The Boston Red Sox today announced infielder Yoan Moncada as this season's Minor League Offensive Player of the Year and right-handed pitcher Roniel Raudes as the Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Third baseman Rafael Devers has been named the organization's Minor League Defensive Player of the Year, while shortstop Mauricio Dubon has earned Baserunner of the Year honors. The Latin Program Player and Pitcher of the Year honors have been awarded to infielder/outfielder Pedro Castellanos and right-handed pitcher Ritzi Mendoza, respectively.
Additionally, left-handed pitcher Robby Scott has been recognized as the 2016 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 2016 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 at Fenway Park tonight prior to Boston's 8:08 p.m. game against the New York Yankees.
Moncada, 21, finished sixth among Red Sox farmhands with a .294 batting average and fourth with 15 home runs while leading the organization with 45 steals in 57 attempts. In his second professional season since signing as an international free agent in March 2015, the switch hitter played 61 games for High-A Salem and 45 for Double-A Portland before being selected to the major league roster on September 2, combining to go 119-for-405 with 94 runs, 31 doubles, six triples, 15 home runs, 62 RBI, and a .918 OPS over 106 minor league games. After earning mid-season and post-season All-Star honors in the Carolina League, Boston's 2015 Baserunner of the Year became the first Red Sox prospect and first Cuban native to be named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year.
Raudes, 18, ranked third among Red Sox minor leaguers and tied for third in the South Atlantic League with 11 wins over 24 starts with the Single-A Greenville Drive, also finishing eighth in the organization with a 3.65 ERA (46 ER/113.1 IP) and striking out 104 opposing hitters compared to just 23 walks. The right-hander began the season 6-1 with a 3.04 ERA (16 ER/47.1 IP) in his first 10 starts before earning recognition as a South Atlantic League mid-season All-Star, and posted a 3.28 mark (21 ER/57.2 IP) in 12 second-half starts for the Drive. The Nicaraguan-born Raudes has played two minor league seasons since signing with the Red Sox as an international free agent in July of 2014, going 18-9 with a 3.32 ERA (69 ER/187.0 IP), a 1.09 WHIP, and 183 strikeouts compared to 32 walks.
Devers, 19, committed only 15 errors over 117 games (116 starts) at third base with High-A Salem, leading Carolina Leaguers in fielding percentage (.960), total chances (377), putouts (104), and assists (258) at the position. Having played no defensive position other than third base since signing as an international free agent in 2013, Devers has improved his fielding percentage each season, from .905 in 2014 to .949 in 2015 and .960 this year. Named a post-season All-Star in the Carolina League, the left-handed batter hit .282 (142-for-503) in 128 games at the plate with 64 runs scored, 32 doubles, eight triples, 11 home runs, 71 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. Over three seasons Devers has posted a .293 average (361-for-1,233) with 182 runs, 87 doubles, 14 triples, 29 home runs, 198 RBI, and 26 stolen bases in 313 minor league games.
Dubon, 22, recorded the third-most stolen bases (30-for-37) among Red Sox minor leaguers over 124 total games between Portland (62) and Salem (62) this season. The 2016 Carolina League mid-season All-Star was successful in 22 consecutive stolen base attempts from May 3 to July 7, while his overall success rate of 81.1 percent matched his career high set in 2015. He also ranked third among all minor leaguers in runs scored (101), while his 157 hits were the most among Red Sox farmhands. In 486 at-bats between the two clubs, Dubon finished third in the organization with a .323 average (157-for-486) and recorded 31 doubles, nine triples, six home runs, and 69 RBI. Originally selected by the Red Sox in the 26th round of the 2013 June Draft, the infielder has hit .306 (388-for-1,268) in 330 games over four professional seasons.
Castellanos, 18, finished his first professional season with a league-leading 23 doubles and 47 RBI in 62 games for the Dominican Summer League Red Sox 2. The first baseman led the team and ranked among league leaders with a .326 batting average (12th) and a .496 slugging percentage (5th), also collecting four triples, three home runs, 47 RBI, and 26 multi-hit games. In a 7-1 win over the DSL Mets 2 on July 14, the right-handed batter went 3-for-5 with two home runs and six RBI, belting his first career grand slam in the fifth inning. Castellanos ended the campaign with a season-long 14-game hitting streak, batting .423 (22-for-52) with three runs, nine doubles, one triple, and 20 RBI during that time.
Mendoza, 20, finished his fourth professional campaign 7-0 with a 1.05 ERA (8 ER/68.1 IP), the third-lowest mark among qualified Dominican Summer League pitchers. The right-hander's seven wins were tied for eighth in the DSL, as he was one of only three DSL pitchers to win as many as seven games without suffering a loss. Mendoza limited opponents to a .166 batting average over 14 starts, striking out 48 and issuing only 13 walks (3.69 strikeout/walk ratio). He surrendered two runs or fewer in each of his outings, allowing only one run in 12 of them and no runs in six. The Venezuelan native has made 54 appearances (23 starts) since joining the organization in 2013, going 14-6 with a 3.00 ERA (56 ER/168.0 IP), 100 strikeouts, and three saves.
Scott made his major league debut on September 2 in Oakland at the age of 27, more than five years after the Red Sox purchased his contract from the independent Yuma Scorpions. The non-drafted free agent left-hander has compiled a 19-12 record with a 2.75 ERA (96 ER/314.0 IP) in 156 minor league games (10 starts) since signing with the Red Sox, earning mid-season All-Star nods in 2014 and 2015 while with Portland. He began the 2016 season with 32 appearances (six starts) for the PawSox, going 4-3 with a 2.54 ERA (22 ER/78.0 IP) and 73 strikeouts against 14 walks before earning his selection to the major league roster on September 2. Since then, Scott has thrown 4.0 scoreless relief innings in his first two big league outings, including 3.0 frames in his Fenway Park debut Thursday against the New York Yankees.