SURPRISE, Ariz.—The Kansas City Royals today named their 2024 Organization Award winners and their Players and Pitchers of the Year for each minor league affiliate.
All Organization Award winners were honored at the club’s Spring Training complex in Surprise, Ariz. this morning.
Nicholas Badders was the recipient of the Matt Minker Award, which annually recognizes an outstanding minor league affiliate employee. Badders, the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers Broadcast and Media Relations Manager, is entering his ninth season broadcasting professional baseball and his fifth season with the Royals organization. In September 2023, he acted as a fill-in broadcaster for the Royals Radio Network for a series in Toronto. Prior to his role with Omaha, Badders was the broadcaster for Double-A Northwest Arkansas from 2021-22.
J.C. Boscan was honored as the Dick Howser Award winner, which recognizes a player development employee for outstanding contributions to the organization. Boscan is entering his ninth season as the Minor League Catching Coordinator. During his time with the club, he’s worked extensively as a long-time mentor to countryman Freddy Fermin as he worked his way up through the Royals system. Boscan had stints in the Majors with the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs from 2010-13 and played in parts of 19 seasons in the minors, including his time in the Royals organization in 2015 when he played for Triple-A Omaha.
Yunior Marte was the recipient of the Carlos Fortuna Award, which recognizes a player who is dedicated to improving his English on and off the field, and who exemplifies leadership, great work ethic, discipline and dedication. The Azua, D.R. native made 9 appearances (8 starts) between the ACL Royals and Single-A Columbia in 2024 and struck out 22 batters in 24.2 innings pitched. Since signing with the Royals as an international free agent in January 2022, he’s graduated from high school and is currently taking college classes online. He’s seen among his peers as a great role model with his discipline, humility and respectful attitude, along with his commitment to learning English.
Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple-A)
John Rave, 27, earned Omaha Player of the Year honors for 2024 after slashing .259/.346/.470 (129-for-498, .816 OPS) in a career-high 131 games, and his 21 home runs matched Spencer Nivens for the most by a Royals minor leaguer. Rave was one of only four minor leaguers to register at least 30 doubles, 20 home runs and 15 stolen bases last season, along with Houston’s Jesús Bastidas (31 2B, 25 HR, 15 SB), Boston’s Kristian Campbell (32, 20, 24) and the A’s Colby Thomas (44, 31, 15). He won Omaha’s Player of the Month Award in June after batting .316 (31-for-98, 1.028 OPS) with 9 doubles, 1 triple, 7 home runs and 14 RBI in 25 games. He was selected in the 5th round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Illinois State University and was signed by Scott Melvin.
Evan Sisk, 27, was added to Kansas City’s 40-man roster on Nov. 1, 2024 after spending last season with Omaha and being named a 2024 International League postseason All-Star. He led all Triple-A pitchers (min. 50 games) in ERA (1.57) and WHIP (1.03), ranked 2nd in opponents’ average (.166) and K/BB ratio (3.1), 3rd in K/9 (12.7), tied for 4th in strikeouts (81) and 5th in saves (15). Sisk was one of two pitchers in Minor League Baseball to record at least 50 appearances and not allow a home run, as he enters 2025 with an active streak of 69.0 homerless innings. On Jan. 23, 2023, Sisk was acquired by Kansas City with right hander Steven Cruz from Minnesota for outfielder Michael A. Taylor.
Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double-A)
Gavin Cross, 24, earned Northwest Arkansas Player of the Year accolades after playing in 101 games for the Naturals in 2024 and slashing .261/.342/.428 (100-for-383, .770 OPS) with 19 doubles, 15 home runs and 59 RBI. He recorded 30 stolen bases, which ranked as the 5th most among Royals farmhands trailing leader Tyler Tolbert (48). His combination of 15 home runs and 30 steals was matched by only 18 minor leaguers last season, including just three others at the Double-A level. Cross was joined by right-handed pitcher Ben Kudrna as Kansas City’s representatives at the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in Arlington, Texas last July. He was selected in the 1st round (9th overall) of the 2022 Draft out of Virginia Tech and was signed by scout Tim Bittner.
