Tag: awards

Red Sox’ Yhoiker Fajardo named Carolina League Pitcher of the Month for August

Red Sox pitching prospect Yhoiker Fajardo has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Month for August, Minor League Baseball announced on Thursday.

Fajardo dominated Carolina League hitters to the tune of a 1.14 ERA (1.67 FIP) with 36 strikeouts to eight walks in six starts (23 2/3 innings) for Low-A Salem last month. Opponents batted just .159 against the 18-year-old right-hander, who was recognized as the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week on two separate occasions.

In 12 starts for Salem this season, Fajardo has forged a 2.79 ERA (2.43 FIP) with 53 strikeouts to 16 walks over 48 1/3 innings in which opposing hitters batted .230 against him. That comes after he posted a 0.44 ERA (2.41 FIP) with 24 strikeouts to seven walks in six outings (four starts) spanning 20 2/3 innings for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox to open the 2025 campaign before being promoted on June 17.

Among the 107 pitchers who entered play Thursday having thrown at least 45 innings in the Carolina League this year, Fajardo ranked second in FIP, fourth in swinging-strike rate (16.5 percent), sixth in line-drive rate (16.1 percent), 11th in xFIP (3.08), 14th in groundball rate (51.6 percent), 17th in strikeout rate (26.9 percent), 23rd in ERA, 25th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.87) and walks per nine innings (2.98), 26th in walk rate (8.1 percent) and WHIP (1.18), and 53rd in batting average against, per FanGraphs.

Fajardo has been nothing short of a revelation this season after being acquired from the White Sox for left-handed reliever Cam Booser last December. The native Venezuelan had originally signed with Chicago for $400,000 as an international free agent in February 2024 and was fresh off earning Dominican Summer League All-Star honors in his professional debut. He is currently ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 22 prospect (12th among pitchers), while MLB Pipeline has him at No. 25 (14th among pitchers) and SoxProspects.com has him at No. 18 (11th among pitchers), respectively.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 181 pounds, Fajardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the young righty features a 93-95 mph fastball that can reach 96-97 mph depending on what variation (two-seam or four-seam) he throws, a tight 82-85 mph slider, and an 85-88 mph kick changeup.

Fajardo, who turns 19 in October, was also named SoxProspects.com’s Pitcher of the Month and the Red Sox’ Minor League Pitcher of the Month for August in recent days. He is slated to make one more start for Salem in the back half of its series against Fayetteville this weekend before the 2025 Carolina League regular season draws to a close on Sunday.

(Picture of Juan Valera: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Yhoiker Fajardo named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for second time this season

Red Sox pitching prospect Yhoiker Fajardo has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the week of August 18-24, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Fajardo takes home the honor for the second time this season, having previously done so for the week of July 28-August 3. The 18-year-old right-hander made two starts and tossed seven scoreless innings in Low-A Salem’s series against the Carolina Mudcats at Carilion Clinic Field this past week.

After retiring the first three batters he faced on Thursday, Fajardo’s outing was interrupted by rain, and the contest was ultimately suspended in the middle of the first. That allowed him to retake the mound on Sunday afternoon, and he responded by yielding just two hits and no walks while striking out eight over six dominant innings in Salem’s 3-2 victory.

Fajardo fanned the first five batters he faced and took a no-hit bid into the top of the sixth before giving up back-to-back one-out singles. The hard-throwing righty escaped that jam by inducing a groundout and flyout to keep Carolina off the board and end his day on a high note. He threw 74 pitches (55 strikes) and generated 16 whiffs, tied for the most of any pitcher at the Low-A level on Sunday, according to Baseball Savant.

In 11 starts for Salem since being promoted from the rookie-level Florida Complex League (where he forged a 0.44 ERA in 20 2/3 innings) on June 17, Fajardo has posted a 2.84 ERA (2.49 FIP) with 46 strikeouts to 14 walks over 44 1/3 frames in which opposing hitters have batted .217 against him. That includes a 0.92 ERA (1.67 FIP) with 29 strikeouts to six walks across 19 2/3 innings in August.

