2023 Baseball America Minor League All-Star Teams

Image credit: AKRON, OHIO - AUGUST 29, 2023: Jackson Holliday #18 of the Bowie Baysox runs off the field after the second inning against the Akron RubberDucks at Canal Park on August 29, 2023 in Akron, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

Baseball America celebrates the top performances by prospects at every position by awarding Minor League All-Star teams at the conclusion of each season.

This year’s Minor League All-Star Team was selected by BA staff and capsules written by Kyle Glaser. You can find individual breakdowns of each first-team selection below followed by the full first and second teams with accompanying stats.

Players are listed at the highest level they achieved this season.

C Samuel Basallo, Orioles
Double-A Bowie

Basallo flew up to Double-A in his age-18 season while showing an advanced feel to hit, huge lefthanded power and a cannon for an arm behind the plate. The touted Dominican signee finished the year batting .313/.402/.551 with 20 home runs, 86 RBIs and 12 stolen bases and threw out 33% of basestealers. He led all qualified full-season catchers in batting average, hits and RBIs and finished second with a .953 OPS.

1B Luken Baker, Cardinals
Triple-A Memphis

Baker smashed 33 home runs in just 84 games with Memphis and finished tied for fourth in the minors in homers despite the fact he spent the final six weeks of the season in the majors. The 2018 second-round pick hit .334/.440/.720 and had the highest slugging percentage and OPS (1.159) of any player in the minors who had at least 350 plate appearances. Overall, Baker was the only player in the minors to hit at least .330 and have 30 or more home runs.

2B Thomas Saggese, Rangers/Cardinals
Triple-A Memphis

Saggese obliterated the Texas League with two different teams—first with Frisco and then Springfield after the Rangers dealt him to the Cardinals for Jordan Montgomery at the trade deadline—and finished at Triple-A to cap one of the best seasons in the minor leagues. The 2020 fifth-rounder hit .306/.374/.530 with 26 home runs, 111 RBIs and 12 stolen bases and led the minors with 170 hits and 294 total bases. He also finished tied for fifth with 66 extra-base hits and tied for second in RBIs.

3B Junior Caminero, Rays
Double-A Montgomery

Caminero broke out with a sensational start at High-A Bowling Green and never slowed down after a promotion to Double-A Montgomery. The 20-year-old Dominican showed electric bat speed throughout and hit .324/.384/.591 with 31 home runs and 94 RBIs in 117 games while playing solid defense at third base. He finished eighth in the minors with 272 total bases and ranked fifth in both slugging and OPS (.975) en route to earning his first major league callup in September.

SS Jackson Holliday, Orioles
Triple-A Norfolk

The 2022 No. 1 overall pick staged a meteoric rise from Low-A to Triple-A in his first full season and conquered every level en route to winning Minor League Player of the Year. The 19-year-old wunderkind showcased exceptional polish on both sides of the ball, an easy lefthanded swing that made hard contact in all parts of the zone and tantalizing speed and athleticism while dominating older competition. Overall, Holliday finished the year batting .323/.442/.499 with 12 home runs, 75 RBIs, 101 walks and 24 stolen bases.

OF Roman Anthony, OF, Red Sox
Double-A Portland

Anthony vaulted to Double-A in his first full season and progressively improved his performance at every level. The 2022 second-round pick showcased elite strike-zone discipline, excellent contact skills and growing power from the left side that helped him simultaneously work counts or punish offerings in the zone. Anthony finished batting .272/.403/.466 with 14 home runs, 64 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 106 games and saved his best for last, posting a 1.020 OPS in a season-ending stint at Double-A.

OF Owen Caissie, Cubs
Double-A Tennessee

Caissie began the year slugging for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic and continued to mash in the regular season. The hulking lefthanded batter hit .289/.398/.519 with 22 home runs and 84 RBIs at Double-A in his age-20 season and shut down running games defensively with 10 assists from right field. His .918 OPS was the highest of any qualified outfielder aged 20 or younger by 45 points.

OF Heston Kjerstad, Orioles
Triple-A Norfolk

Kjerstad missed more than two years due to heart inflammation and a strained hamstring, but he made his pro debut in 2022 and flourished. The 2020 No. 2 overall pick rose from Double-A to Triple-A and hit .303/.376/.528 with 21 home runs in 122 games before earning his first MLB callup in September.

DH Jonathan Aranda, Rays
Triple-A Durham

Aranda continued to assert himself as one of the best hitters in the minors in 2023. The 25-year-old Mexico native hit .339/.449/.613 with 25 home runs and 81 RBIs in 95 games for Durham and led the minor leagues with a 1.062 OPS.

SP Robert Gasser, Brewers
Triple-A Nashville

Gasser expertly navigated the hitter-friendly environments of Triple-A to finish among the minor league strikeout leaders. The 2021 second-round pick went 9-1, 3.79 for Triple-A Nashville and finished seventh in the minors with 166 strikeouts. He led all qualified Triple-A pitchers with a 28% strikeout rate.

SP Cade Horton, Cubs
Double-A Tennessee

Horton finished his amateur career with a historic showing at the College World Series and picked up where he left off in his pro debut. The 2022 first-rounder zipped up three levels to Double-A while showing some of the most explosive stuff in the minors and went 4-4, 2.65 with 117 strikeouts and 27 walks in 88.1 innings.

