MARCH 20, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OF SPENCER JONES AND RHP ELMER RODRÍGUEZ NAMED WINNERS OF YANKEES 2025 KEVIN LAWN AWARDS FOR MINOR LEAGUE “POSITION PLAYER OF THE YEAR” AND “PITCHER OF THE YEAR”
The New York Yankees today announced that outfielder Spencer Jones and right-handed pitcher Elmer Rodríguez were named winners of the 2025 Kevin Lawn Awards as the Yankees’ minor league “Position Player of the Year” and “Pitcher of the Year,” respectively. Both players will be presented their awards today in an on-field pregame ceremony prior to the Yankees-Orioles 6:35 p.m. game at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
The annual awards are dedicated to Kevin O’Brien Lawn—the son of longtime Yankees Vice President and Chief of Operations Jack Lawn—who passed away in 1999.
Jones, 24, has batted .271/.349/.490 (405-for-1,493) with 267R, 88 doubles, 11 triples, 72HR, 236RBI, 172BB and 109SB in 380 games over four minor league seasons in the Yankees organization (2022-25). The left-handed batter hit .274/.362/.571 (120-for-438) with 102R, 23 doubles, 1 triple, 35HR, 80RBI, 58BB and 29SB in 116 combined games with Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2025. Jones ranked second among all minor league players last season in home runs. He led all Yankees farmhands in home runs and runs scored, ranked second in extra-base hits (59), total bases (250) and slugging percentage, third in RBI and OPS (.933), fifth in hits and tied for seventh in stolen bases and doubles. He was named the International League “Player of the Month” for July with the RailRiders after batting .419/.477/.946 (31-for-74) with 25R, 6 doubles, 11HR, 23RBI, 9BB and 7SB in 18 games. Following the season, Jones was named the No. 6 prospect in the Yankees organization according to Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. He was also named by MLB Pipeline to the All-MiLB Prospect First Team. The Encinitas, Calif., native was selected by the Yankees in the first round (25th overall) of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft out of Vanderbilt University (Tenn.).
Rodríguez, 22, has gone 22-19 with a 2.59 ERA (333.1IP, 243H, 131R/96ER, 142BB, 371K, 12HR) in 75 career games (70 starts) over four minor league seasons in the Boston Red Sox (2022-24) and Yankees (2025) organizations. The right-handed was named by Baseball America as the Yankees’ 2025 Minor League “Player of the Year” after going 11-8 with a 2.58 ERA (150.0IP, 104H, 52R/43ER, 57BB, 176K, 3HR) in 27 combined games (26 starts) with High-A Hudson Valley, Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2025. Rodríguez ranked second among all minor league pitchers last season in strikeouts. Among qualified Yankees farmhands, he ranked first in strikeouts and innings pitched, was tied for first in starts, second in ERA, opponents’ batting average (.192) and WHIP (1.07), and tied for third in wins. Following the season, Rodríguez was named a Baseball America First-Team All-Star and a High Class A All-Star. The publication also named him the No. 2 prospect in the Yankees organization and the No. 59 prospect in baseball. He was tabbed as the Yankees’ No. 3 prospect by MLB Pipeline and the No. 82 prospect in baseball. The San Juan, P.R., native was originally selected by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft. He was then acquired by the Yankees from the Red Sox along with international signing bonus pool money in exchange for C Carlos Narváez on December 11, 2024.
