2039 Minor League Players of the Year

[Board of the PEBA]

The Playoffs are here - and the Rodriguez Cup will be here soon, which means it's that time of year again - Awards Season is nearly upon us!! But you can get a head start with your individual Organization Awards for top Minor League Hitter and Pitcher!! You know the drill... 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: CF Angel 'Otter' Silva (AAA)
• Aurora Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Hector 'Machete' Gutierrez (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).

[Trendsetters]

The New Orleans Trendsetters today announced the 2039 Hitter and Pitcher of the Year.


There was little suspense in the award for Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Hyung-On Che had a breakout year, going 10-2 with a 2.28 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. Che, 22 years old, was originally signed out of Daegu in South Korea and labored for a number of years in the low minors for the Trendsetters as nothing more than an innings eater. Albeit one who garnered a ton of respect in the clubhouse for the Anchorage Moose. However it seems that Che's third go-round for Anchorage in Short Season A ball was the charm as he got off to a torrid start winning his first nine decisions. Che is a Greg Maddux type thrower, topping the gun at around 88 mph but displaying excellent control and movement. Said Scouting Director Dan Collins, who signed Che as a 17 year old into the New Orleans International Complex, "Hyung-On throws strikes within strikes. He had excellent command when I saw him as an amateur and what struck me was how he set up hitters. He changes speeds well and despite just a three pitch, fastball, slider, change arsenal he locates all three pitches well. Che is currently on the shelf for the Trendsetters. Forced to watch from the bench as his team, the Anchorage Mighty Moose play in the Sun and Snow Championship Round. Hyung-On Che tore an elbow ligament throwing a pitch in late September. The hope for Che next year is that he is able to make it back to the mound next May or June and take the next step up the ladder by pitching for the Ensenada Single-A club.


The Trendsetters Minor League Hitter of the Year is Ensenada SS, Carlos Silva. Discovered as a 16 year old in Costa Rica, Silva finished his 5th year of pro ball with a .323 average and a .397 on base percentage. He held down the fort at SS, turning 47 DP. Silva is expected to make the jump to AA next year and with a dearth of prospects at that level, it may only be two three years before we see Silva at the PEBA level.

Past Winners

Minor League Hitters of the Year

2014 Rob McGrath 1B (A)
2015 Rob McGrath 1B (AA)
2034 Juan Jose Torres 1B (R)
2038 Michel "The Albino Rhino"Bastide OF (AAA)
2039 Carlos Silva (SS A)

Minor League Pitchers of the Year

2014 Edgardo Rodriguez (A)
2015 Artie Herman (AA)
2034 Lou Long (A)
2038 David "the Rat" Sanz (AAA)
2039 Hyung-On Che (SSA)

[Borealis]

Aurora Announces 2039 Minor League Players of the Year
by Francis Ferry, NLN baseball beat writer

Minor League Hitter of the Year

1B Josh Whiskin (SA)

With slight apologies to the Aurora legend, it's about time that 'Big Whiskin' got some love and attention - even if he earns his second MLPoY. The 2035 3rd round pick (99th overall) out of Rockingham HS - from Perth, Australia, was brought aboard with high hopes that one day he would bring a high octane bat to The Front Range, and thus far in his professional career he's provided that high octane.

Since his first day at Montserrat in the Rookie League, Whiskin has been swinging the big bat. In the first year he had 32 HR -half his hits, and he's followed that with 37, 42, 27 (in his transition year to Mokule'ia) and this year he hit 42. If you are keeping score, that is 180 HR - and this year he showed greater promise with the bat as he had his average up tp .296. Not the highest in the Organization, but when 46% of your professional hits are HRs and you're career average is .273? That puts you on pace for 60+ HR in a full major league season.