SP Carlos Rodriguez, Brewers
Triple-A Nashville

Rodriguez emerged as a prospect with a strong pro debut in 2022 and further raised his game this season. The deceptive Nicaraguan went 9-6, 2.77 to win the Southern League ERA title and struck out 157 batters in 123.2 innings. He held opponents to a .187 average, the third-lowest among qualified pitchers.

SP Robby Snelling, Padres
Double-A San Antonio

One of the biggest risers in the 2022 draft class, Snelling climbed three levels to Double-A in his pro debut and dominated every stop as a 19-year-old. The physical, athletic lefthander went 11-3, 1.82 and allowed just four home runs all year despite making half of his starts in the hitter-friendly California League. He posted the lowest ERA in the minors among pitchers with at least 100 innings, struck out 118 batters and allowed one run or fewer in 17 of his 22 starts.

SP Drew Thorpe, Yankees
Double-A Somerset

Thorpe got off to a middling start in his pro debut, but he clicked into gear in mid May. Armed with a devastating changeup, the 2022 second-round pick went 14-2, 2.52 with a minor-league leading 182 strikeouts as he advanced from High-A to Double-A. He was at his best as the competition improved, going 4-0 with a 1.48 ERA in five starts at Double-A with 44 strikeouts and just five walks.

RP Orion Kerkering, Phillies
Triple-A Lehigh Valley

Kerkering rose five levels from Low-A all the way to the big leagues in an exhilarating first full season. The 2022 fifth-rounder blew away hitters with a 97-102 mph fastball and vicious slider that made him a lights-out closer at every stop. Kerkering went 4-1, 1.51 with 14 saves and had 79 strikeouts against just 12 walks in 53.2 innings.

FIRST TEAM STATS

Pos	Player (Peak Level)	Age	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
C	Samuel Basallo, Orioles (AA)	18	.313	.402	.551	419	131	20	86	61	94	12
1B	Luken Baker, Cardinals (AAA)	26	.334	.439	.720	314	105	33	98	59	76	0
2B	Thomas Saggese, Rangers/Cardinals (AAA)	21	.306	.374	.530	555	170	26	111	52	144	12
3B	Junior Caminero, Rays (AA)	19	.324	.384	.591	460	149	31	94	42	100	5
SS	Jackson Holliday, Orioles (AAA)	19	.323	.442	.499	477	154	12	75	101	118	24
OF	Roman Anthony, Red Sox (AA)	19	.272	.403	.466	397	108	14	64	86	119	16
OF	Owen Caissie, Cubs (AA)	20	.289	.398	.519	439	127	22	84	76	164	7
OF	Heston Kjerstad, Orioles (AAA)	24	.303	.376	.528	479	145	21	55	42	100	5
DH	Jonathan Aranda, Rays (AAA)	25	.339	.449	.613	357	121	25	81	64	87	2
Pos	Player (Peak Level)	Age	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	BB	SO	WHIP
SP	Robert Gasser, Brewers (AAA)	24	9	1	3.79	26	25	135	123	50	166	1.28
SP	Cade Horton, Cubs (AA)	21	4	4	2.65	21	21	88	61	27	117	1.00
SP	Carlos Rodriguez, Brewers (AAA)	21	9	6	2.88	26	26	128	87	57	158	1.12
SP	Robby Snelling, Padres (AA)	19	11	3	1.82	22	22	104	82	34	118	1.12
SP	Drew Thorpe, Yankees (AA)	22	14	2	2.52	23	23	139	99	38	182	0.98
RP	Orion Kerkering, Phillies (AAA)	22	4	1	1.51	49	0	54	36	12	79	0.89

SECOND TEAM STATS

Pos	Player (Peak Level)	Age	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
C	Thayron Liranzo, Dodgers (A)	19	.272	.400	.562	345	94	24	70	70	112	2
1B	Abimelec Ortiz, Rangers (A+)	21	.294	.371	.619	391	115	33	101	49	126	1
2B	Michael Busch, Dodgers (AAA)	25	.323	.431	.618	390	126	27	90	65	88	4
3B	Coby Mayo, Orioles (AAA)	21	.290	.410	.563	504	146	29	99	93	148	5
SS	Jett Williams, Mets (AA)	19	.263	.425	.451	410	108	13	55	104	118	45
OF	Justice Bigbie, Tigers (AAA)	24	.343	.405	.537	432	148	19	78	42	77	6
OF	Blake Dunn, Reds (AA)	24	.312	.425	.522	458	143	23	79	62	130	54
OF	Victor Scott II, Cardinals (AA)	22	.303	.369	.425	548	166	9	63	46	97	95
DH	Colt Keith, Tigers (AAA)	21	.306	.380	.552	507	155	27	101	60	121	3
Pos	Player (Peak Level)	Age	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	BB	SO	WHIP
SP	Will Dion, Guardians (AA)	23	6	4	2.39	26	19	117	91	35	129	1.08
SP	Wikelman Gonzalez, Red Sox (AA)	21	9	4	3.96	25	25	111	76	70	168	1.31
SP	Chase Hampton, Yankees (AA)	21	4	3	3.63	20	20	107	85	37	145	1.14
SP	Connor Phillips, Reds (AAA)	22	4	5	3.86	25	24	105	91	57	154	1.41
SP	Tyler Stuart, Mets (AA)	23	7	2	2.20	21	21	111	90	32	112	1.10
RP	Antoine Kelly, Rangers (AAA)	23	3	1	2.04	49	0	57	45	23	79	1.19