PEBA 2015 Minor League Players of the Year Awards

[John]

It's time for teams to announce their 2015 minor league award winners! All PEBA GMs are required to announce their choices for best minor league hitter and pitcher. Use this thread to make your announcement. The histories of the players you select will be updated to note the honor you are bestowing upon them. You need do no more than list the hyperlinked names of the players, along with their current position and league level, but you are of course welcome and encouraged to provide an explanation for your selections - we want to get to know the future of your franchise!

All PEBA GMs are required to announce their Minor League Players of the Year Awards. Announcements are due by 6 p.m. ET on Friday, December 23. 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:

• 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).

Now tell us... who is the best and brightest of your system?

[Borealis]

Aurora Borealis Announce Top Minor Leaguers of the Year

Aurora Minor League Hitter of the Year: 3B Mike Britt (AA Gatineau)
Aurora Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Chris Graves (AAA Thornton)

3B Mike Britt (AA Gatineau)

.330, 32-2B, 3-3B, 39 HR, 1.068 OPS

When you hail from Small Town, Tennessee, making it to the pros is but a shadow of the dream the kids in the big programs have. But if you have the talent that Mike Britt has - and the scouts think the sky's the limit on that, then the pros find you. That's exactly what happened with Mike Britt of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Signed as a free agent in September of 2012 as a soon to be 18 year-old, Britt didn't get a chance to show the coaches his skills until the 2013 Short-A season at Mokule'ia. There he showed a slight hint of power - 24-2B and 5 HR in 253 AB, but he hit a anemic .221. By the end of the first month of the 2014 season he was hitting .303 with 5 HR in Hawaii and was shipped to Mexico, never to look back. He played 42 games over the last two months of the NAFTA season, hitting .325 for San Luis Rio Colorado with 10-2B and 15 HR over 163 AB. The scouts were drooling as they began to see a potential in that swing they had only fantasized about. Britt began the 2015 season at AA Gatineau of the CAAL and it's fair to suggest that he's officially exploded onto the scene with a .330 average with 32-2B, 39 HR and 123 RBI in 120 games. As a reward he was named the 2015 CAAL Outstanding Hitter. Aurora resisted the urge to promote him mid-season - the success that 3B Jeff Martin, the 2015 GBB Batting Champ, was having made that decision easy, but his ticket to AAA Thornton has been punched and Martin's 48-2B and .358 average may just have to find itself someplace to play. Britt is a more than adequate fielder at 3B, despite his 18 E on the year. In 2015 Outstanding Hitter Mike Britt, Aurora appears to have yet another bright star to add to their Borealis!

SP Chris Graves (AAA Thornton)

10-4, 2.43 ERA, 111.1 IP, 87 K, 24 BB, .198 OAVG

Britt may have been the back country boy from Smallsville, but Chris Graves came from the inner-city streets of LA. Graves was a high school star in Los Angeles and earned a four-year ride to St. Johns where Graves showed his stuff early on in his career, throwing a no-hitter against Central Florida as a Sophomore. Aurora selected him in the 6th round of the 2010 draft and promptly had a pretty successful start to his career, going 5-4 with a 3.81 ERA for Mokule'ia. Graves moved himself up through the system methodically, ending up in Thornton for the 2014 season. This year Graves also appeared in 11 games for Aurora, starting 10, with mostly good success. His best start of the year may very well have been for Aurora v. Crystal Lake where he pitched into the 9th giving up a run on 4 hits, 6 K and 1 BB in Aurora's 4-1 win. At 27, Chris Graves time is now - the only question is, where is now? Graves has proved himself at AAA and has all but shown he belongs at the big league level. With a strong, accomplished staff at Aurora, a trade could be the best thing for Aurora's 2015 Outstanding Minor League pitcher.

[Zephyrs]

The Reno Zephyrs Announce Minor League Players of the Year

•The Reno Zephyrs Minor League Hitter of the Year: CF Dale Griffith (AAA)


This past season Griffith played the entire year in the Global Brotherhood League. The right-handed hitting centerfielder made it known to the organization that he expected to get a shot in the big leagues during the season and did everything in his power to earn that shot. In 546 Triple-A AB he posted an impressive line of .308/.373/.557. He also swiped 32 bases to go along with his 36 2B, 28 HR and 103 RBI. Griffith was twenty-three for the majority of the 2015 season as he just turned twenty-four last month. Griffith was disappointed that he didn’t see time in the big leagues this year but, he showed a high level of professionalism in not letting his frustration with the front office decisions affect his on field performance. Griffith is known as a special player that know how to play the game right and has tremendous up-side for the Reno organization. Sources close to the front office say that Griffith will be the favorite to win the starting centerfield job at the big league level right out of spring training next season.

