Minor League Baseball Stats: Who Is Leading Major Categories?

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Image credit: Deyvison De Los Santos (Photo by Eddie Kelly / ProLook Photos)

With just three weeks left to play in Class A, four weeks left in Double-A and a little over a month to go in Triple-A, here’s a look at which minor leaguers are on pace to lead MiLB in major hitting and pitching categories.

Hitting Statistics

Stolen Bases

What Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson is doing this year is something we haven’t seen since Billy Hamilton ran wild through the minors. Simpson averages .91 steals per game and his 83 stolen bases are 23 more than anyone else in MiLB. With 24 games remaining in the Double-A Montgomery season, he’s on pace to steal 105 bases. A promotion to Triple-A would give him time to steal a few more.

It has to be noted that the rules have been liberalized to encourage stealing. But if Simpson reaches 100 steals, he’ll be the first since Hamilton stole an MiLB-record 155 bags in 2012 and Delino DeShields Jr. stole 101 that same year. Hamilton also stole 103 in 2011, and no one else has topped the century mark since Chris Morris stole 111 in 2001 and Esix Snead stole 109 in 2000.

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Simpson led the minors last year as well (his 94 steals were tied with his friend Victor Scott for the 2023 lead). Barring something shocking, Simpson will become the first two-time MiLB stolen base champ since Hamilton. No one else has led the minors in steals twice in the past 45 years.

PlayerStolen BasesOrganization
Chandler Simpson83Rays
Enrique Bradfield61Orioles
Jonah Cox57Giants
Yhoswar Garcia55Brewers
Seth Stephenson54Tigers
Dylan O’Rae53Brewers
Caleb Ketchup53Angels
Justin Dean50Braves
Nick Morabito50Mets
Tavian Josenberger49Orioles

Batting Average

In additional to his eye-popping steal numbers, Simpson is also hitting .362, which means he currently leads fellow Rays first baseman/outfielder Tre’ Morgan by four percentage points in the MiLB batting race. Further away, Red Sox first baseman/catcher Mickey Gasper is third at .341 and fellow Boston infielder Kristian Campbell is fourth at .340. 

Simpson’s season is remarkable here, as well. If he wins the MiLB batting title, he will become the first player to win both an MiLB batting title and an NCAA Division I batting title since 1980 (which is how far back BA’s records on MiLB batting champs go).

In case you are wondering, there is one NCAA D-I batting champ who won an MLB batting crown: Buster Posey, who led D-I in 2008 and the NL in 2012. And there’s one MiLB batting champ who went on to win MLB batting titles: Jose Altuve, who led MiLB in 2011 and the AL in 2014, 2016 and 2017.

PlayerAverageOrganization
Chandler Simpson.358Rays
Demetrio Crisantes.355D-Backs
Tre’ Morgan.354Rays
Mickey Gasper.341Red Sox
Kristian Campbell.339Red Sox
Mike Boeve.338Brewers
Nick Allen.338Athletics
Spencer Horwitz.335Blue Jays
Coco Montes.335Rockies
Keaton Anthony.334Phillies

Home Runs

Recently-acquired Marlins first baseman Deyvison De Los Santos leads the minors with 34 home runs. He has a solid shot at 40 home runs. If De Los Santos goes on a late-season tear, he could reach 42 home runs, which would be the most in the minors since Kris Bryant hit 43 in 2014. Triple-A Memphis first baseman Luken Baker is only two home runs behind him at 32. Baker has yet to win a MiLB home run title, but he came very close last year, and he’s now hit 86 home runs in Triple-A in the past three seasons.

PlayerHome RunsOrganization
Deyvison De Los Santos34D-Backs/Marlins
Luken Baker32Cardinals
Ryan Ward29Dodgers
Kyle Garlick25Diamondbacks
Keston Hiura25Tigers/Angels
Shay Whitcomb25Astros
Colby Thomas24Athletics
Adrian Del Castillo24Diamondbacks
Travis Blankenhorn24Nationals
6 others tied23

RBIs

De Los Santos also leads in RBIs (100) and assuming he doesn’t get a callup to the majors, his seven RBI lead is a little safer than his two-home run lead. Triple-A D-Backs outfielder Kyle Garlick (93), High-A Everett outfielder Lazaro Montes (92) and recently-called-up Astros’ outfielder Shay Whitcomb (91) are also within range.

PlayerHome RunsOrganization
Deyvison De Los Santos100Marlins
Kyle Garlick93Diamondbacks
Lazaro Montes92Mariners
Shay Whitcomb91Astros
Jason Vosler88Mariners
Ryan Ward87Dodgers
C.J. Kayfus86Guardians
Andres Chaparro85Nationals
Luke Ritter81Mets
Luken Baker79Cardinals
Andy Garriola79Cubs
Will Simpson79Athletics

On-Base Percentage

Mickey Gasper is one of the standout success stories of the 2024 MiLB season. A MiLB Rule 5 pick last offseason, he’s been one of the best hitters in the minors this year. His .458 on-base percentage leads the minors by 10 points over High-A Brewers third baseman Luke Adams (.448). Two other Red Sox prospects– Campbell (.444) and Chase Meidroth (.445)–are right behind.

