Hector Yan Wins 2026 Ted Earley Memorial Trophy, Keeping Pitching Crown in Hamilton

HAMILTON, ON – The crown stays home. Hector Yan has been named the 2026 Ted Earley Memorial Trophy winner as the pitcher with the lowest regular-season ERA in the Canadian Baseball League, capping a dominant debut season in a Cardinals uniform and keeping the award in Hamilton for a second straight year. Yan, a 27-year-old left-hander from La Romana, Dominican Republic, was untouchable all summer. He went 7-1 over 15 appearances and 14 starts, posting a 2.60 ERA across 72.2 innings. He struck out a league-best 112 batters against just 31 walks – a 13.87 K/9 that topped the CBL – while holding opponents to 49 hits for a sparkling 1.10 WHIP. He allowed only two home runs all season. It was the kind of season that turned every start into a must-watch: a one-hit, seven-strikeout gem in Toronto in May, an 11-strikeout demolition of Chatham-Kent in August, then a playoff run where he worked out of trouble all September as the Cardinals charged to their first CBL finals since 2002. The arm talent has always been there. Yan signed with the Los Angeles Angels organization in 2015 and spent five seasons in their minor-league system, posting a 0.89 ERA in his Dominican Summer League debut and later representing the Angels at the 2021 MLB All-Star Futures Game at Coors Field. He was ranked as high as the organization’s No. 9 prospect, striking out 325 batters across 267.2 minor-league innings and reaching High-A. Yan brings two seasons of CBL experience to Hamilton, having pitched for the Guelph Royals from 2023 to 2024. He earned a CBL All-Star nod in 2024 and finished his time in Guelph with a career 4.01 ERA and 135 strikeouts over 119.1 innings. Now he joins a select group of Cardinals to claim the Ted Earley Memorial Trophy. Richard Jack started the tradition in 1959, Ross Paton followed in 1960, Joel Garton took it home in 1997, and Owen Boon – Yan’s rotation mate – kept it in the Hammer last year. Yan becomes the fifth Cardinal to earn the honour, and the first Hamilton pitcher to win it while also leading the league in strikeouts in the same season. A Dominican arm, an All-Star Futures Game pedigree, a league strikeout crown, and now the Ted Earley Memorial Trophy. Not bad for year one in Cardinal red. Congratulations, Hector. See you on the mound in 2027. Secure your 2027 Season Pass today