Royals Announce Minor League Pitcher, Hitter of the Year
Two huge months at the plate earned Johnny Giavotella the George Brett Hitter of the Year Award and dominance at three levels by Kelvin Herrera led to his being named the Paul Splittorff Pitcher of the Year.
Giavotella, who has since been promoted to the majors to play second base everyday, hit .338/.390/.481 in Omaha and had a combined 90 base hits in June and July. He’s since hit .245/.278/.387 in his first month of the big leagues.
Herrera started the season in Wilmington in High A and quickly earned a promotion to Northwest Arkansas where he was named a Texas League All-Star and played in the All-Star Futures Game. Through 65.2 innings this year, he has a 70/14 K/BB ratio and has beat hitters with a combination of triple digit heat and solid secondary pitches. He’s got a chance to be a September call up if Omaha is knocked out of the PCL playoffs early and if the Royals want an early look at him in the big leagues.
Stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed.