The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Friday afternoon that Josh Bell has been named their Minor League Player of the Year, and Mitch Keller has been named the Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Both players were also the Pirates Prospect Pitcher/Player of the year, which we announced earlier this week.
Keller made 23 starts for West Virginia and one start for Bradenton this season. He also made two playoff starts, helping the Marauders to the FSL title. He led the South Atlantic League with an 0.92 WHIP, and in 130.1 innings this season, he had a 2.35 ERA, with 138 strikeouts and a .212 BAA. He was named to the SAL All-Star game as the starting pitcher and was also selected for the league’s season All-Star team. The 20-year-old righty was also named as our Breakout Prospect of the Year.
Josh Bell hit .295/.382/.468 in 114 games for Indianapolis this season, winning the Player of the Year award despite missing time in early July and also the last 18 days of the season, both times getting called up to the Pirates. Bell hit 23 doubles, four triples and 14 homers, while drawing 57 walks. He finished in the top eight in the International League in average, on base percentage and slugging. He was also the Pirates Minor League Player of the Year in 2014, becoming the first player to win the award twice since it was created back in 2000.
