Caissie, Wilkinson, Gideon, Bradwell named 2024 Canadian Baseball Network award winners
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The Canadian Baseball Network named the winners of its 2024 awards for top Canadian minor league hitter and pitcher in both the affiliated and unaffiliated ranks on Tuesday.
Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.), who belted 19 home runs in triple-A in the Chicago Cubs’ organization, is the Randy Echlin Award winner, as the top minor league hitter in the affiliated ranks.
Meanwhile, left-hander Matt Wilkinson (White Rock, B.C.), who posted a combined 1.90 ERA and struck out 174 batters at two levels of class-A in the Cleveland Guardians’ system, has been named the Wayne Norton Award winner as the Canadian minor league pitcher of the year.
In the unaffiliated ranks, Justin Gideon (Pickering, Ont.), who clubbed 20 homers for the Frontier League’s Quebec Capitales, was named the Murray Zuk Award winner, as offensive player of the year, while his teammate, right-hander James Bradwell (Gibsons, B.C.), who finished the season 12-0, received the Claude Pelletier Award, as top pitcher.
Caissie spent the season with the triple-A Iowa Cubs and batted .278 with 19 home runs, 75 RBIs and 11 stolen bases, while posting an .848 OPS, in 127 games. His 19 home runs were the most by a Canadian in the affiliated minor league ranks. That total also topped his triple-A club. He also led his team in RBIs, runs (69), hits (131), doubles (29) and triples (3). For his efforts, he was named to the National League’s roster for the MLB Futures Game.
Wilkinson combined to go 8-6 with a 1.90 ERA in 24 starts, spanning 118 2/3 innings, at High-A Lake County and class-A Lynchburg in the Guardians’ system in 2024. His 174 strikeouts topped all Canadians and were the second-most by any pitcher in the affiliated minor league ranks. He also led minor league pitchers in strikeout percentage (38%) and was second in ERA and batting average against (.169). To close out the campaign, he posted a 2.19 ERA in two post-season starts for Lake County to help them to a Midwest League championship. Nicknamed “Tugboat,” he was recently selected as the top pitching prospect in the Guardians’ organization by MLB Pipeline.
Gideon hit .287 with 20 doubles, three triples and 20 home runs with 65 RBIs in 88 games for the Quebec Capitales. The left-handed hitting outfielder also compiled a .930 OPS. His 20 home runs and 65 RBIs topped all Canadians playing in the unaffiliated pro ranks this season. His performance earned him selection to the Frontier League’s 2024 All-Star Team that was announced after the season.
Bradwell, a Capitales’ teammate of Gideon, went 12-0 with a 2.72 ERA in 23 appearances (18 starts), spanning 109 1/3 innings, in 2024. He topped all Canadians in the unaffiliated pro ranks in wins, was second in strikeouts (97) and third in ERA. His 12 wins also led the Frontier League. For his efforts, he was named the starting pitcher on the 2024 Frontier League All-Star Team and the winner of the Brian Tollberg Pitcher of the Year award, as the circuit’s top pitcher.
Eleven baseball experts were polled for the Canadian Baseball Network’s annual awards that have been handed out in 15 previous years. Each award has been named after a Canadian who has made significant and long-lasting contributions to baseball. Randy Echlin (1950 to 2011) was a judge and former head of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Selection Committee, while Wayne Norton (1942 to 2018), Murray Zuk and Claude Pelletier have served as legendary scouts in Canada.