2017 Minor League All-Star Team

Eloy Jimenez began the season at high Class A in the Cubs system and finished it at Double-A in the White Sox system. (Brian Westerholt)

The Blue Jays led the way with three first-team Baseball America Minor League All-Stars. The strong seasons by Danny Jansen, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. gave Toronto a third of the position player spots on the first team.

The Reds had three members of the team as well, with two first-teamers and one second-teamer. The White Sox had one first-team player and two members of the second team. The Yankees, Twins, Padres and Phillies also had multiple representatives.

The Baseball America Minor League All-Star Team is selected by the Baseball America staff. It leans heavily on statistical production, but also weighs prospect pedigree and age.

First team
Pos	Player (Highest Level)	Age	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO
C	Danny Jansen, TOR (AAA)	22	.323	.400	.484	368	50	119	10	48	41	40
1B	Rhys Hoskins, PHI (AAA)	24	.284	.385	.581	401	78	114	29	91	64	75
2B	Bo Bichette, TOR (HiA)	19	.362	.423	.565	448	88	162	14	74	42	81
3B	Nick Senzel, CIN (AA)	22	.321	.391	.514	455	81	146	14	65	49	97
SS	Fernando Tatis Jr., SD (AA)	18	.278	.379	.498	486	84	135	22	75	77	141
OF	Ronald Acuna, ATL (AAA)	19	.325	.374	.522	557	88	181	21	82	43	144
OF	Austin Hays, BAL (AA)	22	.329	.365	.593	523	81	172	32	95	25	85
OF	Eloy Jimenez, CWS (AA)	20	.312	.379	.568	333	54	104	19	65	35	72
DH	Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR (HiA)	18	.323	.425	.485	437	84	141	13	76	76	62
Pos	Pitcher (Highest Level)	Age	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	BB	SO	AVG
SP	Jon Duplantier, ARI (HiA)	23	12	3	1.39	25	24	136	91	42	165	.192
SP	Corbin Burnes, MIL (AA)	22	8	3	1.67	26	26	146	103	36	140	.200
SP	Jack Flaherty, STL (AAA)	21	14	4	2.18	25	25	149	120	35	147	.221
SP	Chance Adams, NYY (AAA)	23	15	5	2.45	27	27	150	104	58	135	.193
SP	Tyler Mahle, CIN (AAA)	22	10	7	2.06	24	24	144	109	30	138	.208
RP	Gabriel Moya, MIN (AA)	22	6	1	0.77	47	0	58	30	15	87	.150
Second Team
Pos	Player (High Level)	Age	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO
C	Francisco Mejia, CLE (AA)	21	.297	.346	.490	347	52	103	14	52	24	53
1B	Ryan McMahon, COL (AAA)	22	.355	.403	.583	470	74	167	20	88	41	92
2B	Scott Kingery, PHI (AAA)	23	.304	.359	.530	543	103	165	26	65	41	109
3B	Rafael Devers, BOS (AAA)	20	.311	.377	.578	322	54	100	20	60	34	63
SS	Amed Rosario, NYM (AAA)	21	.328	.367	.466	393	66	129	7	58	23	67
OF	Derek Fisher, HOU (AAA)	24	.318	.384	.583	343	63	109	21	66	35	74
OF	Estevan Florial, NYY (HiA)	19	.298	.372	.479	420	77	125	13	57	50	148
OF	Victor Robles, WAS (AA)	20	.300	.382	.493	430	73	129	10	47	37	84
DH	Willie Calhoun, TEX (AAA)	22	.300	.355	.572	486	80	146	31	93	42	61
Pos	Pitcher (Highest Level)	Age	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	BB	SO	AVG
SP	Michael Kopech, CWS (AAA)	21	9	8	2.88	25	25	134	92	65	172	.193
SP	Alec Hansen, CWS (AA)	22	11	8	2.80	26	26	141	114	51	191	.216
SP	Merandy Gonzalez, MIA (HiA)	21	13	3	1.66	22	20	130	101	26	103	.212
SP	Zack Littell, MIN (AA)	21	19	1	2.12	27	25	157	135	41	142	.236
SP	Joey Lucchesi, SD (AA)	24	11	7	2.20	24	23	139	102	33	148	.200
RP	Jimmy Herget, CIN (AAA)	23	4	4	2.90	52	0	62	52	21	72	.226

