Orioles announce 2016 award winners for player development and scouting

The Orioles today announced the winners of their player development and scouting awards for 2016, including catcher Chance Sisco as the club's top minor league player and left-hander Donnie Hart as the club's top minor league pitcher. The winners will be honored in an on-field ceremony on Saturday, September 17, before the game against the Tampa Bay Rays, with awards presented by Orioles Director of Minor League Operations Kent Qualls and Director of Scouting Gary Rajsich.

Sisco, the Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year, played in 116 games between Triple-A Norfolk and Double-A Bowie. Over 112 games with the Baysox, he batted .320/.406/.422 (131-for-410) with 28 doubles, one triple, four home runs, 44 RBI, and 53 runs scored. He led the club in doubles (28), finished second on the team in hits (131), and ranked third in total bases (173). A Baseball America Double-A Classification All-Star, Sisco led the Eastern League with a .406 on-base percentage and ranked fourth with a .320 batting average. He was named an Eastern League Mid-Season and Post-season All-Star with the Baysox and was also selected to Baseball America's All-Prospect Team for April after batting .321/.465/.411 (18-for-56) with five doubles and 10 RBI in the month. Sisco was rated by Baseball America as having the best strike-zone judgment in the Eastern League and went 1-for-2 with a solo home run as a member of the United States team in the 2016 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. Sisco was selected by the Orioles in the second round (No. 61 overall) of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.

Hart, the Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year, went 3-1 with a 2.72 ERA (14 ER/46.1 IP), four saves, and a career-high 50 strikeouts over 40 games with Double-A Bowie this season. Hart posted a 1.036 WHIP with the Baysox, walking just seven batters. He was named an Eastern League Mid-Season All-Star with the Baysox and had his contract selected by the Orioles on July 15. Hart made his Major League debut on July 17, at Tampa Bay, fanning Kevin Kiermaier for his first Major League strikeout. Over 16 games with the Orioles this season, Hart has tossed 13.2 scoreless innings, holding left-handed hitters to a .172 batting average (5-for-29). Hart was selected by the Orioles in the 27th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.

Infielder Drew Dosch has been named this year's recipient of the Elrod Hendricks Minor League Community Service Award. Dosch, selected by the Orioles in the seventh round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Youngstown State University, was an enthusiastic instructor during three youth baseball camp programs conducted by the Bowie Baysox this season, coaching kids ages 6-14 in hitting and fielding drills. Along with assisting in other community outreach efforts offered by the Baysox, Dosch also could be seen interacting with fans before each Baysox home game, signing autographs, taking pictures, and speaking with children.

Minor league medical coordinator Dave Walker, A.T.C., C.S.C.S, has been named the winner of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Player Development Award, presented to a minor league staff member that exemplifies the qualities of the late Oriole who is regarded as the architect of "The Oriole Way." Walker recently completed his 23rd season as an athletic trainer in the Orioles organization and his 14th year as the club's minor league medical coordinator. He is responsible for developing and implementing the rehabilitation programs for Orioles minor league and Major League players, including his work with right-hander Dylan Buncy. Walker began his professional baseball athletic training career with the Orioles in 1994, serving as the athletic trainer for the Appalachian League's Bluefield Orioles. After serving as an athletic trainer throughout the Orioles' minor league system until 2002, Walker was named the club's minor league medical coordinator in 2003, a role he has since held.

Area scout Thom Dreier (Southern Texas) will receive the Jim Russo Scout of the Year Award, named in honor of the man who spent 33 years in various scouting capacities with the Orioles beginning with their move from St. Louis in 1954. Dreier has been an Orioles scout for six drafts, having started with the organization in 2011. His draft signings as an area scout include 2016 Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year Donnie Hart, as well as current Orioles minor leaguers left-hander Tanner Scott (2014 First-Year Player Draft) and right-hander Lucas Humpel (2016 First-Year Player Draft). Hart was selected by the Orioles in the 27th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas State University and made his Major League debut on July 17, at Tampa Bay.

The Orioles will also recognize South Atlantic League batting champion catcher Yermin Mercedes. Mercedes claimed the league batting crown after posting a .353 batting average (120-for-340) over 91 games with Class-A Delmarva. He was also named a Mid-Season and Post-season South Atlantic League All-Star, the South Atlantic League Player of the Month for July, and was twice named a South Atlantic League Player of the Week (April 18-24 and June 13-19). Mercedes was signed by the Orioles as a free agent to a minor league contract on September 8, 2014.