Pacific Coast League Top MLB Prospect Award

Pacific Coast League
Top MLB Prospect Award

Sport	Baseball
League	Pacific Coast League
Awarded for	Best regular-season rookie in the Pacific Coast League
Country	United States Canada
Presented by	Pacific Coast League
History
First award	Carlos Bernier (1952)
Most recent	Harry Ford (2025)

The Pacific Coast League Top MLB Prospect Award is an annual award given to the best rookie player in Minor League Baseball's Pacific Coast League 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 1903, ^[3] the award was not created until 1952 as the Rookie of the Year Award. ^[4] It was abandoned from 1973 to 1997 before being revived in 1998. ^[4] After the cancellation of the 2020 season, ^[5] the league was known as the Triple-A West in 2021 before reverting to the Pacific Coast 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]

Nineteen outfielders have won the award, the most of any position. Third basemen, with seven winners, have won the most among infielders, followed by second basemen and first basemen (6), and shortstops (5). Five pitchers and one catcher have won the award.

Ten players who have won the Top MLB Prospect Award also won the Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player Award in the same season: Willie Davis (1960), Billy Cowan (1963), Denny Doyle (1969), Robb Quinlan (2002), Adam Eaton (2012), Chris Owings (2013), Joc Pederson (2014), Joshua Fuentes (2018), Ty France (2019), and Michael Busch. ^[4] Félix Hernández (2005) is the only player to win both Rookie of the Year and the league's Pitcher of the Year Award in the same season. ^[4]

Four players from the Hollywood Stars, Reno Aces, and Salt Lake Bees have each been selected for the Top MLB Prospect Award, more than any other teams in the league, followed by the El Paso Chihuahuas anf Tacoma Rainiers (3); the Albuquerque Isotopes, Eugene Emeralds, Denver Bears, Oklahoma City Comets, Omaha Storm Chasers, Portland Beavers, Salt Lake City Bees, San Diego Padres, Spokane Indians, and Vancouver Mounties (2); and the Arkansas Travelers, Calgary Cannons, Colorado Springs Sky Sox, Hawaii Islanders, Los Angeles Angels, Las Vegas Aviators, New Orleans Zephyrs, Phoenix Giants, Sacramento River Cats, Seattle Rainiers, and Tucson Sidewinders (1)

Six players from the Los Angeles Angels Major League Baseball (MLB) organization have won the award, more than any other, followed by the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations (5); the San Diego Padres organization (4); the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Seattle Mariners organizations (3); the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, and Minnesota Twins organizations (2); and the Athletics, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Guardians, Houston Astros, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, and San Francisco Giants organizations (1).

Winners

Carlos Bernier won the first Rookie of the Year Award in 1952.

Willie Davis was the first to win Rookie of the Year and the MVP Award in the same season (1960).

Bobby Crosby, the 2003 winner, won the American League Rookie of the Year Award the next year.

Félix Hernández is the only player to win Rookie and Pitcher of the Year in the same year (2005).

Key

Position	Indicates the player's primary position
^	Indicates multiple award winners in the same year