•The Reno Zephyrs Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Jhong-shun 'Earthquake' Kong (AAA)


Kong was drafted in the 2013 first-year player draft (Round 1, Pick 3, 3rd overall pick) by Reno. The twenty-year old right-hander has bounced around the Reno minor league system in each of the last three seasons. This past season he made it as high as Triple-A where he seemed to thrive. Kong struck out 53 in 49.1 innings of work in the Global Brotherhood League. The Reno front office is very impressed with his 100 MPH fastball but, hopes to see improvement with his command before giving him a big league promotion.

[Apollos]

2015 Crystal Lake Sandgnats Minor League Players of the Year

Crystal Lake 2015 Minor League Hitter of the Year: Emilio Manuel, SS (AA Brampton)

Emilio Manuel, acquired by the organization in the 2014-2015 offseason via trade with the Arlington Bureaucrats was a pleasant surprise in 2015. Although Manuel missed almost two months of games with a strained hamstring and torn thumb ligament on his glove hand, his offensive production when healthy was among the tops in the Crystal Lake organization. Producing a batting line of .326/.434/.490 for the Brampton Camels, Manuel was one of the lone bright spots for the 'Gnats AA affiliate this year. A solid defensive SS, Manuel figures heavily in the organization's plans moving forward, and is almost certain to begin the 2016 season in Evansville as a member of the Tri-Staters.

Crystal Lake 2015 Minor League Pitcher of the Year: Chris White, SP (AAA Evansville)

The former 2012 first round pick (number 18 overall) blossomed in 2015, emerging as the ace of the Evansville rotation following a brief stint in Brampton to open the year. Known as a control specialist going in to the season, White did little to dissuade the 'Gnats from thinking he can open the 2016 season as a member of the Major League team's starting rotation posting an 11-2 record over 22 starts with a 2.84 ERA and 123 strikeouts over his 146 innings pitched. White's stat line over his five starts with AA Brampton looked even better as he dominated less seasoned hitter to the tune of a 0.86 ERA and 0.99 WHIP across 31 innings.

[Jason]

Omaha 2015 Minor League Hitter of the Year: CF Arthur Collins (AA Laval)

Omaha 2015 Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Alvin Simon (A Cheyenne)

More to come...

[Alan Ehlers]

Tempe Knights Minor League Players of the Year

Hitter

Matt Carter-OF

After a stellar collegiate career at Arizona State, Tempe picked Carter with the 24th Overall pick in the 2012 Draft. His first 3 seasons as a pro were rather uneventful. However, in 2015, 24 year old Matt Carter broke out into the monster that everyone expected. He played in 156 games this season and logged 545 at bats to the tune of .284/.420/.517. For traditional baseball fans, that means 31 HR, 108 RBI, 107 R, 32 2B, 128 BB, and 7 SB. Those numbers are the cumulative results from AA(52 G), AAA(50 G) and PEBA(54 G).

Honorable Mention
Ken Knight-.342/.376/.488 in 570 AB. Was not eligible(mid season trade)

Pitcher

Clayton Lewis-SP

It's only fitting that Clayton Lewis would follow Matt Carter, the two players were drafted back to back in 2012. Clayton went 12-8 with a 2.97 ERA over 182 innings pitched as he climbed through A (72.1 IP), AA (76 IP), and AAA(33.2 IP). Perhaps his best stat is BB allowed with only 30. Clayton Lewis is expected to start 2016 in AAA but don't look for him to repeat this award. Tempe has big plans for this 21 year old in the imminent future.

