Nov. 8, 2012
Former Vanderbilt pitcher and Tampa Bay Rays starter David Price has been named the Players Choice American League Outstanding Pitcher.
For Price it’s the second time in three years to garner the recognition. The lefty turned in one of his best seasons of his short career going 20-5 with a league-best 2.56 ERA for the Rays.
“It feels good to have the opposing players, your teammates, opposing coaches, guys you’re batting against every five days, to gain the respect of those guys to get their vote for the most valuable pitcher of the year,” Price said on MLB Network after being announced as the winner. “It’s very special to me. It’s very special to the Rays and it’s something I cherish every time I can win this award.”
The Players Choice Awards are the the only baseball awards voted on exclusively by MLB players. To read the full MLB.com article click here.
Price has also been named one of three finalists for the AL Cy Young Award, which will be handed out on Nov. 14. Los Angeles right-hander Jered Weaver and Detroit fire baller Justin Verlander join Price on the list.
Price was the first overall pick by Tampa Bay in 2007 after completing a legendary career on West End for the Commodores. He still holds multiple records at Vanderbilt, including single season records for strikeouts (194) and innings pitched (133.1). His career strikeout total of 441 will be extremely tough to break with second place Mike Willis (1969-72) totaling 350 punch outs in his VU career.
