Los Angeles Dodgers Minor League Pitcher of the Year: Tony Gonsolin
Level(s): high-A Rancho Cucamonga, AA Tulsa
Stats: 10-2, 26 GS, 128 IP, 2.60 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 42/155 BB/K
Drafted out of St. Mary’s in the 9th round in 2016, Tony Gonsolin pitched his first two seasons in relief in the Dodgers system before moving to the rotation in 2018. Gonsolin was dominant in the new role, to say the least.
Gonsolin handled the hitter-friendly Cal League well, keeping his walk rate and hit rate nearly the same in his promotion to AA Tulsa for his final 9 starts. He will likely open in AA in 2019, but with his impressive pitching in 2018, he could have a chance to challenge for some big league time in 2019.
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Runners-up
Dustin May began getting a lot of notice in the offseason after a dominant year with Great Lakes in 2017. His season split between high-A and AA was just as good or better in 2018. He tossed 132 2/3 innings, with a 3.39 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 29/122 BB/K ratio.
A late signee out of the Dominican Republic, Gerardo Carillo had a solid season in the Dominican Summer League in 2017. In 2018, he opened in the Arizona Rookie League and was impressive enough to jump straight to low-A with Great Leakes. Overall, he tossed 60 innings, allowing a 1.50 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 17/50 BB/K ratio.
Coming out of Gonzaga, the Los Angeles Dodgers selected Andrew Sopko in the 7th round in 2016. Sopko split his 2018 season between high-A and AA almost evenly, tossing 117 2/3 innings with a 3.52 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and a 27/121 BB/K ratio.
The Los Angeles Dodgers made a return trip to the World Series in 2018 at the major league level, and their tremendous depth in the minor league system will allow them to be competitive for another Fall Classic trip in 2019.