Alex McFarlane and Bryan Rincon were named the Philadelphia Phillies’ minor league pitcher and player of the year, respectively, winning the Paul Owens Award for this season, the organization announced Monday.
The duo has each put together fantastic campaigns in 2026, breaking out in major ways.
McFarlane turned heads during the summer with his electric arsenal, featuring a blistering fastball that can touch triple digits with a sinker that consistently sits in the upper 90s. He spent most of the season in Double-A Reading posting a 2.06 ERA in 32 appearances and notching 12 saves. The 25-year-old rookie has been one of the few trusted relievers for interim manager Don Mattingly. He has a respectable 2.35 ERA over 16 big-league appearances, allowing earned runs in just two of those outings.
Rincon is one of the biggest breakouts not only within the organization, but across minor league baseball, landing himself on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list (No. 98). The switch-hitting shortstop has been a major force in Reading’s lineup and will look to push the Fightin’s to the top with one more victory needed to win the Eastern League Championship. His team currently holds a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series against Richmond, which continues on Tuesday at FirstEnergy Stadium.
During the regular season, the 22-year-old exploded at the plate. He set career highs in batting average (.267), slugging percentage (.517), OPS (.927), home runs (26) and RBIs (67) in 118 games with Reading. He also has an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio, whiffing 111 times but drawing 95 walks, also a career-best. Viewed as a glove-first prospect entering this season, Rincon has taken major leaps with his bat while being one of the younger players at the Double-A level and has been one of the best leadoff hitters across MiLB.
They were also both named post-season Eastern League All-Stars.
The two players will be on hand at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday night when the Phillies host the Milwaukee Brewers to receive the organization’s top award for minor league players.
In addition, complex coordinator Greg Brodzinski will receive the John Vukovich Award, presented annually to the top instructor in their player development system, while Carlos Salas, coordinator of scouting in Latin America and the scout who alerted the Phillies about phenom outfield prospect Francisco Renteria, will receive the Dallas Green Award, given to the organization’s top scout.
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