The inaugural Minor League Baseball Awards show honored some of the brightest starts in their rise to the Major League Level, but the Los Angeles Dodgers had a prospect and affiliates fall short of taking home a new piece of hardware.
The awards being given out by MiLB included Minor League Hitting Prospect of the Year, Minor League Pitching Prospect of the Year, Breakout Player of the Year, Minor League Debut of the Year, best single-game performance, Defensive Play of the year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Team of the Year.
Michael Busch was a finalist for Minor League hitting prospect of the year, but ultimately lost out to MLB’s top prospect, Jackson Holliday of the Baltimore Orioles.
Busch spent most of the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, batting .323/.431/.618 with 26 doubles, four triples, 27 homers, 90 RBI and 85 runs scored in 98 games.
While he lost out MiLB’s award, Busch did win the Dodgers’ 2023 Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year Award, and being among the finalists is still an honor for any player.
Busch made his MLB debut on April 25, going 1-for-3 while recording his first career hit off Pittsburgh Pirates’ Johan Oviedo. He ended up appearing in 27 games for the Dodgers, recording 12 hits with two home runs and seven RBI.
The OKC Dodgers were also a finalist for Team of the Year, but they lost out to the Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles, Triple-A).
It was the second time OKC lost to Norfolk as they were also defeated when the two clubs faced off in the Triple-A National Championship game, 7-6.
Still, the Oklahoma City Dodgers had a tremendous season, going 90-58 to finish with the best record in the Pacific Coast League. They ran away with the first half of the season with a 50-23 record to secure their spot in the PCL Championship Series.
Oklahoma City defeated the Round Rock Express (Texas Rangers affiliate) by sweeping them in two games to win their first PCL championship as a Dodgers affiliate.
It was also the first OKC championship by their club since 1996 when they were a Rangers affiliate called the 89ers and the league was the American Association.
2023 MiLB Award Show winners
Minor League Hitting Prospect of the Year
Jackson Holliday, Orioles
Runners-up: Michael Busch, Dodgers; Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays
Minor League Pitching Prospect of the Year
Drew Thorpe, RHP, Yankees
Runners-up: Cade Horton, RHP, Cubs; Robby Snelling, LHP, Padres
Breakout Player of the Year
Junior Caminero, Rays
Runners-up: Cade Horton, Chicago Cubs; Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers
Minor League Debut of the Year
Ethan Salas, San Diego Padres
Runners-up: Robby Snelling, Padres; Drew Thorpe, New York Yankees
Best Single-Game Performance
Colt Keith, Detroit Tigers
Runners-up: Luis Mieses, Chicago White Sox; Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
Defensive Play of the Year
Druw Jones, Arizona Diamondbacks
Runners-up: DaShawn Keirsey Jr., Minnesota Twins; Monte Harrison, Milwaukee Brewers
Defensive Player of the Year
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs
Runners-up: Nasim Nuñez, Miami Marlins; Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox
Team of the Year
Norfolk Tides (Orioles, Triple-A)
Runners-up: Oklahoma City Dodgers (Dodgers, Triple-A); Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins, High-A)
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