LAKE MARY, Fla.- The long reliever is perhaps the least glamorous of all pitching roles - not a starter, not a closer, but just as important. And in 2024, no pitcher in the Florida League was more successful in a long relief role than the DeLand Suns' Joel Core (Bethune-Cookman).

Core proved to be one of the top relief pitchers in the Florida League, and was selected by league officials as the 2024 Florida League Reliever of the Year. Core is just the second member of the Suns to win the league's top relief pitcher award, joining former Seminole State righthander Reilly Monkman, who won the award as a member of DeLand's 2012 championship team.

Core was called upon nine times in the regular season for the Suns, and showed dominant strikeout ability. The righthander struck out 37 hitters in 21.2 innings, becoming the first Florida League pitcher in 12 years to throw more than 20 innings with a K/9 of 15 or better. Core was the winning pitcher three times during the 2024 season, and ended the campaign with an ERA of 2.49 and an opposing batting average of .169.

From June 29 on, Core was essentially unhittable, allowing just one unearned run over his final 15 regular season innings. The final two of these appearances showed his abilities in an extended role, as the righthander tossed four innings without an eared run against Winter Garden on July 13, and another 4.2 scoreless innings in DeLand's win over Sanford on July 19, which clinched the team's spot as the third seed in the FCSL Playoffs.

The Kissimmee native then played a major role in getting the Suns to their first Florida League Championship Series since the 2018 season. Core came on in Game 1 of the FCSL Semifinals against the favored Winter Garden Squeeze, and tossed two innings before the game's suspension to help ensure a win for the Suns in a series DeLand would go on to sweep.

Core was then sensational in Game 2 of the Florida League Championship Series, his longest outing of the summer. The Bethune-Cookman Wildcat, who entered with two outs in the top of the first, struck out seven hitters over 6.1 scoreless innings, keeping the Suns' hopes alive before finally falling to the Lightning in the decisive game 2.

Despite never starting a game, Core ranked second in the Florida League with 37 strikeouts, and was one of just nine pitchers to win three games or more. He also ranked second in the league in batting average against, trailing only fellow Sun pitcher Haro Baez (Bethune-Cookman).

Core's long relief prowess played a major role in getting the DeLand Suns back to the Florida League's biggest stage, making him a worthy winner of the 2024 Reliever of the Year Award.

This week, the Florida League will be unveiling our yearly award winners. The schedule of awards is as follows:
Monday: Coach of the Year- Rich Billings
Tuesday: David Eckstein Sportsmanship Award- Tripp Landers
Wednesday: Reliever of the Year- Joel Core
Thursday: Player of the Year
Friday: Pitcher of the Year
Saturday: All-Florida League
Sunday: Randy Harvey Umpire of the Year