Aurora Announces 2026 Minor League Players of the Year
by Francis Ferry,
NLN baseball beat writer
The story of Michi Shini is an intriguing one – perhaps a story not too removed from that of former-Borealis and current-Duluthian Harley Schneider – don’t give up on those late draft-day picks.
Schneider was a 13th round selection by Aurora in 2017 and was promptly cut due to roster space – was in Kentucky, then Charleston, before recapturing Aurora’s eye, gaining trade value and ultimately becoming a major cog in Duluth’s title chase. Yeah… Maybe 14th round pick Shini will turn out the same.
Out of the same school as the previous two-year’s winner, ‘Fudd’ Martinez (Ciefuegos), Shini was selected for the similarities he shared with a current Borealis high-draft pick: Pedro Ferringo: good contact, ok power, decent eye, a good baserunner – though Michi doesn’t have the speed of Ferringo, and little defensive ability – to the point where he’ll be a career DH, much as Pedro has been.
A four-year starter at Ciefuegos, Shini hit .295 with a .784 OPS. After last year’s draft, Shini played 26 games at Mokule’ia, where he hit .260 with 3 homers and 19 RBI, and then was shipped to the Sonoran Desert, south of Yuma, south of the border, where he played in 55 more games and hit just .225, but with 8 HR and 16 RBI. Aurora brass figured those numbers weren’t too bad, considering the 14th round selection, but come this year – still at SLRC, Michi started 109 games and hit .288 with an astonishing 17 HRs and 58 RBI. His .288 was best in the organization for anyone with more than 250 AB, his homerun total was second best (equally surprising – and award runner-up, Suezo Kato had 20), and the RBI total was 3rd best (behind Kato and Bonsall).
What Michizane’s future may have in store for him is still to be seen, but his excellent season has him moved onto the AA roster at Gatineau (along with Kato), where his numbers would surpass everyone currently on that roster. GM Will Topham said at the time of the draft that he was going out on a whim because of the comparisons to Ferringo – and perhaps that ‘feeling’ is slowly moving in the direction of panning out. We shall see, but with another solid year at AA in 2027… who knows, but stranger things have happened – just as Harley.
If the story of Michizane Shini wasn’t strange enough, then let’s look at the pitching winner: Robert Thomas, who, after four-years playing for Central Florida, went undrafted in the 2023 draft. Looking for additional minor league pitching depth, Aurora signed him as a minor league free agent shortly after the draft and was assigned to Short A Mokule’ia.
After a reasonably successful college career – three-years as a reliever, then as a starter his senior year, Robert was 8-4, with 3 saves, a 3.02 ERA with 128 K in 125 IP. Control was a big concern with Big League scouts, and his career 59 walks kind of proved the point that his 1.25 WHIP suggested. That said, as a starter in that senior year, he posted a 2.71 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, so he certainly improved.
His first year at Mokule’ia was a mixed bag of starts and relief appearances, but in 2024 he posted a 1.89 ERA in 30 relief appearances (59 IP), and made the All-Star team. In 2025 he was promoted to SLRC, where in 29 appearances and 43 IP he had a 2.51 ERA and had his WHIP under 1.00, at 0.91. This year, after a early promotion to Gatineau, he made 42 AA appearances and had 18 saves in the closer role, with a 2.20 ERA, 76 K and a 0.82 WHIP in 57 IP. The coaches may still question his control and feel like he doesn’t get much movement on his pitches, but his devastating change looks to be enough to keep batters off-balance.
The progression seems to be that Thomas will begin 2027 at AAA Thornton, but for now Thomas remains on the AA roster. Where the 25-year old (come the start of the season) will be once spring training is over, is a question, but what this year’s award winners have made clear is this: sometimes actions speak louder than expectations.
Previous Winners:
Aurora Minor League Hitter of the Year
2025: LF Roberto 'Fudd' Martinez (AAA/AA)
2024: LF Roberto 'Fudd' Martinez (AA/A)
2023: C Manny 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 Britt (AA)
2014: 2B John 'Gypsy' Foster (AA)
2013: 1B Ken Coleman (AAA)
Aurora Minor League Pitcher of the Year
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.