Red Sox Announce Winners of 2014 Minor League Awards

BOSTON, MA-The Boston Red Sox today announced outfielder/infielder Mookie Betts has been named Minor League Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season and left-handed pitcher Brian Johnson has been named the team's Minor League Pitcher of the Year. The organization dubbed shortstop Deven Marrero the Defensive Player of the Year and outfielder Manuel Margot received the Base Runner of the Year Award. The Red Sox also named outfielder Raiwinson Lameda the Latin Program Player of the Year and right-handed pitcher Daniel Gonzalez the Latin Program Pitcher of the Year.  

Catcher Dan Butler is being honored as the 2014 recipient of the Lou Gorman Award. Created in 2011, the award is given annually to a Red Sox minor league player who has demonstrated dedication and perseverance in overcoming obstacles while working his way to the Major League team.  

The 2014 Minor League Awards are selected by the Red Sox baseball operations department and minor league roving instructors. The recipients will be honored during a pre-game, on-field ceremony today as the Red Sox continue their series with the New York Yankees at 1:05 p.m.

Betts led all qualifying Red Sox minor leaguers with a .346 average (138-for-399) and combined for 30 doubles, five triples, 11 home runs, 65 RBI, 33 stolen bases, and 61 walks in 99 minor league games between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket. The 21-year-old drew 61 walks compared to just 50 strikeouts in the minors, posting a .431 on-base percentage overall. He hit .355 (76-for-214) in 54 games with the Sea Dogs to begin the season. The outfielder/infielder reached base safely in an Eastern League-best 36 straight games from April 3-May 16. Betts earned EL Player of the Week honors for April 3-12. He was promoted to Pawtucket on June 3, where he hit .335 with 19 extra-base hits (12 doubles, 2 triples, 5 homers) and 31 RBI in 45 games. He was recalled for the first major league stint of his career on June 28 and finished the season with Boston after his last recall on August 18. A fifth-round selection in the 2011 June Draft, Betts was selected to play for the U.S. Team in this year's SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and was named to the Baseball America All-Star Team.  

Johnson, 23, went 13-3 with a 2.13 ERA (34 ER/143.2 IP) and 132 strikeouts compared to 39 walks in 25 starts combined between High-A Salem and Portland. He posted the best ERA among qualifying Red Sox farmhands and ranked among organization leaders in wins (3rd) and strikeouts (2nd). The left-hander went 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA (11 ER/25.2 IP) in five starts at Salem before a May 2 promotion to the Sea Dogs. Johnson posted the lowest ERA in the Eastern League at 1.75 (23 ER/118.0 IP) and also led the league in WHIP (0.93) and opponents average (.189). He was named an EL Mid-Season All-Star and earned Player of the Week honors for June 9-15. Johnson surrendered one or no runs in each of his last seven regular season starts with Portland from July 20-August 28 for a 0.58 ERA (3 ER/46.1 IP) in that time. He combined to start two postseason games this season, getting the nod in Game 1 of the EL Division Series and was promoted to Pawtucket on September 8 to start Game 2 of the Governors' Cup Finals. He posted a 2.77 ERA (4 ER/13.0 IP) in postseason play between both levels. Johnson was selected by the Red Sox in the first round (31st overall) of the 2012 June Draft out of the University of Florida.

Marrero posted a .976 fielding percentage (12 errors/490 chances) in 116 games this season between Portland and Pawtucket, all at shortstop. The 24-year-old started the season with the Sea Dogs, where he made six errors in 271 total chances (.978). The Red Sox promoted him to the PawSox on July 2, where he had a .973 fielding percentage. Selected 24th overall by Boston in the 2012 June Draft, Marrero led all Red Sox minor league shortstops in putouts (163) and assists (315). He earned Player of the Week honors for June 16-22 and Baseball America named him the shortstop on its Double-A Classification All-Star Team. Between Portland and Pawtucket, he combined to hit .258 (117-for-454) with 30 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 59 RBI, and 65 runs scored.

Margot, 19, led all Red Sox minor leaguers with 42 steals between Single-A Greenville and Salem. He spent the majority of the season with the Drive, where he led the team and ranked fifth in the South Atlantic League with 39 stolen bases. Rated the No. 13 prospect in the Red Sox' system by Baseball America entering the season, Margot earned a promotion to Salem on August 15, where he stole three bases in the final 16 games of the year. The native of the Dominican Republic was signed by the Red Sox as an international free agent in July 2011.  

Lameda posted the best batting average on the Dominican Summer League Red Sox at .307 (61-for-199). In 51 games this season, he had seven doubles, four triples, two home runs, 32 RBI, 39 runs, and 13 stolen bases. The 18-year-old outfielder was signed as an international free agent in July 2012.

Gonzalez went 9-0 with a 2.25 ERA (18 ER/72.0 IP), 56 strikeouts, and 14 walks in 15 starts for the DSL Red Sox. He surrendered just 61 hits on the season for a rate of 7.63 hits per nine innings. Gonzalez led the league in wins and was named a DSL Mid-Season All-Star. The Red Sox signed the Venezuela native in October 2012.

An undrafted free agent out of the University of Arizona, Butler signed with the Red Sox on July 28, 2009. He spent six seasons in Boston's minor league system before making his major league debut with the Red Sox on August 10. He combined to hit .256 (431-for-1,682) with 115 doubles, six triples, 47 home runs, and 241 RBI in 497 minor league games, and threw out 169 of 542 attempted base stealers (31%). The 27-year-old batted .241 (69-for-286) in 83 games for Pawtucket this season.