SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- It's the most coveted award in the Arizona Fall League -- but it's not the MVP award. The Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award is the laurel that carries the most meaning, coupled with the most poignancy.

On the night of Wednesday, Nov. 19, prior to the Peoria Javelinas' game against the host Scottsdale Scorpions, the league will bestow its fifth annual Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award upon one of its six finalists.

Created in 2004 in memory of the late Cincinnati Reds outfield prospect, who was killed during the 2003 Arizona Fall League season, the award has been given annually since 2004 to the player who best exemplifies unselfishness, hard work and leadership.

Last year's recipient, Chicago Cubs outfield prospect Sam Fuld, summed up what it meant to him to receive the award just a few days before he also brought home the MVP trophy.

"It's a huge honor, not only to be honored in the name of what a great person Dernell Stenson was but to be in the company of the guys who won it previously means a lot to me," Fuld said. "I think everyone is so concerned with numbers, but I think it's unappreciated sometimes, what it means to have a good work ethic."

The manager and coaches of each of the six AFL teams chose one nominee from their own clubs, from which a single winner is then selected.

Last year, Mesa manager Dave Clark explained why Fuld was their choice. "This kid plays the game like it's supposed to be played," said Clark, who had not met Fuld before the season but had heard about him. "I had talked to his [Double-A Tennessee] manager, Pat Listach, before the season and he told me I'd fall in love with the kid. He just exemplifies what this award is all about."

Here is a look at the six finalists for the 2008 award:

Jason Donald, IF (Philadelphia Phillies)
Mesa Solar Sox
A shortstop by trade, this third-round pick out of the University of Arizona in 2006 has been working on his third-base skills in the AFL, as the World Champion Phillies already have a strong double-play combination in the big leagues. Donald batted .307 with 14 home runs and 54 RBIs at Double-A Reading this season and represented the United States in the Summer Olympics. Though the Stenson nomination isn't necessarily about level of play, he is also hitting .422 with four homers and 16 RBIs, along with a .747 slugging percentage, for Mesa in the fall campaign.

Kevin Russo, 2B (New York Yankees)
Peoria Javelinas
Russo has been the Javelinas' do-everything guy, seeing time at shortstop, second base, third base and in left field ... all while hitting .316 with two home runs and 13 RBIs. Signed out of Baylor, he hit .281 with 19 stolen bases at Class A Advanced Tampa in 2007, his first full season. This year he batted .307 in 71 games at Trenton, but missed two months mid-season due to injury, prompting his assignment to the AFL to make up for lost at-bats.

Mike Baxter, OF (San Diego Padres)
Peoria Saguaros
A fourth-round pick out of Vanderbilt in 2005, Baxter started the AFL campaign as a member of Peoria's taxi squad before being activated to full-time status. He is hitting .408 with three homers and 20 RBIs in just 19 games. During the regular season, Baxter split time between Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio, hitting a combined .264 with nine homers and 65 RBIs.

Eric Young, Jr., OF (Colorado Rockies)
Phoenix Desert Dogs
The son of former Rockies All-Star Eric Young, Sr., Eric Jr. spent the AFL campaign as the Desert Dogs' center fielder, learning the ropes at a new position after having played almost exclusively at second base in the Minors. Though he missed a week down the stretch with a sore hamstring, he is a top MVP candidate with a .424 average, three homers (two of them grand slams) and a league-high 19 stolen bases. He's been caught just once.

Chris Pettit, OF (Los Angeles Angels)
Scottsdale Scorpions
Pettit, who lost the first three months of the 2008 season to a broken foot suffered on Opening Night, came to Arizona to shake off the rust and regain his stroke. He's done both, hitting .356 with three homers, 17 RBIs and seven stolen bases while reaching base at a .416 clip. He was the Angels' Minor League Player of the Year in 2007, his first full season.

Lucas May, C (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Surprise Rafters
An eighth-round pick from 2003, May is hitting .192 with a home run and six RBIs as the most frequently used catcher for the Rafters. He spent 2008 at Double-A Jacksonville, where he hit .230 with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs in 107 games.

Prior to Fuld, previous winners were current fall league participant Kevin Frandsen of the Giants in 2006, Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier in 2005, and current Kansas City outfielder Mark Teahen in 2004. Both Ethier and Teahen, since traded, represented the Oakland Athletics at Phoenix at the time of their selection.

Dernell Stenson died Nov. 5, 2003, in what is believed to have been a carjacking. Four men were arrested for the crime, while two were convicted and are serving life sentences, one without the possibility of parole. One is serving an eight-year sentence for lesser charges and the charges were dropped against the fourth, who was a protected federal witness.