AAA Newport News Anchormen (62-71 – 5^th in South Division)

DH Ken Winter
20 Years Old, RHB
Acquired: Drafted by Arlington, 28^th Round, 664^th Overall in Inaugural Draft
2010 Stats: .275, 32 HR, 95 RBI

Young slugger Ken Winter started the 2010 season off on the right foot, abusing Global Baseball Brotherhood pitchers for 8 homeruns and 28 runs batted in during the month of April. The rest of his season wasn’t as spectacular, but he still led the league in homeruns and RBI. While it’s impressive that he’s putting up these numbers in AAA at the age of 20, his value is limited by his inability to play defense. In an emergency he might play a corner outfield position or first base, but he really just isn’t coordinated enough to play in the field every day. The ‘Crats already have a DH in Cipriano Lopez this season, but if Winters keeps hitting like this, the front office just might have to make room for him. Surprisingly, Ken isn’t a ranked prospect and has avoided any form of organizational hype until now. He may or may not be evaluated during Spring Training in 2011; he’s not on the 40-man roster and Arlington might be wary to add him at such a young age. I predict we will see him up at the major league level sometime this season, though.

Runner-up: RP Javier Lozano – 5-1, 1 SV, 2.12 ERA, 29 K, 9 BB, 1.09 WHIP

AA Hampton Airborne (73-67 – 2^nd in Atlantic Division)

3B Ralph Gunther
23 Years Old, RHB
Acquired: Trade with Charleston Statesmen in 2010
2010 Stats: .303, 22 HR, 98 RBI

Yes, I’m giving Gunther the nod here even though he only played about two-thirds of the season in the organization. To justify this decision, I’ll point out that since coming over in the Victor Matos trade, Gunther has automatically become the teams #2 prospect. Oh yeah, and he also hit .300+ with 20+ homers and was just shy of 100 RBI. This kid’s future is bright and he’ll be starting next season in AAA. My bet is that he’ll get more than a cup of coffee next year if can quickly prove he can manhandle AAA pitchers, too. Even though The Ballpark in Arlington is a lefty-friendly park, the Bureaucrats really need a right-handed power bat to balance the lineup. Hopefully Ralph and Joseph Lane will be able to fill that role for the next several years. I’ll also give a shout-out to outfielder Jason Guillén for hitting 27 bombs and driving in 95 men. The runner up, however, is 19-year-old relief ace José Hale. Hale embarrassed AA batters as the primary setup man and seems to be on the fast track to the majors.

Runner-up: RP José Hale – 5-0, 0.70 ERA, 48 K, 18 BB, 0.83 WHIP

Hi-A Alexandria Macedonians (74-54 – 2^nd in Coastal Division)

CF Pablo Ruíz
21 Years Old, LHB
Acquired: Free Agent signing in 2009
2010 Stats: .275, 4 HR, 58 RBI, .411 OBP

The speedy Ruíz initially signed as a left fielder but has made the transition to centerfield seamlessly, committing only a single error all season. Pablo didn’t have the power to stay in left, but his speed and on-base abilities make him a textbook centerfielder and leadoff man. While he does possess ample speed, he’ll have to work with coaches on his base-stealing; he stole 19 bases but was caught ten times. On top of excellent range in the field, Pablo also boasts a strong arm. Ruíz will be patrolling center for Hampton in 2011 and could potentially be a future Bureaucrat.

Runner-up: SP Jaime Melenas – 10-4, 3.05 ERA, 76 K, 33 BB, 1.25 WHIP

SS-A Kilauea Volcanoes (46-44 – 4^th in Archipelago Division)

C Bruce Campbell
21 Years Old, LHB
Acquired: Drafted by Arlington, 15^th Round, 347^th Overall in 2010
2010 Stats: .359, 0 HR, 24 RBI, .425 OBP

Campbell has been a pleasant surprise for the Bureaucrats after being taken late in the 2010 Amateur Draft. After putting up pedestrian numbers in just under 400 college at-bats, Bruce hit like a madman during his first season of professional baseball. He didn’t have much power but he made solid contact and was on base 43% of his plate appearances. Though he didn’t hit any out of the park, he was still able to rack up an .833 OPS; a good number from the offensively weak catcher position. His defensive skills were also impressive as he was able to throw out a healthy 34.3% of the base runners who tried to take an extra bag on his watch. Campbell will move up to Alexandria in 2011, where the front office will see if he is the real deal. Second baseman Sang-hyun Kim deserves mention for his 7 homers and 43 RBI. The runner up is a 19-year-old starting pitcher hailing from Down Under.

Runner-up: SP Danny Hendricks – 9-3, 1.81 ERA, 62 K, 32 BB, 1.01 WHIP