Zach Lee, Scott Schebler named Branch Rickey minor league pitcher, player of year

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers on Friday named pitcher Zach Lee and outfielder Scott Schebler as the 2013 Branch Rickey minor league pitcher and player of the year, respectively, an honor given to top Dodgers minor league performers annually since 1989.

Both players were drafted by the Dodgers in 2010, and will be honored on the field at Dodger Stadium in a ceremony before Sunday afternoon's regular season finale against the Rockies.

Lee was a first-round pick in 2010 and signed for $5.25 million, the largest draft bonus ever given by the Dodgers. The right-hander, who turned 22 on Sept. 13, was 10-10 with a 3.22 ERA in 28 games, including 25 starts with Double-A Chattanooga this season, with 131 strikeouts and 35 walks in 142⅓ innings. Lee was named a Southern League All-Star.

On Friday, Lee was ranked as the No. 71 prospect in baseball by John Sickels at Minor League Ball.

Schebler, who turns 23 on Oct. 6, was drafted by the Dodgers in the 26th round three years ago. He hit .296/.360/.581 with 27 home runs, 29 doubles and 13 triples in 125 games with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2013, and was named to the California League postseason All-Star team.

Schebler hit 11 of his home runs in July and caught fire in a 35-game stretch from June 13 to Aug. 3 that saw him hit .362/.411/.750 with 18 home runs, 50 RBI and 47 runs scored in 47 games.

Joc Pederson, who was named the Dodgers minor league player of the year in 2012, is 18 months younger than Schebler and put up a .278/.381/.497 line with 22 home runs, 24 doubles and 31 stolen bases in a tougher hitting environment and against better competition in Double-A Chattanooga.

The only three players to be named minor league player of the year twice are Billy Ashley (1993-94), Paul Konerko (1996-97) and Joe Thurston (2000, 2002). Chad Billingsley (2004-05) and James McDonald (2007-08) are the only two pitchers to win multiple honors.