Winners

Year	Winner	Team	Organization	Position	Ref(s).
1952	Carlos Bernier	Hollywood Stars	Pittsburgh Pirates	Outfielder	[10]
1953	George O'Donnell		—	Pitcher	[11]
1954	Lino Donoso		Pittsburgh Pirates	Pitcher	[12]
1955	Bob Garber			Pitcher	[13]
1956	Bob Anderson	Los Angeles Angels	Chicago Cubs	Pitcher	[14]
1957	Lenny Green	Vancouver Mounties	Baltimore Orioles	Outfielder	[15]
1958	Vada Pinson	Seattle Rainiers	Cincinnati Redlegs	Outfielder	[16]
1959	Tommy Davis	Spokane Indians	Los Angeles Dodgers	Outfielder	[17]
1960	Willie Davis			Outfielder	[18]
1961	Denis Menke	Vancouver Mounties	Milwaukee Braves	Shortstop	[19]
1962	Tommy Harper	San Diego Padres	Cincinnati Reds	Third baseman	[20]
1963	Billy Cowan	Salt Lake City Bees	Chicago Cubs	Outfielder	[21]
1964	Costen Shockley	Arkansas Travelers	Philadelphia Phillies	First baseman	[22]
1965^	Bill Davis	Portland Beavers	Cleveland Indians	First baseman	[23]
	Lee May	San Diego Padres	Cincinnati Reds	First baseman	[24]
1966	Rich Reese	Denver Bears	Minnesota Twins	Outfielder	[25]
1967	César Gutiérrez	Phoenix Giants	San Francisco Giants	Shortstop	[26]
1968	Graig Nettles	Denver Bears	Minnesota Twins	Third baseman	[27]
1969	Denny Doyle	Eugene Emeralds	Philadelphia Phillies	Second baseman	[28]
1970	Doug Griffin	Hawaii Islanders	California Angels	Second baseman	[29]
1971	Mike Anderson	Eugene Emeralds	Philadelphia Phillies	Outfielder	[30]
1972	Doug Howard	Salt Lake City Angels	California Angels	Outfielder	[31]
1973–1997: None selected					[4]
1998	Jeremy Giambi	Omaha Royals	Kansas City Royals	Outfielder	[32]
1999	Mark Quinn	Omaha Golden Spikes	Kansas City Royals	Outfielder	[33]
2000	Nate Rolison	Calgary Cannons	Florida Marlins	First baseman	[34]
2001	Sean Burroughs	Portland Beavers	San Diego Padres	Third baseman	[35]
2002	Robb Quinlan	Salt Lake Stingers	Anaheim Angels	Outfielder	[36]
2003	Bobby Crosby	Sacramento River Cats	Oakland Athletics	Shortstop	[37]
2004	Chris Burke	New Orleans Zephyrs	Houston Astros	Second baseman	[38]
2005	Félix Hernández	Tacoma Rainiers	Seattle Mariners	Pitcher	[39]
2006	Howie Kendrick	Salt Lake Bees	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim	Second baseman	[40]
2007	Wladimir Balentien	Tacoma Rainiers	Seattle Mariners	Outfielder	[41]
2008	Josh Whitesell	Tucson Sidewinders	Arizona Diamondbacks	First baseman	[42]
2009	Eric Young Jr.	Colorado Springs Sky Sox	Colorado Rockies	Second baseman	[43]
2010	Peter Bourjos	Salt Lake Bees	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim	Outfielder	[44]
2011	Collin Cowgill	Reno Aces	Arizona Diamondbacks	Outfielder	[45]
2012	Adam Eaton			Outfielder	[46]
2013	Chris Owings			Shortstop	[47]
2014	Joc Pederson	Albuquerque Isotopes	Los Angeles Dodgers	Outfielder	[48]
2015	Alex Dickerson	El Paso Chihuahuas	San Diego Padres	Outfielder	[49]
2016	Carlos Asuaje			Second baseman	[50]
2017	Amed Rosario	Las Vegas 51s	New York Mets	Shortstop	[51]
2018	Joshua Fuentes	Albuquerque Isotopes	Colorado Rockies	Third baseman	[52]
2019	Ty France	El Paso Chihuahuas	San Diego Padres	Third baseman	[53]
2020: None selected (season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic)					[5]
2021	Jo Adell	Salt Lake Bees	Los Angeles Angels	Outfielder	[8] [54]
2022	Miguel Vargas	Oklahoma City Dodgers	Los Angeles Dodgers	Third baseman	[1] [55]
2023	Michael Busch			Third baseman	[56] [57]
2024	Deyvison De Los Santos	Reno Aces	Arizona Diamondbacks	First baseman	[58] [59]
2025	Harry Ford	Tacoma Rainiers	Seattle Mariners	Catcher	[60] [61]

Wins by team

Active Pacific Coast League teams appear in bold.

Team	Award(s)	Year(s)
Hollywood Stars	4	1952, 1953, 1954, 1955
Reno Aces		2011, 2012, 2013, 2024
Salt Lake Bees (Salt Lake Stingers)		2002, 2006, 2010, 2021
El Paso Chihuahuas	3	2015, 2016, 2019
Tacoma Rainiers		2005, 2007, 2025
Albuquerque Isotopes	2	2014, 2018
Denver Bears		1966, 1968
Eugene Emeralds		1969, 1971
Oklahoma City Comets (Oklahoma City Dodgers)		2022, 2023
Omaha Storm Chasers (Omaha Royals/Golden Spikes)		1998, 1999
Portland Beavers		1965, 2001
Salt Lake City Bees (Salt Lake City Angels)		1963, 1972
San Diego Padres		1962, 1965
Spokane Indians		1959, 1960
Vancouver Mounties		1957, 1961
Arkansas Travelers	1	1964
Calgary Cannons		2000
Colorado Springs Sky Sox		2009
Hawaii Islanders		1970
Las Vegas Aviators (Las Vegas 51s)		2017
Los Angeles Angels		1956
New Orleans Zephyrs		2004
Phoenix Giants		1967
Sacramento River Cats		2003
Seattle Rainiers		1958
Tucson Sidewinders		2008

Wins by organization

Active Pacific Coast League–Major League Baseball affiliations appear in bold.

