Named after the phenom Columbia Crusaders shortstop in 1993, who batted .315 in 161 games, the Pat Listach Award has stood for excellence among first year players in the DMBL. The Listach Award first was awarded in 1998 to Nomar Garciaparra of the Phoenix Dragons, who was also the first pick in that year's draft.

This year's award goes to....

Barry Zito, Carolina Mudcats

The Mudcats selected Zito with their first pick of the 2001 draft, the second pick overall. The young southpaw did not disappoint. Zito won 13 decisions and lost only 6. His 3.47 ERA ranked third among all starting pitchers. Zito also struck out 158 hitters in 174 innings, at a clip of 8.2 batters per 9 innings, eight in the league. Perhaps most impressive was his .364 slugging percentage allowed, second only to the master, Pedro Martinez of Arkansas. With veteran Mike Mussina around to mentor the hurler, Zito's future is bright indeed. "When we drafted this kid, we planned to have him in our rotation for a long time to come" says Mudcats GM/owner Chris Pucci. "We looked at several other youngsters, including Jeff D'Amico, but decided our best bet was Barry." Though Zito struggled a bit in the postseason, going 1-2 witha 5.71 ERA in three starts, Zito's confidence is not shaken. "It's all part of the learning process" he said. "I'm ready to go the next step next season."

Others receiving consideration were Arkansas outfielder Lance Berkman, who batted .296 with 24 homers and 68 RBIs and 79 runs scored, and Stanhope's Mighty reliever Ray King, who challenged Jeff Zimmerman's relief wins record, posting a 15-4 record to go along with his 2.89 ERA. Vatican City's relief ace Kazuhiro Sasaki, who saved 30 games, Phoenix's second baseman Rafael Furcal, Philadelphia outfielder Terrence Long and Carolina first baseman Pat Burrell, also received votes.

Barry Zito joins a questionable cast of award winners, as some have had success in the DMBL, while others have not. The all-time winners of the Listach Award: