Athletics Announce 2014 Organizational Awards

Post date: Aug 26, 2014 11:17:55 AM

Mike Trout, David Price, Byron Buxton recognized by A's beat writers

After balloting among the beat writers who cover the Philadelphia Athletics FBC on a daily basis, the club's organizational awards honorees were announced this morning. Outfielder Mike Trout, starting pitcher David Price, and outfielder Byron Buxton were each named as winners of the various team honors. They will be recognized in prepetuity here at the franchise website, and will be feted at a formal team ceremony during the off-season.

Just named as the new team Captain last week, it is the 3rd consecutive Jimmy Foxx Award as the team's Offensive Player of the Year for Mike Trout. He was the unanimous selection of the writers in a year that saw many of the club's other top position players either leave or arrive via trade, or suffer through injury-marred campaigns. But none of that diminished his own performance. His 29 homeruns, 91 rbi, 87 runs scored, and 12 steals all lead the team. The A's young superstar has won the award now in each of his first three seasons in the WFBL. He becomes the first-ever to win it three years in a row, and joins Chase Utley as the only overall 3-time winners of the honor.

It has been an incredible season of change here in Philly, and perhaps no one epitimizes that change, or the positive turn-around in the team's immediate fortunes, as starting pitcher David Price. On May 20th, the A's traded former 1st round draft pick Stephen Strasburg to division rival Boston in exchange for Price as a part of an overall turnover in the pitching staff. Price has delivered ever since arriving in Philly. He has started 16 games for the A's, 2nd most in the rotation, with 8 wins, and 15 of those have been Quality Start outings. In 124 innings he has struck out 137 batters while allowing just 90 hits, with an ERA of just 2.18 and a WHIP of just .895 with one start remaining. If his WHIP holds, he will set a new club mark in that category.

It has been a season almost completely lost to a variety of injuries for the near-consensus top prospect in baseball, Byron Buxton. In spring training, Buxton suffered a wrist injury while diving for a ball which began his problems. On returning in June, he was just getting started again when he aggravated the wrist injury and was again shut down for more than a month. Finally returning a 2nd time, he was involved in a horrendous outfield collision, suffering a concussion as a result. The three injury incidents resulted in his getting just 137 plate appearances. However, in those appearances he showed why he has continued to be ranked at the top of almost every list of baseball prospects. His projections would amount to a 20-HR, 30-SB season. While a few other prospects put up good numbers for the team, none has the upside of the mega-talented Buxton.