Honorable Mention
Raúl Cruz- 8-2, 1.37 ERA, 92 IP, 101 K, a no hitter. Not eligible(Drafted in June)

[Paul Moots]

Gloucester Fishermen Minor League Batter of the Year

Éric Cartier (A)

In April, Cartier came out of the box with 4 homers, 13 runs batted in, and a .364/.453/.750 line. He tailed off in May and June and the doubters, including scouting director Sam Gordon was that the young third baseman had found his proper level. From July 1st on, though, Cartier became one of the most consistent and clutch hitters in the Amber Waves League (.315/.401/.528). In the playoffs, Cartier elevated his game even higher: .381/.480/.524. Over the year, he also showed much more range and effectiveness at third base than anticipated. How will he fare at AA next year? Only time will tell, but Gloucester execs look forward to finding out.

Runner-up: Marcus Anderson (A) .296/.368/.565 with 32 homers and 100 ribbies

Gloucester Fishermen Minor League Pitcher of the Year

Katai Ishikawa (AAA)

Ishikawa gets the nod as Pitcher of the Year because of success at two levels. He hung around Narragansett (AA) long enough to named an All-Star (9-2, 1.58 ERA, 0.86 WHIP). Elevated to AAA Beantown, Katai's recoed tailed off to a mere 5-4, but his ERA and WHIP were respectable (2.67 and 1.19 respectively) and his K/9 improved to 9.82 from 8.75, At age 22, Ishikawa is expected to get a full year's seasoning at Beantown in 2016, but if the injury bug continues to hit Gloucester pitching, he may get an earlier call-up. Ishikawa looks forward to the challenge at either level.

Runner-up: Jian Bao (AAA) 10-4, 2.89, 1.19 WHIP before sidelined by injury

[DanD]

• Arlington Minor League Hitter of the Year: 1B Enrique Suárez (AAA)
• Arlington Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Anderson Young (Hi-A)

1B Enrique Suárez (AAA)
Suárez gets the nod as the Bureaucrats Minor League Hitter of the Year after winning the AML Outstanding Hitter Award in his age-24 season. The Cuban defector signed on with Arlington back in 2009 and has since appeared in four minor league All-Star games. In 2015 he earned the AML Batter of the Month award three times and the Player of the Week award twice. He also had a 28-game hitting streak, which earned him a brief call-up to Arlington for a cup of coffee where he hit .289 with six doubles. 1B/DH is hard position to crack, but he'll definitely get a look in 2016.

SP Anderson Young
Young wins the Bureaucrats Minor League Pitcher of the Year with a great season in the offense-heavy NAFTA, but also because he produced after coming over from Aurora in the off-season trade that sent Sawmill Francisco to the SL. Scouts praised his raw stuff, but 2015 was his first strong season since being drafted in 2012. At 21-years old he has plenty of time to grow and will hopefully end up pitching for the Bureaucrats in a few seasons.

Runners Up:
SP José Avalos - A very close second place. He's a favorite to earn a spot on the ML pitching staff next season.
2B Raúl Soriano - He was an on-base machine and had solid numbers for Hi-A Alexandria.

[Tyler]

• West Virginia Minor League Hitter of the Year: SS Alejandro Alvarado (A)
• West Virginia Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Juan García (AAA)

[klewis]

2015 Florida Minor League Player of the Year Awards

• Florida Minor League Hitter of the Year: SS Robert Robinson (AA)
• Florida Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Avery 'Neanderthal' Carson (AAA)

SS Robert Robinson (AA)
Acquired at the 2014 Winter Meetings for his offensive skills, Robinson did not disappoint the Florida executives. The former 14th pick of the 2014 draft delivered 31 homers and 106 RBIs in 118 games at Hi-A/AA combined. He posted an OPS above .900 at both destinations.

Known as a offensive infielder coming out of the 2014 draft, Robinson has tremendous bat speed, disicipline and power. At 6'3" and 215 pounds, Robinson is on the bigger side of the spectrum for a middle infielder. He needs to refine his defensive skills to become a more rounded ball player. It remains to be seen if Robinson will stay up the middle or be converted to a corner spot.


SP Avery 'Neanderthal' Carson (AAA)
The former #2 overall pick of the 2013 draft wins his second consecutive Florida Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award. Despite suffering a season-ending torn rotator cuff in August, Carson still put together a magnificent season. The Baltimore native began the season at AA and quickly dominated; over 90% his starts were considered quality starts. His 8-2 record and 2.00 ERA earned him a promtion to AAA in June. Carson finished the year with a combined 15-5 record and 47.3 VORP.

