SS 2034 Minor league hitter of the Year- DH António Gómez
Gomez has been a hidden gem in the SS system since signing a $2.8M contract out of Panama in 2031. Scouts love his potential to rake in SS. He seemed on track to do just that in 2032 (.336/.411/.521) in Rookie ball at age 19. He was challenged in S-A in 2033 at only 20 (.229/.341/.379), but scouts swore he was still on track and he was promoted again. He regained his form in 2033 (.276/.393/.537) earning both an All-Star appearance an a Platinum Stick in RF for NAFTA. 2035 will see him challenged again with a jump all of the way to AAA at just 22 years old. He will likely remain there at least through August. But SS is always willing to bring up a youngster when they have nothing left to prove in AAA. Expect him to log PA's in SS by 2036 at the latest.
SS 2034 Minor League Pitcher of the Year SP Dong-hak "Entrop" Yi (AAA)
I swear I am not doing this just to save some typing. SP Dong-hak "Entrop" Yi was, once again, absolutely dominant in 2034, this time in AAA (147 ERA+ & 4.9 WAR in 29 starts & 187.2 IP). After some initial success in April (131 ERA+ 36.2IP), he fell flat in May (63 ERA+ 37.1IP). But after working out the kinks, he went on to completely dominate AAA, getting better and better each month.
- June (187 ERA+ 40.2IP)
- July (386 ERA+ 36IP)
- August (396 ERA+ 37IP)
At that point, there was no denying him and he finally arrived in SS. Once there, he again performed well (118 ERA+ 36IP). He also made the playoff roster. He had an excellent 0 ER & 2 IP relief appearance, a solid 2 ER & 7 IP start, and a poor 6 ER & 5.2 IP start vs the Toyama juggernaut.
Yi seems poised to be a fixture of the SS rotation and a key part of the plan to keep SS a contender far in to the future.
Follow Up on 2031's winners:
- 1B Manny Lara burst on to the PEBA scene in 2034 as one of best rookies of the season - his balanced offensive game lead all SL batting rookies with 4.2 WAR and 126 OPS+. SS seems to have found its solution at catcher.
- SP Dong-hak "Entrop" Yi won the SS MiL pitcher of the year award for the 4th straight year in 2034.
Follow Up on 2032's winners:
- LF Cris Krebs was very good in rookie PEBA season, leading all SL rookies in several offensive categories: 285 BA, .427 SLG, 237 TB, 32 2B, 15 3B, 54 EBH. Krebs was dominant vs. LHP (.331/.361/.517), but unimpressive vs. RHP (.267/.286/.394). SS expects his splits to be a bit less severe in 2035 and for his overall WAR contribution to improve. Krebs seems to be a lock to hold down a PEBA roster spot from here on out, but he will need to perform better vs. RHP for him to become the star that so many projected him to be.
- SP Dong-hak "Entrop" Yi won the SS MiL pitcher of the year award for the 4th straight year in 2034.
Follow Up on 2033's winners:
- 1B/3B Scotty "The Grinch" Weeks had an up and down season in 2035, both performance wise and in terms of where he played. Weeks was unimpressive in April in PEBA (.679 OPS) and awful through most of May (.524 OPS). That lead to a demotion to AAA where he finished May poorly (.546 OPS) and was mediocre in June (.719 OPS). July was much better (.847 OPS) and August was fantastic (.986 OPS). That lead to a promotion back to PEBA where he finished off the season decently in September (.765 OPS). Weeks seems to be a relative liability at 3B defensively (-6.7 ZR in 561.2 IN), but a solid 1B (2.8 ZR in 538.2 IN). That combined with his weakness vs. LHP might prevent him from becoming a true core piece for SS long term. But given his potential to mash RHP (especially at home), play excellent 1B, and his cheap salary, he should be get plenty more opportunities to prove his worth in SS.
- SP Dong-hak "Entrop" Yi won the SS MiL pitcher of the year award for the 4th straight year in 2034.
Historical Winners:
Shin Seiki Minor League Hitter of the Year
2033: DH António Gómez[/b] (A)
2033: 3B Scotty "The Grinch" Weeks (A)
2032: LF Chris "No Trump" Krebs (AA)
2031: 1B Manny "Manimal" Lara (A)
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
2034: SP Dong-hak "Entrop" Yi (AAA)
2033: SP Dong-hak "Entrop" Yi (A)
2032: SP Dong-hak "Entrop" Yi (SS-A)
2031: SP Dong-hak "Entrop" Yi (R)
2030: SP Takesi Ishikawa (R)
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)