Among 126 pitchers who have thrown at least 40 innings in the Carolina League this season, Fajardo ranks third in FIP and swinging-strike rate (16.7 percent), fifth in line-drive rate (15.8 percent), 11th in xFIP (3.14), 16th in WHIP (1.11) and groundball rate (52.6 percent), 24th in ERA, 25th in walks per nine innings (2.84), 28th in strikeout rate (25.8 percent) and walk rate (7.9 percent), 42nd in batting average against, and 50th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.34), per FanGraphs.

Hailing from Venezuela, Fajardo originally signed with the White Sox for $400,000 as an international free agent in February 2024. The Villa de Cura native made the most of his professional debut and was recognized as a Dominican Summer League All-Star last year before being acquired by the Red Sox for left-handed reliever Cam Booser in December. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 22 prospect, which ranks 11th among pitchers in the organization. Elsewhere, MLB Pipeline has him at No. 25 while SoxProspects.com has him at No. 18 on their respective lists.

Listed at a projectable 6-foot-3 and 181 pounds, Fajardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the young hurler features a 93-96 mph two-/four-seam fastball combination that can reach 97 mph and also mixes in a tight 82-86 mph slider as well as an 85-88 mph changeup.

Fajardo, who does not turn 19 until October, is in line to make one or two more starts before Salem’s season ends on September 7. With that being said, it will be interesting to see if he could receive another promotion to aid in High-A Greenville’s quest for a playoff spot. As of this writing, the Drive are one game back of second-half leading Hub City for first place in the South Atlantic League South division standings.

(Picture of Yhoiker Fajardo: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Connelly Early named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week

For the second time in as many weeks, a Red Sox pitching prospect has been recognized as the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week.

After right-hander David Sandlin took home the honor last week, left-hander Connelly Early was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 23-29 on Monday, Minor League Baseball announced.

Early was stellar for Double-A Portland and was credited with the win in Sunday’s series finale on the road against Binghamton. The 23-year-old lefty walked three and struck out seven over six scoreless, no-hit innings. He retired 17 of the 20 batters he faced, throwing 82 pitches (56 strikes) and generating 12 whiffs as the Sea Dogs defeated the Rumble Ponies by a final score of 3-1 at Mirabito Stadium.

In 12 outings (nine starts) for Portland to this point in the season, Early has posted a 1.94 ERA (2.20 FIP) with a staff-leading 81 strikeouts to 24 walks over 55 2/3 innings in which opponents have batted just .189 against him. That includes a .141 batting average against left-handed hitters and a .212 batting average against right-handed hitters.

Among 29 pitchers in the Eastern League who have thrown at least 55 innings this year, Early ranks second in strikeouts per nine innings (13.10), strikeout rate (35.4 percent), swinging-strike rate (15.2 percent), batting average against, FIP, xFIP (2.77), groundball rate (52.7 percent), and line-drive rate (14.3 percent), third in ERA, and seventh in WHIP (1.10), per FanGraphs.

Early, who turned 23 in April, is currently regarded by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 10 prospect, which ranks fifth among pitchers in the organization. The Midlothian, Va. native was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round (151st overall) in the 2023 draft out of Virginia by way of Army West Point. He received an at-slot $408,500 signing bonus and has only seen his stock rise since entering the professional ranks..

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Early throws from a low three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a high leg kick into his repeatable delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the athletic southpaw primarily operates with a four- to five-pitch mix that consists of a 92-95 mph fastball (topped out at 96.6 mph on Sunday), an 82-85 mph changeup, an 80-83 mph sweeper, an 84-87 mph slider, and a 77-80 mph curveball.

As is the case with Sandlin, Early, too, is seemingly on the verge of a promotion to Triple-A Worcester. Both hurlers simultaneously made the jump to Portland after the MLB All-Star break last July, so it will be interesting to see if that pattern repeats itself in the coming weeks.

(Picture of Connelly Early: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Blake Aita named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week after impressive pro debut

Red Sox pitching prospect Blake Aita has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 31-April 6, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Aita, Boston’s sixth-round selection in the 2024 draft out of Kennesaw State, made his professional debut by getting the start in Low-A Salem’s season opener against the Delmarva Shorebirds last Friday. The right-hander tossed five scoreless, no-hit innings in which he walked only one and struck out four en route to notching the first win of his young career.

