2029 Minor League Players of the Year

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2029 Minor League Players of the Year

#1 Post by 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:
Proper formatting of awards announcement wrote:
  • 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).
Michael Topham, President Golden Entertainment & President-CEO of the Aurora Borealis
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Re: 2029 Minor League Players of the Year

#2 Post by Sandgnats »

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Re: 2029 Minor League Players of the Year

#3 Post by Wind Dancers »

For the 2nd year in a row, outfielder David ‘Hands’ Trujillo walks away with the Toyama Minor League Hitter of the Year award. After splitting time in AA/A last season, Trujillo’s callup to AAA was expected but such dominance at a higher level is very much a welcomed surprise. The 25-year-old was drafted 51st overall back in 2026 and has been a strong run producer despite a partially torn labrum in the same season. 2029 saw Trujillo hit .313 with 20 HRs and 70 RBIs leading the Yokohama Plumbers to an Ambassador’s Cup win. His excellence performance also earned him the RML Platinum Stick Award in LF while coming up short as 3rd in voting for the Outstanding Hitter Award all while also being the team’s captain. Trujillo has ensured a spring callup in 2030 and likely a spot on the 26-man roster.

On the mound, SP Todd Gustafson earned the Toyama Minor League Pitcher of the Year award during his time in Toyohira. After being drafted 104th overall in 2026, Gustafson tore his rotator cuff causing him to miss 20 months of baseball throwing his career as a whole in jeopardy. But Gustafson came back better than ever with outstanding seasons for the past 2 years. Pitching for the AA Toyohira Fubuki this season, Gustafson went a solid 15-9 with a 1.98 ERA and 0.80 WHIP. While his stamina has significantly dropped due to his injury Todd’s superior control, locker room attitude, and health since 2026 is an obvious factor to his likely move to AAA next season.



Historical Toyama Winners:
Toyama Minor League Hitter of the Year
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
2029:SP Todd Gustafson (AA)
2028:SP Silvio Bolt (AA)
2027:SP Mike Miller (AA)
2026:SP Felipe Morán (AAA)
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Re: 2029 Minor League Players of the Year

#4 Post by Lions »

The debate over minor league hitter of the year came down to three 22 year olds. C Robinson Martínez (SS-A), CF Raúl Reyes (A), and RF Juan Carlos Ornelza (AAA). All three put up strong numbers in their environment. Reyes' offensive numbers looked a bit weaker given NAFTA, but he also played superb defense in center. In the end, though, Ornelza gets the nod for putting up his numbers at the highest minor league level and for killing it in the postseason. While he hit .277 with 23 HR's and 44 SB's in the regular season, he took it to another level in the playoffs. He hit .405 with 7 extra base hits, including 5 home runs, over 11 games. He stole a pair of bases and posted a 1.278 OPS.

Orozco is also 22 years old and just spent his 3rd season at AAA, although injuries have kept him from pitching full seasons the past two seasons. This year, he was healthy and effective, going 13-9 with a 2.29 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. He struck out 182 batters in 177 IP. The highlight of the year was his no-hitter on 7/12 against the Sioux Falls Lakota, who had a pretty decent offense this year.
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Re: 2029 Minor League Players of the Year

#5 Post by Borealis »

Aurora Announces 2029 Minor League Players of the Year
by Francis Ferry, NLN baseball beat writer
Minor League Hitter of the Year
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RF Stewart 'Litterbug' Arundale (AA/AAA)
In a year where offense was non-existent in the Aurora farm system, the Borealis' top pick in 2028 (34th overall), Stewart Arundale was the exception. Drafted as a 'Pedro Ferringo clone' (low power, high average and speed), Arundale spent the first third of the 2029 campaign at AA Gatineau, where he hit .323 with 3 HR for the Balloonists. Then he was promoted to AAA Thornton, with some in the organization suggesting that success there would lead to a call up to the Big Club, but that didn't materialize. He struggled for a few weeks, hitting .232 before he confessed to a sore elbow, that landed him on the DL for 6 weeks. His hitting improved some upon his return, finishing the year, post injury at .293, giving him a AAA average of .252. He had 11-2B, a 7-3B and a homer for the FasTrax, and on the year was 19-24 in SB. Where the Ferringo comparison's end is with the defense, as Stewart's defense is limited mostly to RF, but 836 innings in the outfield (plus 2 innings at 1B) he committed 1 error in 236 chances, with 14 assists. Arundale will no doubt get a Spring invite and be given every opportunity to make the club - especially if potential FA Tomas Flores leaves the club.

