Former Santa Barbara Forester standouts Garrett Crochet and Ryan Helsley took home some hardware at the MLB level on Thursday.
Crochet, a left-handed starter for the Chicago White Sox, earned the AL Comeback Player of the Year award while Helsley, the closer for the St. Louis Cardinals, won the NL Reliever of the Year award.
As a Forester, Crochet was the team’s closer en route to a 2018 national championship.
Helsley also won a national title with the Foresters in 2014 and was named the NBC World Series Graduate of the Year in 2023.
Crochet was dominant in the starting rotation in 2024 after pitching out of the bullpen in 2023. The 25-year-old tallied a 3.58 ERA to go along with 209 strikeouts en route to his first All-Star Game appearance.
Meanwhile, Helsley racked up 49 saves in 53 opportunities for the Cardinals with a 2.04 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 66 ⅓ innings pitched.
While both Crochet and Helsley are under contract for their current teams for next season, both pitchers have been viewed as potential trade candidates as the White Sox and Cardinals continue to rebuild this offseason.