Which of these 3 players will be MiLB Pitching Prospect of the Year?

At 9 p.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 30, MLB Network will air the second annual MiLB Awards Show, with host Matt Vasgersian handing out a slew of honors, recognizing some of the best prospects, performances and moments of the 2024 season.

The three finalists for MiLB Pitching Prospect of the Year -- along with the finalists for MiLB Hitting Prospect of the Year -- were determined by the MLB Pipeline staff, which only considered Minor League statistics when whittling down the large pool of worthy candidates to these three arms.

Caden Dana, RHP, Angels (No. 70 on Top 100)
Age: 20
Double-A: 9-7, 23 GS, 135 2/3 IP, 2.52 ERA, 147 K, 39 BB, .184 BAA, 0.94 WHIP, 2.6 BB/9, 9.8 K/9

The Angels have a reputation for moving prospects quickly, and they lived up to that reputation with Dana, the organization’s 11th-round pick in 2022 out of the New Jersey high school ranks. They started the big right-hander at Double-A this year and he really responded, reaching the Majors as a 20-year-old on the heels of a sensational season.

The Angels didn’t place any restrictions on the durable, efficient Dana, letting him top 100 pitches six times before his big league debut on Sept. 1, when he became the team’s youngest starting pitcher since 1973. This was after he spent the summer dominating the Southern League as one of its youngest players, striking out more than a batter per inning and ranking among the top pitchers in the Minors in batting average against and WHIP.

Quinn Mathews, LHP, Cardinals (No. 80 on Top 100)
Age: 23
Single-A: 3-1, 6 GS, 30 2/3 IP, 1.47 ERA, 52 K, 11 BB, .133 BAA, 0.82 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9, 15.3 K/9
High-A: 3-1, 7 GS, 43 2/3 IP, 2.68 ERA, 58 K, 9 BB, .160 BAA, 0.76 WHIP, 1.9 BB/9, 12 K/9
Double-A: 2-1, 9 GS, 52 1/3 IP, 2.41 ERA, 70 K, 15 BB, .186 BAA, 0.96 WHIP, 2.6 BB/9, 12 K/9
Triple-A: 0-2, 4 GS, 16 2/3 IP, 6.48 ERA, 22 K, 14 BB, .281 BAA, 1.92 WHIP, 7.6 BB/9, 11.9 K/9
Total: 8-5, 26 GS, 143 1/3 IP, 2.76 ERA, 202 K, 49 BB, .179 BAA, 0.98 WHIP, 4.12 BB/9, 12.7 K/9

The Cardinals' fourth-round pick in 2023 entered the organization with a reputation for missing bats, having finished second in Division I in strikeouts to Paul Skenes during his senior year at Stanford. During his first year of pro ball, Mathews eclipsed the 200-strikeout mark while climbing four levels and finishing the year at Triple-A. He is only the second Minor Leaguer to reach the milestone since 2011, along with D-backs righty Brandon Pfaadt (2022).

Everywhere he pitched this season, Mathews got whiffs in bulk. He racked up 11 strikeouts in his second pro start at Single-A Palm Beach, and 13 more two starts later. He posted double-digit strikeouts in two more starts at High-A and three others at Double-A Springfield, before finishing the year at Triple-A. He recorded at least as many strikeouts as innings pitched in 23 of his 26 starts.

Travis Sykora, RHP, Nationals (No. 92 on Top 100)
Age: 20
Single-A: 5-3, 20 GS, 85 IP, 2.33 ERA, 129 K, 27 BB, .168 BAA, 0.91 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 13.7 K/9

The Nationals went over slot to sign Sykora, their third-round pick in 2023, away from his Texas commit, and they let him develop all year at Single-A for his first pro season. He looked like a man amongst boys at times, logging at least five no-hit innings in two starts and six perfect frames in another, setting the tone for Fredericksburg’s first nine-inning no-hitter in franchise history on Aug. 9.

Sykora posted a dominant 129/27 strikeout-to-walk rate and allowed only two homers all season. Among pitchers who threw 80 innings or more, he ranked among the Minors’ best in a host of categories, including ERA, WHIP, K/9, BAA and FIP.

Previous winners:
2013: José Fernández, MIA
2014: Tyler Glasnow, PIT
2015: Blake Snell, TB
2016: Tyler Glasnow, PIT
2017: Jon Duplantier, ARI
2018: Dylan Cease, CWS
2019: MacKenzie Gore, SD
2020: None (Covid)
2021: Grayson Rodriguez, BAL
2022: Andrew Painter, PHI
2023: Drew Thorpe, NYY