2026 Minor League Players of the Year

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Borealis
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2026 Minor League Players of the Year

#1 Post by Borealis »

As we all eagerly await the outcome of Game 7 of the PEC - and the crowning of a First-Time PEBA Champ, we are rolling into that time of year - Awards Season, leading off with our individual Organization Awards for top Minor League Hitter and Pitcher!! You know the routine... If you want to do a bigger posting in you blogs (and add to your CP haul) - just a listing here and a link back to your blog is fine.

Please use the following formatting when you make your announcement. Make sure to list players by their hyperlinked name, current full position (e.g. "SP" rather than just "P", "CF" rather than just "OF") and league level as listed in OOTP:
Proper formatting of awards announcement wrote:
  • Arlington Minor League Hitter of the Year: CF Ken Shoemaker (AAA)
  • Arlington Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP José Avalos (AAA)
Qualifications for Minor League Player of the Year Award
  • Players must have been in your organization since the start of the major league season (i.e. players acquired during the season through the draft or via trade are excluded from candidacy).
  • Players must have at least 300 PA (batters), or 10 starts or 40 appearances (pitchers) at the minor league level.
  • Players must not be older than 26 (or must have turned 27 after July 1).
Michael Topham, President Golden Entertainment & President-CEO of the Aurora Borealis
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Re: 2026 Minor League Players of the Year

#2 Post by kiersteadmo »

Duluth Minor League Player Awards 2026


Duluth Minor League Hitter of the Year: 3B Francisco Muñóz (AAA)
Duluth Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Masamichi Kono (AAA)
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Re: 2026 Minor League Players of the Year

#3 Post by Sandgnats »

Crystal Lake Minor League Player Awards 2026

Minor League Hitter of the Year: 1B Will Smith AA Brampton
Minor League Pitcher of the Year: RP Greg Hughes AA Brampton
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Re: 2026 Minor League Players of the Year

#4 Post by Wind Dancers »

Toyama Minor League Player Awards 2026


Toyama Minor League Hitter of the Year: LF Ramiro Salinas (AAA)
Toyama Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Felipe Morán (AAA)
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Re: 2026 Minor League Players of the Year

#5 Post by Zephyrs »

Reno Minor League Player Awards 2016

Reno Minor League Hitter of the Year: 3B José Martínes (AAA)
Reno Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Toby Ayers (AAA)
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Re: 2026 Minor League Players of the Year

#6 Post by Borealis »

Aurora Announces 2026 Minor League Players of the Year
by Francis Ferry, NLN baseball beat writer
Minor League Hitter of the Year
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DH Michizane Shini (A)
The story of Michi Shini is an intriguing one – perhaps a story not too removed from that of former-Borealis and current-Duluthian Harley Schneider – don’t give up on those late draft-day picks.

Schneider was a 13th round selection by Aurora in 2017 and was promptly cut due to roster space – was in Kentucky, then Charleston, before recapturing Aurora’s eye, gaining trade value and ultimately becoming a major cog in Duluth’s title chase. Yeah… Maybe 14th round pick Shini will turn out the same.

Out of the same school as the previous two-year’s winner, ‘Fudd’ Martinez (Ciefuegos), Shini was selected for the similarities he shared with a current Borealis high-draft pick: Pedro Ferringo: good contact, ok power, decent eye, a good baserunner – though Michi doesn’t have the speed of Ferringo, and little defensive ability – to the point where he’ll be a career DH, much as Pedro has been.

A four-year starter at Ciefuegos, Shini hit .295 with a .784 OPS. After last year’s draft, Shini played 26 games at Mokule’ia, where he hit .260 with 3 homers and 19 RBI, and then was shipped to the Sonoran Desert, south of Yuma, south of the border, where he played in 55 more games and hit just .225, but with 8 HR and 16 RBI. Aurora brass figured those numbers weren’t too bad, considering the 14th round selection, but come this year – still at SLRC, Michi started 109 games and hit .288 with an astonishing 17 HRs and 58 RBI. His .288 was best in the organization for anyone with more than 250 AB, his homerun total was second best (equally surprising – and award runner-up, Suezo Kato had 20), and the RBI total was 3rd best (behind Kato and Bonsall).

What Michizane’s future may have in store for him is still to be seen, but his excellent season has him moved onto the AA roster at Gatineau (along with Kato), where his numbers would surpass everyone currently on that roster. GM Will Topham said at the time of the draft that he was going out on a whim because of the comparisons to Ferringo – and perhaps that ‘feeling’ is slowly moving in the direction of panning out. We shall see, but with another solid year at AA in 2027… who knows, but stranger things have happened – just as Harley.

Minor League Pitcher of the Year
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RP Robert Thomas (AA)
If the story of Michizane Shini wasn’t strange enough, then let’s look at the pitching winner: Robert Thomas, who, after four-years playing for Central Florida, went undrafted in the 2023 draft. Looking for additional minor league pitching depth, Aurora signed him as a minor league free agent shortly after the draft and was assigned to Short A Mokule’ia.

