Drabek, Taylor named winners of Paul Owens Awards

Philadelphia, PA -- Right-hander Kyle Drabek and outfielder Michael Taylor are the winners of the Paul Owens Award for the best pitcher and player, respectively, in the Phillies minor league system for 2008, Chuck LaMar, Assistant General Manager, Player Development & Scouting announced September 2.

The two players will receive their awards during a pre-game presentation on Tuesday, September 15, when the Phillies host the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park.

Drabek, 21, went a combined 12-3 with a 3.19 ERA in 25 games (23 starts) between single-A Clearwater and double-A Reading. He had 150 strikeouts in 158.0 innings and pitched a 9.0-inning shutout in his final start with Clearwater on May 29.

Taylor hit a combined .320 with 28 doubles, five triples, 20 home runs, 84 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 116 games between Reading and triple-A Lehigh Valley. Named the Eastern League’s Rookie of the Year, the 23-year-old hit for the cycle on August 12 against Louisville, going 5-for-5 with two doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBI. Taylor ended his season on the disabled list with a right oblique strain.

Both Drabek and Taylor were originally drafted by the Phillies. Drabek was a first-round selection in the 2006 draft (18th overall) out of The Woodlands High School in Texas and Taylor was chosen in the fifth round in 2007 out of Stanford University.

Instituted in 1986, the award is named for the late Paul Owens, who spent 48 years in the Phillies organization as a scout, farm director, general manager, manager and senior advisor.

Michael Taylor named the 2009 Eastern League Rookie of the Year

Portland, ME — The Eastern League of Professional Baseball is pleased to announce that Reading Phillies outfielder Michael Taylor has been selected as the 2009 Eastern League Rookie of the Year. 

The 23-year old batted. 333 (106-for-318) with 22 doubles, four triples, 15 homers, 65 RBI, 59 runs scored, 18 stolen bases, a .408 on-base percentage and a .569 slugging percentage in 86 games with the R-Phils this season. 

With that performance Michael earned a promotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on July 16th. In 30 games with the IronPigs, Taylor is hitting .282 with six doubles, five home runs, 19 RBI and 15 runs scored. 

At the time of his promotion to Triple-A, the Cheverly, Maryland native was ranked among the Eastern League leaders in extra-base hits (41-2nd), runs scored (59-tied 2nd), batting average (.333-3rd), RBI (65-3rd), slugging percentage (.569-3rd), home runs (15-4th), on-base percentage (.408-4th) and stolen bases (15-5th).

With his performance this season it is not surprising the 6’6”, 250 lb. slugger has won numerous awards and accolades, including taking home the Eastern League Player of the Week award for the week ending June 7th, being chosen as the Eastern League Player of the Month for June and being named to the Southern Division roster for the 2009 Eastern League All-Star Game. Taylor was also selected as an outfielder on the 2009 Eastern League Season Ending All-Star Team and was chosen by Baseball America as being the “Best Batting Prospect” and the “Most Exciting Player” in the Eastern League this season.

Michael was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 5th round of the 2007 draft after hitting .335 (78-for-233) with 16 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs, 59 RBI and 44 runs scored while earning All-Pac 10 honors during his junior season at Stanford University.

Taylor made his Double-A debut with Reading this season after combining to hit .346 with 39 doubles, four triples, 19 home runs, 88 RBI, 76 runs scored and 15 stolen bases in 132 games between Class-A Clearwater and Class-A Lakewood. 

Connecticut second baseman Brock Bond finished second in the voting for the Eastern League Rookie of the Year Award and Binghamton catcher Josh Thole ranked third in voting for the award, which was voted on by Eastern League managers and coaching staffs, sportswriters, radio and television broadcast personnel and other members of the media.

This information was posted on September 3, 2009