Of course, for Josh, that's kind of the point - will he ever see the Big Leagues or is he destined to be the new Hector Bruno - who just called it quits at the age of 36 after 1536 career minor league games and 418 HR - the last 11-years with Shin Seiki's AA team in Seoul - with a 1-year trip to AAA Kyoto. Like Bruno - who had 1,462 career strikeouts in those 1,500+ games - nearly 1 a game (0.95/G), Whisking has 431 K in 412 games (1.05/G). That is a likely dilemma coming down the road for an Organization that is desperate for power, yet abhors the K. It is worth noting that he did have a career best (by quite a bit) in walks, with 63.

Josh has been popular with the fans in the Paradise and Hawaiian Leagues, and at 22-years of age, he arguably could see more time in the Islands next season, before getting the promotion to SLRC and A Ball. A propensity for the K, and his plodding around the bases - keeping his XBH to a minimum, may prevent him from getting a taste of coffee, but for now he's one of the more entertaining stories in the system.

Missing out was OF Raul Martinez who hit .348 with an OPS of .955 - a full .200 behind Whiskin. Martinez had 39-2B, 4-3B and 9 HR for the Rapidos Blancos.

Minor League Pitcher of the Year

SP Dae-hyun Pak (SA/A)

While the batting version of this award is littered with winners who've made lasting contributions to the Big League club, the pitching version has been a mix bag - and with this years winner, the club is hopeful this is Dae-hyun Pak's first of many accolades.

Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2036 draft (55th overall), out of Andong HS, the native of South Korea has had high expectations laid at his feet - and he's met them thus far. After three seasons at Mokule'ia - concluding with 11-games this year with a 1.32 ERA, he finished the year with a 1.01 ERA in 7-gams for SLRC. Pak's career thus far has been marked with outstanding control - fewer than a walk per game with nearly a K per inning. After a 4.8 WAR season last year, Pak's 9-2 season and combined 1.20 ERA earned him a 5.8 WAR.

Perhaps the most promising statistic from his 2039 campaign was watching his HRA totals drop from 11 and 12 over the past two seasons to just 4 - 3 at Short A and just 1 in his 7 A Ball starts. Four times this year he struck out 10+ hitters. Pak is most likely to begin 2040 with the Rapidos Blancos, but with his strong play, a solid start next season could see him get a boost to AA Gatineau - or perhaps even Thornton.

A rugged honorable mention goes out to Marcos Segura who spent all year at Mokule'ia and posted a 13-3 record and a 2.14 ERA. He notably struck out 15 against Waikiki this year - after doing the deed last season.



Previous Winners:
Aurora Minor League Hitter of the Year
2039: 1B Josh Whiskin (SA)
2038: 1B Mark 'Señor Siesta' Newton (AA/AAA)
2037: 1B Josh Whiskin (R)
2036: CF Declan 'Crackpot' Ingall (AAA)
2035: 3B David Simmons (AAA)
2034: C Pedro de la Cruz (AAA)
2033: CF Angel 'Otter' Silva (A/AA)
2032: LF Gabriel Rodriguez (AAA)
2031: 1B Raul Munoz (AA/AAA)
2030: 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
2039: SP Dae-hyun Pak (SA/A)
2038: SP Gui Sun (SA)
2037: SP Jung-hyun Yi (SA)
2036: SP Felix Rosa (SA)
2035: CL Toshikuni 'Werewolf' Kichida (AA/A)
2034: SP Victorio 'Javelin' Guerra (SA/A)
2033: SP Hector 'Machete' Gutierrez (A)
2032: SP Gordon Dobson (A/AA)
2031: SP Humberto Hernandez (AA)
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.