After a reasonably successful college career – three-years as a reliever, then as a starter his senior year, Robert was 8-4, with 3 saves, a 3.02 ERA with 128 K in 125 IP. Control was a big concern with Big League scouts, and his career 59 walks kind of proved the point that his 1.25 WHIP suggested. That said, as a starter in that senior year, he posted a 2.71 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, so he certainly improved.

His first year at Mokule’ia was a mixed bag of starts and relief appearances, but in 2024 he posted a 1.89 ERA in 30 relief appearances (59 IP), and made the All-Star team. In 2025 he was promoted to SLRC, where in 29 appearances and 43 IP he had a 2.51 ERA and had his WHIP under 1.00, at 0.91. This year, after a early promotion to Gatineau, he made 42 AA appearances and had 18 saves in the closer role, with a 2.20 ERA, 76 K and a 0.82 WHIP in 57 IP. The coaches may still question his control and feel like he doesn’t get much movement on his pitches, but his devastating change looks to be enough to keep batters off-balance.

The progression seems to be that Thomas will begin 2027 at AAA Thornton, but for now Thomas remains on the AA roster. Where the 25-year old (come the start of the season) will be once spring training is over, is a question, but what this year’s award winners have made clear is this: sometimes actions speak louder than expectations.


Previous Winners:
Aurora Minor League Hitter of the Year
2025: LF Roberto 'Fudd' Martinez (AAA/AA)
2024: LF Roberto 'Fudd' Martinez (AA/A)
2023: C Manny Castro (AAA)
2022: 2B Pablo Medrano (AAA)
2021: 2B Gabriel McIntyre (AAA)
2020: 2B Jack Speed (AAA)
2019: C Miguel Angel Gálvez (AAA)
2018: OF Paul Carlisle (AAA)
2017: C Rusty Butler (AAA)
2016: LF Artie Thompson (AA/A)
2015: 3B Mike Britt (AA)
2014: 2B John 'Gypsy' Foster (AA)
2013: 1B Ken Coleman (AAA)

Aurora Minor League Pitcher of the Year
2025: SP Billy Taylor (AAA)
2024: SP Sam Gordon (AAA)
2023: CL Xavier Díaz (AA)
2022: CL Júlio Martínez (AA)
2021: CL Manuel Galloca (AAA)
2020: MR John Gray (AAA)
2019: SP Hyeon-Cheong Yong (AAA)
2018: SP Hyeon-Cheong Yong (AAA)
2017: SP Edgardo Rojas (AAA)
2016: CL Terry Burns (AA)
2015: SP Chris Graves (AAA)
2014: SP Christian George (S A)
2013: SP Nathan O'Reilly (AA)


NOTE: I've listed previous winners here because, aside for record purposes, the links for all previous winners (2014-2019) are broken.
Michael Topham, President Golden Entertainment & President-CEO of the Aurora Borealis
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Re: 2026 Minor League Players of the Year

#7 Post by Denny »

A custodian cleaning General Manager Denny Hills' office has discovered a tear-stained document listing the Codgers' 2026 minor league players of the year hidden beneath a box of tissues on the desk, apparently never having been forwarded to league officials...

Palm Springs Minor League Player Awards 2026
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The team's Hitter of the Year for 2026 is the first ever to hail from the Netherlands. A native of the town of Korendijk, 'RVD' signed with Palm Springs in 2020 after a previous contract with Niihama-Shi was declared null and void. After a few years of seasoning at the Codgers' international complex in Santiago, Chile, van Driel began working his way up the ladder, and finally exploded in 2026, cracking 18 home runs for National City and being named to the High-A NAFTA All-Star Game. Still just 23, van Driel has been promoted to Edmonton for the coming season and is surely destined for great things.

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Riddle's path to the Palm Springs system was a bit of an enigma. Drafted by Tempe in 2023 while that club was still a part of PEBA, he was inexplicably released a year later and cycled through various WIL teams briefly before signing with the Codgers as a free agent in late 2024. He wasted no time from that point, being named to the NAFTA All-Star team the following season. Elevated to AA Edmonton for 2026, he led the club in ERA, strikeouts, and wins while being named to the Great Northern League All-Star team, and finished as runner-up in the 2026 GNL AA PCAL Outstanding Pitcher Award voting. He will start 2027 at AAA Provo, and looks to have a bright future ahead.

