KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Right-handed pitcher Jackson Kowar, first baseman/outfielder Ryan McBroom and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., were all honored as Minor League Baseball announced its Triple-A League Awards and postseason All-Star teams Tuesday. Witt Jr. was named the Triple-A East Top MLB Prospect, while Kowar received the league’s Pitcher of the Year Award as well as being named a postseason All-Star as the right-handed starter. McBroom was also named a postseason All-Star as the designated hitter.
Kowar, 25, went 9-4 with a 3.46 ERA (31 ER in 80.2 IP) and 115 strikeouts (12.8 K/9) in 17 overall appearances (16 starts) over two stints with the Storm Chasers. He recorded the seventh-most strikeouts among Triple-A pitchers, despite a pair of stints in the Majors, including two weeks in June as well as September and October. The righty opened the season going 5-0 with a 0.85 ERA (3 ER in 31.2 IP) and a .165 opponents’ average (18-for-109) in six starts before having his contract selected by Kansas City on June 6. He was selected by the Royals in the first round (33rd overall) of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Florida.
Witt Jr., 21, split the season between Northwest Arkansas (AA) and Omaha (AAA), hitting .285/.352/.581 (72-for-253) with 24 doubles, 17 homers and 46 RBI with the Storm Chasers. In 123 games overall, he led all minor league players with 72 extra-base hits, while he ranked second in runs scored (99) and total bases (286), fourth in homers (33) and RBI (97) and fifth in hits (144). He was the first Royals’ minor league player to collect 20+ homers and record 20+ steals in a season since Alex Gordon in 2006. He finished the year with 35 doubles, 33 home runs and 29 stolen bases overall, falling just short of becoming the third minor league player since 1990 to record a 30-30-30 season. He was selected in the first round (2nd overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Colleyville Heritage High School in Texas.
McBroom, 29, led all Triple-A players with 32 home runs this season, batting .261/.337/.524 (113-for-433) with 14 doubles, two triples, 47 walks and 88 RBI in 115 games with the Storm Chasers. He also ranked second among Triple-A hitters in total bases (227) and runs scored (78) and was also fourth in RBI. McBroom recorded three multi-homer contests, which included hitting a career-high three roundtrippers at St. Paul on June 13. He had three stints in the Majors with Kansas City, appearing in seven games. He was acquired by the Royals in a trade with the New York Yankees on Aug. 31, 2019.