[Zephyrs]

* Reno Minor League Hitter of the Year: RF Harrison 'Quagmire' Neame (AAA)
* Reno Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Tony 'Barbwire' Day (AAA)

[JayA]

Minor League Hitter of the Year

3B Tom Peters (Port Sudan Tycoons) | .245/.357/.628, 33 HR, 68 RBI, 65 R, 5.2 WAR (84 G, 82 GS)

Minor League Pitcher of the Year

RHP Ken Marshall (Mexicali Schmoes & Beaufort Loggerdoggers) | 20-1, 1.60 ERA, 285 K, 37 BB, 0.80 WHIP, 273 ERA+, 11.4 WAR

[Apollos]

Minor League Hitter of the Year

LF John Reeves (Quebec City Frenchies) | .312/.434/.617, 28 HR, 102 RBI, 8.3 WAR (133 G)

Minor League Pitcher of the Year

RHP Wally Smith (Quebec City Frenchies) | 16-5, 2.50 ERA, 172 K, 47 BB, 1.07 WHIP, 162 ERA+, 5.8 WAR

[Codgers]

Palm Springs Codgers Minor League Players for the Year - 2039

Minor League Hitter of the Year

Javier Cervantes
Cervantes hit .362 with a .407 OBP and 12HRs during the AAA season earning a late season call up with the Codgers where he showed enough to be penciled into the 2040 lineup. In his brief 17 game appearance with the PEBA club, Cervantes hit .343 with a .383 OBP

Minor League Pitcher of the Year

Hyun-seung Kim
Kim had an outstanding season for the AAA Provo Missionaries with a 0.33 ERA and 0.88 WHiP while surrounding just one earned run and zero home runs in relief. Kim earned a call up to the Codgers where he was also stellar throwing to a tune of a 0.50 ERA with a 0.94 WHiP in 36 innings with just two earned runs and a single home run allowed.

[Underground]

Overall a very poor year for London minor league teams and players, but here is the best of a pretty bad bunch.

2039 London Minor League Pitcher of the Year

RP Jason Romero (AA)

Romero was a middle reliever for the Liverpool Beatles. The 22 year old leftie is a former international free agent signing back in 2034 and made his AA debut this season. Romero appeared in 46 games for the Beatles, second only to Ramon Pena. He led all Beatles' pitchers in ERA (2.18) and ERA+ (186). In a bullpen with no dedicated closer he also managed to lead the team in that category, albeit with only 6. Long term Romero projects as a potential back of rotation PEBA starter although his performance out of the pen thus far in the minors has that looking like an increasingly likely option for his career. Unlikely to have much more to prove in AA next year he projects to make the London AAA roster.

2039 London Minor League Batter of the Year

LF Joseph Barry (SS-A)

His mustache alone earned him some votes for this category especially given this years weak competition. That being said the London 2038 3rd round pick had a solid second year in pro ball, playing ball in the SS-A at the age of 19. Barry played in 108 games for Wasila and hit a solid .289/.370/.532 on the year, amassing a 2.8 WAR. He led the team in batting average, home runs (22), and RBI (67). He played most of the season in LEF where he made zero errors in 121 total chances. He also played 30 games in the much more difficult CF position and though less effective overall there still managed to keep it relatively clean with just 3 errors on 87 chances. Barry is one of a decent sized draft class of hitters for London who will hopefully start to turn around the fortunes of our minor league affiliates. He will surely celebrate his 20th birthday with a promotion to single A Birmingham next year.

Minor League POTY Record Roll (Winters/Seary Era)
Pitcher of the Year
2038: SP Bob Cruz
2037: SP Cecil Langley
2036: SP Antonio Mata
2035: SP Antonio Pena
2034: SP Rich Jones
2033: SP Rich Jones
2032: RP Dennis Bauer
2032: SP Jarred Erwin
2031: SP Luis Lopez
2030: SP Luis Lopez
2029: SP Norm Batstone
2028: SP Pete Blaquiere

Hitter of the Year
2038: CF Noel Dulihanty
2037: CF Noel Dulihanty
2036: CF Zak Osmond
2035: 1B Corey Navarro
2034: 1B Rocky Nichols
2033: 1B Rocky Nichols
2033: 1B Rocky Nichols
2032: SS Ellis Thackwray
2031: LF Bob Brown
2030: LF Bob Brown
2029: 3B Arturo Rodriguez
2028: CF Rene Lems

[Warriors]

Duluth Minor League Players of the Year

Hitter of the Year: C Rick Galloway (A)

First selected by Neo-Tokyo in the 5th round of the 2037 draft, Galloway was released in June 2038. A week later, the Warriors signed him to a minor league contract. Playing for the Rapid City Rushmores this season, he batted .300 and generated a .931 OPS in 102 games and 416 plate appearances. Behind the plate, he gunned down 35.3% of stolen base attempts and recorded a sparkling 1.424 defensive efficiency. He was selected to the NAFTA all-star and PEBA all-star futures teams.

