December 19, 2022

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

The Canadian Baseball Network officially announced the winners of its 2022 awards for top Canadian minor league hitter and pitcher and top foreign/independent ball hitter and pitcher on Monday.

Edouard Julien (Quebec City, Que.), who hit .300 and posted a .441 on-base percentage (OBP) in 113 games for the double-A Wichita Wind Surge in the Minnesota Twins’ organization, is the Randy Echlin Award winner, as the top minor league hitter in the affiliated ranks

Meanwhile, left-hander Mitch Bratt (Newmarket, Ont.), who posted a 2.45 ERA in 19 appearances (18 starts) for the Low-A Down East Wood Ducks in the Texas Rangers’ system, has been named the Wayne Norton Award winner as the Canadian minor league pitcher of the year.

In the foreign or independent ball ranks, Montreal native L.P. Pelletier, of the Frontier League’s Trois-Rivières Aigles, was named the Murray Zuk Award winner, as offensive player of the year, while left-hander Miguel Cienfuegos (Laval, Que.), of the Frontier League’s Québec Capitales, received the Claude Pelletier Award, as top pitcher.

Julien batted .300 and posted a .441 OBP and a .931 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) in 113 games for the double-A Wichita Wind Surge in the Twins’ organization. He also belted 17 home runs, walked 98 times and stole 19 bases. The left-handed hitting infielder continued to swing a hot bat in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) for the Glendale Desert Dogs, finishing with a .400 batting average in 21 games to lead the circuit. He also topped the AFL with a .563 OBP and a 1.248 OPS.

To read a feature article about Julien, click here.

Bratt tied for first among Canadians in the affiliated minor league ranks in wins (5), was second in ERA (2.45) and was third in innings (80 2/3) and tied for third in strikeouts (99). He averaged 11 strikeouts per nine innings and was named the Low-A Down East Wood Ducks Pitcher of the Month for June and July and the Rangers’ Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month for July.

To read a feature article about Bratt, click here.

Pelletier topped all Canucks in the independent or foreign pro ranks in runs (81) and tied for first with 117 hits in just 85 games for the Frontier League’s Trois-Rivières Aigles. He also finished second among Canadians in the independent or foreign ranks in batting average (.340) and total bases (194), fourth in RBIs (58) and fifth in home runs (14).

To read a feature article about Pelletier, click here.

Cienfuegos was dominant for the Frontier League’s Québec Capitales in 2022. In 21 appearances, he went 10-2 with a 1.79 ERA – which was the lowest by a starting pitcher in Capitales’ history. Cienfuegos topped Canuck pitchers in the foreign or independent ranks in wins (10), ERA (1.79), and innings pitched (131) and finished second in strikeouts (106) and WHIP (1.029). The 25-year-old lefty was recently signed by the San Diego Padres.

To read a feature article about Cienfuegoes, click here.

Eleven baseball experts were polled for the Canadian Baseball Network’s annual awards that have been handed out in 13 previous years. Each award has been named after a Canadian who has made significant and long-lasting contributions to baseball. Randy Echlin (1950 to 2011) was a judge and former head of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Selection Committee, while Wayne Norton (1942 to 2018), Murray Zuk and Claude Pelletier have served as legendary scouts in Canada.