilley's Dallas is located at 1135 S. Lamar St. in Dallas. The 2018 Dr Pepper Texas Rangers Awards Dinner is also sponsored by FOX Sports Southwest, CBS11/TXA21, and 105.3 The FAN.