Eastern League Pitcher of the Year Award

Eastern League
Pitcher of the Year Award

Sport	Baseball
League	Eastern League
Awarded for	Best regular-season pitcher in the Eastern League
Country	United States
Presented by	Eastern League
History
First award	Brad Arnsberg (1985)
Most recent	Jonah Tong (2025)

The Eastern League Pitcher of the Year Award is an annual award given to the best pitcher in Minor League Baseball's Eastern League. The award is based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. ^[1] Broadcasters, Minor League Baseball executives, and members of the media have previously voted as well. ^[2] Though the league was established in 1938, ^[3] the award was not created until 1985. ^[4] After the cancellation of the 2020 season, ^[5] the league was known as the Double-A Northeast in 2021 before reverting to the Eastern League name in 2022. ^{[6] [7]}

From 1962 to 1984, pitchers were eligible to win the Eastern League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) as no award was designated for pitchers. Three pitchers won the MVP Award: Frank Bertaina (1964), Tom Fisher (1966), and Mark Davis (1980). ^[4] One pitcher has also won the league's Top MLB Prospect Award (formerly the Rookie of the Year Award): Juan Acevedo (1994), who won both awards in the same season.

Six players from the Binghamton Rumble Ponies have been selected for the Pitcher of the Year Award, more than any other team in the league, followed by the Chesapeake Baysox and Portland Sea Dogs (4); the Akron RubberDucks and New Haven Ravens (3); the Albany-Colonie Yankees, Erie SeaWolves, Harrisburg Senators, New Hampshire Fisher Cats, and Trenton Thunder (2); and the Altoona Curve, Glens Falls Tigers, Hagerstown Suns, Hartford Yard Goats, Nashua Pirates, New Britain Rock Cats, Reading Fightin Phils, Richmond Flying Squirrels, Somerset Patriots, Vermont Reds, and Williamsport Bills (1).

Six players from the and New York Mets Major League Baseball (MLB) organization have won the award, more than any other, followed by the Baltimore Orioles organization (5); the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees organizations (4); the Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, and Detroit Tigers organizations (3); the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, and Washington Nationals organizations (2); and the Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, and San Francisco Giants organizations (1).

Winners

Brad Arnsberg won the first Pitcher of the Year Award in 1985.

Jon Lester, the 2005 Pitcher of the Year, became a five-time MLB All-Star (2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, and 2018).

Michael Fulmer, the 2015 winner, was selected for the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2016.

Key

Record	The pitcher's win–loss record during the regular season
Saves	The number of saves earned by the pitcher, if any, during the regular season
ERA	The pitcher's earned run average (ERA) during the regular season
SO	The number of strikeouts recorded by the pitcher during the regular season

