O'Hoppe Wins AFL's Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award

Philadelphia Phillies catching prospect Logan O'Hoppe was awarded the Arizona Fall League's Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award over the weekend.

© Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Phillies catching prospect Logan O'Hoppe was awarded the Arizona Fall League's Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award over the weekend.

The Phillies no. 11 ranked prospect was given the award on behalf of his "tireless work ethic, his ability to work with pitchers, and his dedication," which along with unselfishness, hard work, and leadership, is what the annual honor seeks to recognize. The manager and coaching staff from each of the six AFL teams nominate one player for the award, and O’Hoppe’s efforts particularly stood out across the league.

The Stenson Award was created in 2004 to honor the memory of former Arizona Fall League player Dernell Stenson, who was killed in 2003 in Arizona during the AFL season.

Peoria Javelinas manager Anthony Contreras, who was recently named the manager of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate, was especially aware of O'Hoppe's consistent and genuine efforts on and off the field. 

"I think consistency is the main word, and he doesn't deviate from his process every single day," Contreras told MLB.com and MLB Pipeline writer Jonathan Mayo. "Getting to be around him for these 30-plus days, you get to see why he's having so much success on the field. He takes treating his body the right way, the way he treats his teammates, the attention to detail when it comes to his cage work, asking questions, doing all this stuff that you want to see in a pro."

O'Hoppe also earned the praise of Phillies general manager Sam Fuld, a former Stenson Award recipient. 

#Phillies GM Sam Fuld, former ⁦@MLBazFallLeague⁩ Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award winner, had a special message for ⁦@Phillies⁩ catcher Logan O’Hoppe, this year’s Stenson Award recipient. pic.twitter.com/pYv6Jho9ZT

— Jonathan Mayo (@JonathanMayo) November 20, 2021

Along with the award, O'Hoppe's Fall season made quite the impression. In 22 games with Peoria, he batted .299/.440/.519, with three home runs, 17 RBI, 21 walks, and three stolen bases. Although it was strange for Philadelphia fans to see a Phillies player donning number 26 again, O'Hoppe did Chase Utley's former number proud, playing solid defense behind the plate, producing offensively, and exemplifying great sportsmanship.

"I'm going to try to take some time off enjoy the holidays and catch up with my family, all that great stuff," O’Hoppe told Mayo. "But I have a plan in place with my trainer, and we'll take a couple weeks off and then get back into everything."

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