Named after the first winner of the award, Ben McDonald of Arkansas, the trophy rewards the finest pitcher in the DMBL.

This year's award goes to....

Roy Halladay, Carolina

This was one of the closest votes as Halladay only won by three points over Las Vegas' Tim Lincecum. Halladay finished the year 16-10. He lead the league with a 2.72 ERA and 1.04 WHIP and was second with 222 strikeouts. He also led the league in opponents' on base percentage (.272), OPS against (.638), walks per 9 innings (1.3), strikeout to walk ratio (6.0), runners per 9 innings (9.8), quality starts (26), innings (248.1), and complete games (10).

Halladay was originally drafted in 1999 by Philadelphia in the 9th round, but spent the entire season in the minors. Halladay debuted with the Eagle Wings in 2000 but struggled. He finished 7-13 with a 6.59 ERA in 33 starts, and Philadelphia did not protect him. But Halladay was determined to make it back to the show and Carolina put their confidence behind him, drafting him with the 11th overall pick in 2002. Halladay improved greatly, going 11-13 with a respectable 4.06 ERA in 32 starts. Then in 2003, Halladay really became the ace. Halladay didn't have another losing season until 2008, winning at least 12 games in every season.

Las Vegas' Lincecum had an impressive season as well, winning 19 and losing only 3 with a 3.15 ERA and leading the league with 246 strikeouts. Finishing third and garnering the other 2 first place votes was Newark's Chien Ming Wang who led the league with 21 wins. Marietta's John Danks finished fourth, and Newark's rookie closer Joey Devine finished 5th.

Points are scored as follows: 10 points for a first place vote, 7 for second, 5 for third, 3 for fourth, 2 for fifth and 1 for sixth.

The all-time winners of the McDonald Award: