Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Josue De Paula was named Texas League Player of the Year for the 2026 Minor League season. De Paula was among six members of the Drillers organization to receive honors.
Eric Wedge was named Texas League Manager of the Year, while De Paula, Mike Sirota, Zyhir Hope, Jake Gelof and Nick Robertson were all selected to the All-Star team as well. Of course, Hope’s time with the Drillers came to an end at the deadline as he was included in the trade package sent to the Detroit Tigers for Tarik Skubal.
Less than a week after the trade, Hope was named Texas League Player of the Month for July.
Josue De Paula’s Texas League award
De Paula is the fourth Drillers player to be named the Texas League’s MVP, joining Bubba Smith (1996), Ryan Shealy (2004) and Matt Beaty (2017).
The 21-year-old appeared in four games for Tulsa at the end of last season and spent all of this year with the Dodgers’ affiliate before getting called up to make his MLB debut. De Paula became the first Dodgers position player to get promoted directly from Double-A during president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman’s tenure.
While appearing in 124 games for the Drillers, De Paula batted .303/.401/.547 with 37 doubles, two triples, 27 home runs, 104 RBI and 31 stolen bases. He led all Texas League players in total hits (152), RBI and runs scored (106), and was tied for most doubles.
De Paula additionally set career highs in games played, doubles, home runs and RBI. He additionally was one stolen base shy of equaling his most in any Minor League season and three walks shy of tying a career-best mark.
With his RBI and runs scored totals, De Paula joined Carlos Pena as the only players in Drillers franchise history to have at least 100 in both categories in the same season.
De Paula’s impressive offensive success has carried over with the Dodgers, with remarkable plate discipline translating to quality and productive at-bats.
De Paula has garnered praise from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and teammates alike, and seemingly played his way into the discussion for a potential postseason roster spot. De Paula also has already made Dodgers franchise history as their first player to ever wear No. 95.
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