Midseason Minor League Players Of The Year For All 30 Teams

Three months of the season are in the books. We pause to take stock of midseason Minor League Players of the Year for all 30 organizations.

The criteria used is simply best performance by a prospect. All statistics cited are through June 30.

Arizona: Corbin Carroll, OF
Double-A Amarillo

A 2021 season largely lost to shoulder surgery at High-A has done nothing to slow the 21-year-old Carroll. He hit .313/.430/.643 through 58 games in the Texas League with 16 home runs and 20 stolen bases. 

Atlanta: Kyle Muller, LHP
Triple-A Gwinnett

A system thinned by graduations and trades had fewer options than usual, but the 6-foot-7 Muller frequently looked dominant in the International League. Through 12 starts he logged a 3.03 ERA with 92 strikeouts and 22 walks in 71.1 innings.

Baltimore: Gunnar Henderson, SS/3B
Triple-A Norfolk

The Orioles graduated No. 1 overall prospect Adley Rutschman and still boast Grayson Rodriguez and Henderson on the farm. The latter hit .316/.450/.584 with 13 home runs and 15 stolen bases in 67 games as he rose to Triple-A.

Boston: Brayan Bello, RHP
Triple-A Worcester

The 23-year-old rode a three-pitch mix from Double-A this spring all the way to Boston in July. Through 14 appearances, Bello recorded a 2.49 ERA with 106 strikeouts and 30 walks in 79.2 innings. 

Chicago AL: Colson Montgomery, SS
High-A Winston-Salem

Drafted 22nd overall last year, Montgomery reached base in his final 45 Low-A games to earn a late-June promotion to High-A. In 51 total games, the 20-year-old hit .325/.422/.495 with six home runs.

Chicago NL: Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF
High-A South Bend

Acquired from the Mets for Javier Baez at the 2021 trade deadline, Crow-Armstrong rose quickly to High-A after dominating Low-A. The 20-year-old hit .318/.389/.530 with nine home runs and 14 stolen bases in 52 games.

Cincinnati: Andrew Abbott, LHP
Double-A Chattanooga

In a system in which Joe Boyle dominated High-A hitters and Elly De La Cruz continued his ascent, Abbott went from 2021 second-rounder to Double-A standout. Through 14 starts he had 95 strikeouts and 22 walks to go with a 3.67 ERA in 68.2 innings.

Cleveland: Gavin Williams, RHP
Double-A Akron

The 23rd overall pick last year out of East Carolina has shined in his pro debut as he has climbed to Double-A. Through 12 starts, Williams had recorded a 1.66 ERA with 80 strikeouts and 22 walks in 54.1 innings. 

Colorado: Ezequiel Tovar, SS
Double-A Hartford

Tovar had upped his offensive production dramatically as he climbed to Double-A. The slick-fielding shortstop hit .318/.386/.546 with 13 home runs and 17 stolen bases in 66 games as a 20-year-old in the Eastern League.

Detroit: Kerry Carpenter, OF
Triple-A Toledo

The 24-year-old enjoyed a breakout season that began at Double-A, hitting 23 home runs to lead the minors through June. A 19th-rounder out of Virginia Tech in 2019, Carpenter hit .316/.374/.652 through 68 games. 

Houston: Hunter Brown, RHP
Triple-A Sugar Land

Few if any Triple-A starters had shown better swing-and-miss stuff than Brown, who struck out 92 and walked 30 through 66.2 innings to go with a 2.43 ERA in the Pacific Coast League.

Kansas City: Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B
Triple-A Omaha

The 24-year-old Pasquantino finally earned his big league callup at the end of June after hitting .280/.372/.576 with 18 home runs, 37 walks and 36 strikeouts in 69 games in the International League.

Los Angeles AL: Chase Silseth, RHP
Double-A Rocket City

The Angels lacked an obvious candidate for this distinction, so the nod goes to the 22-year-old Silseth, who trekked from the 11th round last year to Anaheim in May. In seven starts he had a 1.75 ERA, 47 strikeouts and 11 walks in 36 innings. 

Los Angeles NL: Gavin Stone, RHP
Double-A Tulsa

The Dodgers cleaned up in the 2020 draft, taking Stone out of Central Arkansas in the fifth and final round. Through 14 starts he recorded a 1.46 ERA with 91 strikeouts and 16 walks and only one home run allowed in 68 innings.

