FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO)– Fort Wayne continues to earn bragging rights in the world of baseball with a Sunday announcement naming TinCaps right-handed pitcher Garrett Hawkins as the San Diego Padres’ organizational Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

Talk about a comeback story, the 6’5 Canadian arm returned to the mound on opening weekend, making his first appearance in 702 days, on April 5, following Tommy John Surgery, and he wasted no time proving he was back and better than ever. The No. 18 Padres prospect, according to MLB.com, Hawkins ended the season tied for second in the Midwest League with 8 wins, sixth in saves with the final number also being 8, and ranked 10th in strikeouts amongst relievers after punching out 60 batters.

Amongst Midwest League pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched, Hawkins ranked first in batting average against (.116) and second in ERA (1.43) and strikeout percentage (37.0%). July alone saw him practically untouchable: he cleared nearly half the batters he faced (18 of 38), didn’t walk a soul, and only gave up three hits.

But the real jaw-dropper? Hawkins went on a 34-inning scoreless streak in Fort Wayne, the longest in franchise history, stretching across 26 appearances. By the time it ended at 38 innings after his promotion to Double-A San Antonio, it was the longest streak in all of Minor League Baseball since 2015. That’s a decade of pitching history rewritten by one right arm.

“It means a lot,” Hawkins said humbly, “Throwing, you don’t totally think about it, just another day to get three outs or as many as the team needs, but it’s really cool to have that done.”

By season’s end, Hawkins had racked up 80 strikeouts across 60 innings with just 10 earned runs allowed. His nine wins and 10 saves put him second in both categories across the entire Padres farm system.

This is the third consecutive year that a TinCap has received this honor, with Henry Baez having been honored in 2024 and Robby Snelling in 2023.