LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they have named outfielder Josue De Paula as the Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year and right-handed pitcher Christian Zazueta as the Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
De Paula, 21, had a banner season for the organization, winning the Double-A Player of the Year after slashing .303/.401/.547 with 27 homers and 104 RBI in 124 games. He represented the Dodgers in the 2026 Sirius XM Futures Game, a year removed from being named the MVP in the 2025 Futures Game in Atlanta after clubbing a three-run homer to propel the NL squad to a 4-2 win at Truist Park. He made his Major League debut on September 11 and clubbed his first career homer two days later in Miami. He became the first Dodger position player to jump from Double-A to the Majors since at least 2014, when Erisbel Arruebarrena made the jump to the big squad. He appeared in 11 regular season games for the Dodgers, hitting .323 with one homer and seven RBI while recording 11 walks against five strikeouts. He has played 462 minor league games across four levels, slashing .286/.404/.453 with 56 homers and 280 RBI. He signed with the Dodgers as an international free agent on January 15, 2022.
Zazueta, 21, wins the award for the second straight season, becoming the third pitcher in franchise history to win the award back-to-back seasons, joining Chad Billingsley (2004-05) and James McDonald (2007-08). He went 6-4 with a 3.65 ERA in 23 games between High-A Great Lakes and Double-A Tulsa. He pitched in 11 games for the Loons, striking out 66 batters in 48.2 innings and posting a 3.88 ERA. He finished the season with Double-A, going 4-2 with 78 strikeouts in 55 innings. He was acquired on February 5, 2024 from the New York Yankees along with left-hander Matt Gage in exchange for left-handed pitcher Caleb Ferguson. In three seasons with the Dodgers, he is 17-11 with a 3.76 ERA and 311 strikeouts in 242.0 innings. He has been in the minors four seasons, collecting a 3.94 ERA with a 20-16 record and 386 strikeouts in 315.1 innings. The Mexican native was originally signed by the New York Yankees as an international free agent on January 17, 2022 out of Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico.
De Paula and Zazueta will both be presented with their respective awards and honored in a pregame ceremony at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, October 4 prior to Game 2 of the National League Division Series.
Branch Rickey Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year: 1989-2026
Year Player of the Year Pitcher of the Year
1989 Mike Huff, Albuquerque (OF) Jim Poole, Vero Beach (LHP)
1990 Henry Rodriguez, San Antonio (OF) Jamie McAndrew, Bakersfield/San Antonio (RHP)
1991 Eric Karros, Albuquerque (IB) Pedro Martinez, San Antonio/Albuquerque (RHP)
1992 Mike Piazza, San Antonio/Albuquerque (C) Todd Williams, Bakersfield/San Antonio (RHP)
1993 Billy Ashley, Albuquerque (OF) Kip Gross, Albuquerque (RHP)
1994 Billy Ashley, Albuquerque (OF) Greg Hansell, Albuquerque (RHP)
1995 Adam Riggs, San Bernardino (IF) Gary Rath, San Antonio/Albuquerque (LHP)
1996 Paul Konerko, San Antonio/Albuquerque (IF) Billy Neal, Vero Beach (RHP)
1997 Paul Konerko, Albuquerque (IF) Dennys Reyes, San Antonio/Albuquerque (LHP)
1998 Angel Peña, San Antonio (C) Luke Prokopec, San Bernardino/San Antonio (RHP)
1999 Chin-Feng Chen, San Bernardino (OF) Eric Gagné, San Antonio (RHP)
2000 Joe Thurston, San Bernardino (IF) Carlos Garcia, San Bernardino (RHP)
2001 Phil Hiatt, Las Vegas (IF) Ricardo Rodriguez, Vero Beach (LHP)
2002 Joe Thurston, Las Vegas (IF) Edwin Jackson, South Georgia (RHP)
2003 Franklin Gutierrez, VB/Jacksonville (OF) Greg Miller, Vero Beach/Jacksonville (LHP)
2004 Joel Guzman, Vero Beach/Jacksonville (OF) Chad Billingsley, Vero Beach/Jacksonville (RHP)
2005 Andy LaRoche, Vero Beach/Jacksonville (IF) Chad Billingsley, Jacksonville (RHP)
2006 James Loney, Las Vegas (1B) Mark Alexander, Jacksonville/Las Vegas (RHP)
2007 Chin-lung Hu, Jacksonville/Las Vegas (IF) James McDonald, Inland Empire/Jacksonville (RHP)
2008 Ivan De Jesus, Jr., Jacksonville (IF) James McDonald, Jacksonville/Los Angeles (RHP)
2009 Dee Gordon, Great Lakes (IF) Scott Elbert, Chattanooga/Albuquerque/Los Angeles (LHP)
2010 Jerry Sands, Great Lakes/Chattanooga (IF/OF) Rubby De La Rosa, Great Lakes/Chattanooga (RHP)
2011 Scott Van Slyke, Chattanooga (IF/OF) Shawn Tolleson, Great Lakes/Rancho/Chattanooga (RHP)
2012 Joc Pederson, Rancho Cucamonga (OF) John Ely, Albuquerque (RHP)
2013 Scott Schebler, Rancho Cucamonga (OF) Zach Lee, Chattanooga (RHP)
2014 Joc Pederson, Albuquerque (OF), Julio Urias, Rancho Cucamonga (LHP)
Corey Seager, Rancho Cucamonga/Chattanooga (IF)
2015 Alex Verdugo, Great Lakes/Rancho Cucamonga (OF) Zach Lee, Oklahoma City (RHP)
2016 Edwin Rios, Great Lakes/Rancho Cucamonga/Tulsa (IF) Brock Stewart, Rancho Cucamonga/Tulsa/Oklahoma City (RHP)
2017 Keibert Ruiz, Great Lakes/Rancho Cucamonga (C) Walker Buehler, Rancho Cucamonga/Tulsa/Oklahoma City (RHP)
2018 Gavin Lux, Rancho Cucamonga/Tulsa (INF) Tony Gonsolin, Rancho Cucamonga/Tulsa (RHP)
2019 Gavin Lux, Tulsa/Oklahoma City (INF) Josiah Gray, Great Lakes/Rancho Cucamonga/Tulsa (RHP)
2021 Miguel Vargas, Tulsa (INF) Hyun-Il Choi, Great Lakes/Rancho Cucamonga (RHP)
2022 Diego Cartaya, Rancho Cucamonga/Great Lakes (C) Gavin Stone, Great Lakes/Tulsa/Oklahoma City (RHP)
2023 Michael Busch, Oklahoma City (INF) Kyle Hurt, Great Lakes, Tulsa/OKC (RHP)
2024 Dalton Rushing, Tulsa/Oklahoma City (C) Jackson Ferris, Great Lakes/Tulsa (LHP)
2025 Eduardo Quintero, Rancho Cucamonga/Great Lakes (OF) Christian Zazueta, Rancho Cucamonga/Great Lakes (RHP)
2026 Josue De Paula, Tulsa/OKC/LAD (OF) Christian Zazueta, Great Lakes/Tulsa (RHP)
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