Texas Rangers announce 2018 Minor League award winners
The Rangers today announced the recipients of the organization's 2018 Minor League Awards.
Outfielder Scott Heineman is the 2018 Tom Grieve Player of the Year. Heineman, 26, posted the 5th-highest average in the Texas organization and finished 4th in RBI, batting .306 with 22 doubles, 12 home runs, and 67 RBI in 114 games with Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock. Heineman was added to the club's 40-man roster in November.
Right-handed pitcher Tyler Phillips is the 2018 Nolan Ryan Pitcher of the Year. Phillips was 12-5 with a 2.64 ERA over 23 starts with Hickory and High-A Down East. The 21-year-old ranked among the South Atlantic League leaders in wins (T1st), ERA (3rd), and WHIP (4th, 1.02), earning a spot on Baseball America's Low Class-A All-Star team.
Right-handed pitcher Demarcus Evans is the 2018 Reliever of the Year. Evans, 22, was 4-1 with a 1.77 ERA and 9 saves over 35 relief appearances for Low-A Hickory. The right-hander was named a South Atlantic League Postseason All-Star after ranking among the circuit's relief leaders in SO/9 (1st, 16.55) and opponent average (2nd, .149).
Infielder Ryan Dorow is the 2018 Defender of the Year. The 23-year-old Dorow saw action at all four infield positions at Hickory, committing just 9 errors during the entire 2018 campaign. Offensively, Dorow posted career highs in numerous offensive categories, including doubles (28) and home runs (12).
The club also announced that Sean Fields is the recipient of the 2018 Bobby Jones Player Development Man of the Year Award and Mike Grouse is the recipient of the 2018 Red Jacket Award for Scouting. Fields will begin his 11th season in the Texas organization in 2019 in a new role as Arizona medical coordinator. He spent the previous three seasons as the minor league rehab coordinator. Grouse is in his 28th year with the Rangers and is currently a professional scout after a long stint on the amateur side.
All of the award recipients will be honored at the 2019 Dr Pepper Texas Rangers Winter Warmup on Friday, January 25 at Texas Live! In Arlington. The new format of the Winter Warmup will honor a number of baseball personalities and feature appearances by Texas Rangers past and present. This year's event will also include country artist Sam Riggs performing in concert following the awards program on the Live! Arena stage.
The 2019 Dr Pepper Texas Rangers Winter Warmup will be held in Live! Arena on the first floor of Texas Live! and will take place from 6:00-9:00 p.m. Tickets are now on sale texasrangers.com/winterwarmup with tables seating 8 or 10 as well as general admission tickets available for purchase. Net proceeds benefit the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation.