Three Indianapolis Indians Named Young Bucs Award Winners

INDIANAPOLIS – The Pittsburgh Pirates announced last week that Indianapolis Indians infielder Oneil Cruz, outfielder Bligh Madris and pitching coach Joel Hanrahan were recipients of Pittsburgh’s inaugural Young Bucs awards, recognizing both individual and team performance for the 2021 minor league season.

Cruz, 23, was named the Willie Stargell Slugger of the Year for his dominance at the plate in both Double-A and Triple-A. In 68 games between Double-A Altoona and Indianapolis, Cruz hit .310 (84-for-271) with 16 doubles, five triples, 17 home runs, 47 RBI, a .594 slugging percentage and .970 OPS. His slugging percentage would have led all Pirates minor leaguers and his OPS would have ranked second had he met the minimum number of plate appearances to be a qualified player this season.

The 6-foot-7 shortstop from the Dominican Republic made his major league debut on Oct. 2 and hit his first MLB home run on Oct. 3. After being signed by Los Angeles (NL) as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2015, he was traded from the Dodgers to Pittsburgh on July 31, 2017 with RHP Angel German in exchange for LHP Tony Watson.

Madris, 25, was the Triple-A recipient of the Manny Sanguillen Teammate of the Year Award for passion for the game and building friendships among teammates. He was promoted from Altoona to Indianapolis on May 19 and in 104 games with the Indians, hit .272 (91-for-334) with 25 doubles, nine home runs and 55 RBI.

He was selected by Pittsburgh in the ninth round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft.

Hanrahan, in his first year as pitching coach with the Indians, was named the Danny Murtaugh Coach of the Year, honoring the minor league coach who had the biggest impact on the development of talent throughout the season. Hanrahan oversaw the rise of prospects Miguel Yajure, Max Kranick, Roansy Contreras and Carmen Mlodzinski through the system, with Kranick and Contreras each making their major league debuts with the Pirates this season.