2030 Minor League Players of the Year

[Borealis]

The Playoffs are in full swing - and the Rodriguez Cup is poised upon the horizon, which means it's that time of year again - Awards Season is nearly here!! But you can get a head start with your 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 (or ~gasp~ home page, and add to your CP haul) - knock yourselves out! Just a listing here is sufficient, with a link back to your blog or Front page article, 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:

• Aurora Minor League Hitter of the Year: 3B Jorge Soto (AAA)
• Aurora Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Andres Canales (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).

[KenH]

Offensive Player of the Year: 3B Yosuke "Tofu" Morimoto (AAA)
Coming into the season, many already had Yosuke penciled into the 2031 opening day lineup, however many believed he was even closer to venturing forth into his PEBA career. Morimoto did not disappoint. In what will almost definitely be his last time in minor league ball, Tofu put an exclamation point on his short stint in the junior circuit. Hitting an absurd .272/.332/.482, Morimoto put up a staggering 5.7 WAR as a 21 year old. That was good enough for 3rd best in AAA, despite being 2 or 3 years younger than those just ahead of him and in the bottom 1% of all AAA players in age.

Pitcher of the Year: SP/RP Miguel "Hot Streak" Serrano (AAA)
Serrano was a part of a larger trade two years ago with Bakersfield. While we liked his hard throwing three pitch mix, his control led many in the org to see him only as a swing man or low pressure relief option. However, due to Florida's dearth of starting pitching prospects, Serrano was thrust into a starter role with Beaufort last year. Since then, Serrano has done nothing but exceed expectations. Despite moving up a level, Serrano has reduced his BB/9 by 1.5 and increased his K/9 during that same time frame. Serrano is the pet project of Featherhead great and current Chesapeake pitching coach Chris "Moondog" York who has moved with the young Serrano over his two levels of play. Serrano is a great example of a pitcher who, when given the chance, can shine despite the lack of a pedigree.

[Underground]

Offensive Player of the Year: LF Bob Brown (A)
Competing in his first full professional season, Brown hit .251 with 32 home runs and 71 RBI. His OBP was .361 and he had a WAR of 5.9. Brown was second in the league in home runs, tied for 4th in RBI, 6th in slugging% and OPS, and 7th in WAR. He was selected to the NAFTA All-Star game in June and won the NAFTA Batter of the Month award in August. Brown was a 4th round pick last season by the Underground.

Honorable mention - Tsunayoshi Nakamura (AA) belted 33 home runs and had 100 RBI.

Pitcher of the Year: SP Luis Lopez (A)
London's 1st round pick last season, Lopez picked up right where he left off last year with a spectacular full season in A ball. Lopez started 26 games, earning an 11-3 record. His ERA was just 1.57 and his WHIP was 0.82. He struck out 8.9 per game and finished the season with a 5.2 WAR. Lopez tossed a no hitter on June 1st against the Portsmouth Dockhands. This is his second no-hitter since turning pro, having tossed on in seasonal A ball last year as well. He was selected to the NAFTA All Star game in June. On August 5th he pitched a 1 hitter, striking out 10 against the Govan Shipbuilders. This guy really seems to have nautical themes, doesn't he?

[Alleghenies]

Offensive Player of the year: 1b Francisco Lucador (AA) - Francisco is the reason the team traded Brad Davis, even though he wasn't ready for PEBA. The good news is this season in AA he has shown that GM Abcarian might have been right. In 139 games he hit 41 hr's and had 100 walks. His average was .288/.408/.584. In a rare feat he had over 100 RBI and 100 Runs scored. During the post season, he played in 14 games, had 61 PA, hit 6 hr's, 15 RBI and batted .302/.393/.660. If there is a hole in his game it still is his defense, but if you hit like him, who needs defense?


Pitcher of the year: P Juan Guerrero (AA) - While the Alleghenies have many pitching prospects and some might have even done better than Juan, the team has givent the award to Juan. Not only did he go 13-4 in 26 starts with a 2.14 ERA, he won his 3rd championship in 3 years. In his 155 innings, he struck out 217 people breaking his record of 214 last year and only walked 27 people all year. In the playoffs he went 24.2 IP gave up 2 runs, struck out 33 and walked 2. The rumors in the organization are that he won't see AAA next year, but will be sent straight to WV.