Pitcher of the Year: SP Tomotsu Nagata (AAA)

Drafted in the 16th round of the 2033 draft, Nagata toiled for Neo-Tokyo system until 2037 when he was exposed to the Rule 5 darft. The Warriors selected him and since then he has pitched well. In 2039 he led the Racine Lakers with a 10-10 record and a 3.05 ERA (126 ERA+) in 28 starts and 177.1 innings pitched.

[Shisa]

Okinawa 2039 Minor League Batter of the Year:Paulus Boele (A)

The Moose, Paulus Boele put together an impressive offensive season for a middle infielder contributing 16HRs, 72 RBIs with a .377 OBP on the season. While many considered Boele to be an organizational depth piece, his showing at A ball at least gives him a glimmer of sticking around longer term in the organization and has upped the 24yo's standing against other similarly slotted MIFs with the Shisa.

Okinawa 2039 Minor League Pitcher of the Year:Yoritomo Hayakawa (AAA)

Yoritomo Hayakawa continued his meteoric rise through the Okinawa organization this season and takes home his 2nd consecutive Okinawa Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award. The former 8th round 247th pick peaked as the #7 overall PEBA prospect by OSA. Hayakawa was promoted from A to AAA at the start of the season where we posted a 9-3 record in 14 starts with a 2.29 ERA, and a 0.85 WHIP. He was called up to the big club at the middle portion of the season where he also started 14 games going 3-3 and intimidating opposing hitters with a 12.6 K/9 metric and ended up being the #1 starter for the Shisa in the playoffs where he went 1-0 in 2 starts vs Niihama posting a 2.16 ERA.

Okinawa Minor League Batter of the Year:
===================================
2034 Kieran Foll (AA)
2035 Pedro Hernandez (A)
2036 Eppe In De Boomgaret (S A)
2037 Cipriano Rodriguez (AA)
2038 Enrique Cruz (AA)

Okinawa Minor League Pitcher of the Year:
====================================
2034 SP Miguel Zambrano (AAA)
2035 SP Vincente Gonzalez (AA)
2036 SP Vincente Gonzalez (AAA)
2037 Juan Rodriguez (AAA)
2038 Yoritomo Hayakawa (A)

[Dinosaurs]

Fargo 2039 Minor League Batter of the Year: 1B Minh-Tong Wang (SA)


Wang showed well last season in rookie ball, but he was also repeating the level after a fairly disastrous 2037 season there. But, I didn't see this coming from him, he launched 46 home runs this season and achieved a 195 wRC+ in the process.

Fargo 2039 Minor League Pitcher of the Year: SP Gonzalo Reyna (AAA)


Reyna, made his major league debut late in this season after starting 27 games in AAA as a 23 yr old and going 10-6 with a 139 ERA+ and a 4.5 WAR. He's likely set to fill a role in the major league rotation next season.

[Thoroughbreds]

Kentucky's 2039 minor league players of the year are:



Hitter of the year: First Baseman Henk Petiet

Petiet hit 34 homers and had a .368 OBP with the Fort Wayne Pioneers (A). Petiet is ranked as Kentucky's top hitting prospect.




Pitcher of the year: Starting Pitcher Keon-Chae Pak

Pak was a scouting discovery in 2033 - he went 10-6 with a 2.75 ERA with the Fort Wayne Pioneers (A) this season

[Arroyos]

Yuma's Minor League Players of the Year:

Pitcher Cesar Alfonso (AAA) relief pitcher
Alfonso led the Henderson Fighting Scotts with 14 saves and 10 wins to earn honors as the AAA Reliever of the Year. Alfonso was the first round pick of Yuma in 2038.


