Elih Villanueva won the fan vote as the Top Double-A pitcher, beating out teammate Tom Koehler, who finished second.
The luminous wattage of the Suns dominated the voting, as a pair of Jacksonville teammates combined to receive 83 percent of the total vote. In the end it was Elih Villanueva who emerged victorious, edging out his equally dominant rotation-mate Tom Koehler 44 percent-39 percent. The 24-year-old Villanueva showed that he was more than ready for the rigors of Double-A competition, winning his final eight decisions of the year en route to compiling a Southern League-leading 2.26 ERA.
Got to give it to the Suns fans, they know how to vote for their own. And of course, winning the Southern League Championship for the second year in a row didn't hurt either.
Here are his stats:
And here are Tom Koehler's stats:
Kind of a tough call. But naturally, we are proud of both of them. And maybe one day in the future, they will be wearing a Marlins uniform.
Congratulations to both, but especially to Elih for taking home the top honors.