New York Yankees’ Luis Severino and Gary Sanchez Receive 2015 Kevin Lawn Awards

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According to a New York Yankees Press Release: On Thursday afternoon, the New York Yankees announced  that catcher Gary Sanchez and right-handed pitcher Luis Severino were named winners of the 2015 Kevin Lawn Award as the Yankees’ minor league “Player of the Year” and “Pitcher of the Year,” respectively. The two players received their awards prior to Thursday’s Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays game at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

The annual awards are dedicated to Kevin O’Brien Lawn, the son of longtime Yankees Vice President and Chief of Operations Jack Lawn who passed away in 1999.

Sanchez, 23, hit a combined .274 (100-for-365) with 50 runs, 23 doubles, 18 home runs and 62 RBI in 93 games between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2015.

The Dominican Republic native ranked second among Yankees minor leaguers in home runs and fifth in RBI. Sanchez made his Major League debut by appearing in two games for the Yankees during the final weekend of the regular season.

He also played in 22 games for Surprise of the Arizona Fall League, batting .295 (26-for-88) with a league-leading seven home runs, in addition to winning the AFL Fall Stars Game MVP Award. Following the season, he was tabbed an Organization All-Star by MiLB.com and ranked as the Yankees’ second-best prospect by Baseball America.

Severino, 22, combined to go 9-2 with a 2.45 ERA  in 19 starts with Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He limited opponents to a .201 (72-for-359) batting average and just two home runs. The right-hander also made his Major League debut in 2015, posting a 5-3 record and 2.89 ERA (62.1IP, 20ER) in 11 starts with the Yankees over the season’s final two months. Following the season, he was named an MiLB.com, organization All-Star and a Baseball America Triple-A Post-Season All-Star. Severino also won the Kevin Lawn “Pitcher of the Year” Award in 2014.

The Yankees will look to Severino and Sanchez to help support a team of veterans in 2016.