Chris's idea for listing team MVP's got me to thinking about the minor leagues. Since the regular season for all minor leagues are over, tell me who you think were your best of the best. Do we need to put anybody on helium watch? What about your biggest disappointments? Do you have anyone you thought was can't miss but struggled horribly? Maybe we could figure out who we think is Minor League Player of the Year?
I'll try and post mine in a bit.
Who were your best minor league players?
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Nigel
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John
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Another great question! I really enjoy these exercise; they help me not only touch base with my own players but get to know key players from other organizations that I might otherwise have missed.
I'm going to give you a couple non-typical choices for Aurora's minor league MVPs. On the offensive side, rather than focus on a big power hitter or speed burner I'm going to highlight the surprising Josh Christensen. The 21-year-old was selected in the 49th round of the Inaugural Draft and, to be honest, was not considered a prominent prospect within the organization. Last year he received all of 92 ABs between Hi-A and AA in a backup role. In hindsight that probably wasn't a good call and Christensen probably deserved more of a shot. Back at Hi-A San Luis Río Colorado, he got that chance this year and ran with it. Christensen batted .329/.389/.450 in 119 games with 6 HR and 13 SB. While that may not seem overwhelming, the fine bat work was backed up by outstanding defense. A natural shortstop, Christensen spent most of the year playing second base to build versatility. Honors on the season include two NAFTA Player of the Week awards, Player of the Month for August as well as an All-Star appearance. No, he's not going to be a star, but a player with a legit middle-of-the-diamond glove and a quality bat has a chance to be a positive contributer at the big league level.
There's no doubt that SP Ryuichi Yamauchi would have been the pitching MVP had he not been shipped to Manchester at the deadline. His departure muddies the picture. Rather than choose another starter, my pick goes to AA Gatineau's closer Yasuhiro Ohayashi. Ohayashi didn't actually take over as closer until mid-June. He was lights-out once he did, striking out 80 in 66 innings and earning 22 saves to go with this 2.32 ERA. Ohayashi allowed just 39 hits and 21 walks for a minuscule 0.91 WHIP. He's kept things rolling in the playoffs with another 5 scoreless innings pitched. There are some in the organization who feel Ohayashi has the arsenal of pitches (he throws 5) to be a quality starter. Whether he's a starter or a closer, the 22-year-old native of Tokyo, Japan has a bright future ahead of him.
My two disappointments both spent the year at AAA Thornton. 1B Jeffrey Stone was added to the 40-man roster this off-season after winning the GNL (AA) Canadian Alliance 2007 Outstanding Hitter Award. After his superlative performance, the front office felt Stone's bat could carry him to playing time in Aurora this year. Instead he stumbled badly, hitting just 5 HR compared to 21 last season. Batting average fell from .311 to .240 and plate patience decreased noticeably. It remains to be seen if the organization will wait on Stone another season.
It's somewhat unfair to label SP Jesús Encarnación a disappointment; after all, a 4.93 ERA at AAA for someone who just turned 21 isn't half bad. The only reason Encarnación's season would be viewed as a disappointment is in comparison to his '07 season at AAA, when he posted a 3.07 ERA with an amazing 204 Ks in 155.1 IP. The Ks dropped, the hits rose and the end results were predictably less than positive. Unlike with Stone, however, Aurora isn't doubting Encarnación. He'll be back next year to take his third crack at GBB batters, and a rebound season is expected.
I'm going to give you a couple non-typical choices for Aurora's minor league MVPs. On the offensive side, rather than focus on a big power hitter or speed burner I'm going to highlight the surprising Josh Christensen. The 21-year-old was selected in the 49th round of the Inaugural Draft and, to be honest, was not considered a prominent prospect within the organization. Last year he received all of 92 ABs between Hi-A and AA in a backup role. In hindsight that probably wasn't a good call and Christensen probably deserved more of a shot. Back at Hi-A San Luis Río Colorado, he got that chance this year and ran with it. Christensen batted .329/.389/.450 in 119 games with 6 HR and 13 SB. While that may not seem overwhelming, the fine bat work was backed up by outstanding defense. A natural shortstop, Christensen spent most of the year playing second base to build versatility. Honors on the season include two NAFTA Player of the Week awards, Player of the Month for August as well as an All-Star appearance. No, he's not going to be a star, but a player with a legit middle-of-the-diamond glove and a quality bat has a chance to be a positive contributer at the big league level.
