The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday named Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Mike Soroka the 2019 Tip O'Neill Award winner.
The award is given annually to the Canadian MLB player "judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball’s highest ideals," according to the organization, and is named after Woodstock, Ont., native Tip O'Neill, an early baseball superstar who played from 1883-1892.
Soroka, 22, wins the award after an All-Star rookie season for the Braves (13-4, 2.68 ERA in 174.2 innings pitched) that saw him finish second in National League Rookie of the Year voting and sixth in Cy Young Award voting. The Calgary native led all NL rookie pitchers in ERA, finished third in wins and fourth in games started (29), innings pitched and strikeouts (142).
“Mike Soroka put together one of the best rookie seasons by a Canadian pitcher in major league history,” Scott Crawford, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s director of operations, said in a release from the Hall. “He not only had an outstanding regular season with the Atlanta Braves, but he was also dominant in his first post-season start. He’s definitely a worthy recipient of the award.”
Soroka started Game 3 of the Braves' NLDS series against the St. Louis Cardinals in October, during which he limited his opponents to just one run and two hits, racking up seven strikeouts in seven innings of work.
“When I had been told I would be the recipient of the 2019 Tip O’Neill Award, it really did put me back in a sense of awe,” Soroka said in a release. “Having had the opportunity to grow up through the Canadian Baseball Program (Junior National Team), I have always felt a sense of pride when there are Canadians excelling in this game. I am always sure to mention to anyone watching other games in the clubhouse when a Canadian is at the plate or on the mound. I am beyond humbled to have the honour of sharing this award with some of the greats of not just Canadian baseball, but Major League Baseball period. This sense of pride has stemmed from others who represented Canadian baseball so well before me, and is something I hope to carry on as well."
The Hall says it takes several criteria into account when deciding who wins the Tip O'Neill Award each year, including each candidate's performance on the field, contributions to their team, community and charitable efforts and support from a fan vote. Soroka is the third pitcher to win the award this decade, following New York Yankees starter James Paxton (2018's winner) and John Axford, who won in 2011 when he played with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Here are each year's Tip O'Neill Award winners since its creation in 1984, according to the Hall:
- 1984 – Terry Puhl
- 1985 – Dave Shipanoff
- 1986 – Rob Ducey
- 1987 – Larry Walker
- 1988 – Kevin Reimer
- 1989 – Steve Wilson
- 1990 – Larry Walker
- 1991 – Daniel Brabant
- 1992 – Larry Walker
- 1993 – Rob Butler
- 1994 – Larry Walker
- 1995 – Larry Walker
- 1996 – Jason Dickson
- 1997 – Larry Walker
- 1998 – Larry Walker
- 1999 – Jeff Zimmerman
- 2000 – Ryan Dempster
- 2001 – Corey Koskie
- 2001 – Larry Walker
- 2002 – Eric Gagné
- 2002 – Larry Walker
- 2003 – Eric Gagné
- 2004 – Jason Bay
- 2005 – Jason Bay
- 2006 – Justin Morneau
- 2007 – Russell Martin
- 2008 – Justin Morneau
- 2009 – Jason Bay
- 2010 – Joey Votto
- 2011 – Joey Votto
- 2011 – John Axford
- 2012 – Joey Votto
- 2013 – Joey Votto
- 2014 – Justin Morneau
- 2015 – Joey Votto
- 2016 – Joey Votto
- 2017 – Joey Votto
- 2018 – James Paxton
- 2019 – Mike Soroka