CARY, N.C. — USA Baseball announced today it will not name a Golden Spikes Award winner for the 2020 baseball season after athletic programs across the country were shut down early due to the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The organization will resume the identification and selection process for the award in the 2021 season.
2020 would have marked the 43rd consecutive year USA Baseball has honored the top amateur baseball player in the United States, beginning with the inaugural winner, Bob Horner (Arizona State), in 1978.
“USA Baseball will forgo naming a Golden Spikes Award winner for the 2020 season amid the ongoing effects surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the game of baseball this season,” said USA Baseball Executive Director and CEO Paul Seiler. “We applaud the successes earned by the many amateur athletes vying for this award prior to the suspension of their seasons; however, we feel this decision fortifies our commitment to uphold the longstanding tradition of excellence associated with this prestigious award and aptly honors the accomplishments of the previous forty-two recipients of the Golden Spikes Award.”
Over the past 42 years, Golden Spikes Award winners have gone on to have tremendous success in Major League Baseball. Three Golden Spikes Award winners have won MLB MVP honors (Kris Bryant, Bryce Harper and Buster Posey), two were awarded a Cy Young (Tim Lincecum and David Price) and five were named the Rookie of the Year (Bryant, Harper, Horner, Jason Jennings and Posey).
Additionally, 11 have gone on to win a World Series championship as a player or manager–winning 17 total championships–and 18 previous winners have made one or more All-Star Game appearances as a player or manager, combining for 56 total selections.
The Golden Spikes Award will resume in 2021 with the naming of its preseason watch list in February.
For more information on the Golden Spikes Award and its past winners, visit GoldenSpikesAward.com and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Instagram and Twitter.
About Golden Spikes Award
Since 1978, USA Baseball has honored the top amateur baseball player in the country with the Golden Spikes Award. Following the first-ever presentation of the Award to Bob Horner of Arizona State, the Golden Spikes Award has been presented each year to the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary sportsmanship. The 2019 Golden Spikes Award winner was Adley Rutschman from Oregon State University. Past winners of this prestigious award include current Major League Baseball players such as Andrew Benintendi (’15), Kris Bryant (’13), Mike Zunino (’12), Trevor Bauer (’11), Bryce Harper (’10), Stephen Strasburg (’09), Buster Posey (’08), David Price (’07) and Alex Gordon (’05). Former Major League stars that have captured the award include Tim Lincecum (’06), Pat Burrell (’98), Mark Kotsay (’95), Robin Ventura (’88), Jim Abbott (’87), Will Clark (’85), Dave Magadan (’83), Terry Francona (’80), Tim Wallach (’79), and Horner (’78). For more information, please visit GoldenSpikesAward.com. Fans can follow the Golden Spikes Award on Twitter @USAGoldenSpikes.
