It was a big year for starting pitchers and Jacksons when it came to rookies in 2025, with those groups accounting for four of the six players and all but two votes in the race for the Pat Listach Award.
The award recognizing the DMBL's top rookie in 2025 came down to two hurlers: Green Lake's Spencer Schwellenbach and Paul Skenes of Empire City. It was Schwellenbach who took home the award but it was far from a cakewalk. It's the first time Green Lake, which entered the league in 2023 taking over the Loudon Lollygaggers, garnered one of the major awards, topping their 2025 championship season.
Schwellenbach finished with 32 points thanks to 4 1st-place votes and 4 2nd-place votes but he did not get a majority of the 1st-place votes among the 10 ballots. He did receive the most 1st-place votes, 4, and tied Skenes for most 2nd-lace votes, also 4. It was Skenes, however, who appeared on the most ballots, 9 of 10; Schwellenbach was left off of 2 ballots.
Skenes finished 2nd with 24 points, ahead of Newark CF Jackson Merrill and Schwellenbach teammate Jackson Chourio. Merrill matched Skenes with 2 1st-pace votes and out-polled Chourio on the strength of 5 3rd-place votes, appearing on 7 of the 10 ballots to finish with 15 points. Chourio, meanwhile, made it on half of the ballots, earning a 1st, a 3rd, along with 2 2nd-place votes to collect 12 points.
In all, 6 first-year players received votes among the 10 owners who cast ballots. Two players received but 1 vote on opposite ends of the ballots: Vancouver SS Xavier Edwards received a solitary 1st-place vote for his 5 points and Livingston RP Edwin Uceta garnered a 3rd-place vote for his single point.
Half of the six players receiving supports were drafted in 2025, including 2 1st rounders: Schwellenbach, 2nd; and Edwards, 6th; Uceta was a 2nd rounder. The other were drafted earlier as ineligible prospects: Skenes and Merrill in 2025, 1st, and 5th, respectively, and Chourio in the 3rd round of 2023).
Last year, seven rookies earned support on the ballot when Nolan Jones took home the award, edging out Cole Ragans of Poovey Farms, who instead went on to win the McDonald Award as the league's top pitcher. It's the first time a starting pitchers has won the Listach since Spencer Strider ran away with the award in 2023 with Hillsborough. The last starter without double-S initials to win the award was Tucson's Tanner Houck in 2022.
While pitchers have now won 3 of the past 4 Listach Awards, it's only the 8th time in league history. pitchers went a decade (2011-2021) without winning. Position players have won it 18 times since the award was first bestowed in 1998 (the league's 8th season).
For a look at other rookies who fared well in 2025, see this roundup of Listach contenders.
No comments :
Post a Comment