When the 2018 season began, infielder/outfielder Austin Listi was just looking forward to playing his first full season of professional baseball. Drafted in the 17th round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Dallas Baptist University, Listi entered last year as a 24-year-old infielder/outfielder with no set position, headed to play Single-A ball with the Clearwater Threshers.
Six months later, Listi had earned a promotion to Double-A Reading and hit a combined .312 with a .915 OPS, 18 HRs, 25 doubles and 84 RBIs in 507 PAs, earning him one half of the 2018 Paul Owens Award, given to the minor league position player and pitcher who had the best seasons in the organization.