Hitter of year:
2030: 1b Francisco Lucador (AA)
2029: Javier Drake (AAA)
2028: Joey Toms (AA)
2027: Thought league was dead... Should have Francisco Rivera (AAA)
2026: Bang-xao You (AAA)
2025: Ryosei Ohayashi (AAA)
2024: Ron Copeland (A)
2023: Carlos Garza (AA)

Pitcher of year
2030: : P Juan Guerrero (AA)
2029: Orland Rubio (A)
2028: José Vazquez (A)
2027: Thought league was dead.....Should have been Alfredo Reyes (AA)
2026: Jack Mundy (AA)
2025: Alfredo Zambrano (AAA)
2024: Marcos Alcorta (A)
2023: Yovhannes Pahlevanian (AA)

[Wind Dancers]

Hitter of the Year: C Kevin Newton (AA)
"Iron Heart" spent his first full season of pro baseball with the Toyohira Fubuki where he has had an impressive 2030. As the starting catcher, Newton hit .295/.377/.452 with 29 doubles, 13 HRs, 70 RBIs. The 7th overall pick in 2029, Newton has already been given plenty of media attention and is considered a top 10 prospect by many scouts. His play with the Fubuki has led them to the Great Northern Cup where they are currently battling it out for the trophy. One of his most interesting facts about Newton's season is that he had TWO walk-off Grand Slams, both coming in June, just a few weeks apart.

Pitcher of the Year: P Daniel Hernandez (AA)
In an elite rotation, Hernandez still managed to stand out with a ridiculous 2030 season. He finished the regular season at just 10-7, but his wins lie about his overall performance. The 23-year-old finished the year with a 1.55 ERA ( a team record low), an 8 k/9, .3 HR/9, and a 2 BB/9. His 0.84 WHIP was 5th in the entire league while his ERA+ was an insane 225. Almost guaranteed a callup to AAA next season, Hernandez is also competing in the AA championship this week.


Historical Toyama Winners:
Toyama Minor League Hitter of the Year
2030:C Kevin Newton (AA)
2029:LF David Trujillo (AAA)
2028:LF David Trujillo (A)
2027:CF Pedro 'Tiger' Alvarez (AA)
2026:LF Ramiro Salinas (AAA)

Toyama Minor League Pitcher of the Year
2030:P Daniel Hernandez (AA)
2029:SP Todd Gustafson (AA)
2028:SP Silvio Bolt (AA)
2027:SP Mike Miller (AA)
2026:SP Felipe Morán (AAA)

[Vic]

Hitter of the Year: Marcos Uribe, RF, Aberdeen Golden Sands
It’s been a long time coming for Uribe, but he finally put together a meaningful season in pro ball at age 26. The left-handed power hitter slashed .239/.329/.484 with 28 homers and 75 RBIs in 121 games and 509 plate appearances for Aberdeen. He also put up 3.9 WAR to lead players who spent their full year with the Golden Sands. Second baseman Bernardo Alvarado had 6.6 WAR on the year, but most of that was achieved in the Toyama system before he came over to Aberdeen in a late July trade. Whether Uribe’s breakout will translate to a callup to Scotland next season is still up in the air, but for now he can savor the fruits of a solid season. Uribe came to the Scottish organization in 2026 when he was taken in the first round of the amateur draft, the 5th player selected, overall.




Pitcher of the Year: Keiji Honda, Closer, Aberdeen Golden Sands
Honda takes home the award for the second consecutive year, going 2-5 with 32 saves and a 1.99 ERA in 58 appearances for Aberdeen. He struck out 68 and walked 21 on the year while posting 1.7 WAR. With the departure of Claymores Closer Ken Fisher to Neo-Tokyo via trade in mid-July, Honda figures to get a shot at the job for the Claymores next season. Honda joined the Scottish system in 2028 when he was the first-round pick of the Scottish, and the 6th player selected overall.

[Zephyrs]

* Reno Minor League Hitter of the Year: 1B Leonard 'Ratchet' Inman (AAA)
* Reno Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Ji-chol Yun (AAA)

[Leones]

HAV 2030 Minor League Players of the Year

* Havana Minor League Hitter of the Year: CF Juan "Red Eye" Mendoza (R)
Mendoza posted a .939 OPS and .391 OBP alongside 43 2B and 11 3B. With only 2 HR, his speed and crafty base running skills were a key feature to his success.

