Lee, Verdugo earn Dodgers' Minors honors

SAN FRANCISCO -- Pitcher Zach Lee and outfielder Alex Verdugo were named the Dodgers' Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Year, respectively, on Thursday.

The players will receive their awards in a ceremony before Friday night's Dodgers-Padres game at Dodger Stadium.

This is Lee's second consecutive honor after ranking among the Pacific Coast League leaders with 11 wins, a 2.70 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. The 24-year-old, who's the 17th-ranked Dodgers prospect according to MLB.com, made one start for the Dodgers this year and was not called up in September.

Verdugo, 19, spent most of the season at Class A Great Lakes, where he earned a selection to the Midwest League's Postseason All-Star Team, before a late-season promotion to Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga in his second professional season after being drafted in the second round. Verdugo, the seventh-ranked Dodgers prospect, hit a combined .311 with 45 extra-base hits and a .781 OPS.