Portland, Maine– The Portland Sea Dogs presented their annual team awards before the final game of the regular season on Sunday at Hadlock Field. Roman An thony was awarded team MVP while Isaac Coffey earned Pitcher of the Year honors. Kristian Campbell earned Defensive Player of the Year and Elih Marrero was voted the Charlie Eshbach Citizen of the Year Award. The awards are voted on annually by the fans.
Most Valuable Player – Roman Anthony
Despite being one of the youngest players in Double-A, 20-year-old Roman Anthony was a standout player from the first game of the season. Anthony appeared in 84 games for Portland, hitting .269 with 20 doubles, three triples, 15 home runs and 45 RBI. He also stole 16 bases and slashed .367/.489/.856. He was promoted to Triple-A Worcester Red Sox on August 12th and continues to lead the Eastern League in slugging and on-base percentage. He leads the Sea Dogs in home runs (15), extra-base hits (38), total bases (158), walks (48), and ranks second in average, on-base percentage. Anthony is third on the team in triples (3), runs (60), stolen bases, fourth in doubles (20), and fifth in RBI (45) and hits (87). Anthony recorded 24 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI games. Defensively, he played every position in the outfield and had a perfect fielding percentage in left field and a .977 percentage in centerfield. Anthony had 129 putouts in 132 chances including two outfield assists and a double play. Following his promotion to Triple-A Worcester on August 12th, Anthony was named the top overall prospect in baseball according to Baseball America. He was selected by the Boston Red Sox 79th overall in the 2022 MLB Draft in the second compensation round out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Pitcher of the Year – Isaac Coffey
In 21 starts this season, Isaac Coffey quickly set himself apart as one of the top pitchers not only in the Sea Dogs rotation but in Double-A. Coffey leads Double-A in winning percentage (.733), ranks third in wins (11) and strikeouts (148), fourth in average (.215) and seventh in ERA (3.17). In the Eastern League, he leads in strikeouts and winning percentage, is second in average, third in ERA and wins, and fifth in WHIP (1.23). He leads the Sea Dogs in eight statistical categories. Coffey had five outings without allowing a run and 10 starts with seven or more strikeouts including two 11 strikeout performances. In 15 of his 21 starts this season, he pitched at least 5.0 innings. He was selected in the 10th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Red Sox in the 10th round.
Defensive Player of the Year- Kristian Campbell
Kristian Campbell burst onto the scene at the Double-A level, quickly dazzling with highlight-reel plays after his promotion to the level on June 4th. The true second baseman made 15 starts at the position while displaying versatility with 21 starts at shortstop, one at third base, and 11 in center field. Across a combined 57 chances at the four positions, Campbell recorded just four errors with the Sea Dogs. After predominantly playing second base in college at Georgia Tech, Campbell seamlessly excelled in center field to record a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage across 11 starts. Campbell earned three Eastern League honors during his time with the Sea Dogs. In his second week at the level, he earned Player of the Week after going 12-28 with nine runs scored, four doubles, two homers, and 7 RBI against the Reading Fightin Phils. He went on to secure Eastern League Player of the Month in June after slashing .420/.515/.667. Campbell garnered Player of the Week honors again for the week of August 8th-11th after going 8-18 with three homers, and five RBI against the Altoona Curve. He earned a promotion to Triple-A Worcester on August 20th after dominating the level with a .362 average across 56 games with 17 doubles, three triples, eight homers, 35 RBI, and 17 stolen bases. Campbell is currently ranked as the Red Sox No.5 prospect according to MLB.com while ranking the No. 3 prospect in the system according to Baseball America. He is currently ranked as the No. 74 overall according to MLB.com. Campbell was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round (pick 132) of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Georgia Tech.
Charlie Eshbach-Citizen of the Year- Elih Marrero
After spending time across parts of three seasons with the Sea Dogs in the city of Portland, Elih Marrero has consistently displayed leadership and character to become a fan favorite at Hadlock Field. Marrero spends time connecting with fans during season ticket holder events and community events while consistently volunteering his time to help support various Sea Dogs promotions through video board pieces and in-game content to add to the fan experience at Hadlock Field. Marrero displays high character, having been seen sharing his postgame meals with homeless citizens near road ballparks. While all awards are voted on by the fans, the Charlie Eshbach Citizen of the Year award displays an even stronger testament to the impact that players can have on the organization both on and off the field. On the field, Marrero is hitting .273 with six home runs. Additionally, during his career in Portland, Marrero has started 155 games at catcher to notch a .986 fielding percentage. He has caught 63 baserunners stealing to record a .632 SB% across that span. Marrero was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the eighth round (pick 250) of the 2018 MLB Draft out of St Thomas College.