* Havana Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Jorge Hernández (R)
The 18 year old Panamanian Hernandez posted an 11-0 record in the inaugural season for himself and the Taniwha. With a 1.83 ERA and 0.82 WHIP he staked his claim to a promising future and was an integral part of the club's playoff run.

[Borealis]

Aurora Announces 2030 Minor League Players of the Year
by Francis Ferry, NLN baseball beat writer

Minor League Hitter of the Year

LF Arturo Vega (AA)

Arturo Vega was a 6th round selection for the Borealis in the 2022 draft - 203rd overall, out of Wilson Springs HS and spent the bulk of the past six seasons at SLRC, with stints at Mokule'ia ('24-'25) and Gatineau ('27-'28), before settling in Quebec with the Balloonists last season. In 2029 he finally had a chance to be the primary starter and in 384 at bats hit a measly .185, but with 20-2B, 11 HR, and 51 RBI, he showed some promise. That all came to fruition this year where in 134 games he hit .261 - still not great, but his .504 SLG was reflective of career highs in 2B (24), HR (28) and RBI (82) - good enough for 4th in the PCAL in SLG, and 6th in HR and RBI and highs for the Aurora Organization. He was named to the PCAL All-Star team, he was the MVP of the Divisional Series win over Medicine Hat (7-24, 3 HR, 5 RBI) and won the Platinum Stick for LF.

All in all, it was a productive year for Arturo, and though his window of opportunity may be closing quickly, he will get a chance to move a step closer, as it'll be likely he'll begin 2031 at AAA - maybe after a chance at Spring Training.

Minor League Pitcher of the Year

SP Henry Cluett (A)

Last year it was former Win-D minor leaguer Pedro 'Sukoshi Netsu' Morales who was Aurora's Organizational Pitcher of the Year and this years selection is an easy one. Henry Cluett, who also came to Aurora as part of the infamous 'Fudd' deal (since moved on to San Juan), had one of the more impressive minor league seasons in club history. After posting a 2.35 ERA in his first year with Aurora (2028), 25 starts at SLRC, and a 2.73 ERA last year at Gatineau (29 starts), Cluett found himself back at AA this year - more a result of his age than any other factor. Instead of being disgruntled, he put his nose to the grindstone and posted a 7-5 mark, with a 2.20 ERA in 14 starts with the Balloonists, with 83 K and 12 BB in 98 IP. Once the All-Star Game passed (he was named to the All-Star team for the second straight year, but did not pitch), he was promoted to AAA Thornton, where he continued without missing a beat in 15 starts, going 8-5 for the considerably weaker FasTrax club, with a 2.66 ERA, 76 K and 13 BB over 101.2 IP. As the AAA season came to a close, Aurora, left with the choice of a September call-up, sitting at home, or a 'demotion' back to Gatineau to pitch in the GNL playoffs, chose the latter - and in four starts he was 2-2 with a 1.15 ERA, with 30 K, 7 BB in 31.1 IP and a .131 OAVG. His efforts moved the Balloonists past Sherwood Park (BAK) and the heavily favored Medicine Hat Drillers (DUL) before losing out to Toyohira (TOY).

The organization feels pretty strongly that Henry has nothing left to prove in the minors, and it anticipates he will have every opportunity to win a job in spring training - and even then having an Opening day rotation spot - barring changes happening during the offseason. There's even been rumors that Mr. Cluett's season isn't quite over, and with the injuries Aurora has suffered during this current playoff run, Henry might just see his first major league action as playoff action. Either way, fans on The Front Range can definitely expect to see this young star sooner than later - much sooner.


Previous Winners:
Aurora Minor League Hitter of the Year
2029: LF Arturo Vega (AA)
2029: RF Stewart 'Litterbug' Arundale (AA/AAA)
2028: 3B Jorge Soto (AA)
2027: LF Ricardo Zamora (AAA)
2026: DH Michizane Shini (AAA/AA)
2025: LF Roberto 'Fudd' Martinez (AAA/AA)
2024: LF Roberto 'Fudd' Martinez (AA/A)
2023: C Manny 'Fido' 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 'Big Whiskey' Britt (AA)
2014: 2B John 'Gypsy' Foster (AA)
2013: 1B Ken Coleman (AAA)

Aurora Minor League Pitcher of the Year
2030: SP Henry Cluett (AAA/AA)
2029: SP Pedro 'Sukoshi Netsu' Morales (A/AA)
2028: SP Andres Canales (A)
2027: SP Jesus Solis (AAA)
2026: SP Robert Thomas (AA)
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.