After retiring the first seven batters he faced at Carilion Clinic Field, Aita issued a one-out walk to Yasmil Bucce in the top of the third. The 21-year-old then negated that free pass by getting Edrei Campos to ground into an inning-ending double play and cruised from there by sitting down the side in order in his final two frames. He finished with 58 pitches (36 strikes) and induced seven swings and misses as Salem defeated Delmarva, 12-1.

Aita was taken by the Red Sox with the 177th overall pick in last summer’s draft and received an under-slot $300,000 signing bonus. The Tennessee native did not pitch for a minor-league affiliate after putting pen to paper, likely because he had just logged 85 1/3 innings and earned 2024 All-Atlantic Sun First Team honors in his sophomore season at Kennesaw State. He, instead, had to wait until late last week to make his pro debut.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Aita throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-high leg kick into his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the sturdy righty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a 92-95 mph fastball (his velocity ticked up in spring training), an 80-82 mph sweeper, an 86-89 mph cutter, and an 85-89 mph changeup.

Aita, who turns 22 in June, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 39 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 20th among pitchers in the organization. Though it is still early into the minor-league season, it should be interesting to see if Aita can work his way up to High-A Greenville before long.

(Picture of Blake Aita: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Hunter Dobbins named Red Sox’ Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year

Hunter Dobbins has been named the Red Sox’ Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year, the club announced on Thursday. He will be honored alongside the organization’s seven other minor-league award winners before Friday night’s series opener against the Rays at Fenway Park.

Dobbins is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 21 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks eighth among pitchers in the organization. The 25-year-old right-hander spent much of the season with Double-A Portland, posting a 3.17 ERA (2.92 FIP) with 98 strikeouts to 39 walks in 21 starts (105 innings) for the Sea Dogs.

Shortly before celebrating his 25th birthday on August 30, Dobbins received a promotion to Triple-A Worcester. He then closed out the 2024 campaign by pitching to a 2.61 ERA (3.67 FIP) with 22 strikeouts to nine walks in four more starts (20 2/3 innings) for the WooSox. That includes striking out six over five scoreless frames in his final outing of the year against Lehigh Valley on September 18.

All told, Dobbins forged a 3.08 ERA and 3.04 FIP with 120 strikeouts to 48 walks across 25 total starts (125 2/3 innings) between Portland and Worcester this season. That translates to a 22.9 percent strikeout rate and 9.2 percent walk rate while opposing hitters batted .237 against him.

Among the 84 minor-leaguers who threw at least 125 innings in 2024, Dobbins ranked fifth in FIP, 19th in ERA, 29th in groundball rate (43.2 percent), 30th in batting average against and swinging-strike rate (12.6 percent), 32nd in xFIP (3.93), 35th in strikeout rate, 38th in strikeouts per nine innings (8.59), 40th in WHIP (1.26), per FanGraphs.

A native of Bryan, Texas, Dobbins was originally selected by the Red Sox in the eighth round (226th overall) of the 2021 draft out of Texas Tech. Because he was still working his way back from the Tommy John surgery that cost him his entire junior season with the Red Raiders, Dobbins — after signing for $197,500 — did not make his professional debut until June 2022.

Since then, Dobbins has undoubtedly emerged as one of the more intriguing pitching prospects within the Red Sox organization. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound hurler throws from a three-quarters arm slot and incorporates a medium-high leg kick into his delivery. As recently highlighted SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting Ian Cundall, Dobbins can show seven different pitches. Those offerings include a 93-96 mph fastball that reaches 98-99 mph, an 89-92 mph splinker (a splitter-sinker hybrid), an 87-90 mph cutter, an 81-83 mph slider, a 78-80 mph sweeper, a 76-78 mph curveball, and an 84-87 mph splitter.

While his command and control of the strike zone are still considered works in progress, Dobbins is in line to be added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster next month in order to receive protection from this winter’s Rule 5 Draft. Stranger things have happened over the course of an offseason, but Dobbins will presumably be taking part in his first big-league spring training once pitchers and catchers start reporting to Fort Myers in February.