Neanderthal is recovering well from his torn rotator cuff and shows no ill effects from the injury. Carson's greatest asset is his innate determination and ability to will himself to victory. In 2013, he led the Southern Miss Confederates UCSBA World Series Championship. He went on to 2013 USCBA Outstanding Pitcher Award and 2014 NAFTA A BCL Outstanding Pitcher Award. Undoubtedly, Carson would have stood a good shot at winning the 2015 GNL AA AMAL Outstanding Pitcher Award if he stayed a AA. The success pedigree is definitely there and it is just a matter of time before Carson shows it at the big league level.

Honorable Mentions:

• C Juan Hernández - Power-hitting catcher who hit 21 HRs with 82 RBIs in 91 games at AA/AAA combined. Has shown plus power throughout the minors - which should compensate for his suspect defense.
• MR António López - The flamethrowing southpaw fanned 74 batters in 56 innings at AA/AAA combined. Projects to be a future late-innings reliever.

[Bill]

Duluth Minor League Batter of the Year: 1B James Heard AA; .322, 39 2B, 16 HR, 85 RBI mostly at Single A

Duluth Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Ramón González AAA; 18-4, 3.02 ERA split between AA and AAA

[Zephyrs]

SP Avery 'Neanderthal' Carson (AAA)
The former #2 overall pick of the 2013 draft wins his second consecutive Florida Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award. Despite suffering a season-ending torn rotator cuff in August, Carson still put together a magnificent season. The Baltimore native began the season at AA and quickly dominated; over 90% his starts were considered quality starts. His 8-2 record and 2.00 ERA earned him a promtion to AAA in June. Carson finished the year with a combined 15-5 record and 47.3 VORP.

Neanderthal is recovering well from his torn rotator cuff and shows no ill effects from the injury. Carson's greatest asset is his innate determination and ability to will himself to victory. In 2013, he led the Southern Miss Confederates UCSBA World Series Championship. He went on to 2013 USCBA Outstanding Pitcher Award and 2014 NAFTA A BCL Outstanding Pitcher Award. Undoubtedly, Carson would have stood a good shot at winning the 2015 GNL AA AMAL Outstanding Pitcher Award if he stayed a AA. The success pedigree is definitely there and it is just a matter of time before Carson shows it at the big league level.

Carson was a player I coveted in the draft and would have nabbed if he slid to me. Funny that my minor league pitcher of the year was picked right after Neanderthal in 2013.

[Lions]

Connecticut Nutmeggers Minor League Players of the Year
Connecticut Minor League Hitter of the Year: 3B Craig Parker (A Cary)
Connecticut Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Enrique Garza (AA New Haven)


3B Craig Parker (A Cary)

Parker was a consistent force in the middle of the Cary Grants lineup, helping lead the team to a 75-53 record that placed first in the Coastal League and won the NAFTA Free Trade Throwdown. His 26 home runs and 88 walks were highest among all Connecticut minor leaguers, and his 240 total bases were second. He hit .298/.414/523 on the season. Parker was also solid defensively, posting a zone rating of +15.2 at the hot corner.

SP Enrique Garza (AA New Haven)

Garza was the anchor of the New Haven staff despite being overshadowed from a prospect perspective by teammate Luis Gusmán. Gusmán missed most of the season, and Garza stepped up to have the better ERA anyway, going 11-8 with a 2.39 ERA in 173 1/3 innings of work. His surprising season helped lead the team to a 83-57 first place finish, as he posted a 62.0 VORP.

Honorable Mention:
RF Carlos Avillas (AA New Haven)
SP Donald Peters (AAA Providence)

[Coqui]

2015 Canton Longshoremen Organizational Awards

• Canton Minor League Hitter of the Year: 1B Rich Wheeler (AAA)
• Canton Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Héctor Beltrán Jos� M�rquez (ML)

1B Rich Wheeler (AAA)