[Sandgnats]

Minor League Hitter of the Year

CF Héctor Limón (RL)

Mogadishu Pirates Rookie League CF Héctor Limón notched a 22 game hitting streak in his first year of professional baseball after being a 2027 international free agent signing. At 19 years of age Héctor batted .352/.434/.552/.986 with 12 home runs. He won the IBC Batter of the Month Award for September and the player of the week award on 8/19/30.

Minor League Pitcher of the Year

SP José Durango (A)

The 2026 first-year player draft (Round 15, Pick 26, 405th overall pick) out of Seton Hall played SA and A this season. Also known as Mr. Irrelevant, José the nephew of Scouting Director, Pablo Durango was picked up by the Gnats in 2028 after being released by both West Virginia and Aurora.

In SA he posted a record of 5-2 with a 1.30 ERA and .87 WHIP. His FIP stood at 2.28 and 21Ks to 7BBs. In single-A ball, José recorded a record of 11-3 with a 2.90 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. His FIP was 2.65 with 44Ks to 10BBs.

[Ghosts]

Bakersfield Minor League Players of the Year

Several candidates were very close to the offensive minor league player of the year award, including SS Guillermo Colón (2029 Bear Cub Hitter of the Year), C Mauro Mata, and 2B Armando Garcia. Ultimately, we're awarding OF Lenny Horrocks of AA Sherwood Park. In his 23-year-old season and his first full season of AA, Horrocks played in both left and right field and played both well. More importantly he hit .263/.352/.497 and amassed 29 HRs and 6.5 WAR, both tops in the Bakersfield

There were also several deserving candidates for the minor league pitcher of the year award, including SP Francisco Robles (not that one), SP Miguel Martinez, SP Larry Hicks, and RP Sakutaro Fujita, but ultimately the teenage ace of the Mamajuanas comes out on top: SP Antonio Sandoval. In 17 starts, including 9 in the Mamajuanas very hitter-friendly park, Sandoval posted a 2.85 ERA (137 ERA+), 2.87 FIP (73 FIP-), 10.6 K/9, 4.1 K/BB, and 2.9 WAR (organization leading). A 2028 IFA, Sandoval was one of the first prospects acquired by the current FO, and in his debut season has shown stuff that outclasses many of his teenage peers across the rookie league. While it's unclear if his ceiling is PEBA-worthy, it's clear that Sandoval earned the attention of Bakersfield's FO with his performance.


Bear Cubs of Yesteryear:

Hitter of the Year:
2030: OF Lenny Horrocks (AA)
2029: SS Guillermo Colón (AA)
2028: 1B Clyde Stinton (AAA) (traded to SS)

Pitcher of the Year:
2030: SP Antonio Sandoval (R)
2029: SP José Ortíz (AAA) (traded to NT)
2028: SP George Farleigh (AAA) (traded to LON)

[Evas]

• SS Minor league hitter of the Year 1B Jeremy Craig (AA)
• SS Minor League Pitcher of the Year SP Takesi Ishikawa (AAA)

1B Jeremy Craig had a breakout season at age 24 in AAA - winning both the 2030 GNL AA PCAL Platinum Stick Award at RF and the 2030 GNL AA PCAL Outstanding Hitter Award, as well as being selected to the 2030 Great Northern League All-Star Game. He slashed .290/.393/1.017, hit 42 HR in 573 PA and posted 7.1 WAR. Just an outstanding season. Next up is AAA for Craig, though that could wind up being a pretty brief stint if he keeps this pace up. Scouts are mixed in their opinion of him. The gang at OSA are flatly unimpressed. Where as SS Scouting Director Yi see the talent to be a good starting 1B in PEBA, at least offensively. If he can improve a bit defensively, his chances of landing a job in PEBA would go up dramatically.