(Picture of Hunter Dobbins: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Franklin Arias named 2024 Florida Complex League MVP

Red Sox middle infield prospect Franklin Arias has been named the 2024 Florida Complex League MVP, Minor League Baseball announced on Thursday. He was also recognized as an FCL All-Star and the FCL’s top MLB prospect.

Arias is currently regarded by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline as the No. 6 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The right-handed hitting 18-year-old batted .355/.471/.584 with 16 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 28 RBIs, 41 runs scored, 30 stolen bases, 34 walks, and 34 strikeouts in 51 games (206 plate appearances) for the rookie-level FCL Red Sox this season.

Among 71 qualified FCL hitters, Arias led in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS (1.055), and wRC+ (181). He also ranked fifth in isolated power (.229), sixth in speed score (8.7), 16th in walk rate (16.5 percent), 17th in swinging-strike rate (10.2 percent), and 23rd in strikeout rate (17.5 percent), per FanGraphs.

Arias was promoted from the FCL to Low-A Salem on July 23. He has since slashed .231/.308/.350 with five doubles, three home runs, 20 RBIs, 13 runs scored, five stolen bases, 12 walks, and 24 strikeouts in his first 29 games (130 plate appearances) for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate.

Between the two stops, Arias has seen the majority of his playing time this season come at either shortstop or second base. With Salem in particular, the projectable 5-foot-11, 170-pounder has made 16 starts at short and eight at second, committing five errors in 109 total defensive chances. He has also started five games at DH.

Arias, who turns 19 in November, originally signed with the Red Sox for $525,000 as an international free agent coming out of Venezuela in January 2023. The Caracas native was viewed as a glove-first infielder when he made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last June, but he has added to his profile by making significant strides at the plate.

“He’s one of these guys that you can close your eyes and you know he’s going to field a ground ball,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham said of Arias when speaking with The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier last month. “He’s a very easy plus defender, which is, I think, what’s really exciting about him. The bat has always been behind, and now the bat is starting to creep up and all of a sudden, you’re looking at a player who does a little bit of everything.”

(Picture of Franklin Arias: Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Red Sox prospects Mikey Romero, Yordanny Monegro recognized as South Atlantic League Player, Pitcher of the Week

Red Sox prospects (and High-A Greenville teammates) Mikey Romero and Yordanny Monegro have been named the South Atlantic League Player and Pitcher of the Week for the week of July 29-August 4, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Romero, Baseball America’s 14th-ranked Red Sox prospect, enjoyed a productive week at the plate in Greenville’s last series against the Wilmington Blue Rocks. The left-handed hitter appeared in five of the six games at Fluor Field, going 12-for-25 (.480) with two doubles, three home runs, 11 RBIs, five runs scored, one walk, and four strikeouts.

After stroking two singles on Tuesday, Romero recorded his third and final multi-homer game of July as part of a four-hit effort on Wednesday. The 20-year-old got Thursday off, then closed out the series by picking up six more hits and collecting six more RBIs over the weekend. He went deep yet again in Sunday’s series finale.

Romero, the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft, opened his second full season in pro ball on the injured list as he continued to work his way back from a back issue that shut him down last August. The Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.) product completed a three-game rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League before rejoining Greenville in mid-May. He initially got off to a slow start in his second stint with the Drive but started to turn a corner after the calendar flipped from June to July.

In his last 22 games dating back to July 1, Romero is batting .357/.387/.745 with 12 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 25 RBIs, 20 runs scored, one stolen base, five walks, and 17 strikeouts over 106 plate appearances. On the 2024 campaign as a whole, he is slashing .281/.324/.534 with 18 doubles, four triples, 10 homers, 36 runs driven in, 36 runs scored, one stolen base, 12 walks, and 46 strikeouts in 50 games (238 plate appearances) for Greenville.

On the other side of the ball, Romero has seen the majority of his playing time with the Drive this season come in the middle infield. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder has logged 258 2/3 innings at shortstop and 116 innings at second base, committing eight errors in 146 total defensive chances. He has also started seven games at DH.