Steven Zobac, 24, earned Pitcher of the Year honors with Northwest Arkansas for 2024 after also being crowned the organization’s Paul Splittorff Pitcher of the Year Award winner. He split the season between High-A Quad Cities, where he made 14 appearances (13 starts), and Northwest Arkansas, where he pitched in 11 games (10 starts). Among both levels, he went 11-8, registering the 3rd-most wins by a Royals farmhand, with a 3.64 ERA (51 ER in 126.0 IP) and 123 strikeouts (8.8 K/9, 23.8 K%). His 3.64 ERA finished as the 5th-lowest ERA among Royals minor leaguers, and his 123 strikeouts were tied for 2nd, trailing only Noah Cameron (149). Zobac was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Month for June after going 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA (3 ER in 23.0 IP) across 4 starts. He was originally selected in the 4th round of the 2022 Draft out of the University of California, Berkeley and was signed by Buddy Gouldsmith.
Quad Cities River Bandits (High-A)
Carter Jensen, 21, was crowned the Quad Cities Player of the Year for 2024. His campaign began by posting a .338/.490/.506 (26-for-77, .996 OPS) slashline with more walks (22) than strikeouts (19) in 22 April games as he was named the High-A Quad Cities Player of the Month. The Kansas City, Mo. native batted .271/.386/.435 (84-for-310, .821 OPS) with 57 walks and 16 stolen bases across 84 games for the River Bandits before being promoted to Double-A Northwest Arkansas in mid-July. His on-base percentage was nearly 30 points higher than the next-closest River Bandit, Dustin Dickerson (.357), while he also paced the club in both average and OPS. He was selected by the Royals in the 3rd round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft out of Park Hill Senior High School (Mo.) by Royals scout Matt Price.
Ethan Bosacker, 24, posted a 7-1 record with a 1.97 ERA (11 ER in 50.1 IP) and .202 opponents’ average in 9 starts for High-A Quad Cities to earn the River Bandits Pitcher of the Year Award. He was promoted to Quad Cities from Single-A Columbia on July 9 after compiling a 6-2 record and a 2.78 ERA (23 ER in 74.1 IP) in 15 games (9 starts) for the Fireflies. In all, Bosacker combined for a 13-3 record with a 2.45 ERA (34 ER in 124.2 IP) across 24 appearances (18 starts) for the River Bandits and Fireflies, as he led all Royals minor leaguers in ERA and wins. He ranked among organization leaders in opponents’ average (2nd, .222), WHIP (2nd, 1.04) and innings pitched (4th, 124.2). He earned Midwest League Pitcher of the Month honors in August after going 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA (6 ER in 30.0 IP), 20 strikeouts and just 5 walks in 5 starts. He was selected in the 13th round of the 2023 Draft from Xavier University and was signed by scout Mike Farrell.
Columbia Fireflies (Single-A)
Blake Mitchell, 20, was recognized as the Columbia Player of the Year. Mitchell hit .238/.376/.439 (90-for-378, .815 OPS) with a team-best 16 doubles and 18 home runs in 106 games for the Fireflies en route to being selected as a Single-A Carolina League All-Star. His 79 walks with Columbia were the 2nd most in club history, trailing only Carter Jensen’s franchise record (83) set in 2022. Additionally, Mitchell swiped 25 bases, which led all Single-A catchers and marked the second consecutive year in which a Firefly has led Single-A backstops in stolen bases, after Omar Hernández (26) did so in 2023. Among the accolades he earned in his first full season, Mitchell was named the George Brett Hitter of the Year, awarded annually to the Royals top offensive minor league player. He was selected by the Royals 8th overall in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft out of Sinton High School (Texas) and was signed by scout Josh Hallgren.
Félix Arronde, 21, posted a 2.94 ERA (36 ER in 110.1 IP) and 103 strikeouts (8.4 K/9) across 23 games (21 starts) with the Fireflies, earning Columbia’s Pitcher of the Year honors in 2024. Arronde led the Carolina League in opponents’ average (.205) and WHIP (1.02) and ranked among leaders in ERA (2nd, 2.94) and innings pitched (3rd, 110.1). Over his final 13 appearances (12 starts) with the Fireflies, he posted a 1.65 ERA (12 ER in 65.1 IP) and held opponents to a .194 batting average. He worked at least 5.0 innings in 10 of those 13 appearances. His 2.94 ERA last year was 2nd lowest by a Royals minor leaguer, behind only Ethan Bosacker (2.45). Arronde was originally signed as an international free agent on June 28, 2021 by Royals scout Elias Despradel out of Santa Clara, Cuba.