Winners

Year	Winner	Team	Organization	Record	Saves	ERA	SO	Ref(s).
1985	Brad Arnsberg	Albany-Colonie Yankees	New York Yankees	14–2	0	1.59	82	[10]
1986	Jim Neidlinger	Nashua Pirates	Pittsburgh Pirates	12–7	0	2.42	98	[11]
1987	Rob Lopez	Vermont Reds	Cincinnati Reds	13–4	0	2.40	82	[12]
1988	Cesar Mejia	Glens Falls Tigers	Detroit Tigers	14–5	0	2.43	99	[13]
1989	Rod Imes	Albany-Colonie Yankees	New York Yankees	17–6	0	2.73	128	[14]
1990	Mike Gardiner	Williamsport Bills	Seattle Mariners	12–8	0	1.90	149	[15]
1991	Arthur Rhodes	Hagerstown Suns	Baltimore Orioles	7–4	0	2.70	115	[16]
1992	Bobby Jones	Binghamton Mets	New York Mets	12–4	0	1.88	143	[17]
1993	Joey Eischen	Harrisburg Senators	Montreal Expos	14–4	0	3.62	110	[18]
1994	Juan Acevedo	New Haven Ravens	Colorado Rockies	17–6	0	2.37	161	[19]
1995	Paul Wilson	Binghamton Mets	New York Mets	6–3	0	2.17	127	[20]
1996	Carl Pavano	Trenton Thunder	Boston Red Sox	16–5	0	2.63	146	[21]
1997	Mike Vavrek	New Haven Ravens	Colorado Rockies	12–3	0	2.57	101	[22]
1998	Brent Stentz	New Britain Rock Cats	Minnesota Twins	1–2	43	1.98	65	[23]
1999	Michael Tejera	Portland Sea Dogs	Florida Marlins	13–4	0	2.62	152	[24]
2000	Greg Wooten	New Haven Ravens	Seattle Mariners	17–3	0	2.31	115	[25]
2001	John Stephens	Bowie Baysox	Baltimore Orioles	11–4	0	1.84	130	[26]
2002	Ryan Madson	Reading Phillies	Philadelphia Phillies	16–4	0	3.20	132	[27]
2003	Sean Burnett	Altoona Curve	Pittsburgh Pirates	14–6	0	3.21	86	[28]
2004	Gustavo Chacín	New Hampshire Fisher Cats	Toronto Blue Jays	16–2	0	2.86	109	[29]
2005	Jon Lester	Portland Sea Dogs	Boston Red Sox	11–6	0	2.61	163	[30]
2006	Adam Miller	Akron Aeros	Cleveland Indians	15–6	0	2.75	157	[31]
2007	Alan Horne	Trenton Thunder	New York Yankees	12–4	0	3.11	165	[32]
2008	Brad Bergesen	Bowie Baysox	Baltimore Orioles	15–6	0	3.22	72	[33]
2009	Jeanmar Gómez	Akron Aeros	Cleveland Indians	10–4	0	3.43	109	[34]
2010	Kyle Drabek	New Hampshire Fisher Cats	Toronto Blue Jays	14–9	0	2.94	132	[35]
2011	Brad Peacock	Harrisburg Senators	Washington Nationals	10–2	0	2.01	129	[36]
2012	Chris Heston	Richmond Flying Squirrels	San Francisco Giants	9–8	0	2.24	135	[37]
2013	Anthony Ranaudo	Portland Sea Dogs	Boston Red Sox	8–4	0	2.95	106	[38]
2014	Henry Owens			14–4	0	2.60	126	[39]
2015	Michael Fulmer [a]	Binghamton Mets Erie SeaWolves	New York Mets Detroit Tigers	10–3	0	2.14	116	[41]
2016	Germán Márquez	Hartford Yard Goats	Colorado Rockies	9–6	0	2.85	126	[42]
2017	Corey Oswalt	Binghamton Rumble Ponies	New York Mets	12–5	0	2.28	119	[43]
2018	Keegan Akin	Bowie Baysox	Baltimore Orioles	14–7	0	3.27	142	[44]
2019	Matt Manning	Erie SeaWolves	Detroit Tigers	11–5	0	2.56	148	[45]
2020	None selected (season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic)							[5]
2021	Grayson Rodriguez	Bowie Baysox	Baltimore Orioles	6–1	0	2.60	121	[46] [47]
2022	Tanner Bibee	Akron RubberDucks	Cleveland Guardians	6–1	0	1.83	81	[1] [48]
2023	Richard Fitts	Somerset Patriots	New York Yankees	11–5	0	3.48	163	[49] [50]
2024	Brandon Sproat	Binghamton Rumble Ponies	New York Mets	4–1	0	2.45	77	[51] [52]
2025	Jonah Tong	Binghamton Rumble Ponies	New York Mets	8–5	0	1.59	162	[53] [54]

Wins by team

Active Eastern League teams appear in bold.

Team	Award(s)	Year(s)
Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Binghamton Mets)	6	1992, 1995, 2015, 2017, 2024, 2025
Chesapeake Baysox (Bowie Baysox)	4	2001, 2008, 2018, 2021
Portland Sea Dogs		1999, 2005, 2013, 2014
Akron RubberDucks (Akron Aeros)	3	2006, 2009, 2022
New Haven Ravens		1994, 1997, 2000
Albany-Colonie Yankees	2	1985, 1989
Erie SeaWolves		2015, 2019
Harrisburg Senators		1993, 2011
New Hampshire Fisher Cats		2004, 2010
Trenton Thunder		1996, 2007
Altoona Curve	1	2003
Glens Falls Tigers		1988
Hagerstown Suns		1991
Hartford Yard Goats		2016
Nashua Pirates		1996
New Britain Rock Cats		1998
Reading Fightin Phils (Reading Phillies)		2002
Richmond Flying Squirrels		2012
Somerset Patriots		2023
Vermont Reds		1987
Williamsport Bills	1990

Wins by organization

Active Eastern League–Major League Baseball affiliations appear in bold.

