2017 Listach Award winner: Gary Sanchez

Hopatcong's Gary Sanchez blasted a league-high in home runs, a consistent power display that has earned him the Pat Listach Award as the DMBL's top rookie in 2017, outdistancing four other first-year players in official balloting.

Sanchez was the only player to appear on each of the six ballots submitted by owners, garnering four 1st-place votes:

1. Gary Sanchez, HPG: 4-1-1 ---> 24 points
2. Trea Turner, POO: 0-4-1 ----> 13 points
3. Corey Seager, SCS: 1-1-2 ---> 10 points
4. Tyler Anderson, SF: 1-0-2 ---> 7 points

Sanchez becomes the first player in franchise history to take home the Listach Award (there were no awards distributed in 2014 and 2015). Former Floating Fish starter Luis Severino finished 5th among seven players in 2016 balloting.

An 8th-round pick in 2016, Sanchez spent that season in the Hopatcong farm system before qualifying for the 2017 DMBL season. He arrived on the scene with a bang, starting in spring training and just kept on going, leading not just rookies but all players with 55 home runs in 2017. The 24-year-old Dominican also had a league-best .620 slugging, .983 OPS, and 33 intentional walks while posting rookie highs in RBI (108) and RC/27 (7.9). He made 135 starts at catcher for the Floating Fish and another 11 at designated hitter.

Poovey Farms' Trea Turner was a near consensus for 2nd place, getting four 2nd place votes and a 3rd place vote. He finished second in the voting despite not receiving a 1st place vote. Turner also was selected in the 8th round of the 2016 draft, just 8 spots after Sanchez. It's the second straight year that a Dairy Cows player finished 2nd for the Listach after Xander Bogaerts was runner-up to Hillsborough's Miguel Sano. Both Bogaerts and Turner led the league triples in their respective rookie years too.

The 24-year-old Floridian powered the Poovey Farms offense with his speed and pop. He finished second in the batting race to C.J. Cron and led the league in triples (16), hits (234) and runs created (133.0), was second in stolen bases (33) and first in steal percentage (.892/33-4). Turner made 149 starts in the Dairy Cows' outfield, including 40 in center, and also was eligible at second base. He's expected to move to shortstop full time in 2018.

Voters were mixed on 3rd place, splitting between Sardine City shortstop Corey Seager and San Francisco left-hander Tyler Anderson, both of whom also received a single 1st place vote and two 3rd place votes. Seager edged him in the voting by nabbing a 2nd place vote.

In any other year, a rookie shortstop who hit almost .300 while blasting 31 home runs and 105 RBI could be a lock and potential unanimous Listach selection. Seager did not lead rookies in any particular category but he did find himself amid the top 10 league-wide in some batting categories. The 23-year-old from Charlotte was chosen a year earlier than Turner or Sanchez, going in the 4th round of the 2015 draft.

Anderson, a Las Vegas native, was not only the lone pitcher recognized in the voting, he was the only player not drafted as an ineligible prospect before last season. In fact, he wasn't anywhere close to a high pick and some years might have even been a free agent signing. San Francisco tapped the 27-year-old in what usually might be a throwaway pick, 15th round, just ahead of the supplemental portion of the draft. The lefty was the 230th player selected in 2017 and went on to lead all rookies in wins (16-8), innings (222), strikeouts (203), complete games (5), and quality starts (22), ranking among the top 10 in the league with most of those stats.

Voting results are based on a system in which 1st place votes are worth 5 points, 2nd place votes are worth 3 points and 3rd place worth 1 point. Rookies are classified as players who have not yet qualified for the DMBL (fewer than 250 plate appearances (200 for catchers), 10 game starts, 30 appearances and/or 50 innings pitched).