Royals announce 2017 organization awards

The Kansas City Royals honored nine individuals with minor league awards for the 2017 season, today at the club's Spring Training complex in Surprise, Ariz. 

Honorees included:

Angelo Castellano, recipient of the Carlos Fortuna Award -- recognizes a player who is dedicated to improving his English, work ethic and conduct. Castellano, 23, played in 116 games at Lexington (A) in 2017 and batted .245 with 14 doubles, two triples and 43 RBI. He hit eight home runs in 433 at-bats last season, after hitting just two in his first 957 at bats as a professional. Castellano was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2011 out of San Diego, Venezuela.

Foster Griffin, recipient of the Paul Splittorff Award -- recognizes the top minor league pitcher in the organization. Griffin, 22, posted a 15-7 record with a 3.35 ERA (60 ER in 161.1 IP) between Wilmington (A) and Northwest Arkansas (AA) last season. His 15 victories were the most by a Royals' minor leaguer since Jake Odorizzi also won 15 games in 2012. Griffin was selected to the play in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in Miami last year and tossed 0.2 inning for the U.S. squad. He was selected in the first round (28th overall) of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft.
 
Elier Hernandez, recipient of the Mike Sweeney Award -- recognizes a player who best represents the organization on and off the field. Hernandez, 23, split last season between Wilmington (A) and Northwest Arkansas (AA) and hit a combined .317 (59-for-186) with 11 doubles, three triples, five home runs and 37 RBI in 46 games. He was honored as Carolina League Player of the Week on May 7, prior to his promotion to Double-A. Hernandez was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2011.
 
Nicky Lopez, recipient of the Frank White Defensive Player of the Year Award -- recognizes the organization's top defensive player. Lopez, who turns 23 today, split last season between Wilmington (A) and Northwest Arkansas (AA), batting .279 (144-for-517). He was selected to the Carolina League All-Star Game and was honored by the Arizona Fall League on the All-Prospect Team. Lopez committed just eight errors overall in 129 games at shortstop between his two stops for a .980 fielding percentage. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft.
 
Rudy Martin, recipient of the Willie Wilson Baserunner of the Year -- recognizes the top baserunner in the organization. Martin, 22, is in his third season in the Royals' organization, spending the 2017 season with Lexington (A). He swiped 26 bases in 30 attempts last season, while batting .277 with seven doubles, a triple, two homers and 25 runs scored in just 37 games. Martin was selected in the 25th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft.
 
Frank Schwindel, recipient of the George Brett Hitter of the Year -- recognizes the top position player in the organization. Schwindel, 25, led all Royals' minor league players in doubles (43) and RBI (97), while his 23 home runs between Northwest Arkansas (AA) and Omaha (AAA) ranked second. He hit safely in 47 of his final 50 contests with the Storm Chasers, batting .396 (82-for-207) with a .681 slugging percentage in that span. He was selected in the 18th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.
 
Terry Bradshaw, current hitting coach of the Royals' Major League club and former minor league hitting coordinator, was the recipient of the Dick Howser Award -- recognizing the organization's most outstanding player development person. Bradshaw spent the previous five seasons as the organization's hitting coordinator, working with minor league players at all levels.
 
Jeff Diskin, Cultural Development Coordinator, was the recipient of the Matt Minker Award -- recognizing an outstanding minor league affiliate employee. In 2017, Diskin completed his fourth full season in his current role, which includes helping foreign-born players bridge the gap between the cultures in their home countries with the United States both on and off the field.
 
Matt Price, Area Scouting Supervisor, was the recipient of the Art Stewart Award -- recognizing the organization's most outstanding scout. Price is in his 10th season in the Royals' organization and beginning his seventh full season in his current role.