PlayerOn-Base PercentageOrganization
Mickey Gasper.458Red Sox
Luke Adams.448Brewers
Demetrio Crisantes.445Diamondbacks
Chase Meidroth.445Red Sox
Kristian Campbell.444Red Sox
Payton Eeles.444Twins
Cooper Ingle.433Guardians
Will Wagner.432Blue Jays
Tre’ Morgan.431Rays
Carlos Jimenez.431Mariners

Slugging Percentage

Orioles third baseman Coby Mayo has been sent back to the minors, but he had already enough plate appearances to qualify for the slugging crown even if he had remained in the majors the rest of the year. His .619 slugging percentage leads De Los Santos (.618) and D-Backs catcher Adrian Del Castillo (.608).

PlayerSlugging PercentageOrganization
Coby Mayo.619Orioles
Deyvison De Los Santos.618Marlins
Adrian Del Castillo.608D-Backs
Ryan Ward.604Dodgers
Jhostynxon Garcia.581Red Sox
Matthew Lugo.578Red Sox
Jhonkensy Noel.578Guardians
Willie MacIver.574Rockies
Kristian Campbell.572Red Sox
Andres Chaparro.572Nationals

OPS

Campbell is among the top 10 in batting average and on-base percentage and slugging percentage, so his well-rounded game means he leads the minors with a 1.022 on-base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS). Gasper (1.117) is right behind him, while Del Castillo (1.011) and Mayo (1.003) are also above 1.000.

PlayerOPSOrganization
Mickey Gasper1.017Red Sox
Kristian Campbell1.017Red Sox
Adrian Del Castillo1.010D-Backs
Coby Mayo1.003Orioles
Deyvison De Los Santos.987Marlins
Andres Chaparro.977Nationals
Coco Montes.965Rockies
Carlos Jimenez.962Mariners
Otto Kemp.961Phillies
Willie MacIver.959Rockies

Hits

In addition to batting average and stolen bases, Chandler Simpson’s 136 hits is tops in the minors. Simpson is having quite the year, as should be obvious by now. Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros (133) and Nationals infielder Andres Chaparro (132) trail closely behind.

PlayerHitsOrganization
Chandler Simpson136Rays
Kyle Karros133Rockies
Andres Chaparro132Nationals
Deyvison De Los Santos131Marlins
Angel Genao130Guardians
Andy Perez129Rockies
Javier Sanoja128Marlins
Andre Lipcius128Dodgers
Albert Almora128Diamondbacks
Adrian Del Castillo126Diamondbacks
Kristian Campbell122Red Sox

Extra-Base Hits

A’s outfielder Colby Thomas has 64 extra-base hits for Amarillo and Las Vegas, which is one more than Del Castillo’s 63.

PlayerExtra-Base HitsOrganization
Colby Thomas64Athletics
Adrian Del Castillo63Diamondbacks
Ryan Ward61Dodgers
Deyvison De Los Santos56Marlins
Andres Chaparro51Nationals
Luken Baker50Cardinals
Coby Mayo50Orioles
Jared Serna50Yankees
Joe Mack49Marlins
Jesus Bastidas49Astros
Kyle Garlick49Diamondbacks
Kristian Campbell49Red Sox

Total Bases

De Los Santos’ excellent season also has him running away with the total bases crown.

PlayerTotal BasesOrganization
Deyvison De Los Santos257Marlins
Adrian Del Castillo240Diamondbacks
Colby Thomas231Athletics
Andres Chaparro230Nationals
Ryan Ward227Dodgers
Shay Whitcomb219Astros
Andre Lipcius218Dodgers
Kyle Garlick217Diamondbacks
Kyle Karros210Rockies
Jason Vosler209Mariners
Tim Tawa209Diamondbacks

Runs

White Sox Class A second baseman/outfielder Rikuu Nishida’s 94 runs scored are six more than anyone else.

PlayerRunsOrganization
Rikuu Nishida94White Sox
Drew Avans88Dodgers
Michael Arroyo88Mariners
Adrian Del Castillo86Diamondbacks
Alex Freeland83Dodgers
Luisangel Acuna81Mets
Henry Bolte80Athletics
Braylen Wimmer80Rockies
Luke Keaschall80Twins
Kyle Garlick79Diamondbacks

Pitching Statistics

Earned Run Average

Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson is having a storybook season.