Hitter Hung Cai (A) left field
Cai smashed 25 homers in just 102 games to lead the Salton Sea Kilmers in that category and RBIs. He was Yuma's first round pick in 2035.

[Hitmen]

New Jersey’s 2039 Minor League Hitter of the Year:
RF Gashie Uki (AAA), 184 Hits, 10 HR, 63 RBI, 69 SB, .338/.399/.481 AVG/OBP/SLG, 143 OPS+, 7.0 WAR, 6/6/39 GBB AAA AML Player of the Week, GBB AAA AML All-Star Selection, 6/12/39 GBB AAA AML Batter of the Month, GBB AAA AML 2039 Platinum Stick Award at CF, GBB AAA AML 2039 Outstanding Hitter Award, 2039 Global Baseball Brotherhood Ambassador's Cup winner

New Jersey’s 2039 Minor League Pitcher of the Year:
SP Ken 'La Flama Blanca' Stewart (AA), 10-9, 2.67 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 0.8 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9, 10.1 K/9, 4.5 WAR, 2039 PEBA IL All-Star Prospects Selection, Named #45 Prospect in PEBA

Historical NJ Winners:

Minor League Hitter of the Year
2038: 1B Roberto Nae (SS-A)
2037: LF Tetsui Takahashi (AA)
2036: RF Adam Barnes (AAA)
2035: 1B Steve Ricks (Hi-A)
2034: RF Gelana Naybet (WIL)
2024 - 2033 - WIL: Researching the Archives
2020 - 2023: Researching the Archives
2019: SS Matt Thurman (AAA)
2018: 1B Carlos Rea (AAA)
2017: 3B Terry 'Lump Lump' Lovell (AAA)
2016: SS Matt Thurman (Hi-A)
2015: 3B Alberto Rodríguez (AA)
2014: 2B José Mateo (AAA / AA)
2013: RF Cliff Jones (NJ / AAA / AA)
2007 - 2012: Researching the Archives

Minor League Pitcher of the Year
2038: SP Nariaki Onodera (Hi-A)
2037: SP Katsumoto Kouno (Hi-A)
2036: SP Brody Buggins (SS-A)
2035: SP Russ 'Rocky' Rhodes (AA)
2034: SP Yub Issa (WIL)
2024 - 2033 - WIL: Researching the Archives
2020 - 2023: Researching the Archives
2019: CL Júlio 'Tapper' González (AAA)
2018: SP Dusty Garland (AAA)
2017: SP William Kelly (Hi-A)
2016: MR Sebastián Valentín (AAA)
2015: CL Glenn Martin (AA)
2014: SP Claude Risk (AA / Hi-A)
2013: SP Jonathan Peña (AAA / AA)
2007 - 2012: Researching the Archives

[Claymores]

2039 Scottish Claymores Minor League Hitter and Pitcher of the Year

Hitter
3B Julio Luna

Julio Luna took a big step forward in his development this past season, once again being selected for the PEBA All-Star Futures Game (2037,2038,2039). He started the season with the Class A Govan, and earned a promotion to AA Inverness for the last month of the season. A combined 5.3 WAR at both stops, make his future continue to look bright.

Pitcher
SP Ienobu Ito

Ienobu Ito continued his development this season at Class A Govan, and earned a promotion to AA Inverness for the last month of the season. A combined 4.7 WAR at both stops led the Claymores minor league system. Prior to Ito being promoted to AA Inverness, he forced the organization's hand by making two elite starts at the end of July and early August. On July 21st, Ito struck out 11 in 7 2/3 IP against the Nassau Vulcans. On August 1st, Ito pitched a complete game 1 hitter shutout with 8 strikeouts. With a third pitch to his repertoire, Ito has a chance to carve out a role in PEBA.