It is not often that a player can thank the guy who blocks his position at the major league level for raising the minor leaguer's standing in the organization's eyes, but that is exactly the situation in which Rich Wheeler finds himself. Wheeler is a prodigious slugger who has now set the single-season home run record in two different minor leagues. After swatting 30 round trippers in a mere 270 Akutan Island (SS-A) at bats to set the Surf and Snow Amalgamation single-season record(*) in 2014, Wheeler slammed 40 circuit shots in Youngstown (AA) this season to set the Great Northern League record. A first baseman by trade, Wheeler is seemingly blocked at the big league level by José "Vapor Lock" Martínez, the prohibitive favorite to win the 2015 Sovereign League Wunderkind Award, but Martínez's successful 2015 season has shown the otherwise OBP-philiac Longshoremen front office that sluggers can win baseball games, even if they don't draw a walk every ten plate appearances. Wheeler actually played in three levels, with his record setting Youngstown campaign bookended by a 33 at bat cameo in Middle Bass (A) and, more importantly, a 7-for-20 preview in Allentown (AAA) to end the season. Wheeler will likely start at 1B every day in AAA in 2016, and will be a phone call away if Canton's 1B/DH options go down with injury.

* - Wheeler's SS-A record was broken in 2015 by Yuma farmhand Danny Burke. Note that Wheeler still holds the SS-A record for highest batting average in a season, hitting .404 in his lone season in Alaska.

MR Héctor Beltrán (AAA)

What does it say about the state of an organization's pitching depth that it's Minor League Pitcher of the Year is (A) a middle reliever who is (B) about to become a minor league free agent? With José Márquez missing the age eligibility requirements by two months and the organization's other candidates being likewise too old or picked up during the 2015 season, this year's award goes to the Allentown Falcons' set-up man. That's not to say that Beltrán was undeserving - his breakout performance as a set-up man capable of pitching longer-than-one-inning stints out of the bullpen put him back on the Longshoremen organization's radar after his fourth full season at AAA. In 92 innings, Beltrán put up a sterling 2.24 ERA by avoiding the walk (24 BB) and keeping the ball in the park (3 HR). Eligible to be a minor league free agent, if Beltrán re-ups with the Longshoremen, he will be a favorite to break camp with the big club.

SP José Márquez (ML)

M�rquez, a groundball specialist and a repeat winner of this award, was erratic in two different stints in the majors, but was the ace of the Allentown (AAA) staff during the rest of the season, going 10-4 with a 2.95 ERA, and striking out 113 batters in 128.3 innings. In his major league debut in May, he dominated the Crystal Lake Sandgnats for eight innings, holding them to one run on eight hits while striking out four and walking four. Longshoremen management has concerns about M�rquez's control, and is reportedly considering sending him to the Winter League to work on locating his pitches. Even with those control problems, M�rquez is very likely to have a role in the Canton bullpen next year.

[Matt]

•San Antonio Calzones De Laredo Minor League Hitter of the Year: RF Roberto Lugo (AA) Acquired as part of an offseason deal that sent Carlos Magana and James Hayes to Manchester, the young Lugo took huge strides forward in just his third season of pro ball. After having struggled some in his first two years in the pros, Lugo seemed to find his stroke and batted .314 for the dreadful Sea Lions squad, with 13 HR, 34 RBI, and 10 SB. Lugo figures to repeat the AA level next season due to the crowd blocking him at AAA, but should be among the first players due a promotion if an opening arises.

Honorable mention to Carlos Salazar, who would have won the award were it not for the new regulations.

•San Antonio Calzones De Laredo Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Luis Rodriguez (AAA/PEBA)
Rodriguez posted a 6-4 mark with a 3.40 era in 12 starts for AAA Joplin before earning a callup to San Antonio. A former 1st round draft pick, 14th overall, Rodriguez had struggled through much of his minor league career, and had become notorious for his bad luck. During the second half of 2014 at AA Monterey Rodriguez finally began to put things together, and after a solid first half at Joplin, the Calzones brass was convinced it was time to promote Rodriguez to the big club. He would go 2-2 with 1 save and a 4.31 ERA in 17 games, 7 of those starts, for the Calzones. The highlight of Rodriguez season would come in just his second major league start, when Rodriguez pitched 9.1 innings of shutout ball in an eventual 1-0 13 inning loss to Charleston. Rodriguez missed the final two weeks of the season with a partially torn labrum, but is expected to be ready for spring training. Calzones brass would like to see Rodriguez start the season in the bullpen, possibly as the setup man, but circumstances could dictate he start the season in the rotation.

Honorable mention to Ted Goddard, who was excellent at AA but struggled mightily with his callup to AAA at such a young age.