Organization	Award(s)	Year(s)
New York Mets	6	1992, 1995, 2015, 2017, 2024, 2025
Baltimore Orioles	5	1991, 2001, 2008, 2018, 2021
Boston Red Sox	4	1996, 2005, 2013, 2014
New York Yankees		1985, 1989, 2007, 2023
Cleveland Guardians (Cleveland Indians)	3	2006, 2009, 2022
Colorado Rockies		1994, 1997, 2016
Detroit Tigers		1988, 2019, 2015
Pittsburgh Pirates	2	1986, 2003
Seattle Mariners		1990, 2000
Toronto Blue Jays		2004, 2010
Washington Nationals (Montreal Expos)		1993, 2011
Cincinnati Reds	1	1987
Miami Marlins (Florida Marlins)		1999
Minnesota Twins		1998
Philadelphia Phillies		2002
San Francisco Giants		2012

Notes

1. Fulmer was traded from Binghamton (New York) to Erie (Detroit) on July 31, 2015. ^[40]

References

Specific

1. Terranova, Rob (November 8, 2022). "Double-A Award Winners and All-Stars". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
2. Jackson, Josh (October 6, 2021). "MiLB's Double-A Award Winners and All-Stars". Major League Baseball. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
3. "Eastern League (AA) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
4. "Season-Ending Awards". Eastern League. Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
5. "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
6. Reichard, Kevin (February 12, 2021). "Minor League Baseball Overhaul Unveiled". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
7. "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
8. "Jon Lester Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
9. "Michael Fulmer Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
10. "Brad Arnsberg Minor & CPBL Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
11. "Jim Neidlinger Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
12. "Rob Lopez Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
13. "Cesar Mejia Minor, CPBL & Mexican Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
14. "Rod Imes Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
15. "Mike Gardiner Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
16. "Arthur Rhodes Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
17. "Bobby Jones Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
18. "Joey Eischen Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
19. "Juan Acevedo Minor, Mexican & Winter Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
20. "Paul Wilson Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
21. "Carl Pavano Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
22. "Mike Vavrek Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
23. "Brent Stentz Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
24. "Michael Tejera Minor, Winter, Mexican & CPBL Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
25. "Greg Wooten Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
26. "John Stephens Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
27. "Ryan Madson Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
28. "Sean Burnett Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
29. "Gustavo Chacin Minor, Winter, Independent & Mexican Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
30. "Jon Lester Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
31. "Adam Miller Minor, Fall, Winter & Independent Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
32. "Alan Horne Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
33. "Brad Bergesen Minor, Japanese, Independent & Winter Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
34. "Jeanmar Gomez Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
35. "Kyle Drabek Minor, Winter & Independent Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
36. "Brad Peacock Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
37. "Chris Heston Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
38. "Anthony Ranaudo Amateur, Minor, Winter & Korean Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
39. "Henry Owens Minor, Fall & Independent Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
40. "Michael Fulmer Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
41. "Michael Fulmer Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
42. "German Marquez Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
43. "Corey Oswalt Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
44. "Keegan Akin Amateur, College, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
45. "Matt Manning Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
46. "Postseason All-Stars". Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
47. "Grayson Rodriguez Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
48. "Tanner Bibee College, Amateur & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
49. Trezza, Joe. "The 2023 Double-A All-Stars and Award Winners". Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
50. "Richard Fitts College, Amateur & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
51. "Minor League Postseason All-Stars". Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
52. "Brandon Sproat Amateur, College & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
53. Weinrib, Ben (September 23, 2025). "The 2025 Double-A All-Stars and Award Winners". Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on September 24, 2025. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
54. "Jonah Tong Amateur & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved September 25, 2025.

General

• "Season-Ending Awards". Eastern League. Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.