Diamondbacks name Jazz Chisholm + Taylor Widener their Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year

Chisholm, 20, hit .272 (124-for-456)/.329 OBP/.513 SLG with 23 doubles, 6 triples, 25 home runs, 70 RBI, 39 walks, 17 stolen bases and 79 runs scored in 112 games between Single-A Kane County and Single-A Advanced Visalia. A Midwest League midseason All-Star, Chisholm led all D-backs farmhands in home runs, and ranked among the leaders in runs (3rd), triples (T-5th), RBI (7th), slugging pct. (8th) and walks (T-9th).

A native of Nassau, Bahamas, the left-handed hitting infielder joins Jack Cust (20) in 1999 and Justin Upton (20) in 2007 as the youngest players in organization history to receive Player of the Year honors. Chisholm is also the first player to win the award from the Single-A ranks since Paul Goldschmidt did so in 2010. Chisholm is rated by MLB.com as the No. 2 prospect in the D-backs’ organization, and is ranked third by Baseball America, as well as possessing the Best Infield Arm.

Widener, 23, was named Baseball America’s Double-A Pitcher of the Year, going 5-8 with a 2.75 ERA (42 ER in 137.1 IP), .197 opponent average, 176 strikeouts and 43 walks in 26 games (25 starts) for the Southern League Champion Jackson Generals. He led the SL in strikeouts and WHIP (1.03) and ranked among the leaders in ERA (2nd), starts (6th) and innings pitched (6th), and led all D-backs Minor League pitchers in ERA and strikeouts.

Widener, who was a SL midseason All-Star in 2018, was acquired from the New York Yankees on February 20 in the trade that sent Brandon Drury to the Yankees and sent Steven Souza Jr. to the D-backs. He is the third pitcher in team history to earn Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors in his first season with the organization, joining Vladimir Nuñez in 1996 and Mike Gosling in 2002. He is rated by MLB.com as the No. 3 prospect in the D-backs’ organization, and No. 4 by Baseball America.

Here is a full list of recipients, since the awards were first handed out in 1996.