Smoak will be presented with the award on Jan. 29, in recognition of his performance on the 2009 USA Baseball World Cup Team. The award recognizes USA Baseball's Athlete of the Year and honors the organization's founding Executive Director/CEO. Taillon will receive his award on Feb. 5, and this will mark the first time the top USA Baseball international performance will be recognized by the organization formally. It will be awarded on an annual basis to the individual with the best single-game, on-field performance across all competing USA Baseball age groups.
"Both Justin and Jameson provided USA Baseball with unforgettable, record-breaking performances in 2009," said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler. "Justin was the leading offensive force behind our gold medal-winning World Cup Team, and Jameson authored one of the best pitching displays our organization has ever seen. We congratulate both of these exceptional young men for their achievements."
A prospect in the Texas Rangers farm system, Smoak helped lead Team USA to the gold medal at the 2009 IBAF Baseball World Cup in September in Europe. He set a U.S. World Cup record with nine home runs in the event, and he was named to the All-World Cup Team as well as the event's Most Valuable Player. Smoak finished the tournament with a .291 average, and in addition to pacing the team in home runs, he also topped the club with 22 RBIs and 16 runs scored. His performance earned him USA Baseball's nomination for the USOC September Athlete of the Month award, and he was later named the 2009 IBAF Senior Athlete of the Year.
Taillon led the 2009 USA Baseball 18U National Team to its first ever gold medal in the COPABE Pan American "AAA"/18U Championships on Oct. 3 in Venezuela, defeating intercontinental rival Cuba, 6-1. In the final, Taillon was awarded the win after striking out 16 Cuban batters in 7.2 innings pitched, with no runs allowed and one walk. The 16 strikeouts set a single-game record for a Team USA pitcher in an 18U Pan Am game, breaking the former mark of 15 which was set by Scott Kazmir (vs. Cuba in 2001) and Jeff Manship (vs. Netherlands Antilles in 2003). Taillon was USA Baseball's USOC October Athlete of the Month nominee.
Eric Campbell, General Manager of Professional and National Teams for USA Baseball, and a team administrator for the 2007 Collegiate National Team - for which Smoak also wore the red, white and blue - and the 2009 World Cup Team will present Smoak with both the USA Baseball and IBAF awards. The presentation will take place at the 2010 Dr. Pepper Texas Rangers Mid-Winter Awards Banquet at the Omni Hotel in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. The dinner, which benefits the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, is expected to draw a capacity crowd of over 1,000 baseball fans.
Past USA Baseball Athlete of the Year award winners include Huston Street (2003), Ryan Zimmerman (2004), Ryan Shealy (2005), J.P. Arencibia (2006), Jayson Nix (2007) and Stephen Strasburg (2008).
Taillon will be recognized at a pep rally in front of the entire student body at The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas, where the righty pitcher is currently a senior. Rick Riccobono, Director of the 18U National Team, will be on hand to present the award.
