Credit: Post & Courier
Credit: Post & Courier
The New York Yankees announced that two former Charleston RiverDogs had won team awards. Outfielder Tyler Austin (left) and pitcher Mark Montgomery were named winners of the Yankees' 2012 Kevin Lawn Award as the team’s minor league “Player of the Year” and “Pitcher of the Year,” respectively.
According to a press release from the RiverDogs, Austin led all Yankees minor league hitters in batting average for the second consecutive season, ranked third in RBI and fourth in stolen bases.
Austin has been through a lot in his short tenure within the New York organization, but it probably doesn’t compare to what he went through as a teenager. At the age of 17 Austin was diagnosed with testicular cancer. The New York Daily News ran a profile on Austin which details his battle against the disease and his rise within the Yankees organization. You can read it here.
Montgomery spent part of 2011 in Charleston and split the 2012 season with Single-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton. He led all Yankee minor leaguers in saves.
The team provided the following list of former Kevin Lawn Award Winners:
NEW YORK YANKEES KEVIN LAWN AWARD WINNERS
Player of the Year Pitcher of the Year
2012 OF Tyler Austin (GCL/CHA/TAM/TRE) RHP Mark Montgomery (TAM/TRE)
2011 C Austin Romine (TRE/SWB) RHP D. J. Mitchell (SWB)
2010 SS Eduardo Nunez (SWB) RHP David Phelps (TRE/SWB)
2009 C Austin Romine (TAM) RHP Zach McAllister (TRE)
2008 OF Brett Gardner (SWB) LHP Phil Coke (TRE/SWB)
2007 OF Austin Jackson (CHA/TAM/SWB) RHP Ian Kennedy (TAM/TRE/SWB)
2006 1B Cody Ehlers (TAM) RHP Phil Hughes (TRE)
2005 OF Kevin Thompson (COL/TRE) RHP Matt DeSalvo (TRE)
2004 1B Andy Phillips (COL/TRE) RHP Chien-Ming Wang (TRE/COL)
2003 C Dioner Navarro (TAM/TRE) RHP Jorge DePaula (COL)
2002 2B Andy Phillips (COL/NOR) LHP Danny Borrell (NOR/TAM)
RHP Jorge DePaula (NOR)
2001 OF Juan Rivera (COL/NOR) LHP Brandon Claussen (NOR/TAM)
OF Marcus Thames (NOR)
2000 3B Scott Seabol (NOR) LHP Randy Keisler (COL)
1999 2B D'Angelo Jimenez (COL) LHP Ed Yarnall (COL)
1B Nick Johnson (NOR)
1998 1B Nick Johnson (TAM) RHP Ryan Bradley (TAM/NOR/COL)
1997 3B Mike Lowell (COL/NOR) LHP Eric Milton (NOR/TAM)
1996 OF Ricky Ledee (COL/NOR) RHP Jay Tessmer (TAM)
1995 SS Derek Jeter (COL) RHP Matt Drews (TAM)
1994 SS Derek Jeter (TAM/ALB/COL) LHP Andy Pettitte (COL/ALB)
1993 OF Billy Masse (COL) LHP Ryan Karp (ALB/PRW/GBO)
1992 1B J.T. Snow (COL) RHP Sam Militello (COL)
1991 C Kiki Hernandez (GBO/PW) RHP Ed Martel (ALB/COL)
SS Dave Silvestri (ALB) RHP Sam Militello (PW/ALB)
1990 OF Hensley Meulens (COL) RHP Dave Eiland (COL)
1989 1B Hal Morris (COL) LHP Steve Adkins (FTL/ALB)
1988 1B Kevin Maas (PRW/ALB) RHP Todd Malone (Sarasota)
1987 OF Darren Reed (COL) RHP Dana Ridenour (FTL)
1986 3B Chris Alvarez (FTL) RHP Logan Easley (ALB)
1985 OF Dan Pasqua (COL) RHP Brad Arnsberg (ALB)
1984 C/OF Scott Bradley (COL) LHP Jim Deshaies (COL)
1983 OF Brian Dayett (COL) RHP Jose Rijo (FTL/Nashville)
1982 OF Matt Winters (GBO/Nashville) RHP Bob Tewksbury (FTL)
1981 1B Don Mattingly (COL) LHP Pete Filson (FTL/Nashville)
1980 1B Steve Balboni (Nashville) RHP Gene Nelson (FTL)
–
