Indianapolis Indians Announce 2024 Team Award Recipients

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Indians today announced that infielder Liover Peguero has been named the team’s 2024 Most Valuable Player after he ranked sixth in the International League with 78 RBI and tied for eighth with 29 doubles on the season. Right-handed pitchers Isaac Mattson and Connor Sadzeck, southpaw Brady Feigl, outfielder Matt Gorski, infielder Malcom Nuñez, and first baseman/designated hitter Jake Lamb were also recognized as award-winners.

MVP – Liover Peguero

Peguero, 23, was a core member of the Indians roster for the entire season. In a team-leading 125 games, he hit .257 (124-for-482) with 68 runs, 29 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs, 78 RBI and 14 stolen bases. In addition to his league-ranking marks, he led the Indians in hits, walks (45), total bases (200) and runs while tying for first in stolen bases.

His 2024 campaign took off with a career-high five-hit performance on April 5 vs. Memphis, his sixth game of the season. On July 24 at Iowa, he launched his first career grand slam and combined with Matt Fraizer to become just the second pair of Indians batters to hit grand slams in the same game in the Victory Field era.

In the field, Peguero split time between second base (413.1 innings) and shortstop (708.0), logging a .994 fielding percentage (one error in 164 total chances) on the right-side of the infield. He is currently working a 37-game errorless streak dating back to July 30 between positions, including 26 games at shortstop where he had previously committed eight errors.

Pitcher of the Year – Isaac Mattson

Mattson, 29, one was of Indianapolis’ most effective arms after being promoted from Double-A Altoona in May. In 28 games (three starts) with the Indians, he went 5-1 with a 3.20 ERA (21er/59.0ip) and 75 strikeouts.

His season took off following the Fourth of July, and in his last 17 appearances he is 4-0 with a 1.89 ERA (7er/33.1ip), 40 strikeouts, a 1.02 WHIP and .186 batting average against (22-for-118). The stretch included a streak of 9.0 consecutive scoreless innings across five appearances from Aug. 10-28 (1).

Silver Slugger – Matt Gorski

Gorski, 26, was an extra-base hit machine during his 2024 campaign, ranking among IL leaders with a .526 slugging percentage (4th), 50 extra-base hits (T-5th), 21 home runs (T-8th) and five triples (T-8th). His 21 long balls were the most by an Indians batter since Will Craig hit 23 in 2019. In 107 games, he hit .262 (96-for-367) with a team-leading .846 OPS.

The Fishers, Ind. native’s season was highlighted by a torrid stretch from May 16 (1)-June 2 where he hit .328 (21-for-64) with 18 runs, three doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 27 RBI, a .906 slugging percentage and 1.276 OPS to be named the Indians May Player of the Month. During that stretch, he led all of professional baseball in total bases (58) and RBI while tying with New York (AL) slugger Aaron Judge for the lead in home runs and extra-base hits.

Reliever of the Year – Brady Feigl

Feigl, 33, went 7-2 with a 3.79 ERA (24er/57.0ip) and 66 strikeouts in 37 games (one start) to be named Indy’s Reliever of the Year. Each of his team-leading seven wins (tied with Domingo Germán) came out of the bullpen, including a six-game winning streak from April 16-May 19 (2). In that time, he registered a 3.44 ERA (7er/18.1ip), 20 strikeouts, a 0.87 WHIP and .182 batting average against (12-for-66).

After seven August appearances in which he logged a 0.82 ERA (1er/11.0ip) and 14 strikeouts, Feigl had his contract selected by Pittsburgh on Aug. 25. He made his MLB debut vs. Chicago (NL) the next day, 11 years after originally being signed by Atlanta as a non-drafted free agent.

Closer of the Year – Connor Sadzeck

Sadzeck, 32, filled the Indians closer roll midway through the season, converting eight of his nine save opportunities in his last 23 appearances since June 23. In 46 total appearances, he went 4-3 with a 4.52 ERA (31er/61.2ip) with 66 strikeouts.

His most effective month of the season was August, when he went 2-1 with a 2.13 ERA (3er/12.2ip), 12 strikeouts, a 1.03 WHIP and .140 batting average against (6-for-43). He converted five saves while allowing just one run in 11.2 innings (nine appearances) from Aug. 7-Sept. 4.

Most Improved – Malcom Nuñez

Nuñez, 23, appeared in a career-high 123 games with Indianapolis, hitting .257 (114-for-444) with 56 runs, 21 doubles, 11 home runs and 64 RBI. Of those marks, he set new career highs in hits and doubles.

The infielder’s standout month came in July, when he hit .329 (23-for-70) with 11 runs, seven doubles, two home runs, 10 RBI and three stolen bases to be named the Indians July Player of the Month. During the month, he led the Indians in doubles while ranking among team leaders in extra-base hits (T-1st, 9), slugging percentage (2nd, .514), OPS (2nd, .891), hits (T-2nd), total bases (3rd, 36), batting average (3rd) and on-base percentage (3rd, .377).

Heart and Hustle – Jake Lamb

Lamb, 33, anchored the Indians lineup for the majority of the season, hitting .263 (90-for-342) with 47 runs, 21 doubles, one triple, six home runs and 51 RBI in 94 games. He started the 2024 campaign on a hot streak, reaching base safely in a team-high 27 consecutive games – tied for the sixth-longest such streak in the IL – from April 18-May 27. In his first 36 games through May 27, he ranked among International League leaders in batting average (2nd, .340), on-base percentage (8th, .420) and OPS (10th, .909).

The 2017 National League All-Star was a leader in the clubhouse, leading by example in putting in the work each and every day. In 72 games in the field between first base (571.2 innings) and right field (46.0), he registered a perfect fielding percentage across 495 total chances.