Hays chosen as Orioles minor league Player of the Year

The Orioles have chosen Double-A Bowie outfielder Austin Hays as their Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year, a selection that seemed obvious for a long time.

Hays, 22, batted a combined .329/.365/593 with 32 doubles, five triples, 32 home runs and 95 RBIs in 128 games at Bowie and Single-A Frederick. The Orioles selected his contract on Sept. 5, and last year's third-round draft pick has gone 7-for-27 with two doubles and a home run.

Hays was named the Carolina League's Player of the Week three times this summer and made the midseason All-Star team. The Orioles chose him as their minor league Player of the Month in June after he batted .373/.469/.664 with eight doubles, eight home runs, 22 RBIs and 15 runs scored in 26 games.

The 32 combined home runs are tied for second most in the minors, his 172 hits rank sixth and his 95 RBIs rank ninth. Hays was named to Baseball America's Double-A All-Star team and also was a finalist for Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year.

Single-A Delmarva left-hander Alex Wells already was chosen as Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year after he went 11-5 with a 2.38 ERA and a career-high 113 strikeouts in 25 starts. He walked only 10 batters in 140 innings to lead the minors, and didn't issue a free pass in his last 68 innings.

Wells received his award earlier this month because he was flying back home to Australia.

Bowie catcher Austin Wynns has been named this year's recipient of the Elrod Hendricks Minor League Community Service Award.

Wynns participated as an instructor for multiple youth baseball camps throughout the season, helping teach kids the fundamentals of hitting and fielding. He served as one of the main speakers for a Baysox community event that gave fans the opportunity to interact with players, and he regularly took part in ceremonial first pitches when he wasn't in the lineup.

Wynns played in 105 games for Bowie and batted .281/.377/.419 with 19 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 46 RBIS and 54 runs. The 2013 10th-round pick is regarded as a plus defender.

Baysox hitting coach Butch Davis, who returned to the organization after spending the last two seasons as Twins first base coach, has been named the winner of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Player Development Award, named for the late Orioles coach and manager, who's widely regarded as the architect of "The Oriole Way."

Davis helped lead Bowie to a .283 average that ranked first in the Eastern League. The Baysox were first in hits (1,361), runs (697) and RBIs (661) and finished second in home runs (143).

East Coast Scouting Supervisor Kirk Fredriksson will receive the Jim Russo Scout of the Year Award, named for the man who spent 33 years in various scouting capacities with the Orioles, beginning with their move from St. Louis in 1954.

Fredriksson moved into his role as a scouting supervisor at the beginning of last season after serving as an area scout for the Orioles since joining the organization in 2013. He's signed Hays, Trey Mancini, 2017 first-rounder DL Hall and third-rounder Michael Baumann, the Orioles' minor league pitcher of the Month for August.

The winners will be honored during an on-field ceremony before Saturday's game against the Rays at Camden Yards. Awards will be presented by executive vice president Dan Duquette, director of minor league operations Kent Qualls and second baseman Jonathan Schoop.

The Orioles also will recognize Eastern League Most Valuable Player and batting champion Garabez Rosa, Carolina League Most Valuable Player Ademar Rifaela and Carolina League batting champion Ryan Mountcastle.