The Dodgers chose Julio Urias, 18, as their Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year on Friday. Infielder Corey Seager and outfielder Joc Pederson were chosen as co-Minor League Players of the Year.
The three players, widely regarded as the top three prospects in the organization, will all be at Dodger Stadium to be honored in a pregame ceremony tonight. Pederson will be in uniform because he was promoted to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster on Sept. 1.
Urias had been taking part in the Arizona Instructional League. The 18-year-old left-hander spent the entire season with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and went 2-2 with a 2.36 ERA in 25 games (20 starts), and a 1.20 ERA (6 ER/45.0 IP) in 12 games (10 starts) after the All-Star break.
Seager, who turned 20 on April 27, was selected to Baseball America’s Minor League All-Star Team, batting a combined .349 with a minor league-best 50 doubles, five triples, 20 homers, the second-most extra-base hits in the minors (75) and 97 RBI in 118 games with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Chattanooga in his third professional season.
Pederson, 22, was also the Dodgers’ minor league player of the year in 2012. In his first full season at Triple-A, he produced the fourth 30-home run/30-stolen base campaign in Pacific Coast League history.
More from today’s press release:
In only his second professional season, Urias was selected to the World Team for the XM All-Star Futures Game in Minneapolis, becoming the youngest-ever player to participate in the contest.
Facing hitters that were on average five years older than him in the California League this season, Urias limited opposing hitters to a .194 batting average (60-for-310), including a .175 mark against left-handed hitters (17-for-97). Urias struck out 109 batters, while walking only 37 and allowing only four homers in 87.2 innings pitched.
Urias was signed as a non-drafted free agent on August 17, 2012 out of Culiacan Rosales, Mexico and signed by Dodger scout Mike Brito.
Seager represented the U.S. team at the XM All-Star Futures Game and posted a .402 combined on-base percentage and a .602 slugging percentage, while batting .347 (50-for-144) with runners in scoring position.
Seager opened the season with Rancho Cucamonga, where he earned California League Most Valuable Player honors after leading the league in doubles (34), total bases (207), extra-base hits (54), slugging percentage (.633) and OPS (1.044). Seager, a midseason and postseason California League All-Star, also ranked among the league leaders in hits (115, T-3rd), batting average (.352, 2nd), home runs (18, T-5th) and RBI (70, T-6th).
He was promoted to Double-A Chattanooga on July 17, where he helped lead the Lookouts to a postseason berth by hitting .345 (51-for-148) with 16 doubles, three triples, two home runs and 27 RBI in 38 games. Seager had a season-long 18-game hitting streak from July 31-Aug. 19, batting .394 (28-for-71) with eight doubles, a triple, a homer and 15 RBI during the run. He was exceptional with runners in scoring position as a Lookout, hitting .413 (19-for-46) with seven doubles, one triple, one home run and 25 RBI.
Seager was selected by the Dodgers in the first round (18th overall) in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Northwest Cabarrus High School in North Carolina and was signed by scout Lon Joyce.
Pederson was honored as a 2014 midseason Pacific Coast League All-Star, a selection to the All-PCL Team and as the league’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year. He was also selected by Baseball America to the publication’s Minor League All-Star Team.
Pederson batted .303 and led the PCL with 33 home runs, while ranking among the league leaders in RBI (78, 10th), stolen bases (30, 3rd), on-base percentage (.435, 2nd) and slugging percentage (.582, 9th). He proved to be equally dangerous against right-handers (.306/.442/.573) and lefties (.299/.422/.598) and batted .366 with runners on base (64-for-175).
The Californian opened the year by participating in his first big league Spring Training, traveled to Australia with the club in March for the Opening Series, and finished it off in the Majors with his debut on Sept. 1. Pederson, who picked up his first MLB hit on Sept. 2 against the Nationals and has appeared in 15 games for the Dodgers, was selected by Los Angeles in the 11th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft out of Palo Alto High School and was signed by scout Orsino Hill.
Branch Rickey Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year: 1989-2014
Year Player of the Year Pitcher of the Year
1989 Mike Huff, Albuquerque (OF) Jim Poole, Vero Beach (LHP)
1990 Henry Rodriguez, SA (OF) Jamie McAndrew, Bakersfield/SA (RHP)
1991 Eric Karros, Albuquerque (IB) Pedro Martinez, SA/Alb (RHP)
1992 Mike Piazza, SA/Alb (C) Todd Williams, Bakersfield/SA (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/Alb (LHP)
1996 Paul Konerko, SA/Alb (IF) Billy Neal, Vero Beach (RHP)
1997 Paul Konerko, Albuquerque (IF) Dennys Reyes, SA/Albuquerque (LHP)
1998 Angel Peña, San Antonio (C) Luke Prokopec, San Bernardino/SA (RHP)
1999 Chin-Feng Chen, SB (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/Jax (OF) Greg Miller, VB/Jacksonville (LHP)
2004 Joel Guzman, VB/Jacksonville (OF) Chad Billingsley, VB/Jacksonville (RHP)
2005 Andy LaRoche, VB/Jacksonville (IF) Billingsley, Jacksonville (RHP)
2006 James Loney, Las Vegas (1B) Mark Alexander, Jacksonville/LV (RHP)
2007 Chin-lung Hu, Jacksonville/LV (IF) James McDonald, IE/Jacksonville (RHP)
2008 Ivan De Jesus, Jr., Jacksonville (IF) James McDonald, Jacksonville/LA (RHP)
2009 Dee Gordon, Great Lakes (IF) Scott Elbert, Chattanooga/Alb/LA (LHP)
2010 Jerry Sands, GL/Chatt (IF/OF) Rubby De La Rosa, GL/Chatt (RHP)
2011 Scott Van Slyke, Chatt (IF/OF) Shawn Tolleson GL/RC/Chatt (RHP)
2012 Joc Pederson, RC (OF) John Ely, Albuquerque (RHP)
2013 Scott Schebler, RC (OF) Zach Lee, Chattanooga (RHP)
2014 Joc Pederson, Albuquerque (OF) Julio Urias, Rancho Cucamonga (LHP) Corey Seager, Rancho Cucamonga/Chattanooga (IF)