Monday,
September 5, 2011
Twins Minor League
Hitter of the Year
Note – Listen to last night’s
final episode of Twins Minor League Weekly
where Travis Aune and I talked about everything
throughout the Twins minor league season. We discussed our choices as top
players for each team and in the organization, how each team did, and much,
much more. Check it out here!
As games
finished on Labor Day in the Twins minor league system, the Twins minor league
season came to an end. New Britain had an opportunity to make the playoffs had
Reading lost and the Rock Cats won. Unfortunately, the R-Phillies won their
game. The Elizabethton Twins were the lone playoff team in the organization,
although they lost in the first round. It was a disappointing season in the
Twins farm system. However, there are a lot of guys who had very good seasons.
Today, I’ll present for you my choices for the Twins Minor League Hitter, Starting Pitcher and Relief Pitcher of the Year in
three separate blog entries. We will start with the Relief Pitchers. Feel free
to debate them, or ask any questions you may have in the Comments
section:
Starting Pitcher of the Year
There were a lot
more good hitters up for Hitter of the Year consideration, or at least mention,
than there were pitchers this year. There will be more of a countdown.
#10 – Aaron Bates – Rochester Red
Wings (.316/.408/.439, with 23 doubles, 7 HR, 37 RBI)
Didn’t even sign with
the Red Wings until May, but played well throughout the season.
#9 – Oswaldo Arcia –
Beloit Snappers/Ft. Myers Miracle (.291/.335/.531, with 23 doubles, 4 triples,
13 HR, 51 RBI)
Missed a month with
elbow surgery, but came back and moved up to Ft. Myers. Great
power to all fields. Very quick bat.
#8 – Michael Gonzales – Beloit Snappers
(.289/.371/.468, with 27 doubles, 1 triple, 15 HR, 76 RBI)
Consistent
performance in his second season with Snappers. Lost 30+ pounds, and his bat speed was much improved.
#7 – Chris Parmelee
– New Britain Rock Cats (.287/.366/.436, with 30 doubles, 5 triples, 13 HR, 83
RBI)
2006 top pick finally
gets that big league promotion today. He had a very solid, consistent season
with the Rock Cats. He also improved his defense at 1B while still occasionally
playing in RF.
#6 – Yangervis Solarte –
New Britain Rock Cats (.329/.367/.466, with 36 doubles, 3 triples, 7 HR, 49
RBI)
The 24-year-old
Venezuelan hit .300 or higher every month of the season. He also led the
organization with 36 doubles.
#5 – Miguel Sano – Elizabethton Twins
(.292/.352/.637, with 18 doubles, 7 triples, 20 HR, 59 RBI)
He had just 290 plate appearances, yet I just couldn’t put him any lower on
the list. Sano’s 20 home runs is third-most in
Elizabethton history. His 45 extra base hits led the team. At just 18 years
old, it was a remarkable season for one of the team’s brightest future stars.
#4 – Jairo Perez – Beloit Snappers
(.337/.413/.580, with 20 doubles, 1 triple, 15 HR, 60 RBI)
Perez missed the entire 2010 season because of Tommy John surgery. His 2011
season didn’t start until June, and yet when he was activated by the Snappers,
he did nothing but hit the rest of the summer. Not a large man, Perez takes a
huge swing and as you can see, he made a lot of contact in 2011.
#3 – Joe Benson – New Britain
Rock Cats (.285/.388/.495, with 28 doubles, 4 triples, 16 HR, 67 RBI, 13 SB)
The Twins 2010 Minor League Hitter of the Year is certainly a candidate to
repeat again in 2011 despite missing 4-5 weeks because of knee surgery. Benson
is a remarkable athlete with tremendous power and speed. He had great range in
the outfield and a very strong arm. The weak point in his game is his contact
rate, which did improve significantly from 2010 to 2011. He was also promoted
to the Twins and will be flying to Minneapolis on Tuesday. It would be great
for him to be able to make his big league debut against his home town White
Sox. Benson will be a key for the Twins in the next year or so.
#2 – Eddie Rosario –
Elizabethton Twins (.337/.397/.670, with 9 doubles, 9 triples, 21 HR, 60 RBI,
17 SB)
It is hard to put a player from one of the short-season teams up this high
on the list, but Rosario was the Appalachian League MVP this year and posted
incredible numbers. His 21 home runs were just one shy of Paul Russo’s E-Town
single-season record. He also hits for average. He has great speed. Plays very
good centerfield and has a canon for an arm. The Puerto Rico high school product
drafted in the 4th round just one year ago will soon turn 20. After
five homers in June and six homers in July, Rosario hit ten home runs in
August. It will be interesting to see how his game translates to the full
season.
Hitter of the
Year – Brian Dozier – Ft. Myers Miracle (.320/.399/.491, with 33 doubles, 12 triples, 9 HR, 56
RBI, 24 SB)
Dozier was drafted as a senior out of the University of Southern
Mississippi after leading his team to the College World Series. After signing,
he hit .353/.417/.431 in Elizabethton. Last year, he started the season by
hitting .278/.347/.338 in 39 games in Beloit. He was promoted to Ft. Myers
where he hit .274/.352/.354 with 11 doubles and his first five pro home runs.
It was surprising when he received an invitation to big league spring training
but he made a strong showing. He returned to Ft. Myers and hit .322/.423/.472
with 11 doubles, five triples and two home runs in 49 games. He then moved up
to New Britain and hit .318/.384/.502 with 22 doubles, seven triples and seven
home runs in 78 games. His .885 OPS led the Rock Cats (Benson was at .883).
Dozier is not the fastest runner, but he stole 24 bases. He is said to have
average range and an average arm, but pitchers I have talked to that have had
Dozier playing behind him, love it. Dozier will be representing the Twins in
the Arizona Fall League. He will likely receive another invitation to big
league camp next year, and depending upon what other moves that Twins make in
the offseason, he could make his debut with the Twins any time in 2012!
Feel free to
discuss in the Comments
section.