TicketsCINCINNATI – Former Cincinnati pitcher Evan Shawver was recently named the Pitcher of the Year by the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.
Shawver, who pitched for the Bearcats between 2019-21, appeared in 26 games for the Isotopes this year, posting a 2.63 ERA across 48.0 innings.
“It means a lot because it’s something your teammates vote on,” Shawver said. “For them to give me that recognition after all the work they put in too, it meant a lot to me. I was happy to have the opportunity to be in that situation.”
After spending time in extended spring training at the behest of the front office to continue working on a curveball, Shawver eventually made his season debut at Double-A with the Hartford Yard Goats, but was promoted to Albuquerque on May 29. In his first full month with the Isotopes, Shawver appeared in seven games and recorded a 2.45 ERA across 14.2 innings. He allowed just one home run after July 1.
“The competition is definitely a big jump,” Shawver said. “Pitching in Albuquerque is a big adjustment too with the elevation. Especially when you go back to sea level. So that took some time to get used to.”
Prior to the start of the season Shawver began training with Pitching Performance Lab in Louisville. The work paid off, as he saw his ERA drop from 5.30 in 2025 to 3.18 across two levels in 2026.
“They’re a great group of guys,” he said. “They helped me build a new pitch design that I took into spring training. We had a new front office and staff this year too, and they worked with me as well. I spent a lot of time in the lab trying to get dialed in.”
As a Bearcat, Shawver made 30 career appearances and struck out 153 batters in 130.2 innings. He held opposing hitters to a .215 batting average and was eventually selected by the Rockies in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft.
“The three years there were a gamechanger for me. Going from high school baseball to college baseball is a big jump, and when you walk in as a freshman you don’t really know what it’s going to be like. My first year was 2019 when we won the conference tournament and went to an NCAA Regional, and I think that helped set me up for the rest of my career. There’s no bigger situation than that. And the development aspect too, all the strength and conditioning and arm care things I learned at Cincinnati I still use today.”
Shawver is one of three former Cincinnati players in the Rockies’ system. Jack Natili and Landyn Vidourek both finished the year with the Fresno Grizzlies, the Single-A affiliate.