James Marvel named Pirates Minor League Pitcher of the Year and Mason Martin named Pirates Minor League Player of the Year

The Pittsburgh Pirates today named right-handed pitcher James Marvel their Minor League Pitcher-of-the-Year and first baseman Mason Martin their Minor League Player-of-the-Year. The announcement was made by Senior Director Minor League Operations, Larry Broadway.

The 26-year-old Marvel (pronounced MAR-vuhl) went a combined 16-5 with a 2.94 ERA (162.1ip/53er) and 136 strikeouts in 28 starts in 2019 between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. He led all of minor league baseball in wins, while his 16 victories were also the most by a Pirates farmhand since Austin Coley also had 16 in 2015.

Marvel was selected by the Pirates in the 36th round of the 2015 First-Year-Players Draft out of Duke University. He began the 2019 campaign with Altoona, where he went 9-5 with a 3.10 ERA and 83 strikeouts before being promoted to Indianapolis. At the time of his promotion to Triple-A, Marvel led the Eastern League in wins, was tied for fourth in strikeouts and 10th in ERA. Following his July 5 promotion to Indianapolis, his seven wins and .214 average against were the best among all International League pitchers, while his 2.67 ERA and 1.12 WHIP both ranked second among league qualifiers. His team also won 17 of the final 18 games in which he started.

”James’ preparation is off the charts,” said Broadway. “His attention to detail in how he goes about the four days in between his starts are really what separates him from the rest and what allows him to execute at the level that he does. He is a model for what preparation and execution looks like. He truly earned this honor and the opportunity to pitch in Pittsburgh.”

Martin hit .254 (121-for-477) with 32 doubles, four triples, 35 homers and 129 RBI in a combined 131 games this season between Greensboro and Bradenton. He was named to both the South Atlantic League’s mid- and post-season All-Star teams while also being named Pittsburgh’s Minor League Player-of-the-Year by Baseball America. Martin, who was selected by the Pirates in the 17th round of the 2017 First-Year-Player Draft, led all of minor league baseball with 129 RBI while finishing tied for seventh in minor league baseball with 35 home runs. His 35 homers and 129 RBI were the most by a Pirates minor leaguer since Brad Eldred in 2004 (38 homers and 137 RBI).

Martin was promoted to High-A Bradenton on July 3, but still finished the season tied for the South Atlantic League in home runs, third in RBI (83) and tied for sixth in extra base hits (45). He then led all Florida State League hitters in home runs (12), RBI (46), total bases (93), slugging (.528) and OPS (.861) from the time of his debut with the Marauders on July 9 through the remainder of the regular season.

“We couldn’t be more proud of the year that Mason had this year,” said Broadway. “He put in a ton of work in the off-season to prepare for this year, and his daily commitment to preparing, learning, and growing throughout the season really allowed him to perform at the level he did all year.”