C Danny Jansen | Blue Jays Triple-A Buffalo (International)

Jansen never played more than 57 games in any of his first four pro seasons, but he finally stayed healthy and began wearing glasses this season. The result was a meteoric rise across three levels, culminating in Triple-A. Jansen’s .884 OPS was best in the minors among catchers with at least 400 plate appearances, and he was the only full-time backstop to record more walks (41) than strikeouts (40). Defensively, Jansen committed four errors and allowed just four passed balls, though he threw out just 24 percent of basestealers.

1B Rhys Hoskins | Phillies Triple-A Lehigh Valley (International)

Hoskins was tied for third in the minors with 29 home runs when he got called up by the Phillies on Aug. 10, and he proceeded to bash 12 more homers in his first 25 major league games. He led all minor league first basemen with a .297 isolated slugging percentage, and he did it while producing nearly as many walks (64) as strikeouts (75). Hoskins ranked among the overall minor league leaders with a .581 slugging percentage (eighth) and 91 RBIs (15th) even though he spent the final weeks of the minor league season in the majors.

2B Bo Bichette | Blue Jays High Class A Dunedin (Florida State)

Bichette tore through minor league pitchers in his first full season. After flirting with .400 at low Class A Lansing, Dante’s youngest son continued to mash after his promotion to high Class A Dunedin in the offense-suffocating Florida State League. Overall Bichette ranked first in the minors in batting average (.362), second in on-base percentage (.423) and fourth in doubles (41), while also showing himself to be a threat on the basepaths with 22 stolen bases. An everyday shortstop, he also played 14 games at second base.

3B Nick Senzel | Reds Double-A Pensacola (Florida State)

Last year’s No. 2 overall pick lived up to his draft billing in his first full season. The Tennessee product held his own in the Florida State League and was even better after his promotion to Double-A Pensacola, posting .973 OPS in 57 games. Senzel’s .321/.391/.512 slash line included 40 doubles, good for sixth in the minors overall, but missed the Southern League playoffs with a bout of vertigo.

SS Fernando Tatis Jr. | Padres Double-A San Antonio (Texas)

Tatis became the first 18-year-old to go 20-20 in the low Class A Midwest League in the post-1962 modern era of the minor leagues, skipped over high Class A entirely and wrapped up the season with a nine-game hit streak at Double-A San Antonio. His 27 doubles, 22 home runs and 32 stolen bases in full-season ball were all the more impressive considering he was the same age as many high school seniors. Tatis also made a habit of delivering highlight-reel plays at shortstop, particularly with his cannon of an arm.

OF Ronald Acuna | Braves Triple-A Gwinnett (International)

Acuna shot all the way up to Triple-A in a brilliant age-19 season and managed to perform better at every level. He hit .287 with an .814 OPS in high Class A, .326 with an .895 OPS in Double-A, and .344 with a .940 OPS in Triple-A. Acuna’s average and OPS at Triple-A were both highest in the International League from the time he made his debut on July 13. Overall, he led the minors with 181 hits and ranked third with 291 total bases. He also ranked ninth with 44 stolen bases.

OF Austin Hays | Orioles Double-A Bowie (Eastern)

The third-round pick out of Jacksonville from a year ago is already making a strong case as the steal of the 2016 draft. Hays tore through both the Carolina and Eastern leagues in his full-season debut, showing prodigious power with the athleticism to handle center field. He led the minors with 310 total bases, ranked second with 32 homers and finished fourth in slugging (.593), sixth in hits (172) and ninth in RBIs (95). He earned a big league promotion in September to cap his season.

