On Monday, the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC), Puerto Rico’s primary professional baseball league, announced the award recipients for the 2024-25 winter season.
This year’s LBPRC awards are the Rookie of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Reliever of the Year, Manager of the Year, Most Valuable Player, the 2024-25 All-Star Team, and the Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners.
Rookie of the Year – OF Ezequiel Pagán (Criollos de Caguas)
Pagán finished third on the Criollos de Caguas with a .253 batting average and fourth in the LBPRC with a .470 slugging percentage. In 26 games, Pagán hit three home runs with 12 RBI and two stolen bases in four attempts.
Pagán signed a minor-league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on January 6 after playing the last six seasons with multiple minor-league affiliates in the Chicago Cubs organization.
Pitcher of the Year – LHP Jhonathan Díaz (Cangrejeros de Santurce)
Díaz went 4-0 with the Cangrejeros de Santurce during the 2024-25 regular season, finishing the year with a league-leading 0.49 ERA. The Venezuelan was also named the Import Pitcher of the Year for his performance on the mound as a non-native of Puerto Rico.
Díaz made 11 appearances for the Los Angeles Angels from 2021-23 and threw 9.2 innings for the Seattle Mariners in 2024. He owns a career 4.80 Major League Baseball ERA.
Reliever of the Year – RHP Justin Yeager (Indios de Mayagüez)
Yeager finished second in the LBPRC with 11 saves and struck out 27 in 23.2 innings out of the bullpen for the Indios de Mayagüez. He could play a significant role in the Indios’ chase for an LBPRC championship against the Senadores de San Juan.
The righty spent the 2024 minor-league baseball season playing for the Biloxi Shuckers, the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Manager of the Year – Ricky Rivera (Senadores de San Juan)
At 31, Rivera is the youngest manager in the LBPRC. The Senadores finished the regular season in third place with a 21-19 record. In the semi-finals, they defeated the Cangrejeros four games to one to advance to the LBPRC championship series. The organization won its last LBPRC championship during the 1994-95 season.
Rivera pitched for two seasons at the University of Central Missouri from 2014-15 and manages the Houston Astros’ Single-A affiliate, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers.
Most Valuable Player – DH Anthony García (Indios de Mayagüez)
García won his second LBPRC MVP after winning the award during the 2014-15 season with the Gigantes de Carolina. In 38 games, the 33-year-old hit .311 with five home runs, 20 RBI, and a .947 OPS. García’s .311 batting average was the second-highest in the LBPRC, and his OPS led the league among qualified hitters.
García played 11 seasons in minor league baseball, making his last appearance with Triple-A Sacramento, an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, in 2019. During the summer of 2024, he played in the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol for the Charros de Jalisco, Pericos de Puebla, and Rieleros de Aguascalientes.
Equipo Todos Estrellas (All-Star Team)
C – Mario Feliciano (Indios de Mayagüez)
DH – Anthony García (Indios de Mayagüez)
RP – Justin Yeager (Indios de Mayagüez)
LHP – Jhonathan Díaz (Cangrejeros de Santurce)
RHP – Daryl Thompson (Indios de Mayagüez)
1B – Roy Morales (Cangrejeros de Santurce)
2B – Jeremy Arocho (Cangrejeros de Santurce)
SS – Edwin Díaz (Leones de Ponce)
3B – Vimael Machín (Criollos de Caguas)
LF – Henry Ramos (Cangrejeros de Santurce)
CF – Bryan Torres (Gigantes de Carolina)
RF – Rubén Castro (Cangrejeros de Santurce)
Ganadores Guante De Oro Rawlings (Rawlings Gold Glove Award Winners)
C – Brian Navarreto (Cangrejeros de Santurce)
1B – Roy Morales (Cangrejeros de Santurce)
2B – Shed Long Jr. (Indios de Mayagüez)
3B – Emmanuel Rivera (Indios de Mayagüez)
SS – Edwin Díaz (Leones de Ponce)
LF – Danny Oritz (Indios de Mayagüez)
CF – Bryan Torres (Gigantes de Carolina)
RF – Rubén Castro (Cangrejeros de Santurce)
P – Dereck Rodríguez (Criollos de Caguas)
