Sea Dogs Announce 2022 Team Award Winners
September 11, 2022 – Eastern League (EL) – Portland Sea Dogs News Release
Portland, Maine – The Portland Sea Dogs, the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, presented their annual team awards for the 2022 season prior to Sunday’s final regular season home game. The team awards are voted on by the fans and are handed out in four different categories: Most Valuable Player, Pitcher of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and the Charlie Eshbach Citizen of the Year Award.
Christian Koss was selected as Team MVP and Chris Murphy as Pitcher of the Year. Ceddanne Rafaela earned the Defensive Player of the Year Award, while Coach Katie Krall took home the Charlie Eshbach Citizen of the Year Award.
Most Valuable Player – Christian Koss
Christian Koss has played 120 games with the Sea Dogs this season leading the team in many offensive categories including average (.266), home runs (16), RBI (82), OBP (.327), SLG (.436), OPS (.752), hits (124), doubles (21), extra base hits (42), and total bases (203). His 82 RBI and 124 hits also rank second in the Eastern League this season. The 24-year-old infielder broke out during the month of July, recording a .337 batting average with four homers, eight doubles, while driving in 19 RBI and scoring 23 runs over 23 games. Koss was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 12th round of the 2019 MLB Draft and was acquired by the Red Sox on December 3, 2020 from the Rockies in exchange for LHP Yoan Aybar.
Pitcher of the Year – Chris Murphy
Chris Murphy started 13 games and appeared a total of 15 times for the Sea Dogs before getting the promotion to Triple-A on June 28th. He produced a 4-5 record with a 2.58 ERA with the Sea Dogs this season. The southpaw struck out 91 batters, which still leads all 2022 Sea Dogs pitchers. Murphy’s 22 earned runs allowed are the lowest for any Portland pitchers with at least 10 starts this season, and he is still tied for second in innings pitches with 76.2. He was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 20-26, when he held the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants) to one hit over six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. He is ranked by MLB.com as the No. 4 pitching prospect in the Red Sox organization and No. 12 overall in the system. Murphy was acquired by the Red Sox with the 197th pick (sixth round) in the 2019 MLB Draft.
Defensive Player of the Year – Ceddanne Rafaela
Sparkling defensive players were a common theme for Ceddanne Rafaela any time he took the field for Portland this season. The 21-year-old made multiple home run robberies, with most being in consideration for Sports Center Top 10. Rafaela has played 54 games in center field for the Sea Dogs, but also spent considerable time at another premier position, appearing 11 times at shortstop. He has only committed two errors with Portland, and hasn’t committed an error since June 23, which was his 15th game in Portland. Rafaela is ranked the No.4 prospect in the Red Sox organization by MLB.com. He was acquired by the Red Sox on July 2, 2017, signing as an international free agent.
Charlie Eshbach-Citizen of the Year- Coach Katie Krall
Development Coach Katie Krall has been named the Charlie Eshbach Citizen of the Year. Krall became the first female to coach at the Double-A level and the first in Portland’s franchise history. Her involvement in the community has ranged from inspirational speeches at local schools and to volunteering to read to children. Krall could often be found staying long after the games signing autographs and even giving away her lineup card, instilling lasting memories for fans of all ages. She participated in the Sea Dogs baseball clinic as part of Play Ball Weekend in July teaching the fundamentals of baseball to children. She also served on the panel for the Sea Dogs’ Women in Baseball event in August. She has been a role model and an inspiration for many fans throughout baseball.
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