Ishikawa had an excellent season in the first year of the IBC. His dramatic improvement over 2029, is a testament to how needed a Rookie level was. Takesi went 10-3 with an ERA+ of 170 and generated 3.2 WAR over 18 starts (113 IP). He has a very long way to go to get to the show. But he's off to a promising start.

Follow Up on 2030's winners:
C Connor 'Click' Clavell went on to be a solid contributor at the PEBA level as a backup to star catcher Marvin Hansen. He posted a .246/.346/.717 stat line with 1.5WAR over 214 PA. He seems to have a bright future as a solid PEBA level contributor.

SP Andrew Thornton was again bitten by the injury bug in 2030. After only 1 IP, he suffered Rotator Cuff Inflammation and went on to miss all of April, May, and June. He was solid when he returned in July. Over 12 starts and 61.0 IP, he posted an ERA of 3.25 and a FIP of 3.01. Scouts remain divided on his future, but he continued to produce when given the opportunity.

Historical SS Winners:
Shin Seiki Minor League Hitter of the Year
2030: 1B Jeremy Craig (AA)
2029: C Connor Clavell (A)
2028: C Bob Peña (A)
2027: 3B Chor-min Park (AA)
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: 2B Takane Chikafuji (A)
2018: 3B Kiyohisa Kudo (AAA)
2017: 1B Hidemichi Okubo (AAA)
2016: 2B Shihi Suzuki (AAA)
2015: 1B Mitsunari Suzuki (AAA)
2014: LF Ryozo Takeuchi (AAA)

Shin Seiki Minor League Pitcher of the Year
2030: SP Takesi Ishikawa (AAA
2029: SP Andrew Thornton (AAA)
2028: SP Sandy Garza (AAA)
2027: SP Orlando Trujillo (AAA)
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: SP Hideyori Tanaka (A)
2018: SP Eitoku Tamura (AAA)
2017: SP Eitoku Tamura (AAA)
2016: SP Noboru 'Hack' Sakamoto (AAA)
2015: SP Koki Watanabe (AAA)
2014: SP Kawanari Masuda (AAA)

[Lions]

• Kalamazoo Minor League Hitter of the Year: C Claudio Pérez (AA/AAA)
• Kalamazoo Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP John 'Domingo Hernández' Ross (AA)

There was a time not long ago when real questions were bantered around over Pérez's stature as one of BNN's top prospects. He was ranked among the top 5 prospects in all of PEBA each of the past three seasons, but his minor league numbers didn't match the tools that scouts saw. The analytics devotees cried that all those tools are meaningless until the play on the field matches the eye test. As a 24 year old starting the year in AA, Pérez got a chance to make or break it. He broke it. Pérez treated AA pitching like a pinball machine flashing "TILT", posting a 260 OPS+ before Kalamazoo brass showed mercy on AA pitchers and promoted him to AAA. After a bit of an adjustment, he managed a "measly" 168 OPS+ in AAA, finally earning a final week call up to the big leagues. He's unlikely to hit for the average that saw him post those gaudy minor league numbers, but he's done enough to convince the team that, at age 25 next year, they might as well just let him play and see how he does.

Ross was the slightly controversial 3rd overall pick in the 2029 draft, but the Badgers liked him and his assortment of high potential pitches. He also throws ridiculously hard, which can cover a multitude of sins. As such, Ross got hurt in his 11th professional start with SS-A Ketchikan, then spent the winter rehabbing. He was ready to go in the spring, and showed enough that the team thumbed their nose at single A and sent him straight to AA Hamilton. Turns out he was ready. He went 14-7 with a 2.24 ERA (152 ERA+) and over 200 strikeouts in 157 innings. His FIP was 1.64. There's still untapped potential to be found in Ross' arsenal, and if he can tap into all of that, he'll be in the PEBA in no time.

[Akira]

• Neo-Tokyo Minor League Hitter of the Year: 2B Joe Riley (AAA)

20 HR/59 RBI/ 3 WAR

• Neo-Tokyo Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Ernesto Martinez (AAA)

Went 13-1/1.48 ERA/5.3 WAR in AAA before being called up to ML and going 8-3

[Arroyos]

The Yuma organization announces its MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR:

SP GIL MILLER, Kivalina (S-A)

10-5 ... 2.44 ERA

2B VAUGHN DAVIDSON, Calgary (AA)

.261/.340/.441 with 20 HRs