CY Young

Justin Aungst Salisbury Falcons AAA Division

Voting Totals

Justin Aungst, a savvy workhorse pitcher who led several major pitching categories by a comfortable margin and finished the season just shy of the league's pitching Triple Crown, is the Lehigh Valley Baseball League Premier Division Cy Young Award winner.

Aungst, of the Salisbury Falcons, earned all but one first-place vote. Six Premier pitchers earned Cy Young votes overall.

"His numbers speak for themselves," Falcons manager Brad Vangeli said, citing a "staggering" ratio of 100 strikeouts to only 12 walks in 70.2 innings pitched, which he called "a feat you don't usually see at any level."

"Outside of the numbers," Vangeli said, "he has a unique presence on the mound. He works at a fast pace and controls the game from start to finish. There were a few games where he wasn’t feeling 100% and he still managed to rely heavily on off speed pitches to work his way through the game. He can adapt to different situations throughout a game which makes him a very special pitcher."

Aungst's teammate, Gabe Mosser, the San Diego Padres minor leaguer, finished second in the voting. Steven De La Cruz of the LVBL's Cardinals, who pitched in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system, finished third. Mosser and De La Cruz each tallied more than half their outs by strikeout.

Aungst was just a few ticks away from the pitching Triple Crown. His 11 wins were three more than any other pitcher (his win total also almost outpaced his walk total, which was 12). And his 100 strikeouts were 18 more than any other pitcher. His 1.53 ERA, however, was good only for eighth in the league and third in the Premier Division -- although he carried the sterling mark across many more innings than anyone in front of him.

Aungst was LVBL's most indefatigable pitcher. His 70.2 innings pitched were 15.2 more than anyone else. Of his eight starts, seven were complete games. He pitched both halves of a doubleheader more than once. And Vangeli said the ace was ready to go on zero rest if the Falcons hadn't closed out the championship series before Game 3.

The LVBL Cy Young Award is awarded to the top pitcher in a division (regardless of batting or fielding contributions) as voted on by the division's managers.

It's yet another distinction for Aungst, who was the Morning Call Player of the Year in 2013 while he played at Salisbury High School and the St. Joseph's University Pitcher of the Year in 2015 while he played in the Philadelphia college's Division 1 program. Aungst, who doubles as a fearsome hitter, also won the 2020 LVBL Premier Division MVP Award.

The Morning Call distinction came after Aungst led his high school team to a championship. Fittingly, the LVBL distinctions follow a championship season, as well.

Grant Hershman Lehigh Valley Angels AA Division

Lehigh Valley Baseball League | Pointstreak Stats

Lehigh Valley Baseball League

Voting Results

Angels pitcher Grant Hershmann, the steady strikethrower who pitched a no-hitter in his very first start and whose polished style held off harder throwers with longer resumes, has earned the 2020 Lehigh Vallley Baseball League AA Division Cy Young Award.

The Bethlehem Catholic High School graduate earned the most first-place votes out of five pitchers who earned first-place votes. Ten pitchers earned Cy Young votes overall.

"I played with Grant for years. Most of our team has played with or against Grant at some point. He gains respect from his peers by the way he carries himself and consistently puts forward a great effort," Angels Manager Thomas Bonilla said. "He's gained our coaching staff's trust over the years so it was easy to give him the workload he had this year and he delivered. Grant leads by example on the field and is a quality man off of it. We're very fortunate to have him setting the example in our dugout."

Elizabethtown College hurler Zach Silfies, a flamethrower who led the division in strikeouts, finished second in the voting. Former Oakland A's draft pick Tyler Vail, who posted an undefeated record but was on a pitch count for his continuing pro career, finished third.

Hershman made control his calling card, with fewer walks than games started. He also placed top five in the league for innings pitched, strikeouts and ERA (min. 20 IP) after becoming the surprise ace for the first-year Angels.

In the weeks before the season, Hershman wasn't favored to be the Angels ace, let alone ace of the entire AA division. When a would-be Angels Division 1 pitcher backed out before the season, Hershman calmly took the mound for the opener, twirled his no-hitter, and never looked back.

The LVBL Cy Young Award is awared to the top pitcher in a division (regardless of batting or fielding contributions) as voted on by the division's managers.

Hershman likely could be pitching in a college program himself. But he opted instead to attend Lehigh Unviersity, who's Division 1 program is difficult to crack. He's instead enrolled in Lehigh's esteemed engineering program, which is arguably even tougher to crack.

Players with college and pro playing resumes dotted AA Division rosters this season. But Hershman took the mound each week with enough composure, smarts and strikes to outpace them all for the title of Cy Young.

Colton Langworthy Alpha Braves Premier Division

2019 Record 10-3, 2.20 ERA, 83 K’s and 1.140 WHIP.

Career record as of 2020: 25-4, 206 IP, 1.97 ERA, and 174 K’s

Lehigh Valley Baseball League | Pointstreak Stats

Ryan Atkinson Macungie Grizzlies AA Division

2019 Record: 7-1, 0.83 ERA, 85 K’s and 0.91 WHIP.