There's no doubt that SP Ryuichi Yamauchi would have been the pitching MVP had he not been shipped to Manchester at the deadline. His departure muddies the picture. Rather than choose another starter, my pick goes to AA Gatineau's closer Yasuhiro Ohayashi. Ohayashi didn't actually take over as closer until mid-June. He was lights-out once he did, striking out 80 in 66 innings and earning 22 saves to go with this 2.32 ERA. Ohayashi allowed just 39 hits and 21 walks for a minuscule 0.91 WHIP. He's kept things rolling in the playoffs with another 5 scoreless innings pitched. There are some in the organization who feel Ohayashi has the arsenal of pitches (he throws 5) to be a quality starter. Whether he's a starter or a closer, the 22-year-old native of Tokyo, Japan has a bright future ahead of him.
My two disappointments both spent the year at AAA Thornton. 1B Jeffrey Stone was added to the 40-man roster this off-season after winning the GNL (AA) Canadian Alliance 2007 Outstanding Hitter Award. After his superlative performance, the front office felt Stone's bat could carry him to playing time in Aurora this year. Instead he stumbled badly, hitting just 5 HR compared to 21 last season. Batting average fell from .311 to .240 and plate patience decreased noticeably. It remains to be seen if the organization will wait on Stone another season.
It's somewhat unfair to label SP Jesús Encarnación a disappointment; after all, a 4.93 ERA at AAA for someone who just turned 21 isn't half bad. The only reason Encarnación's season would be viewed as a disappointment is in comparison to his '07 season at AAA, when he posted a 3.07 ERA with an amazing 204 Ks in 155.1 IP. The Ks dropped, the hits rose and the end results were predictably less than positive. Unlike with Stone, however, Aurora isn't doubting Encarnación. He'll be back next year to take his third crack at GBB batters, and a rebound season is expected.
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Nigel
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However you want to do it. I'm just trying to spark a little bit of discussion on minor league players.
Best of the Best
AA 1B Jeffrey Wilkinson
4th Round pick in the 2007 draft, Jeffrey started the season repeating A ball after a horrendous line of .214/.236/.297 in '07. He turned things around in a big way hitting .341/.371/.453 and being selected to the A ball All-Star game in '08. Not long after he was promoted to AA and didn't skip a beat hitting .339/.377/.464. The big question for him now is can he start turning those doubles into home runs.
AAA SP Bob Anderson
67th round pick in the '07 inaugural draft, Anderson has never been high on any scouts list. His numbers this season show that the scouts may have misjudged him. Anderson pitched the majority of '08 with AA Montreal posting some great numbers. 151IP 137H 127K 35BB 1.14WHIP 10-4 2.50 ERA. This earned him a spot on the AA All-star team and a promotion to AAA Worcester. Anderson continued to impress, posting a 2-2 record with a 3.00ERA. 36IP 31H 28K 8BB and a 1.08WHIP show that Anderson may have earned himself a trip to London in the not so distant future.
Needs Seasoning
SS-A OF Dennis Carter
Dennis was the 1st pick for London in the '08 draft and he was sent to Short season Maui. Dennis has struggled somewhat, posting a line of .257/.299/.328 with 15BB and 27K. It's not as bad as it looks though, the Hawaiian League is extremely tough on hitters. The average line for a player in the league is .255/.307/.330. The real question with Dennis is does the team let him repeat the league or do they challenge him with a promotion?
There are others, but it may be more suited to an article.