Arizona Complex League Royals (Rookie)
Ramón Ramírez, 19, secured ACL Royals Player of the Year honors after slashing .265/.379/.459 (45-for-170, .838 OPS) across 49 games. It marks his second consecutive end-of-year honors after also being named the Dominican Summer League Player of the Year following his 2023 season. Leading the way for the ACL Royals’ offense, Ramírez paced the club in slugging, OPS, extra-base hits (18), total bases (78), home runs (7) and RBI (33), while also falling one hit shy of matching Jorge Hernández (46) for the team lead. He was originally signed as an international free agent out of Porlamar, Venezuela on Jan. 20, 2023, by Royals scouts Roberto Aquino, Francis Feliciano and Daniel Guerrero.
Julio Rosario, 22, was named the ACL Royals Pitcher of the Year after finishing the 2024 season with a 6-2 record and a 2.44 ERA (12 ER in 44.1 IP) across 24 appearances between the ACL Royals (17 G) and Single-A Columbia (7 G). With the ACL Royals, Rosario recorded a team-best (min. 10 games) 2.45 ERA (8 ER in 29.1 IP) and 40 strikeouts (12.3 K/9) while holding opponents to a .225 batting average (25-for-111). He was promoted to Single-A Columbia on Aug. 2 and appeared in 7 games for the Fireflies, going 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA (4 ER in 15.0 IP) and 16 strikeouts. Rosario was originally signed as an international free agent out of Azua, D.R. on November 21, 2022 by Royals scout Nicolas Bautista.
Dominican Summer League Royals Ventura (Rookie)
In his first professional season, José Cerice, 19, earned the DSL Royals Ventura Player of the Year Award. Cerice began his debut campaign by posting a .362/.448/.489 (17-for-47, .937 OPS) slashline with 14 runs and more walks (5) than strikeouts (3) across 15 June games. He finished his rookie year with a .314 average (50-for-159), which led all Royals minor leaguers, while also leading the DSL Royals Ventura in slugging percentage (.421), hits, RBI (25), total bases (67) and runs (35). Defensively, he split time on both corners of the diamond, starting in 28 games at first base and 16 games at third base, while also appearing in 2 games as a designated hitter. His .996 fielding percentage as a first baseman led the club (min. 200.0 innings). The La Habana, Cuba native was originally signed as an international free agent on Jan. 17, 2024 by Royals scouts Roberto Aquino, Francis Feliciano and Daniel Guerrero.
Jorge Herrera, 21, was named the DSL Royals Ventura Pitcher of the Year for 2024 after posting a combined 2.17 ERA (9 ER in 37.1 IP) and 30 strikeouts between the DSL Royals Ventura (9 G, 8 GS) and Fortuna (1 G). During his time with Ventura, Herrera recorded a 1.04 ERA (4 ER in 34.2 IP) with 30 strikeouts and held opponents to a .207 average. Over his last 3 appearances (2 starts) with Ventura, he worked 10.2 consecutive scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts, while not issuing a walk. Herrera was originally signed as an international free agent out of Arjona, Colombia on December 15, 2021 by Rafael Miranda and Orlando Estevez.
Dominican Summer League Royals Fortuna (Rookie)
Raimel Medina, 20, slashed .394/.523/.667 (13-for-33, 1.190 OPS) in 2024, earning DSL Royals Fortuna Player of the Year honors. Additionally, Medina appeared in 34 games for DSL Royals Ventura, and his .433 OBP across both teams led all Royals farmhands. In addition to his on-base percentage, his average and slugging percentage both paced the DSL Royals Fortuna, while his 2 triples were tied for the team lead, despite playing in just 12 games. He finished his time with the club posting more walks (9) than strikeouts (5). Medina made starts in left field (7), center field (1) and right field (4), registering a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage across 85.0 innings. Medina was originally signed as an international free agent on Jan. 20, 2022 out of Hondo Valle, Dominican Republic by Royals scout Nicolas Bautista.
Marwys Cabrera, 19, earned DSL Royals Fortuna Pitcher of the Year honors and was named a DSL All-Star in 2024 after combining to post a 2.75 ERA (12 ER in 39.1 IP) in 11 starts between the DSL Royals Fortuna (4 GS) and Ventura (7 GS). Originally signed as an international free agent on Feb. 16, 2023 out of San Cristóbal, D.R., by Royals scouts Edis Perez and Roberto Aquino, Cabrera was ranked as the No. 49 prospect on the international Top 50 Prospects list by MLB.com. Before signing with Kansas City, he trained with 15-year MLB veteran and 2015 World Series champion Edinson Vólquez.