Winners
| Position | Indicates the player's primary position |
|---|
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| League | International League |
| Awarded for | Best regular-season rookie in the International League |
| Country | United States Canada Cuba |
| Presented by | International League |
| History | |
| First award | Randy Jackson (1950) |
| Most recent | Coby Mayo (2024) |
The International League Top MLB Prospect Award is an annual award given to the best rookie player in Minor League Baseball's International League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. [1] Broadcasters, Minor League Baseball executives, members of the media, coaches, and other representatives from the league's clubs have previously voted as well. [2] [3] Though the circuit was founded in 1884, [4] it did not become known as the International League on a consistent basis until 1912. The first Rookie of the Year Award, as it was originally known, was not issued until 1950. After the cancellation of the 2020 season, [5] the league was known as the Triple-A East in 2021 before reverting to the International League name in 2022. [6] [7] The Top MLB Prospect Award began to be issued instead of the Rookie of the Year Award in 2021. [8]
Twenty-six outfielders have won the award, the most of any position. First basemen, with 13 winners, have won the most among infielders, followed by third basemen (10), and shortstops (9), and second basemen (4). Nine pitchers and three catchers have won the award.
Seventeen players who have won the Top MLB Prospect Award also won the International League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in the same season: Don Buford (1963), Joe Foy (1965), Mike Epstein (1966), Merv Rettenmund (1968), Luis Alvarado (1969), Roger Freed (1970), Jim Rice (1974), Mike Vail (1975), Rich Dauer (1976), Scott Bradley (1984), Dan Pasqua (1985), Randy Milligan (1987), J. T. Snow (1992), Chris Colabello (2013), Steven Souza Jr. (2014), Rhys Hoskins (2017), and Joey Meneses (2018). [9] The only player to win the Top MLB Prospect Award and then later win the MVP Award is Ben Gamel, who was the 2015 Rookie of the Year and 2016 MVP. [9] Of the nine pitchers who have won Top MLB Prospect, five also won the league's Pitcher of the Year Award (formerly the Most Valuable Pitcher Award) in the same season: Bob Trice (1953), Jason Isringhausen (1995), Brian Rose (1997), Brandon Duckworth (2001), and Julio Teherán (2011). [9]
Seventeen players from the Rochester Red Wings have been selected for the Top MLB Prospect Award, more than any other team in the league, followed by the Syracuse Mets (7); the Columbus Clippers and Norfolk Tides (6); the Richmond Braves (5); the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (4); the Charlotte Knights, Gwinnett Stripers, and Pawtucket Red Sox (3); the original Buffalo Bisons, Durham Bulls, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Louisville Bats, and Montreal Royals (2); and the Columbus Jets, Havana Sugar Kings, Indianapolis Indians, Louisville Colonels, Memphis Redbirds, Omaha Storm Chasers, Ottawa Athletics, Richmond Virginians, Springfield Cubs, and Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) (1).
Twelve players from the Baltimore Orioles Major League Baseball (MLB) organization have won the award, more than any other, followed by the New York Yankees organization (10); the Atlanta Braves organization (8); the Philadelphia Phillies organization (6); the Boston Red Sox organization (5); the Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals organizations (4); the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds organizations (3); the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays organizations (2); and the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Washington Nationals organizations (1).
| Position | Indicates the player's primary position |
|---|
Active International League teams appear in bold.
| Team | Award(s) | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Rochester Red Wings | 17 | 1952, 1955, 1959, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1991, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2013 |
| Syracuse Mets (Syracuse Chiefs) | 7 | 1954, 1964, 1971, 1973, 1989, 1994, 2014 |
| Columbus Clippers | 6 | 1984, 1985, 1986, 1992, 1999, 2016 |
| Norfolk Tides (Tidewater Tides) | 1975, 1979, 1987, 1995, 2022, 2024 | |
| Richmond Braves | 5 | 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1993 |
| Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons/Yankees) | 4 | 1998, 2001, 2009, 2015 |
| Charlotte Knights | 3 | 1996, 2003, 2006 |
| Gwinnett Stripers (Gwinnett Braves) | 2010, 2011, 2012 | |
| Pawtucket Red Sox | 1974, 1990, 1997 | |
| Buffalo Bisons (1886–1970) | 2 | 1957, 1960 |
| Durham Bulls | 2000, 2002 | |
| Lehigh Valley IronPigs | 2017, 2018 | |
| Louisville Bats | 2007, 2019 | |
| Montreal Royals | 1951, 1956 | |
| Columbus Jets | 1 | 1962 |
| Havana Sugar Kings | 1958 | |
| Indianapolis Indians | 1963 | |
| Louisville Colonels | 1969 | |
| Memphis Redbirds | 2023 | |
| Omaha Storm Chasers | 2021 | |
| Ottawa Athletics | 1953 | |
| Richmond Virginians | 1961 | |
| Springfield Cubs | 1950 | |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 1965 |
Active International League–Major League Baseball affiliations appear in bold.
| Organization | Award(s) | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles | 12 | 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1991, 2022, 2024 |
| New York Yankees | 10 | 1961, 1971, 1973, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1992, 1999, 2009, 2015 |
| Atlanta Braves | 8 | 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1993, 2010, 2011, 2012 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 6 | 1954, 1960, 1998, 2001, 2017, 2018 |
| Boston Red Sox | 5 | 1965, 1969, 1974, 1990, 1997 |
| Minnesota Twins | 4 | 2004, 2005, 2008, 2013 |
| New York Mets | 1975, 1979, 1987, 1995 | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 1952, 1955, 1959, 2023 | |
| Chicago White Sox | 3 | 1963, 2003, 2006 |
| Cincinnati Reds (Cincinnati Redlegs) | 1958, 2007, 2019 | |
| Los Angeles Dodgers (Brooklyn Dodgers) | 2 | 1951, 1956 |
| Oakland Athletics (Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics) | 1953, 1957 | |
| Tampa Bay Rays (Tampa Bay Devil Rays) | 2000, 2002 | |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 1989, 1994 | |
| Chicago Cubs | 1 | 1950 |
| Cleveland Guardians (Cleveland Indians) | 2016 | |
| Detroit Tigers | 1964 | |
| Kansas City Royals | 2021 | |
| Miami Marlins (Florida Marlins) | 1996 | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 1962 | |
| Washington Nationals | 2014 |
Below is a partial list of minor league baseball players in the Chicago White Sox organizations and rosters of their affiliates:
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The International League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual award given to the best player in Minor League Baseball's International League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. Broadcasters, Minor League Baseball executives, members of the media, coaches, and other representatives from the league's clubs have previously voted as well. Though the circuit was founded in 1884, it did not become known as the International League on a consistent basis until 1912.
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The International League Manager of the Year Award is an annual award given to the best manager in Minor League Baseball's International League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. Broadcasters, Minor League Baseball executives, members of the media, coaches, and other representatives from the league's clubs have previously voted as well. Though the circuit was founded in 1884, it did not become known as the International League on a consistent basis until 1912. The first Manager of the Year Award was not issued until 1967. After the cancellation of the 2020 season, the league was known as the Triple-A East in 2021 before reverting to the International League name in 2022.
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The Midwest League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual award given to the best player in Minor League Baseball's Midwest League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. League broadcasters, Minor League Baseball executives, and members of the media have previously voted as well. Though the league was established in 1947, the award was not created until 1956. After the cancellation of the 2020 season, the league was known as the High-A Central in 2021 before reverting to the Midwest League name in 2022.
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