Best of the Best
AA 1B Jeffrey Wilkinson
4th Round pick in the 2007 draft, Jeffrey started the season repeating A ball after a horrendous line of .214/.236/.297 in '07. He turned things around in a big way hitting .341/.371/.453 and being selected to the A ball All-Star game in '08. Not long after he was promoted to AA and didn't skip a beat hitting .339/.377/.464. The big question for him now is can he start turning those doubles into home runs.
AAA SP Bob Anderson
67th round pick in the '07 inaugural draft, Anderson has never been high on any scouts list. His numbers this season show that the scouts may have misjudged him. Anderson pitched the majority of '08 with AA Montreal posting some great numbers. 151IP 137H 127K 35BB 1.14WHIP 10-4 2.50 ERA. This earned him a spot on the AA All-star team and a promotion to AAA Worcester. Anderson continued to impress, posting a 2-2 record with a 3.00ERA. 36IP 31H 28K 8BB and a 1.08WHIP show that Anderson may have earned himself a trip to London in the not so distant future.
Needs Seasoning
SS-A OF Dennis Carter
Dennis was the 1st pick for London in the '08 draft and he was sent to Short season Maui. Dennis has struggled somewhat, posting a line of .257/.299/.328 with 15BB and 27K. It's not as bad as it looks though, the Hawaiian League is extremely tough on hitters. The average line for a player in the league is .255/.307/.330. The real question with Dennis is does the team let him repeat the league or do they challenge him with a promotion?
There are others, but it may be more suited to an article.
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Dinosaurs
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I had some nice half season performances by a few players that I then premoted. The one player that fits this description and continued to succeed well was Sancho Romero OF AAA, who posted a .885 OPS in AA and a .888 OPS in AAA as a 22 yr old. I am somewhat concerned that both were bolstered by some luck though as his batting avg. in AA was .358 and .365 in AAA, those are pretty high and may be boosted by a lucky baBIP. But, its still impressive that he carried the OPS over a league up without any problems.
But, the one guy that is by far the stud of my minor league organization is Salvador Ruiz 3B A. His 23 HRs and .940 OPS as a 18 yr old in the full season A league is impressive, even more so when you consider the next highest HR total was 6 fewer and by a 25 yr old (i.e. too old for the league). Most of my scouts have him as major league ready in regards to power right now, and he's going to get a shot to jump up to the bigs next season if he continues to mash a level up in AA. For a point of reference, the league (Amber Waves League) avg. OPS was .700, so a full .240 better OPS from an 18 year old.
But, the one guy that is by far the stud of my minor league organization is Salvador Ruiz 3B A. His 23 HRs and .940 OPS as a 18 yr old in the full season A league is impressive, even more so when you consider the next highest HR total was 6 fewer and by a 25 yr old (i.e. too old for the league). Most of my scouts have him as major league ready in regards to power right now, and he's going to get a shot to jump up to the bigs next season if he continues to mash a level up in AA. For a point of reference, the league (Amber Waves League) avg. OPS was .700, so a full .240 better OPS from an 18 year old.
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Reg
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Batter - AAA - Ty Green - Green spent last year in AA and had a respectable campaign, after going up a level, Green increased in power and contact and made a strong argument for becoming the Trendsetters starting 1B (barring any off season acquisition)
Pitcher - AA - Sterling Weichard - acquired for a 10 rd pick on a whim...probably won't ever make it to the major league level but, 13-8 record and an 3.05 era...so he gets the nod although several pitchers at the SS-A had tremendous years...
Pitcher - AA - Sterling Weichard - acquired for a 10 rd pick on a whim...probably won't ever make it to the major league level but, 13-8 record and an 3.05 era...so he gets the nod although several pitchers at the SS-A had tremendous years...
