The Phillies honored a breakout, power-hitting shortstop prospect and a rookie reliever who worked his way up to the big-league bullpen as their minor-league player and pitcher of the year, respectively.
Infielder Bryan Rincon and right-hander Alex McFarlane were named the winners of the Paul Owens Award for the 2026 season, the club announced Monday morning. The two players will receive their awards before Philadelphia’s game against the Brewers on Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park.
Rincon, 22, hit .267 with 26 home runs and a .927 OPS, all career highs, in 118 games for Double-A Reading. Regarded for his glove heading into the season, he impressed with his pop and overall offensive production. The switch-hitting former 14th-round draft pick led the minor leagues with 10 leadoff home runs and helped get the Fightins to their first playoff appearance since 2019. Reading has taken a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Eastern League championship series, which will resume on Tuesday night at FirstEnergy Stadium.
“Bryan Rincon is a rare combination of shortstop defense, on-base ability and slug,” Phillies assistant general manager and former farm director Luke Murton said in a release. “He has always been a steady defender, and this year we really saw him break out on the offensive side of the ball. There are very few players 22 or younger at the double-A level who have produced offensively the way Bryan has while also having the ability to defend shortstop at a high level. We’re extremely proud of the year he’s had, and we look forward to Phillies fans getting a taste of what we’ve been fortunate enough to see from Bryan as his career continues to unfold.”
The 25-year-old McFarlane spent much of the season in Reading as well, posting a 2.06 ERA in 32 outings with 12 saves for the Fightins. He made his major-league debut in July with a scoreless inning against the Dodgers, then tossed four shutout appearances for Triple-A Lehigh Valley after that. McFarlane returned to the big leagues last month and has established himself as one of the few trusted arms in Philadelphia’s bullpen.
The rookie has a 2.35 ERA in 16 games for the Phillies. He figures to be a critical arm on the bridge to All-Star closer Jhoan Duran in the final week of the regular season and into the postseason, should the club qualify.
“Alex McFarlane is one of the hardest-working pitchers in our organization,” Murton said. “When you combine an arm like his with that type of work ethic, it was only a matter of time before he broke out. Alex has done a tremendous job improving the quality of both his fastball and slider while also throwing more strikes. His commitment to continuing to develop has quickly translated into success, which a lot of Philadelphia has already had the opportunity to appreciate.”
The Phillies also announced that Greg Brodzinski, coordinator of their minor-league complex in Florida, will receive the 2026 John Vukovich Award as the top instructor in their player-development system, and Carlos Salas, coordinator of scouting in Latin America, will receive the Dallas Green Award as the top scout in the organization.