Miami Marlins: Eury Perez, RHP
Double-A Pensacola

The 19-year-old Perez had no trouble adapting to Double-A competition. The 6-foot-8 power pitcher had shown uncommon control for his height, striking out 77 and walking 14 in 55.2 innings.

Milwaukee: Jackson Chourio, OF
Low-A Carolina

The 18-year-old wunderkind hit the ground running when moved from extending spring training to Low-A on May 3. Chourio hit .320/.370/.572 with eight home runs and six stolen bases in 48 games in the Carolina League.

Minnesota: Spencer Steer, 3B/2B
Triple-A St. Paul

While Emmanuel Rodriguez and Christian Encarnacion-Strand stood out at Class A, Steer hit his way to Triple-A and the cusp of MLB. The versatile righthanded hitter batted .283/.363/.587 with 19 home runs in 66 games.

New York AL: Ken Waldichuk, LHP
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

The 24-year-old lefty from St. Mary’s was one of the top bat-missers at the upper levels this year. In 13 starts, Waldichuk struck out 95 and walked 26 in 63 innings with a 2.00 ERA.

New York NL: Francisco Alvarez, C
Double-A Binghamton

The rare catcher to dominate Double-A competition as a 20-year-old, Alvarez hit his way to Triple-A in July. Before he left, he laid waste to the Eastern League with a .275/.362/.559 performance that included 18 home runs in 65 games. 

Oakland: Jordan Diaz, 3B
Double-A Midland

A down year from Tyler Soderstrom and an injury to Zack Gelof left this one wide open in the Oakland system. Diaz gets the nod for holding his own in the Texas League by batting .287/.335/.520 with 12 home runs in 65 games.

Philadelphia: Logan O’Hoppe, C
Double-A Reading

In a system with a number of emerging arms at Class A, including first-rounders Andrew Painter and Mick Abel, it was the 22-year-old catcher O’Hoppe who stood tallest. He hit .273/.381/.531 with 14 home runs in 59 games.

Pittsburgh: Mike Burrows, RHP
Triple-A Indianapolis

Burrows spent half the season at Double-A before climbing to the International League on June 19. In 14 starts this season he recorded a 3.03 ERA to go with 77 strikeouts, 19 walks and four home runs allowed in 59.1 innings.

St. Louis: Gordon Graceffo, RHP
Double-A Springfield

A spring training breakout for the Cardinals after being drafted in the fifth round in 2021, Graceffo climbed quickly to Double-A this season. In 14 starts he struck out 85, walked eight and logged a 2.00 ERA in 81 innings.

San Diego: Esteury Ruiz, OF
Triple-A El Paso

The erstwhile second baseman made adjustments to his approach that yielded perhaps the best first-half performance in the minors. Ruiz hit .344/.471/.592 with 13 home runs and a minor league-leading 53 stolen bases in 69 games.

San Francisco: Kyle Harrison, LHP
Double-A Richmond

The lefty zoomed to Double-A as a 20-year-old and kept missing bats at an elite rate. In 13 starts, Harrison struck out 109 and walked 26 in 60.1 innings while recording a 2.83 ERA.

Seattle: Taylor Dollard, RHP
Double-A Arkansas

The Seattle system has higher profile prospects, but few reached the heights of Dollard in the first half. The 23-year-old showed command of the Texas League by crafting a 0.99 ERA over 72.2 innings with 71 strikeouts and 14 walks.

Tampa Bay: Taj Bradley, RHP
Double-A Montgomery

The 2021 minor league ERA champ has continued cruising in the Southern League. Bradley logged a 1.82 ERA through 13 starts with 71 strikeouts, 14 walks and four home runs allowed in 59.1 innings.

Texas: Cole Ragans, LHP
Triple-A Round Rock

Drafted in the first round in 2016, Ragans has recovered from two Tommy John surgeries to reach the cusp of the big leagues. In 13 starts he struck out 84, walked 22 and allowed a 2.50 ERA in 68.1 innings.

Toronto: Ricky Tiedemann, LHP
High-A Vancouver

The 2021 third-round pick exploded on the scene this spring in his pro debut. Tiedemann shredded two Class A levels with a 1.40 ERA, 90 strikeouts, 19 walks and one home run allowed in 58 innings.

Washington: Jeremy De La Rosa, OF
Low-A Fredericksburg

In a repeat of Low-A, the 20-year-old De La Rosa had proven he’s ready for the challenge of High-A. In 62 games, he hit .316/.398/.492 with nine home runs and 24 stolen bases.