Reg LeBlanc
General Manager, New Orleans Trendsetters
(2021 - 2037)
General Manager, New Orleans Trendsetters
(2021 - 2037)
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Denny
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John
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First, go to the "Select League" pull-down menu at the top-left and select NAFTA. Then go to the NAFTA --> Statistics menu. Click on the "Team Statistics" tab. It'll default to showing the Amber Waves League stats. Everything you want is there. And yes, Salvador Ruíz is a stud in the making.Codgers wrote:Where are you guys finding these league averages for the various levels? I must be looking at the wrong reports.Dinosaurs wrote:For a point of reference, the league (Amber Waves League) avg. OPS was .700, so a full .240 better OPS from an 18 year old.
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Denny
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Freakin' sweet!!! 
I'll have my elves (I saved them from homelessness when they were canned by Wall $treet Week along with Louis Rukeyser) enter that data into the Codgers' top secret computerized information system, DiamondLook, straight away.
Soon victory will be mine! MINE!!
I'll have my elves (I saved them from homelessness when they were canned by Wall $treet Week along with Louis Rukeyser) enter that data into the Codgers' top secret computerized information system, DiamondLook, straight away.Soon victory will be mine! MINE!!
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Alan Ehlers
My best minor league players
Well my teams at all levels sucked but I had a few bright spots.
Pitcher is Pedro Sanchez he was 8-10 with a 2.78 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He was rewarded with a callup in September. He is 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA. He is a lefty so he will be competing for a spot in Tempes rotation because I am low on lefthanded starters
Hitters- I have two that did well
2b is Ron Ryan who batted .300 driving in 70 runs and posting a good OBP of .376
1b Ishida batted .305 with 53 RBIS and a OBP of .366
they were the few bright spots in bad year for my minor league system
Pitcher is Pedro Sanchez he was 8-10 with a 2.78 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He was rewarded with a callup in September. He is 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA. He is a lefty so he will be competing for a spot in Tempes rotation because I am low on lefthanded starters
Hitters- I have two that did well
2b is Ron Ryan who batted .300 driving in 70 runs and posting a good OBP of .376
1b Ishida batted .305 with 53 RBIS and a OBP of .366
they were the few bright spots in bad year for my minor league system
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John
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I get the reference to the Cleveland Indians' DiamondView database!Codgers wrote:Freakin' sweet!!!
Soon victory will be mine! MINE!!
For the record, that's Kuemon Ishida of AA Quebec City.Knights wrote:1b Ishida batted .305 with 53 RBIS and a OBP of .366
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Denny
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Well caught, sir!Borealis - Commissioner wrote:I get the reference to the Cleveland Indians' DiamondView database!Codgers wrote:Freakin' sweet!!!
Soon victory will be mine! MINE!!
Yes, I've been intending to write an article about DiamondLook. One of these days...
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Duane
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Another farmhand from Kentucky ... I need Bourbon!!!!!!Trendsetters wrote:Pitcher - AA - Sterling Weichard - acquired for a 10 rd pick on a whim...probably won't ever make it to the major league level but, 13-8 record and an 3.05 era...so he gets the nod although several pitchers at the SS-A had tremendous years...
Duane
all but one season .... PEBA
Even though we fell short against Duluth in 2026 ... and SS in 2027 and 2029
IL still RULES!!!!!
all but one season .... PEBA
Even though we fell short against Duluth in 2026 ... and SS in 2027 and 2029
IL still RULES!!!!!
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Matt
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On the hitting side, Lara. We drafted him in the hopes that as an 18 yr old he might turn into something more. His plate discipline showed some progress, but we would like to see more. Defense is decent.
Pitching, mr Oscar Kennedy. Was lights out at A, just a year removed from a less than mediocre season at the same level. Allowing just 1 run in 45 innings is impressive at any level. Promoted to AA 2/3 of the way thru the season, where he continued to have success.
Pitching, mr Oscar Kennedy. Was lights out at A, just a year removed from a less than mediocre season at the same level. Allowing just 1 run in 45 innings is impressive at any level. Promoted to AA 2/3 of the way thru the season, where he continued to have success.