Today I wanted to look at some of the best performances in the Appalachian League. I did weigh things a little bit for age, but for the most part these are just the best seasons from the league by position.
Catcher - Josmil Pinto
The Minnesota Twins catcher hit .332/.387/.610 with 14 doubles, 2 triples and 13 HR. On top of being one of the best hitters in the league (and not just for a catcher), the 20 year old Venezuelan also threw out 12 of 26 attempted base stealers (46% CS rate).
Honorable Mention: Robert Stock
First Base - Matthew Adams
The St. Louis Cardinals 23rd round pick from this years draft busted out and hit .365/.406/.574 with 6 HR’s before earning a promotion. The Slippery Rock product had 9 walks and 21 strikeouts over his 125 plate appearances.
Honorable Mention: Riaan Spanjer-Fustenburg
Second Base - Gary Helmick
Second base was a weak spot in the league, but Helnick posted the best numbers with his .275/.345/.477 line to go along with 17 walks, 22 strikeouts and 5 stolen bases.
Honorable Mention - Reggie Williams
Shortstop - Jiovanni Mier
This years 1st round pick of the Astro’s lived up to his billing right off the bat as he would hit .286/.389/.503 for Greenville. Mier also had 29 walks and 43 strikeouts to go along with his 10 steals.
Honorable Mention - Brian Dozier
Third Base - Richard Lucas
The New York Metropolitans third base prospect hit .350/.463/.610 with 20 walks and 22 strikeouts over his 123 plate appearances before earning a promotion.
Honorable Mention - Joseph Bonfe
Outfield - Brady Shoemaker
Shoemaker impressed all year with a .351/.426/.585 line with 21 doubles and 9 HR’s. The White Sox prospect spent most of his time playing left field for Bristol.
Outfield - Cody Rogers
The Rays outfielder hit .303/.364/.490 for Princeton. The 20 year old also stole 14 bases and was only caught 1 time. Rogers spread out his extra base hits pretty evenly with 7 doubles, 6 triples and 6 home runs.
Outfield - Christopher Herrmann
The Twins 21 year old outfielder had 33 walks and 40 strikeouts to go along with his .297/.390/.453 line on the season. Herrmann spent most of his time in left, but saw limited action in right field as well.
Honorable Mentions : Cory Harrilchak, Dwight Britton
Starting Pitcher - Christopher Masters
The 21 year old left hander from the Braves was absolutely dominant for Danville. Masters struck out 31.4% of the batters he saw and walked just 3.3% of them, all while posting a 1.42 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP.
Starting Pitcher - Gregory Billo
The Burlington righty had a 1.81 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP as a 19 year old. The Royals prospect struck out 23.7% of the batters he saw and walked just 7.4%of them.
Starting Pitcher - Brett Oberholtzer
The Braves lefty struck out 22.3% and walked 2.6% of the batters he faced this season, demonstrating very good control. The 20 year old posted a 0.77 WHIP and a 2.01 ERA.
Starting Pitcher - Julio Teheran
The Braves $850,000 arm from the 2007 signing period did nothing short of dominate for Danville. The 18 year old right hander posted a 2.68 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. He combined a 22.5% strikeout rate and 4% walk rate with an outstanding 61% groundball rate.
Honorable Mentions - John Housey, Zachary Rosscup
Relief Pitcher - Kirby Yates
The 22 year old struck out an incredible 44.1% of the batters who stepped into the box against him while walking just 7.4%. Yates posted a 2.38 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.
Relief Pitcher - Kyle Carr
The Twins 22 year old lefty struck out 41% of the hitters he faced and walked 8.4%. He combined those numbers with a 1.25 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP. His 67% groundball rate was also very impressive.
Honorable Mention - Scott Shuman
are u kidding me harrilchak as a honorable mention your blind kid 2nd best of in the league average wise best defensively
Am I seeing this right that neither the player of the year nor the pitcher of the year made your all-Appy League team?
I think that deserves some explanation since your opening paragraph makes one think they should have made the team.
I am not taking great issue with this, but I would love to hear your thoughts.
dbraves,
Harrilchak had an .840 OPS. Thats good, but it wasn’t as good as the other guys. As for defense, I didn’t get to see these guys all play this year so for the most part its an offensively based team.
Parish,
Matt Crim was the pitcher of the year, but that was because of his record. Personally, I don’t pay much attention to a players record because its a team thing (just look at Zack Greinke this year for a great example of that). Crim wasn’t as dominant as the pitchers who made my list. He had a very good year, but not one of the best 6 in the league in my eyes. As for Riaan Spanjer-Furstenburg, he wound up as the honorable mention. He was out OPS’d by Adams who is about 7 months younger than the young South African.