Major League Baseball announced their 2009 Season Awards in November, of which a total of nine Baseball Factory alumni received awards.  The New York Yankee’s Mark Teixeira received the Gold Glove Award for first baseman in the American League. Orlando Hudson and Ryan Zimmerman, both of the National League, took home the Gold Gloves at their respective positions. Teixiera and Zimmerman also received Silver Slugger Awards, along with two other Baseball Factory alumni representing the National League, Brian McCann and Ryan Braun. Chris Coghlan was named the National League’s Rookie of the Year, while Zack Greinke was named the American League’s Cy Young Award Winner. 

 

Mark Teixiera, first baseman for the New York Yankees, is a native of Baltimore, Maryland.  As a stand-out high school player, Teixeira was selected to participate in the 1997 Team One National Showcase.  Teixeira was selected in the 1st round of the amateur draft by the Texas Rangers and made his Major League debut in April of 2003. Teixeira has received two other Gold Glove Awards in 2005 and 2006, along with two Silver Slugger Awards in 2004 and 2005. 

 

Orlando Hudson, second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, participated in the Team One National Showcase in 1995. “O-Dog” debuted in the Majors in 2004 after being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997. Hudson played in both the 2007 and 2009 All-Star games, and in 2009 had a .988 fielding percentage. This is Hudson’s fourth Gold Glove Award. 

 

Ryan Zimmerman, third baseman for the Washington Nationals, received his first career Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards this season. In 2001, Zimmerman was selected to play in the Team One South showcase. Zimmerman, after playing at the University of Virginia, was drafted by the Washington Nationals in 2005 and debuted in the same year. 

 

Brian McCann began his MLB career in 2005, after being drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2002. McCann, the current catcher for the Braves, participated in the 2001 Team One National Showcase. A three-time National League All-Star, this is McCann’s third Silver Slugger award.

 

Ryan Braun, an outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers, received his second career Silver Slugger Award in 2009. Braun is also a former Team One National Showcase participant. Originally drafted by the Brewers in 2005 after his junior season at the University of Miami, Braun debuted in 2007. 

 

Chris Coghlan made his Major League debut on May 8, 2009.  A Florida native, Coghlan participated in Baseball Factory’s National tryout event in 2002. In his first season in the Majors, Coghlan had a .977 fielding percentage, finished with a .321 batting average and slugged nine homeruns for the Florida Marlins.  These outstanding numbers earned Coghlan the 2009 National League Rookie of the Year award.

 

Zack Greinke, right-handed pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, was drafted in 2002. Prior to being drafted, Greinke participated in the Team One East showcase as a standout high school pitcher. Greinke captured 25 of the 28 possible first-place votes to earn his first ever Cy Young Award.  Other Baseball Factory alumni, including Justin Verlander, CC Sabathia, and Roy Halladay, were also in the running for the prestigious pitching award. 

 

The Baseball Factory team would like to offer our congratulations to the players who earned these impressive awards. Baseball Factory wishes the best of luck to all those who will be continuing on in their baseball careers.  For more details on our alumni, please visit our Team One Baseball site.

 

To get started on your path to college baseball and beyond, show our scouts what you can do at an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout near you.