OF Eloy Jimenez | White Sox Double-A Birmingham (Southern)

Jimenez was the centerpiece prospect of the summer’s crosstown trade between the White Sox and Cubs that sent Jose Quintana to the North Side. While Quintana delivered a middling performance for the Cubs, Jimenez made a lot of noise once he joined the White Sox system in July. His .947 OPS would have ranked 10th in the minors if he had enough plate appearances to qualify—he missed the first five weeks of the season with a bone bruise in his right shoulder—and he finished the year on a torrid pace, hitting .348 with 16 doubles, 11 home runs and 33 RBIs in 47 games after the trade.

DH Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Blue Jays High Class A Dunedin (Florida State)

The son of Vlad teamed with Bo Bichette to form one of the most prolific teenage duos in the minors in recent memory. Guerrero led all minor leaguers in on-base percentage (.425) and did it while hitting .323 with 28 doubles, 13 homers and 76 RBIs playing in two pitcher-friendly environments as an 18-year-old. His bat control put him on another level—he had more walks (76) than strikeouts (62), and he struck out just seven times against lefthanders.

SP Jon Duplantier | Diamondbacks High Class A Visalia (California)

The 2016 third-round pick from Rice had a first full season for the record books. Duplantier’s 1.39 ERA was not only best in the minors this season, but was lowest mark since Justin Verlander posted a 1.29 ERA in 2005. Duplantier didn’t allow an earned run in 13 of his 25 starts—pitching at least five innings in all such appearances—and didn’t allow more than three earned runs in any outing this year. In addition to his ERA crown, Duplantier also ranked among minor league leaders with a .192 opponent average (third) and 0.98 WHIP (12th).

SP Corbin Burnes | Brewers Double-A Biloxi (Southern)

In almost any other year, the ERA crown would have belonged to Burnes. The 2016 fourth-rounder from St. Mary’s finished third in the minors with a 1.66 ERA, and he did so pitching at a higher level than either of the two pitchers ranked ahead of him, Jon Duplantier and Merandy Gonzalez. Burnes allowed one earned run or fewer in 19 of his 26 starts, and overall finished fourth in the minors with a 0.95 WHIP and eighth with a .200 opponent average.

SP Jack Flaherty | Cardinals Triple-A Memphis (Pacific Coast)

The classic projectable righthander when he was drafted out of high school, Flaherty grew into his velocity this year and soared through the Cardinals system, culminating in his major league debut on Sept. 1. The 21-year-old cruised past older Double-A competition with a 7-2, 1.42 mark, and then impressively held his own in the unforgiving Pacific Coast League with a 7-2, 2.74 showing. Overall Flaherty finished seventh in the minors with 14 wins and 13th with a 2.18 ERA despite pitching at higher levels than most ahead of him.

SP Chance Adams | Yankees Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre (International)

Adams proved his breakout last year was no fluke by finishing second in the minors in wins (15) and sixth in opponent average (.193) despite pitching all but the first few weeks of the season at Triple-A. Despite concerns about a reliever profile and delivery, Adams held up strong over 150.1 innings as the ace of a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre team that posted the best record in the International League. He flashed a fastball in the mid-90s and held it deep into starts.

SP Tyler Mahle | Reds Triple-A Louisville (International)

A year after throwing a no-hitter, Mahle did himself one better and tossed a perfect game on April 22 at Mobile. He was promoted to Triple-A Louisville at the all-star break, dominated there and made his major league debut on Aug. 27. Consistency and durability were his hallmarks. Overall Mahle delivered a quality start in 17 of his 26 starts this year. His 2.06 ERA ranked eighth in the minors and his 0.96 WHIP was good for sixth.

RP Gabriel Moya | Twins Double-A Chattanooga (Southern)

Moya began the year in the Diamondbacks system before being traded at the deadline to the Twins for catcher Jon Ryan Murphy. Opponents couldn’t touch the lefthander no matter what uniform he wore. Moya delivered a startling run in which he didn’t allow an earned run for 34 straight appearances—a stretch spanning May 5 to Aug. 2—and he was a perfect 24-for-24 when converting save opportunities on the year. Moya’s 0.77 ERA was the lowest in the minors among pitchers with at least 58 innings, and his 0.77 WHIP ranked third.