Organization	Award(s)	Year(s)
Los Angeles Angels (California/Anaheim Angels)	6	1970, 1972, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2021
Arizona Diamondbacks	5	2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2024
Los Angeles Dodgers		1959, 1960, 2014, 2022, 2023
San Diego Padres	4	2001, 2015, 2016, 2019
Cincinnati Reds (Cincinnati Redlegs)	3	1958, 1962, 1965
Philadelphia Phillies		1964, 1969, 1971
Pittsburgh Pirates		1952, 1954, 1955
Seattle Mariners		2005, 2007, 2025
Chicago Cubs	2	1956, 1963
Colorado Rockies		2009, 2018
Kansas City Royals		1998, 1999
Minnesota Twins		1966, 1968
Athletics (Oakland Athletics)	1	2003
Atlanta Braves (Milwaukee Braves)		1961
Baltimore Orioles		1957
Cleveland Guardians (Cleveland Indians)		1965
Houston Astros		2004
Miami Marlins (Florida Marlins)		2000
New York Mets		2017
San Francisco Giants		1967

References

Specific

1. "Triple-A Award Winners and All-Stars". Minor League Baseball. November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
2. Jackson, Josh (October 5, 2021). "Here are the 2021 Triple-A All-Stars". Major League Baseball. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
3. Avallone, Michael (March 18, 2022). "Then and Now: Pacific Coast League". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
4. "Pacific Coast League Award Winners". Pacific Coast League. Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on February 6, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 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. "Postseason All-Stars". Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
9. "Bobby Crosby Stats". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
10. "Carlos Bernier Minor, Winter & Mexican Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
11. "George O'Donnell Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
12. "Lino Donoso Mexican, Winter & Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
13. "Bob Garber Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
14. "Bob Anderson Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
15. "Lenny Green Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
16. "Vada Pinson Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
17. "Tommy Davis Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
18. "Spokane Fielder Wins Valuable Player Award". Sacramento Bee. Sacramento. October 27, 1960. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
19. "Denis Menke Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
20. "Tommy Harper Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
21. "Billy Cowan Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
22. "Costen Shockley Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
23. "Bill Davis Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
24. "Lee May Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
25. "Rich Reese Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
26. "Cesar Gutierrez Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
27. "Graig Nettles Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
28. "Denny Doyle Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
29. "Doug Griffin Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
30. "Mike Anderson Winter, Minor & Mexican Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
31. "Doug Howard Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
32. "Jeremy Giambi Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
33. "Mark Quinn Minor, Independent & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
34. "Nate Rolison Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
35. "Sean Burroughs Minor, Winter & Independent Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
36. "Robb Quinlan Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
37. "Bobby Crosby Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
38. "Chris Burke Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
39. "Felix Hernandez Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
40. "Howie Kendrick Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
41. "Wladimir Balentien Minor, Winter, Japanese & Mexican Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
42. "Josh Whitesell Minor, Fall, Japanese, Winter & Mexican Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
43. "Eric Young Jr. Minor, Winter, Fall & Mexican Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
44. "Peter Bourjos Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
45. "Collin Cowgill Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
46. "Adam Eaton Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
47. "Chris Owings Minor, Fall & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
48. "Joc Pederson Minor, Fall & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
49. "Alex Dickerson Amateur, College, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
50. "Carlos Asuaje Amateur, College, Minor, Fall, Winter & Korean Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
51. "Amed Rosario Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
52. "Joshua Fuentes Amateur, Minor, Winter & Fall Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
53. "Ty France College & Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
54. "Jo Adell Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
55. "Miguel Vargas Cuban & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
56. Terranova, Rob (October 4, 2023). "The 2023 Triple-A All-Stars and Award Winners". Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
57. "Michael Busch Amateur, College, Fall & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
58. Avallone, Michael (October 2, 2024). "Here are the 2024 Triple-A All-Stars and Award Winners". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 2, 2024. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
59. "Deyvison De Los Santos Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
60. Terranova, Rob (September 27, 2025). "The 2025 Triple-A All-Stars and Award Winners". Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on September 28, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
61. "Harry Ford Fall & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved September 29, 2025.

General

• "Pacific Coast League Award Winners". Pacific Coast League. Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on February 6, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2022.