NEW YORK YANKEES KEVIN LAWN AWARD WINNERS
Year / Position Player of the Year / Pitcher of the Year
2025 / OF Spencer Jones (SOM/SWB) / RHP Elmer Rodríguez (HV/SOM/SWB)
2024 / C Rafael Flores (HV/SOM) / RHP Cam Schlittler (HV/SWB/SOM)
2023 / C Ben Rice (HV/TAM/SOM) / RHP Chase Hampton (HV/SOM)
2022 / OF Jasson Domínguez (TAM/HV/SOM) / RHP Will Warren (HV/SOM)
2021 / SS Anthony Volpe (TAM/HV) / RHP Hayden Wesneski (HV/SOM/SWB)
2020 / No winners (Minor League season canceled due to COVID)
2019 / 1B Chris Gittens (TRE) / RHP Deivi García (TAM/TRE/SWB)
2018 / INF Brandon Wagner (TAM/TRE) / RHP Michael King (TAM/TRE/SWB)
2017 / 3B Miguel Andújar (TRE/SWB) / RHP Domingo Acevedo (TAM/TRE/SWB)
2016 / OF Aaron Judge (SWB) / RHP Chance Adams (TAM/TRE)
2015 / C Gary Sánchez (TRE/SWB) / RHP Luis Severino (TRE/SWB)
2014 / INF Rob Refsnyder (TRE/SWB) / RHP Luis Severino (CHA/TAM/TRE)
2013 / 1B Greg Bird (CHA) / RHP Shane Greene (TAM/TRE)
2012 / OF Tyler Austin (GCL/CHA/TAM/TRE) / RHP Mark Montgomery (TAM/TRE)
2011 / C Austin Romine (TRE/SWB) / RHP D. J. Mitchell (SWB)
2010 / SS Eduardo Nuñez (SWB) / RHP David Phelps (TRE/SWB)
2009 / C Austin Romine (TAM) / RHP Zach McAllister (TRE)
2008 / OF Brett Gardner (SWB) / LHP Phil Coke (TRE/SWB)
2007 / OF Austin Jackson (CHA/TAM/SWB) / RHP Ian Kennedy (TAM/TRE/SWB)
2006 / 1B Cody Ehlers (TAM) / RHP Phil Hughes (TRE)
2005 / OF Kevin Thompson (COL/TRE) / RHP Matt DeSalvo (TRE)
2004 / 1B Andy Phillips (COL/TRE) / RHP Chien-Ming Wang (TRE/COL)
2003 / C Dioner Navarro (TAM/TRE) / RHP Jorge DePaula (COL)
2002 / 2B Andy Phillips (COL/NOR) / LHP Danny Borrell (NOR/TAM) & RHP Jorge DePaula (NOR)
2001 / OF Juan Rivera (COL/NOR) & OF Marcus Thames (NOR) / LHP Brandon Claussen (NOR/TAM)
2000 / 3B Scott Seabol (NOR) / LHP Randy Keisler (COL)
1999 / 2B D’Angelo Jimenez (COL) & 1B Nick Johnson (NOR) / LHP Ed Yarnall (COL)
1998 / 1B Nick Johnson (TAM) / RHP Ryan Bradley (TAM/NOR/COL)
1997 / 3B Mike Lowell (COL/NOR) / LHP Eric Milton (NOR/TAM)
1996 / OF Ricky Ledee (COL/NOR) / RHP Jay Tessmer (TAM)
1995 / SS Derek Jeter (COL) / RHP Matt Drews (TAM)
1994 / SS Derek Jeter (TAM/ALB/COL) / LHP Andy Pettitte (COL/ALB)
1993 / OF Billy Masse (COL) / LHP Ryan Karp (ALB/PRW/GBO)
1992 / 1B J.T. Snow (COL) / RHP Sam Militello (COL)
1991 / C Kiki Hernandez (GBO/PW) & SS Dave Silvestri (ALB) / RHP Ed Martel (ALB/COL) & RHP Sam Militello (PW/ALB)
1990 / OF Hensley Meulens (COL) / RHP Dave Eiland (COL)
1989 / 1B Hal Morris (COL) / LHP Steve Adkins (FTL/ALB)
1988 / 1B Kevin Maas (PRW/ALB) / RHP Todd Malone (SAR)
1987 / OF Darren Reed (COL) / RHP Dana Ridenour (FTL)
1986 / 3B Chris Alvarez (FTL) / RHP Logan Easley (ALB)
1985 / OF Dan Pasqua (COL) / RHP Brad Arnsberg (ALB)
1984 / C/OF Scott Bradley (COL) / LHP Jim Deshaies (COL)
1983 / OF Brian Dayett (COL) / RHP Jose Rijo (FTL/NSH)
1982 / OF Matt Winters (GBO/NSH) / RHP Bob Tewksbury (FTL)
1981 / 1B Don Mattingly (COL) / LHP Pete Filson (FTL/NSH)
1980 / 1B Steve Balboni (NSH) / RHP Gene Nelson (FTL)
—nyy—