Isotopes Announce 2025 Player Award Winners
Published on September 21, 2025 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Albuquerque Isotopes News Release
The Albuquerque Isotopes today announced their annual end-of-season player awards in an on-field ceremony prior to today's contest. Unless otherwise noted, the award winners were chosen by a vote of their teammates.
Outfielder Sam Hilliard was named the club's Most Valuable Player. Over 90 games, he slashed .289/.367/.567 with 25 doubles, 12 triples, 17 homers, 15 steals and 66 RBI. He became the eighth Triple-A player since 2005 (sixth in the Pacific Coast League) to record 25+ doubles, 10+ triples, 15+ homers and 15+ stolen bases in a season (last: Las Vegas' Jorge Mateo, 2019). For the season, he's among Pacific Coast League leaders in triples (1st, 12), slugging percentage (2nd, .567), OPS (4th, .934) and extra-base hits (T-4th, 54).
On April 25 at Reno, Hilliard became the all-time home run leader in Albuquerque professional baseball history with his 80th blast. For his Isotopes career, he has swatted 93 homers. Hilliard is among Isotopes career batting leaders in triples (1st, 28), at-bats (2nd, 1,445), games (2nd, 371), runs (2nd, 288), doubles, (2nd, 86), RBI (2nd, 280), hits (3rd, 397) and stolen bases (4th, 60).
Hilliard was also voted by Isotopes fans as the Fan Favorite. He becomes the eighth Isotope to win both MVP and Fan Favorite, the last being catcher Willie MacIver in 2024.
Infielder Keston Hiura was voted as the Power Hitter of the Year. Over 100 games, he compiled a .272/.369/.507 slashline with 21 doubles, three triples, 21 homers and 67 RBI. On May 25 at Reno, Hiura became the second Isotope to homer twice in an inning (other: Drew Weeks, July 11, 2019). He also swatted three multi-homer games, the 24th time an Isotope has tallied at least three multi-homer contests in a single season. He registered seven home runs over 440 ft.
and has the longest dinger by an Isotope in 2025 (479 ft). From May 1-July 2, he recorded a 31-game on-base streak, the fifth-longest streak in the Pacific Coast League in 2025.
Pitcher of the Year honors went to right-hander Connor Van Scoyoc. Over 40 appearances out of the bullpen, Van Scoyoc registered a 4.29 ERA (84. IP, 40 ER) with 46 punchouts and a 1.33 WHIP. In 12 games since August 12, he has compiled a 1.13 ERA (24.0 IP, 3 ER), the fourth-lowest ERA in Triple-A during the time frame (min. 12 games). Van Scoyoc allowed one run or fewer in 28 of his 40 appearances on the year. He also led the team in victories with eight.
Aaron Schunk showed his defensive prowess by playing all over the diamond, earning him Defensive Player of the Year honors. The Atlanta native played 64 games at third base, 11 at shortstop and eight at second base. Schunk made just 11 errors over 252 chances, tallying a .956 fielding percentage.
Outfielder Braiden Ward was selected as the Mr. Hustle award winner. In just 43 games, Ward swiped 33 bags, fourth all- time on the Isotopes' single-season stolen base ledger. His 33 swipes, which included two steals of home, are also the second-most in Triple-A since his promotion to Albuquerque on July 1 while tallying the fourth-most stolen bases in the Pacific Coast League during the 2025 season. Additionally, he became the 10th Isotope to tally 30 stolen bases in a campaign (last: Greg Jones, 46, 2024).
Left-handed pitcher Lucas Gilbreath and infielder Aaron Schunk were both honored as the Jennifer Riordan Most- Community Minded Person. This award is chosen by Isotopes Community Relations Manager Brandon Ortega for their dedicated service to the Albuquerque community.
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