USA Today names Hellickson minor league player of the year

Posted Sep 8, 2010 by Roger Mooney

Updated Sep 8, 2010 at 10:46 AM

ROGER MOONEY
BOSTON—Anyone else want to name Jeremy Hellickson their minor league player of the year?

Sports Illustrated?

The Sporting News?

Car and Driver?

One day after it was announced that the Tampa Bay Rays rookie right-hander was named minor league player of the year by Baseball America, USA Today did the same, announcing their minor league player of the year in today’s addition.

Hellickson, who was 12-3 with an International League-low 2.45 ERA for Triple A Durham this summer, was also the International League pitcher of the year and was the starting pitcher in the All-Star Futures Game in July.

He will surely win one of the Rays’ organizational player or pitcher of the year awards, too.

Hellickson proved he wasn’t just dominating Triple A hitters. He was 3-0 in four starts with the Rays in August when he picked up the slack for a tired rotation and then replaced Wade Davis, who missed three starts when he went on the disabled list.

“We saw what he did up here. I’m sure it looked a lot like that down there,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said before Tuesday’s game with the Red Sox.

Hellickson joins Josh Hamilton (2000) and David Price (2007) as other Rays who have won USA Today’s minor league player of the year award.

Also, current Rays Matt Garza (2006) and Gabe Kapler (1998) won the award while with other organizations.

Here is a list of the past winners:

1988: RHP Mike Harkey
1989: IF Todd Zeile
1990: 1B Tino Martinez
1991: RHP Mark Wohlers
1992: 1B Carlos Delgado
1993: OF Cliff Floyd
1994: OF Billy Ashley
1995: OF Andruw Jones
1996: OF Andruw Jones
1997: OF Ben Grieve
1998: OF Gabe Kapler
1999: LHP Rick Ankiel
2000: OF Josh Hamilton
2001: RHP Josh Beckett
2002: SS Jose Reyes
2003: 1B Prince Fielder
2004: LHP Jeff Francis
2005: LHP Francisco Liriano
2006: RHP Matt Garza
2007: OF Justin Upton
2008: LHP David Price
2009: OF Jason Heyward
2010: RHP Jeremy Hellickson