Minor League Pitcher of the Year
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SP Pedro 'Sukoshi Netsu' Morales (A)
'Sukoshi Netsu', as they fondly thought of him in the Toyama farm system, come to Aurora as part of the 'Fudd' deal, and he's done nothing but deal. Overshadowed by the bigger name Aurora received in that trade (Henry Cluett), Morales has been nothing but exceptional for Aurora. Last year, at Mokule'ia he was 6-1 with a 1.60 ERA, with 100 K in 84 IP. This year, starting at SLRC, he was 11-4 with a 2.18 ERA in 19 starts, 109 K in 110 IP, and a tidy 0.93 WHIP. He was promoted to Gatineau - and was better! 4-1, with a 1.55 ERA and 44 K in 40 IP. At 21, there's little expectation for Pedro to be pitching for Aurora for at least another year, but one would expect he'll begin 2030 at Gatineau, with a trip to Thornton by mid-season a likelihood, should he continue to impress.


Previous Winners:
Aurora Minor League Hitter of the Year
2029: RF Stewart 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 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
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.
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Re: 2029 Minor League Players of the Year

#6 Post by Zephyrs »

Reno Minor League Hitter of the Year: SS Shane Bowman (AA)
Reno Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Ji-Chol Yun (AAA)

Shane Bowman didn't have eye-poping numbers but, he was the best we had. The former 1st round pick is certain to go the path of the dozen or so first rounders fail to have any kind of big league impact. He did manage 21 home runs and 76 RBI's.

Ji-Chol Yun had a solid season at Triple-A. He posted a 9-11 record and 2.91 ERA were enough to get him the nod. Maybe he can pitch with the Zephyrs next season. We would kill to have a sub 3 ERA guy.
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Re: 2029 Minor League Players of the Year

#7 Post by Leones »

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Re: 2029 Minor League Players of the Year

#8 Post by Evas »

Clavell was acquired in December 2028 from the Bakersfield Bears in exchange for a 2029 4th round draft pick. In most respects, he exceeded expectations in a first season in the SS system. Scouts have been skeptical of his potential both offensively and defensively. Clavell will likely never hit .300, or even .280 for that matter. But he should get on base consistently as his 14.4 BB% and .372 OBP demonstrated. He also has decent power - 15 HR and .454 SLG in 438 PA's. The biggest question on Clavell though is his glove. Scouts view him as only an average defender with an average arm. His 2029 stats hint that he might have more talent than that. His +2.2 ZR, 28.4 CS%, and 2.56 CERA would be good enough if he can keep it up at the PEBA level. With long time Eva stalwart German Hernandez reportedly seeking a $200M+ extension at age 33, Clavell just might get that opportunity in SS in 2030.

Some years picking a MiL Pitcher of the year is easy. This is not one of those years. A flurry of trades left the Shin Seiki system almost entirely devoid of eligible high performing players who project to make a PEBA level impact. That said, someone has to win. So 25 year old SP Andrew Thornton, for once, catches a lucky break. Thorton was drafted by SS in the 5th round in 2023. Shortly after, he was knocked out for the balance of the season when he required surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow. He showed consistent development from 2024 through 2025 in Atsumi as a reliever. 2026 had him making the jump back starting, and he stepped up - delivering an excellent 137 ERA+ over 11 starts. That earned him a promotion to Marduk, where he struggled for the rest of the season (albeit at only age 21). He recovered nicely in 2027, posting a very solid 121 ERA+ in 27 starts. That earned him a promotion to AA for 2028. Disaster struck in early 2028 when he completely blew out his elbow - knocking him out for a staggering 14 months and putting his future very much in jeopardy. He could easily have packed it in at this point, but he never relented. That determination paid off.

He returned to action in May 2029 and got off to a great start with a 2.55 ERA in his first 6 starts, including a complete game one run performance on June 5th. But he wasn't done there. On May 12th he may have pitched the game of his career - striking out an unbelievable 15 National City Bankers, allowing one one hit over 8.1 IP. That yielded an incredible game score of 96. A week later he was made a 2029 North American Farm Team Affiliation All-Star. Overall, his 2029 campaign was an impressive achievement - 127 ERA+, 5.3 WAR over 130 IP with a normal .286 BABIP. Still, questions remain about Thorton. Scouts question his ability to keep the ball in the yard, even though he only allowed 8 HR in 130 IP in 2029. Not to mention his scary brush with heart palpitations in July. But despite all of that, he will have the opportunity to show that he can perform in AA in 2030 like he did in Marduk in 2029. Maybe his future is brighter than the scouts say. Maybe Thorton can find a home in PEBA (especially in a pitcher's park). Who knows? Scouts are wrong all the time.

Historical SS Winners:
Shin Seiki Minor League Hitter of the Year
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
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)
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Re: 2029 Minor League Players of the Year

#9 Post by Zephyrs »

I have 3 Evas Minor League Players of the Year on my 25 man roster.

Rowan Stewart, Millard Norman and Torazo Kodama.
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Re: 2029 Minor League Players of the Year

#10 Post by Evas »

Zephyrs wrote:I have 3 Evas Minor League Players of the Year on my 25 man roster.

Rowan Stewart, Millard Norman and Torazo Kodama.
My MiL award winners so seem to get dealt more often than not. I've only got 3 on my 25 man roster.
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Re: 2029 Minor League Players of the Year

#11 Post by Alleghenies »

WV Minor League Players of the year:

Hitter: Javier Drake. In AAA he hit .397/.480/.978 and had 39 SB to add onto that.

