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Diamondbacks name Aaron Blair + Socrates Brito organizational pitcher and player of the year

The Arizona Diamondbacks named outfielder Sócrates Brito and right-handed pitcher Aaron Blair the organization’s Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year, as announced by D-backs Director, Player Development Mike Bell.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Socrates Brito, 23, hit .300 (147-for-490) with 17 doubles, 15 triples, 9 home runs, 57 RBI, 70 runs scored and 20 stolen bases in 129 games for Double-A Mobile.

  • Led all Minor Leaguers with 15 triples, and ranked among Southern League leaders in total bases (3rd, 221), hits (4th), average (6th), slugging percentage (6th, .451), runs (8th, 70), OPS (T-8th, .790), stolen bases (T-10th).
  • Selected to play with the World Team in the 2015 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Great American Ball Park.
  • Named to the Southern League's mid- and postseason All-Star Teams, and was Mobile's Player of the Month for August.
  • Entered the season rated by Baseball America as the D-backs' Best Athlete for the second straight season (2014-15), while also possessing the Best Outfield Arm among Arizona farmhands.
  • Earned the 2015 Aurelio Rodriguez Award, presented annually to the D-backs' Minor Leaguer who exhibits the spirit of Aurelio Rodriguez throughout Spring Training, by showing dedication and giving their best effort every day.

Aaron Blair, 23, went 13-5 with a 2.92 ERA (52 ER in 160.1 IP), 1 complete game, 20 quality starts and 120 strikeouts in 26 games (25 starts) between Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno.

  • Second D-backs prospect to be earn Pitcher of the Year honors in consecutive seasons (also: Brad Penny from 1997-98).
  • Ranked among organizational leaders in wins (T-1st), ERA (5th) and strikeouts (4th).
  • Went 6-0 with a 2.16 ERA (12 ER in 50.0 IP) in 8 starts (7 quality) with the Aces from June 23-Aug. 17.
  • Named a Southern League midseason All-Star, and was selected as Mobile's Pitcher of the Month for May, going 3-1 with a 0.89 ERA (4 ER in 40.2 IP) and Reno's Pitcher of the Month for August, finishing 3-1 with a 2.40 ERA (8 ER in 30.0 IP).
  • Won a silver medal with Team USA in the 2015 Pan-American Games in Toronto, Canada (2 GS, 7 ER in 10.0 IP).
  • Entered the season rated by Baseball America as the club's No. 3 Prospect, possessing the Best Control among D-backs farmhands, and rated as Arizona's No. 4 Prospect by MLB.com.

Here is a list of all winners of the organization player and pitcher of the year, since the award was instituted in 1998.

Year

Player

Club

Year

Pitcher

Club

1996

Kevin Sweeney

Lethbridge

1996

Vladimir Nunez

Lethbridge

1997

Travis Lee
Mike Stoner

High Desert
High Desert

1997

Brad Penny

South Bend

1998

Jason Conti

Tulsa

1998

Brad Penny

High Desert

1999

Jack Cust

High Desert

1999

Andrew Good

South Bend

2000

Alex Cabrera

El Paso/Tucson

2000

Bret Prinz

South Bend/El Paso

2001

Lyle Overbay

El Paso

2001

Beltran Perez

South Bend

2002

Scott Hairston

South Bend/Lancaster

2002

Mike Gosling

El Paso

2003

Chad Tracy

Tucson

2003

Brian Bruney

El Paso/Tucson

2004

Carlos Quentin

Lancaster/El Paso

2004

Enrique Gonzalez

Lancaster

2005

Andy Green

Tucson

2005

Dustin Nippert

Tennessee

2006

Alberto Callaspo

Tucson

2006

Micah Owings

Tennessee/Tucson

2007

Justin Upton

Visalia/Mobile

2007

Esmerling Vasquez

Mobile

2008

Josh Whitesell

Tucson

2008

Cesar Valdez

Visalia/Mobile

2009

Ryan Wheeler

Yakima/South Bend

2009

Billy Buckner

Reno

2010

Paul Goldschmidt

Visalia

2010

Wade Miley

Mobile

2011

Paul Goldschmidt

Mobile

2011

Tyler Skaggs

Visalia/Mobile

2012

Adam Eaton

Mobile/Reno

2012

Trevor Bauer

Mobile/Reno

2013

Chris Owings

Reno

2013

Archie Bradley

Visalia/Mobile

2014

Jake Lamb

Mobile/Reno

2014

Aaron Blair

South Bend/Visalia/Mobile

2015

Sócrates Brito

Mobile

2015

Aaron Blair

Mobile/Reno