Award Winners & All-Stars Announced
October 2, 2023 - Pioneer League (PL) News Release
The Pioneer Baseball League (PBL) announced today its 2023 award winners and All-Star team, recognizing the top performers throughout the year.
This year's awards are headlined by Ogden outfielder Reese Alexiades, who was voted the league's Most Valuable Player. Missoula hurler Alfredo Villa won the Pitcher of the Year award.
There was a tie in the Rookie of the Year voting, leading to both John Michael Faile of Billings and Ron Washington Jr. of Grand Junction being honored. Ogden's Dan Kubiuk rounds out the award winners, taking home Reliever of the Year.
In his third year in Ogden, Alexiades enjoyed his finest season as a pro. He batted .326/.433/.671 with a league-leading 29 home runs, 31 doubles, 90 RBIs, and 29 stolen bases. Alexiades also paced the league with 64 extra-base hits while ranking third in doubles and seventh in both RBIs and steals. He was particularly great in the month of June, when he slugged .896 and was the Dynaswing South Division Batter of the Month.
Alfredo Villa followed up his solid showing in 2022 with a historic performance in 2023. The right-hander becomes the first PBL pitcher to win the Triple Crown since Ricardo Rodriguez did so in 2000, going 13-1 with a 2.82 ERA and 129 strikeouts in a league-leading 108 2/3 innings.
Villa won the TrackMan North Division Pitcher of the Month award twice, and was nearly untouchable in August, recording a microscopic 1.59 ERA in 38 2/3 innings.
John Michael Faile joined Billings in June and was a driving force behind their late-season surge.
In just 54 games, Faile cranked 21 homers and drove in 70 runs with a 1.175 OPS. Faile won the Dynaswing North Division Batter of the Month award in August, hitting 11 homers and slugging .885. In addition to Faile, Ron Washington Jr. becomes the second straight Jackalope and Pitt
Panther to earn Rookie of the Year honors. Washington slugged 24 homers, good for third-most in the PBL, and drove in 88 runs with a 1.056 OPS in 90 games.
Abdel Guadalupe enjoyed a strong year in his first full season of professional baseball. The Puerto Rican-born outfielder hit .351/.393/.592 with 17 homers and 89 RBIs, which was tied for the team lead. Guadalupe also struck out in just 39 of his 333 at-bats.
Dan Kubiuk was automatic coming out of the Ogden bullpen, going a perfect 15-for-15 in save opportunities. In 35 2/3 innings, Kubiuk allowed just two earned runs, giving him a minuscule 0.50 ERA, striking out 50 batters against just nine walks. Kubiuk also recorded the final out of both the Division and Championship Series for the Raptors.
The award winners were based on votes from the 10 clubs in the PBL and the League Office.
The full list of honorees can be found below and at https://pioneerleague.com/aotw/postseason_awards/2023/ :
MVP: Reese Alexiades, OF, Ogden
Pitcher of the Year: Alfredo Villa, RHP, Missoula
Rookie of the Year: John Michael Faile, C, Billings and Ron Washington Jr., OF, Grand Junction
International Player of the Year: Abdel Guadalupe, OF, Northern Colorado
All-Star Team:
Catcher: John Michael Faile, Billings
First Base: Joe Johnson, Grand Junction
Second Base: Jaylen Hubbard, Grand Junction
Third Base: Dusty Stroup, Rocky Mountain
Shortstop: Payton Robertson, Northern Colorado
Left Field: Jacob Cruce, Grand Junction
Center Field: Reese Alexiades, Ogden
Right Field: Ron Washington Jr., Grand Junction
Statistical Leaders:
Batting Champion: Dondrei Hubbard, OF, Missoula
ERA Champion: Alfredo Villa, RHP, Missoula
Home Run Leader: Reese Alexiades, OF, Ogden
RBI Leader: Jaylen Hubbard, IF, Grand Junction
Strikeout Leader: Alfredo Villa, RHP, Missoula
Wins Leader: Alfredo Villa, RHP, Missoula
Saves Leader: Dan Kubiuk, RHP, Ogden
Designated Hitter: Jacob Barfield, Rocky Mountain
Starting Pitcher: Alfredo Villa, Missoula
Starting Pitcher: Connor Schultz, Missoula
Relief Pitcher: Dan Kubiuk, Ogden
Relief Pitcher: Justin Coleman, Glacier
Stolen Base Leader: Payton Robertson, IF, Northern Colorado
Knockout King: Dave Matthews, OF, Northern Colorado
Pioneer League Stories from October 2, 2023
- PaddleHeads Starting Pitcher Alfredo Villa Named Pioneer League Pitcher of the Year - Missoula PaddleHeads
- John Michael Faile Earns ROTY Honors - Billings Mustangs
- Award Winners & All-Stars Announced - PL
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