Halstead Named Pitcher of the Year for 2019 Season

By Trey Wilson | September 1, 2019 5:58 PM ET

RICHMOND, Va. - The Richmond Flying Squirrels announced the recipients of their 2019 team awards in a pregame ceremony on Sunday night at The Diamond. Outfielder Johneshwy Fargas was selected as the team's Player of the Year and right-handed pitcher Ryan Halstead was named as the Pitcher of the Year.

Additionally, Jalen Miller was named the Puritan Cleaners "Dirty Squirrel" of the Year and Matt Winn was named the recipient of the 2019 Flying Squirrels Community Service Award. 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR - JOHNESHWY FARGAS

Fargas leads qualified Flying Squirrels batters with a .249 batting average this season. He also leads the Eastern League and ranks fourth in all of minor league baseball with 49 stolen bases, tied with Kelby Tomlinson for the most in a single season in Flying Squirrels franchise history. Fargas leads the team in triples (5) and is tied for the team lead in runs scored (54). Defensively, he set a new team record with 14 outfield assists on the year. 

"Johneshwy Fargas comes to the park every day full of energy," Flying Squirrels manager Willie Harris said. "He was a spark plug for our team this year, and he was the most consistent player. It brings tons of joy to watch him play and tons of joy to know he's going to get better. I'm looking forward to him coming out next year and being an even better ballplayer." 

PITCHER OF THE YEAR - RYAN HALSTEAD

Playing his third overall season with the Flying Squirrels, Halstead has gone 3-6 with a 3.53 ERA this season in 33 total appearances. In his six starts, the first starts of his professional career, Halstead has gone 1-2 with a 2.67 ERA. After opening the season with an 8.44 ERA through his first 10 games, Halstead has posted a 1.89 ERA in his 23 pitching outings for the Flying Squirrels since May 21. 

"Ryan Halstead earned and deserves this award," Harris said. "Coming from where he was earlier in the season, he was the best pitcher for us this year. He will do anything you ask him to do, whether you need him to go two innings or five innings, he was willing to do it for the team." 

PURITAN CLEANERS DIRTY SQUIRREL OF THE YEAR - JALEN MILLER

Miller was named an Eastern League Mid-Season All-Star, representing the Flying Squirrels in the 2019 Eastern League All-Star Game at The Diamond on July 10. He has played 133 of Richmond's 137 games so far this year and is tied for the team lead with 54 runs scored and 46 RBIs. Miller also leads the team in hits (104), ranks second in home runs (11) and second in walks (48). He has the second-most steals for the Flying Squirrels with 27, which is tied for sixth in the league. 

"Jalen Miller is always playing hard, no matter the score," Harris said. "Even if we were losing games by a good amount of runs in the eighth or ninth inning, he was out there diving at second base making plays for his pitcher. That just goes to show you his character and what he's about. He's always going to play hard for his pitchers and his teammates." 

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD - MATT WINN

A Richmond native who proudly gave back to his hometown throughout the season, Matt Winn represented the Flying Squirrels during appearances at the local MLB Play Ball event, Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, Miracle League, Camp Warrior, Feed More and Virginia Treatment Center for Children. He also put his catching skills to work, often catching ceremonial first pitches prior to games. The first-ever Richmond native to suit up for the Flying Squirrels, Winn has spent parts of four seasons with the team since 2016. 

"You won't find a better 'team guy' than Matt Winn," Harris said. "He's all about his teammates and about his community, and I think he's shown that with all the contributions he has made for this community here in his home town, being supportive of kids and doing camps. It's a lot for him. He catches a lot of bullpens during games and then wakes up early in the morning to do community service. What a great guy to have."  

PREVIOUS FLYING SQUIRRELS TEAM AWARD WINNERS

2010

Player of the Year: Thomas Neal

Pitcher of the Year: David Mixon

Puritan Cleaners Dirty Squirrel of the Year: Thomas Neal

2011

Player of the Year: Roger Kieschnick

Pitcher of the Year: Eric Surkamp

Puritan Cleaners Dirty Squirrel of the Year: Skyler Stromsmoe

2012

Player of the Year: Juan Perez

Pitcher of the Year: Chris Heston

Puritan Cleaners Dirty Squirrel of the Year: Gary Brown

2013

Player of the Year: Javier Herrera

Pitcher of the Year: Jack Snodgrass

Puritan Cleaners Dirty Squirrel of the Year: Ryan Lollis

2014

Player of the Year: Matt Duffy

Pitcher of the Year: Jack Snodgrass 

Puritan Cleaners Dirty Squirrel of the Year: Kelby Tomlinson 

2015

Player of the Year: Rando Moreno

Pitcher of the Year: Joe Biagini

Puritan Cleaners Dirty Squirrel of the Year: Myles Schroder

2016

Player of the Year: Hunter Cole

Pitcher of the Year: Tyler Beede

Puritan Cleaners Dirty Squirrel of the Year: Steven Duggar

Community Service Award: Eliezer Zambrano

2017

Player of the Year: Miguel Gomez

Pitcher of the Year: Tyler Cyr

Puritan Cleaners Dirty Squirrel of the Year: Myles Schroder 

Community Service Award: Jeff Arnold

2018

Player of the Year: Ryan Howard

Pitcher of the Year: Dillon McNamara

Puritan Cleaners Dirty Squirrel of the Year: Matt Lipka

Community Service Award: Dan Slania