Double-A’s 2026 award season had a little of everything: elite shortstops, a pair of hitters who turned power into a regular part of their game, and two arms who made the league look small. Kade Anderson and Josue De Paula did not even finish the year at the level, jumping from the Texas League to the majors for their debuts, but their work at Arkansas and Tulsa still set the tone for the circuit.
Double-A award winners
| League | MVP | Pitcher of the Year | Top MLB Prospect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern League | Franklin Arias, Portland | Anthony Eyanson, Portland/Chesapeake | Franklin Arias, Portland |
| Southern League | Blake Burke, Biloxi | Eliazar Dishmey, Pensacola | Jesús Made, Biloxi |
| Texas League | Josue De Paula, Tulsa | Kade Anderson, Arkansas | Leo De Vries, Midland |
Anderson’s Arkansas run was the loudest pitching line on the board. The Mariners’ 22-year-old left-hander posted a 1.06 ERA and 0.64 WHIP, with a 36.6 percent strikeout-minus-walk rate over at least 90 innings. Since 2005, no Minor League pitcher with 90 or more innings has bettered those single-season marks in ERA, WHIP or K-BB rate. He blanked opponents in 13 of 18 starts and worked two hitless outings after Seattle selected him third overall out of LSU.
De Paula gave Tulsa a complete offensive season before Los Angeles summoned him in September. The 21-year-old led the Texas League with 152 hits and 104 RBIs, batting .304/.401/.547. His 27 homers and 31 steals made him the first Dodgers farmhand since Joc Pederson in 2014 to reach 25 home runs and 30 steals in the same campaign.
League leaders in the spotlight
| Player | Club | Key 2026 Double-A line |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin Arias | Portland | .993 OPS, 19 HR |
| Blake Burke | Biloxi | .970 OPS, 30 HR, 28 SB |
| Jesús Made | Biloxi | .271/.344/.430, 87 R, 91 RBI, 37 SB |
| Leo De Vries | Midland | .290/.378/.458, 13 HR, 34 SB |
| Anthony Eyanson | Portland/Chesapeake | 1.82 ERA, 34.6% K rate, 1.08 WHIP |
| Eliazar Dishmey | Pensacola | 3.30 ERA, 32.4% K rate, 1.06 WHIP |
Franklin Arias claimed both Eastern League MVP and top prospect recognition after turning a question about his power into a 19-homer answer. The 20-year-old Venezuelan shortstop hit more homers at Portland than he had across his first three professional seasons combined. Promoted to Triple-A late in July, he did not log enough playing time for the official league leaderboard, but his .993 OPS was the best among Eastern League hitters with at least 300 plate appearances.
Eyanson, drafted by Boston in the third round in 2025, needed only five High-A starts before reaching Double-A. An increase in velocity helped establish the 6-foot-2 right-hander as one of the standout pitchers from his draft class. He later moved from Portland to Chesapeake in the Adley Rutschman trade, and among qualified Eastern League arms he led in ERA and strikeout rate while ranking third in WHIP.
Biloxi had a lineup packed with highly regarded talent, but Burke was the club’s everyday engine. The Brewers’ 2024 first-rounder, taken 34th overall, paced the Southern League in OPS and matched the league lead with 30 home runs. He also stole a personal-best 28 bases. In his last month before moving to Triple-A, Burke hit .365/.442/.792 with 11 homers.
Made, who turned 19 in May, was the Southern League’s youngest player and still led it in runs and RBIs. The switch-hitting shortstop finished second in hits and tied for seventh in stolen bases while continuing to show the broad tool set that has placed him atop baseball’s prospect rankings.
Pensacola’s Dishmey arrived from High-A in late May as the Southern League’s third-youngest pitcher and quickly settled into the league’s toughest assignments. The Dominican right-hander led qualified pitchers in strikeout rate and FIP. Beginning in July, he allowed one run over 27 1/3 innings, struck out 35 and permitted only 19 baserunners.
De Vries was another young shortstop who handled the level without blinking. In his first full Double-A season, the Athletics prospect hit .290 with 13 homers and 34 steals. He made a second consecutive All-Star Futures Game appearance and entered the year as baseball’s No. 2 overall prospect. His season ended in August after surgery for a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
Two more performances stood out beyond the award ballot. Cardinals catcher Rainiel Rodriguez led the Texas League in OPS at age 19, while Biloxi corner infielder Andrew Fischer hit 28 homers in 72 games. Fischer finished with 48 home runs for the season, the highest total in the minors this century.
Eastern League All-Stars
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1B | Brooks Brannon | Portland |
| 2B | Roc Riggio | Hartford |
| SS | Franklin Arias | Portland |
| 3B | Coby Morales | Somerset |
| C | Ethan Anderson | Chesapeake |
| OF | Alfonsin Rosario | Akron |
| OF | Garrett Martin | Somerset |
| OF | Bo Davidson | Richmond |
| DH | Bryan Rincon | Reading |
| UTIL | Cayden Wallace | Harrisburg |
| SP | Anthony Eyanson | Portland/Chesapeake |
| SP | Jack Mahoney | Visalia |
| SP | Joseph Dzierwa | Chesapeake |
| SP | Jonathan Santucci | Binghamton |
| RP | Micah Ashman | Chesapeake |
| RP | Alex McFarlane | Reading |
| Manager | Tony Cappuccilli | Erie |
Southern League All-Stars
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1B | Blake Burke | Biloxi |
| 2B | Cooper Kinney | Montgomery |
| SS | Jesús Made | Biloxi |
| 3B | Andrew Fischer | Biloxi |
| C | Owen Ayers | Knoxville |
| OF | Austin Overn | Montgomery |
| OF | Carlos Jorge | Chattanooga |
| OF | Josh Adamczewski | Biloxi |
| DH | Xavier Isaac | Montgomery |
| UTIL | Brayden Taylor | Montgomery/Pensacola |
| SP | Eliazar Dishmey | Pensacola |
| SP | Brett Sears | Columbus |
| SP | Dawson Netz | Knoxville |
| SP | Brooks Caple | Knoxville |
| RP | Luke Murphy | Rocket City |
| RP | Johnathan Lavallee | Chattanooga |
| Manager | Nelson Prada | Pensacola |
Texas League All-Stars
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1B | Hunter Fitz-Gerald | Arkansas |
| 2B | Charlie Pagliarini | Arkansas |
| SS | Leo De Vries | Midland |
| 3B | Manuel Pena | Amarillo |
| C | Rainiel Rodriguez | Springfield |
| OF | Josue De Paula | Tulsa |
| OF | Mike Sirota | Tulsa |
| OF | Zyhir Hope | Tulsa |
| DH | Jake Gelof | Tulsa |
| UTIL | Jesús Báez | Springfield |
| SP | Kade Anderson | Arkansas |
| SP | Bryce Mayer | Corpus Christi |
| SP | Ryan Sloan | Arkansas |
| SP | Mason Molina | Springfield |
| RP | Nick Robertson | Tulsa |
| RP | Charlie Beilenson | Arkansas |
| Manager | Eric Wedge | Tulsa |
The 2026 Double-A crop was loaded enough that eight of baseball’s top nine prospects spent time at the level, including each of the top six. For Anderson and De Paula, it became the final proving ground before the majors. For Arias, Made, De Vries, Burke and the rest, it was a season that left plenty of evidence on the back of the baseball card.