PlayerERAOrganization
Matthew Wilkinson1.84Guardians
David Davalillo1.85Rangers
Brad Lord1.99Nationals
Sean Sullivan2.03Rockies
Brandyn Garcia2.05Mariners
Andrew Morris2.16Twins
Carlson Reed2.19Pirates
Lucas Gordon2.30White Sox
Jake Brooks2.34Marlins
Quinn Mathews2.34Cardinals
Ethan Bosacker2.40Royals

Wins

Robert Kwiatkowski, Austin Peterson and Robinson Pina are all tied for the wins lead with 12. That’s right on pace with recent trends. Keider Montero’s 15 wins led the minors in 2023, while Taylor Dollard’s 16 wins in 2022 is the most since 2017 when Zack Littell won 19.

PlayerWinsOrganization
Robinson Pina12Phillies
Robert Kwiatkowski12Red Sox
Austin Peterson12Guardians
Jared Kollar11Padres
Chad Patrick11Brewers
Ethan Bosacker11Royals
Welinton Herrera10Rockies
Ryan Garcia10Rangers
Michael Morales10Mariners
Yujanyer Herrera10Rockies
Brad Lord10Nationals
Andry Lara10Nationals
Connor Noland10Cubs
Blake Beers10Athletics
Isaac Coffey10Red Sox
Trenton Denholm10Guardians

Strikeouts

Cardinals lefthander Quinn Mathews began the season by dominating Low-A. He was quickly bumped up to High-A, where he remained just as dominant. A subsequent promotion to Double-A hasn’t slowed him down either. His 168 strikeouts lead Wilkinson by 12.

PlayerStrikeoutsOrganization
Quinn Mathews168Cardinals
Matthew Wilkinson156Guardians
Parker Messick142Guardians
Chayce McDermott139Orioles
Chase Dollander139Rockies
Austin Peterson136Guardians
Jonah Tong134Mets
Miguel Ullola133Astros
Carson Ragsdale132Giants
Jackson Nezuh132Astros
Kohl Drake131Rangers

Saves

Being an MiLB closer isn’t a great sign for long-term MLB success, but it is a sign of durability and effectiveness in the minors. Triple-A Sugar Land closer Wander Suero (Astros) has 28 saves, which already is the most of the 2020s, and has him on track to be the first closer to top 30 MiLB saves since Aaron Barnett saved 31 in 2019. After Suero, no one has more than Double-A Springfield closer Matt Svanson’s (Cardinals) 22.

PlayerSavesOrganization
Wander Suero28Astros
Matt Svanson22Cardinals
Troy Taylor21Mariners
Rico Garcia17Nationals
Camden Minacci17Angels
Tony Santillan16Reds
Austin Roberts15Marlins
Justin Yeager14Brewers
Zach Agnos14Rockies
Felix Cepeda13Red Sox
Magnus Ellerts13Guardians
Max Lazar13Phillies
Lucas Wepf13Dodgers
Ryan Loutos13Cardinals

Innings Pitched

Guardians’ Double-A Akron righthander Austin Peterson has thrown 138 innings. That’s a very modest number, but with how teams’ restrict young pitchers’ workloads, that leads the minors.

PlayerInnings PitchedOrganization
Austin Peterson138Guardians
Casey Lawrence131.2Mariners
Zach Messinger127.3Yankees
Michael McGreevy127Cardinals
John Bertrand125.2Giants
Juan Mercedes122Mariners
Caden Dana121.2Angels
Gunnar Hoglund121.2Athletics
Michael Morales121Mariners
Kyle Luckham120Nationals
Blake Beers120Athletics

Strikeout Percentage

We took a look at Craig Yoho’s changeup in Monday’s Statcast Standouts. His current 47.1% is the highest in a MiLB season since Indigo Diaz’s 47.4% in 2021.

PlayerStrikeout PercentageOrganization
Craig Yoho47.12Brewers
Kai Peterson41.50Blue Jays
Edgardo Henriquez41.30Dodgers
Anderson Brito41.10Astros
Luis Peralta40.44Rockies
Joseph Ingrassia40.38Red Sox
Matthew Wilkinson39.10Guardians
Owen Murphy38.71Braves
Travis Sykora38.70Nationals
Zach Maxwell38.33Reds
Minimum 40 IP

Walk Percentage

Sann Omosako leads among pitchers with 40+ innings, but Zebby Matthews nearly identical microscopic walk rate stands out because he’s thrown almost 100 innings.

PlayerWalk PCTOrganization
Sann Omosako1.80Blue Jays
Zebby Matthews1.87Twins
Sean Sullivan2.44Rockies
Marlon Franco2.56Giants
Reiver Camacho2.58Rockies
Jormy Nivar2.70Rangers
Manuel Rodriguez2.73Brewers
Austin Peterson2.90Guardians
Collin Lowe2.92Marlins
Lachlan Wells3.02Phillies
Matt Koch3.13Rockies
Minimum 40 IP

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