Monegro, meanwhile, put together his best start of the season to date in Thursday’s 4-0 shutout win over Wilmington. The 21-year-old right-hander tossed the first five innings of a combined no-hitter, striking out six without issuing a walk, though he did plunk one batter. He finished with 64 pitches (39 strikes) and induced 12 swings-and-misses. Cooper Adams and Isaac Stebens combined for four more no-hit frames to seal Greenville’s second no-no of the year.

In a similar fashion to Romero, Monegro also began 2024 on the injured list after experiencing weakness in his pitching shoulder. He, too, rehabbed in the Florida Complex League before returning to the mound for Greenville in early June. With Thursday’s stellar outing, the righty extended his scoreless innings streak to 19 dating back to July 14. Overall, he has forged a 3.95 ERA (4.77 FIP) with 49 strikeouts to 17 walks in 10 appearances (nine starts) spanning 41 innings for the Drive this season. Opponents have batted .216 against him.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Monegro originally signed with the Red Sox for $35,000 as an international free agent coming out of Santo Domingo in February 2020. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound righty operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a mid-90s fastball that touches 96 mph, an upper-70s curveball, a mid-80s slider, and an upper-80s split-change. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 27 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks 12th among pitchers in the organization.

(Picture of Mikey Romero: Gwinn Davis/Greenville Drive)

Red Sox prospect Frederik Jimenez named Florida Complex League Player of the Week

Red Sox first base prospect Frederik Jimenez has been named the Florida Complex League Player of the Week for the week of July 22-28, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

In three games for the rookie-level FCL Red Sox last week, Jimenez went 4-for-9 (.444) with two doubles, one triple, one home run, three RBIs, two runs scored, two walks, and one strikeout. The switch-hitting 19-year-old homered and doubled twice on Monday, drew two walks on Tuesday, and tripled in Thursday’s regular-season finale against the FCL Rays at JetBlue Park.

On the 2024 campaign as a whole, Jimenez batted .308/.404/.500 with five doubles, two triples, two home runs, 17 RBIs, 18 runs scored, six stolen bases, 12 walks, and 22 strikeouts in 29 games (94 plate appearances) for the FCL Red Sox. Among the 154 FCL hitters who made at least 90 trips to the plate in 2024, Jimenez ranked 17th in batting average, 34th in on-base percentage, 13th in slugging percentage and isolated power (.192), 18th in OPS (.904), and 20th in wRC+ (142), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Jimenez saw the majority of his playing time this season come at first base. The 6-foot-3, 178-pounder logged 133 innings at first, committing one error in 121 chances. He also appeared in one game as a catcher after making eight starts behind the plate as part of his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last year.

A native of the Dominican Republic himself, Jimenez signed with the Red Sox for $10,000 as an international free agent coming out of Sabana Grande de Boya in December 2022. He is not currently ranked among the top 60 prospects in Boston’s farm system by SoxProspects.com.

It remains to be seen if Jimenez, who turns 20 in November, will be making the jump to Low-A Salem before the end of the minor-league season. Assuming he remains in the organization through the winter, that is likely where he will be for the start of 2025.

(Picture of Frederik Jimenez: Bryan Green/Flickr)

Red Sox’ Rafael Devers recognized in AL MVP voting

Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers finished tied for 17th in 2023 American League MVP voting, as was revealed by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on MLB Network earlier Thursday evening.

Devers received one ninth-place vote from Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com for a total of two points. The 27-year-old slugger was one of 23 players to net at least one vote and finished in a four-way tie for 17th place with the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh, the Rays’ Isaac Paredes, and the Twins’ Sonny Gray.

Angels two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani, who is now a free agent, won the award unanimously for the second time in three years. Rangers teammates Corey Seager and Marcus Semien finished second and third, respectively. In the National League, former Red Sox star Mookie Betts and Dodgers teammate Freddie Freeman were the runners-up behind the Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr., who also won unanimously as a result of receiving all 30 first-place votes.

Devers, meanwhile, netted at least one MVP vote for the third straight season and for the fourth time in the last five years dating back to 2019. Much like reliever Chris Martin the AL Cy Young race, Devers was the lone Red Sox player to receive a vote on Thursday. That puts an end to an eight-year run (2015-2022) in which Boston had two or more representatives on the ballot.