Pitcher of the year: Orlando Rubio. 17-4 in A ball. He went 162 innings and had 170 K's with an ERA of 1.78
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Re: 2029 Minor League Players of the Year

#12 Post by Underground »

London Minor League Pitcher of the Year: Norm Batstone - AA

Batstone started 29 games and threw 179.2 innings for the Beatles this year, finishing with an impeccable 17-3 record. He sported just a 2.55 ERA and a WHIP of just 0.94 and contributed a WAR value of +2.7. Following the team's early exit from the postseason, Batstone was brought up to London where he pitched 5 scoreless innings before the season concluded. Batstone is projected to skip AAA and jump straight into London's bullpen next season.

London Minor League Hitter of the Year: Arturo Rodriguez - AA

This award was never in doubt. Rodriguez lead the Great North League in home runs (41), RBI (105), and WAR (+8.3). Additionally he was second in slugging % (.572) and OBP (.414). He was third in runs scored (85) and fourth in total bases (250). Despite all of this he somehow finished second in AA Outstanding Hitter Award voting. He did however win the AA Platinum Stick Award at 3B. He was elected to the AA All-Star Game, and won two AA Batter of the Month awards as well as three player of the week awards. Rodriguez's breakout season has assured him a promotion to AAA next season, along with a spring training invitation to see if he can bring his incredible power to bear on major league pitchers.



Previous Minor League Pitcher of the Year (Winters Era)
2028: SP Pete Blaquiere (SA-A)

Previous Minor League Hitter of the Year (Winters Era)
2028: CF Rene Lems (A-AA)
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Re: 2029 Minor League Players of the Year

#13 Post by Akira »

Neo-Tokyo Minor League Player of the Year:

* Neo-Tokyo Minor League Hitter of the Year: 2B Joe Riley (AA)
* Neo-Tokyo Minor League Pitcher of the Year: RP Antoine Blouin (AAA)
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Re: 2029 Minor League Players of the Year

#14 Post by Hitmen »

Press release from Svab Memorial Stadium;

Canton's Minor League Hitter of the Year:
RF Raúl Costello (AAA), a 4th round pick in the 2026 PEBA draft, since being selected to the Surf and Snow Amalgamation All-Star Game in 2026, Raul has spent over 17 months on the Injury List over the next 2.5 seasons. 2029 finally became Raul's healthy break out year, batting .258/.308/.416 with 15 HR for the Allentown Falcons.

Canton's Minor League Pitcher of the Year:
SP Jason Baker (AA), coming off an impressive 10-9 season, 162K, 2.27ERA, and 0.92WHIP; Jason is a promising righty in the Canton minors. The 4th overall pick in the 2027 draft by Canton, Jason was named the #50 prospect in PEBA for the 2028 season, which was cut short with a ruptured tendon in his finger on his throwing hand. He came back strong in 2029 to make the Great Northern League All-Star Team.

Canton is putting a lot of hope into it's minor league system for the future, and these two great athletes showed that perseverance pays off.
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Re: 2029 Minor League Players of the Year

#15 Post by Ghosts »

Bakersfield Minor League Players of the Year

Offense in the 2029 Bakersfield farm system was at a premium. While debatable, the front office has selected SS Guillermo Colón as the 2029 Bear Cub Hitter of the Year. He was promoted to AA for the year and spent his entire season providing excellent defense (+3.6 ZR, 4.28 RF) and an all around reliable bat to the tune of a 120 OPS+, 30 SB, and 5.2 WAR. Colón was one of GM Dan Vail's earliest acquisitions, and will need to continue to excel to prove he was worth trading rookie phenom RF Antonio Garcia (5.3 WAR) to the London Underground.

Several Bear Cubs turned in excellent 2029 campaigns, including notable snubs SP George Farleigh (AAA, 158.0 IP, 0.97 WHIP, 5.0 K/BB, 2.84 FIP) and SP George Hann (AA, 171.2 IP, 0.97 WHIP, 3.1 K/BB, 2.95 FIP). Winning this year's Bear Cub Pitcher of the Year, however, is AA/AAA standout SP José Ortíz. A 2028 first round pick, Ortíz has stormed through the farm system and is already in AAA. José spent most of the year in AA accruing 1.9 WAR in just 66.1 IP with a 0.86 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9, and 8.4 K/9. Once promoted to AAA, Ortíz actually improved several metrics including posting 11.4 K/9 and only 1.5 BB/9 (7.86 K/BB), though some bad luck shoved several others downward. With three plus-plus pitches, Ortíz looks poised to make his PEBA debut sooner rather than later.

Bear Cubs of Yesteryear:

Hitter of the Year:
2029: SS Guillermo Colón (AA)
2028: 1B Clyde Stinton (AAA)

Hitter of the Year:
2029: SP José Ortíz (AAA)
2028: SP George Farleigh (AAA)
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