Cease was named Minor-League Pitcher of the Year by MLB Pipeline, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Cease, 22, went 12-2 with a 2.40 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 124 innings between High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham. The right-hander ranked fourth among minor-league starters in wins, fourth in strikeout rate (32.5 percent), sixth in batting average allowed (.189) and 12th in strikeouts (160). ''We could not be more pleased with his development,'' general manager Rick Hahn said. ''Not only did Dylan take the ball every fifth day and answer the bell every time when we wanted him to start, but he dominated and seemingly got a little bit stronger as the season went on.'' Hahn alluded to Cease's dominant nine-start run to close out his season at Birmingham, when he went 3-0 with a 0.94 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 13.4 K/9.