By his own admission, the 2023 campaign can be described as “just average” for Devers. Still, the left-handed hitter paced the Red Sox lineup by batting .271/.351/.500 with 34 doubles, a team-high 33 home runs, 100 RBIs, and 90 runs scored, five stolen bases, 62 walks, and 126 strikeouts over 153 games (656 plate appearances) en route to winning his second career Silver Slugger Award.

Among qualified hitters in the American League this past season, Devers ranked 16th in hits (157), 10th in extra-base hits (67), tied for eighth in total bases (290), 15th in doubles, tied for fourth in homers and runs driven in, tied for 13th in runs scored, 17th in batting average, 13th in on-base percentage, seventh in slugging percentage and OPS (.851), and 10th in isolated power (.229), per MLB.com’s leaderboards.

According to Baseball Savant, Devers finished in the 98th percentile among all big-leaguers in hard-hit rate (55.1 percent) this year. He also ranked in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage (.536), the 95th percentile in average exit velocity (93.1 mph), the 94th percentile in expected weighted on-base average (.380), the 87th percentile in expected batting average (.280), and the 84th percentile in barrel rate (12.7 percent).

While Devers was among the best when it came to making loud contact in 2023, his defense at the hot corner lagged far behind. In the process of logging 1,293 innings at third base, the 6-foot, 235-pounder committed a team-leading 19 errors in 370 chances. He accrued -9 defensive runs saved and was worth -9 outs above average, but it does not appear as though the Red Sox will have him move off the position anytime soon.

Now a veteran of seven major-league seasons, Devers has come a long way since signing with the Red Sox for $1.5 million as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic a little more than a decade ago. The two-time All-Star, of course, inked a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension in January that will go into effect in 2024.

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Red Sox reliever Chris Martin finishes 12th in AL Cy Young voting

In somewhat surprising fashion, Red Sox reliever Chris Martin finished 12th in 2023 American League Cy Young Award voting. The results were revealed by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on MLB Network earlier Wednesday evening.

Martin received one fifth-place vote from Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune for a total of one point. The veteran right-hander placed last in a field of 12, finishing behind the likes of Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, who won the award unanimously, runner-up Sonny Gray of the Twins, and Kevin Gausman of the Blue Jays.

It goes without saying that Martin enjoyed a dominant first season in Boston after signing a two-year, $17.5 million deal with the club he began his professional career with last December. The 37-year-old hurler initially got off to a so-so start and even missed some time in April due to right shoulder inflammation, but he did not miss a beat upon returning to action in early May.

In 55 total relief appearances, which ranked second on the Red Sox behind Josh Winckowski’s 59, Martin posted a miniscule 1.05 ERA and 2.44 FIP with 46 strikeouts to just eight walks over 51 1/3 innings of work in which he held opposing hitters to a .237 batting average against.

With closer Kenley Jansen locked in for the ninth most nights, Martin emerged as one of manager Alex Cora’s most-trusted setup men. All 55 of his outings came in the seventh inning or later as he recorded three saves in four opportunities while leading the club in holds with 23.

Before being shut down with a viral infection in late September, Martin had gone 20 straight appearances (19 innings) without allowing an earned run dating back to July 30. Altogether, the native Texan put up zeroes in all but five of his outings for the Red Sox this year.

Among the 66 relievers in the American League who reached the 50-inning threshold this season, Martin ranked second in walks per nine innings (1.40), second in walk rate (4.0 percent), eighth in WHIP (1.03), first in left on base percentage (93.6 percent), second in barrel rate (2.1 percent), first in ERA, third in FIP, and fifth in xFIP (2.90), per FanGraphs.

Martin — who is up for All-MLB consideration — was the only Red Sox pitcher to receive a Cy Young vote on Wednesday, becoming the first to accomplish that feat since Nathan Eovaldi finished fourth in the race two years ago. He also joins Craig Kimbrel (2017) and Koji Uehara (2013) as notable Boston relievers to net votes for the award within the last decade.

(Picture of Chris Martin: Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)