Both Branch Rickey Award winners for the Dodgers started this season in Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, won multiple honors, and finished the season with High-A Great Lakes. The Dodgers on Wednesday announced that outfielder Eduardo Quintero and pitcher Christian Zazueta are the organization’s minor league player and pitcher of the year.
Quintero and Zazueta will be presented with the Branch Rickey Awards on Friday at Dodger Stadium prior to the Dodgers’ game against the Giants.
Quintero hit .293/.415/.508 with a 153 wRC+ with 101 runs scored in 113 games this season, one of only two Dodgers minor leaguers to score 100 runs this season along with Ryan Ward in Triple-A Oklahoma City. Quintero’s 88 walks were tied for most in the Dodgers minors with Austin Gauthier’s whose season is still active this week in Triple-A.
Quintero between Rancho Cucamonga and Great Lakes hit 19 home runs and stole 47 bases, fourth in the organization in both categories. The outfielder from Venezuela, who just turned 20 on Tuesday, also this week was named California League MVP.
Both Quintero and Zazueta were named California League All-Stars as well.
The Dodgers acquired Zazueta from the Yankees in the Caleb Ferguson trade in February 2024. This year the 20-year-old Zazueta posted a 2.41 ERA in 17 starts, with 81 strikeouts and only 16 walks in 67 1/3 innings between the Quakes and Loons. Among all Dodgers minor leaguers with at least 10 starts, Zazueta had the second-lowest ERA, trailing only left-hander Williams Salazar with a 2.39 ERA in 37 2/3 innings in the Dominican Summer League.
Zazueta’s 23.8-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate was tops in the Dodgers system among all pitchers with at least 30 innings. Sixteen of his 17 starts came with Rancho Cucamonga, for whom he won California League pitcher of the month for May. Zazueta finished his season with one appearance for Great Lakes, throwing a scoreless inning on August 31. He turns 21 on October 7.
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