Hitting Prospect of the Year: Michael Harris, Hops

If teams had another chance at the 2022 Reserve Draft, it's quite probable that Meinert Hops outfielder Michael Harris III would be the first name off the board following a breakout season after being selected 24th overall by GM Garrett Shelley. His quick ascent to the big leagues and immediate production earned him the 2022 Roger Dorn Baseball League Hitting Prospect of the Year Award.

Harris started the season in Double-A, slashing .305/.372/.506 in 43 games before the Atlanta Braves promoted him to the big leagues, skipping over Triple-A. He didn't skip a beat as a core piece of the Braves lineup, slashing .298/.343/.517 over the remainder of the RDBL Regular Season while clearly earning a Playoff activation from the Hops.

The lights of September have hardly been too bright for Harris who has slashed .377/.389/.736 in the RDBL Playoffs while entering Friday ranked 11th in Playoff scoring.

It was certainly a strong year for hitting prospects as Harris edged out Julio Rodriguez (Fightin' Fish), Corbin Carroll (Stacks), Gunnar Henderson (Jokers) and Adley Rutschman (Clovers) for the award.

Honorable Mention: Julio Rodriguez (Fish), Corbin Carroll (Stacks), Adley Rutschman (Clovers), Gunnar Henderson (Jokers), Jordan Walker (Grapes), Elly de la Cruz (Clovers)

Free Agent Claim of the Year: Spencer Strider, Taters

A 14th place finish wasn't exactly how Idaho Taters GM Mike Friedrich expected the season to play out. While a number of things went wrong, Friedrich did nail his early season claim of right-hander Spencer Strider who looks to be a key piece of the club's plans heading into 2023. Strider's dominance on the mound earned him the 2022 RDBL Free Agent Claim of the Year Award.

Strider finished the RDBL Regular Season ranked 39th among all starting pitchers in just 16 starts while posting a 2.87 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. He's taking things up to another level since the Taters were eliminated, positing three consecutive quality starts while allowing just three earned runs in 20.0 innings while punching out 32. The run was highlighted by a 16 strikeout performance against the Rockies on September 1st.

With a full season ERA of 2.69 entering his start Monday against the San Francisco Giants, Strider has his spot locked into the top of the Taters 2023 rotation with hopes that rehabbing teammate Mike Soroka can join him as a pair of $5 values for Friedrich.

Honorable Mention: OF Taylor Ward (Stacks), Eugenio Suarez ('Crats), Johnny Cueto (Taters)

Alcantara, Goldschmidt, Judge Lead All-RDBL Team

The 2022 All-RDBL Team was announced Monday following the completion of the Regular Season. The offense is led by Paul Goldschmidt (Hammerheads) and Aaron Judge (Maulers) on offense while Sandy Alcantara (Fringe) easily paced all pitchers in scoring.

The 2022 Season was condensed due to the CBA issues at the start of the season and delayed Opening Day. Due to those issues, the RDBL was squeezed into a 21 Period Regular Season compared to 22 Periods from 2016-2019 and 23 Periods in 2022. That squeeze will lead to some being robbed of their chances of having their names done the RDBL Record Books, though some like Alcantara and Justin Verlander were so dominant that they landed there anyway.

First Team All-RDBL Offense

C Will Smith, Alamo Short Stacks, 285.0

C J.T. Realmuto, Burlingame Blue Ducks, 282.5

1B Paul Goldschmidt, Honolulu Hammerheads, 475.5

2B Trea Turner, St. Joseph Jokers, 393.5

3B Austin Riley, Honolulu Hammerheads, 396.0

SS Dansby Swanson, Maltese Falcons, 345.0

MI Francisco Lindor, Lake Merced Goutfish, 340.0

CI Freddie Freeman, Burlingame Blue Ducks, 436.5

OF Aaron Judge, Mission Viejo Maulers, 475.0

OF Juan Soto, Alamo Short Stacks, 377.5

OF Yordan Alvarez, Lake Merced Goutfish, 365.5

OF Mookie Betts, Alamo Short Stacks, 365.5

OF Shohei Ohtani, Meinert Hops, 360.0

OF Josh Bell, Lake Merced Goutfish, 343.0

U Jose Ramirez, Mt. Diablo Devils, 381.5

First Team All-RDBL Pitching Staff

SP Sandy Alcantara, Lunatic Fringe, 614.0

SP Justin Verlander, Mission Viejo Maulers, 550.0

SP Shane McClanahan, Meinert Hops, 513.0

SP Aaron Nola, Burlingame Blue Ducks, 475.0

SP Dylan Cease, Lake Merced Goutfish, 464.0

SP Corbin Burnes, Alamo Short Stacks, 459.0

RP Emmanuel Clase, Alamo Short Stacks, 320.0

RP Edwin Diaz, Lake Merced Goutfish, 281.0

RP Ryan Helsley, Asti Grape Stompers, 269.0