Historical PS Winners:
Palm Springs Minor League Hitter of the Year
2026: 2B Reuben van Driel (AA)
2025: No selection
2024: RF Shane Willis (AAA)
2023: No selection
2022: LF Thomas Woods (AA)
2021: CF Chandler Pitts (AA)
2020: RF Tony Velázquez (AA)
2019: RF Felipe 'El Niño' Días (AAA)
2018: RF Felipe 'El Niño' Días (A)
2017: LF Troy Austin (AAA)
2016: RF Alexander O'Neal (AA)
2015: 1B David Lambert (AA)
2014: 2B Nick Dunlop (AA)

Palm Springs Minor League Pitcher of the Year
2026: SP Bob Riddle (AA)
2025: No selection
2024: SP Edgardo Guerra (AA)
2023: No selection
2022: SP Victor McKay (AAA)
2021: SP Juan García (A)
2020: MR Cleve Douglas (AAA)
2019: MR Joseph Lloyd (AAA)
2018: SP Bob Whitaker (AA)
2017: SP José Campos (AAA)
2016: CL Hisamitsu Suzuki (A)
2015: MR Larry 'Hulk' Taylor (AAA)
2014: CL Ed Emery (AA)
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Re: 2026 Minor League Players of the Year

#8 Post by Alleghenies »

WV Minor League player of the year awards for 2026:

Batter: Bang-xao You (AAA)
Pitcher: Jack Mundy (AA)
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Re: 2026 Minor League Players of the Year

#9 Post by Evas »

Hawkins is a bit of a controversial choice here. He was an absolute phenomenon in AA, posting an absurd 24HR, .620 SLG, 184 OPS+ and 4.5 WAR in only 291 PA. He then promptly face planted in AAA hitting 0.180 with a 67 OPS+. He still managed 1.3 WAR over those 246 PA, mostly due to his plus-plus glove in in both CF and at SS - a truly rare and valuable combination. His AA and AAA stints combined for a second straight 5.8 WAR season. If he can manage a bit more contact, his glove and power should get him plenty of opportunity in Shin Seiki, where nothing looks certain at either SS or CF beyond 2027.

On the pitching side, Jorge Castillo was an easy choice. The Evas' top SP prospect showed he is almost ready for the bigs by posting a dominating line - 2.36 ERA, 1.12 WIP, 9.4 K/9, 2.29 FIP, 66.6 QS% - despite a somewhat high .325 BABIP. As good as he was in AAA, he struggled in PEBA posting a miserable 6.04 ERA in 4 starts. He'll start 2027 in AAA again, but the Evas' front office hopes he forces some tough decisions soon.

Historical SS Winners:
Shin Seiki Minor League Hitter of the Year
2026: SS SS Bryant 'Mjølnir' Yamada' Hawkins (AA)
2025: 2B Errol Landry (AAA)
2024: 2B Errol Landry (AAA)
2023: RF Rowan 'Bleeder' Stuart (SS-A)
2022: RF Rowan 'Bleeder' Stuart (SS-A)
2021: SS Torazo Kodama (SS-A)
2020: SS Torazo Kodama (SS-A)
2019: ? Maybe C Dani Mendoza (SS-A) ? Not sure.
2018: ? Maybe C Kitahachi Mori (A) ? Not sure.
2017: ? Maybe RF Ogai Kato (A) ? Not sure.
2016: ? Maybe 2B Shihi Suzuki (AAA) ? Not sure.
2015: 1B Mitsunari Suzuki (AAA)
2014: LF Ryozo Takeuchi (AAA)

Shin Seiki Minor League Pitcher of the Year
2026: SP Jorge Castillo (AAA)
2025: SP Soetsu Hirai (AAA)
2024: SP Soetsu Hirai (AAA)
2023: RP Millard Norman (SS-A)
2022: RP Juro 'Tempo' Sumita (SS-A)
2021: SP Arinori Mochizuki (AAA)
2020: SP Arinori Mochizuki (AAA)
2019: ? Maybe SP Hideyori Tanaka (A) ? Not sure.
2018: ? Maybe SP Eitoku Tamura (AAA) ? Not sure.
2017: SP Eitoku Tamura (AAA)
2016: SP Noboru 'Hack' Sakamoto (AAA)
2015: SP Koki Watanabe (AAA)
2014: SP Kawanari Masuda (AAA)
Kevin V. - GM of the Shin Seiki Evas.
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Re: 2026 Minor League Players of the Year

#10 Post by MikeB »

DEJA VU FOR SAN JUAN MINOR HONORS


San Juan's minor league award ceremony looked much like last season.

Cuban righthander Fernando Castro continued his rise through the minors with a standout year in 2026 earning his second San Juan Minor League Pitcher of the Year trophy. The 22-year old led the Atlantic Alliance (AA) in e.r.a. (1.62), shutouts (tied-3) and strikeouts to walks (6.3) posting a 10-2 mark. Shortly after pitching a perfect game on July 2, he was promoted to Santo Domingo (AAA) where he went 4-2, 3.08.

The Minor League Hitter of the Year again went to César Herrera who led Santurce (AA) to a division title. The Puerto Rico native didn't amass as many league trophies as he did in A-ball in 2025 but he did earn all-star honors and captured his second Glove Wizard at first base. He hit .260 with a .354 OBP and 28 home runs.
Mike Best
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