Bob Berghaus

bberghaus@citizen-times.com

The Asheville Tourists were off Monday, but manager Warren Schaeffer had to take care of some business, the kind that didn’t take too long and was his pleasure to do.

Schaeffer called shortstop Brendan Rodgers and informed him he was named the South Atlantic League’s most outstanding major league prospect. He also called first baseman Brian Mundell with the news that he was named the SAL’s most valuable player.

“Anytime you can give accolades away in a phone call, it’s a good thing,” Schaeffer said Tuesday after the awards were announced.

Also honored was outfielder Yonathan Daza, who joined his teammates on the SAL all-star team as an outfielder.

Anyone who has watched the Tourists understands Mundell, Rodgers and Daza are very deserving of their awards.

Mundell has 57 doubles, most ever in the South Atlantic League. Going into Tuesday’s game, he was hitting .324 (second best in the league) and had 80 runs batted in (tied for first with teammate Sam Hilliard). He also was first in the league in total bases (265), games played (129) and runs scored (90). He’s also second in on-base percentage (.387), slugging percentage (.518) and in on-base plus slugging (.904).

Rodgers, whom the Rockies selected with the third overall pick in the 2015 MLB draft, is hitting .282 and leads the team with 19 home runs. Despite spending time on the disabled list, he has 73 RBIs, 31 doubles and a .482 slugging percentage.

Daza left Asheville with a .307 batting average and a league-leading 22 outfield assists.

After receiving the news from Schaeffer, Mundell immediately shared the call with his parents, Ralph and Donna Mundell, who are visiting their son this week..

“It’s awesome. It’s great after all of the hard work I’ve put in the last 17 or 18 years,” said Mundell, who was a seventh-round pick by the Rockies in 2015.

“It’s nice to have something I can put in my back pocket and hold on to. It’s nice to finally have some recognition, that you’ve had a good year and stuff like that and it all works out in the end. It’s been great.”

Rodgers was not surprised when he heard about Mundell's award.

"That guy pretty much hits a double every game it seems," Rodgers said. "He's consistent with the bat, hits the ball hard to all fields. He's definitely deserving of that honor."

Rodgers likely would have been disappointed had he not won his award. He realizes that expectations are high for him, especially after signing for $5.5 million.

“I wasn’t shocked, but I was excited,” he said. “It’s been a goal of mine from the beginning of the year to have all-around good numbers and play hard the whole year, and it paid off for me.

“It’s an honor to have this happen in my first full season, and I’m looking forward to collecting more throughout the years.”

Mundell was happy for his teammate.

“Brendan is probably one of the most talented players I’ve played with, and he deserves every recognition he gets,” he said. “It’s great to see him get recognized in that way. I think it’s completely true. He’s the best prospect to play in this league.”

Daza was called up to the Rockies' high-A club last week in Modesto, where he'll finish the season. He spent much of last season with the Tourists and returned because he didn't make enough progress. That, obviously changed.

"He's so much better this year," Schaeffer said. "He plays hard every day, runs hard every time he hits the ball and it pays off. He's the best defender in the league."

Bob Berghaus is a Citizen-Times sports reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Bob_Berghaus

Honoring the Tourists

Brian Mundell: All-star first baseman and the SAL MVP.

Brendan Rodgers: All-star shortstop and the league's most outstanding major league prospect.

Yonathan Daza: All-star outfielder.