The Los Angeles Dodgers named Brock Stewart the Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year, and third baseman Edwin Rios the Minor League Player of the Year. Rios and Stewart are both currently with Double-A Tulsa. Stewart is slated to start Friday’s game for the Drillers.
Though, that’s not where either began the 2016 season. Stewart was assigned to High-A Rancho Cucamonga, where he went 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA, 0.64 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in 11 innings over two starts. A promotion to the Texas League did little to slow Stewart’s moment.
Over nine starts with the Drillers, the right-hander was 3-3 with a 1.60 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 62 strikeouts in 56.1 innings.
Stewart was named a Texas League All-Star but did not participate in the game because he had already been promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
With the OKC Dodgers, the soon-to-be-25-year-old was 4-0 with a 2.49 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 54 strikeouts in 50.2 innings over nine starts.
Stewart was a combined 9-3 with a 1.68 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 126 strikeouts in the Minors this season. Stewart’s meteoric rise this season culminated with him making his Major League debut against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on June 29.
He’s fallen victim to the long ball while with the Dodgers, allowing five home runs in just 17 innings across four games (three starts). Though, Stewart was tagged for four homers at hitter-friendly Coors Field on Aug. 3, and that’s the last time he’s surrendered a home run.
Stewart turned in the best outing of his young career against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, throwing five shutout innings with a career-high 28 strikeouts.
Rios has also climbed the Minor League ranks in just his second professional season. He hit .252/.305/.487 with eight doubles, one triple, six home runs and 13 RBI over 33 games with Low-A Great Lakes to earn a promotion.
The 22-year-old then hit .367/.394/.712 with 11 doubles, 16 homers and 46 RBI over 42 games with the Quakes. Now with the Drillers, Rios is batting .252/.308/.449 with six doubles, five home runs and 16 RBI through 29 games.
The Dodgers selected Rios in the sixth round of the 2015 Draft. Stewart is also a sixth-round selection by the Dodgers, taken in the 2014 Draft.
