Welcome to awards season at Bus Leagues! Once again, we will have nine to hand out: Full-season, Short-season and Independent League Player, Starter and Reliever of the Year. These players are the best of the best of minor league baseball, except for the short-season starter I forgot to put on the ballot and didn’t realize until it was too late. Voting works like the college football polls. Voters selected five players from a list of 12, with a first place vote being worth five points, a second place vote being worth four and so on. Ties were broken by most first place votes. If neither had a first place vote, I look at who had the most second place votes and that continues down the line. If somehow ties still aren’t broken, I give Brian’s vote extra weight. Players not in the top five will not have ties broken.
The voters in the 4th edition of the Bus Leagues Awards include five experts: Chris Fee, Brian Moynahan and Andrew Rosin of Bus Leagues, Joshua Kummins of Boston Sports U18 and Craig Forde of the Boston Globe. I also voted. Here is a recap of the winners so far:
Indy League RP of the Year: Tom Boleska
Indy League SP of the Year: Jeff Duda
Indy League Player of the Year: Chris Nowak
Short-Season RP of the Year: Nick Sawyer
Short-Season SP of the Year: Taylor Guerrieri
Short-Season Player of the year: Mike Zunino
Full-Season Reliever of the Year
FIRST
RHP Matthew Stites, 22, Fort Wayne (San Diego A)
42 G, 2-0, 13 SV, 0.74 ERA, 0.58 WHIP, 48.2 IP, 25 H, 3 BB, 60 K
25 points (5 first place votes)
Other relievers may have given their teams more innings than Stites, but his 25 hits and three walks allowed over 48.2 innings pitched is enough to drop a jaw or two. -Craig
60 k’s to 3 walks. Good freaking gravy. -Andrew
SECOND
RHP J.J. Hoover, 24, Louisville (Cincinnati AAA)
30 G, 4-0, 13 SV, 1.22 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 37 IP, 15 H, 12 BB, 55 K
15 points
I think I am WHIP-whipped, because his 0.73 WHIP impresses me. -Craig
He’s gonna close a lot of games in his future. -Andrew
THIRD
RHP Bruce Rondon, 21, Lakeland/Erie/Toledo (Detroit A+/AA/AAA)
52 G, 2-1, 29 SV, 1.53 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 53 IP, 32 H, 26 BB, 66 K
10 points
I like a guy who can charge up three levels in a season and not miss a beat. -Craig
The closer role in Detroit’s going to be open. -Andrew
FOURTH
RHP Ben Rowen, 23, Myrtle Beach (Texas A+)
38 G, 5-0, 19 SV, 1.57 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 57.1 IP, 41 H, 3 BB, 52 K
9 points (1 first place vote)
Another reliever whose innings don’t compare to some of the other nominees, but does what a bullpen arm should and that is keep guys off base. -Craig
FIFTH
RHP Michael Olmsted, 25, Salem/Portland (Boston A+/AA)
47 G, 1-4, 19 SV, 1.52 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 59.1 IP, 36 H, 15 BB, 92 K
9 points
Very quietly put together a great season between High-A Salem and Double-A Portland. -Craig
My Darin Ruf vote. Not a prospect, but ridiculous on the mound. -Andrew
SIXTH
RHP Danny Barnes, 22, Dunedin/New Hampshire (Toronto A+/AA)
51 G, 1-3, 34 SV, 1.84 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 53 IP, 39 H, 18 BB, 65 K
6 points
T-SEVENTH
RHP Christian Garcia, 26, Harrisburg/Syracuse (Washington AA/AAA)
45 G, 2-1, 21 SV, 0.86 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 52.1 IP, 31 H, 17 BB, 66 K
5 points
Garcia has taken a long time to get there, but this 2004 3rd rounder finally made his ML debut with Washington in 2012. After the strong season with Harrisburg and Syracuse, he needed just 12.2 innings with the Nationals in September to secure a spot on the playoff roster.
T-SEVENTH
RHP Kevin Quackenbush, 23, Lake Elsinore (San Diego A+)
52 G, 3-2, 27 SV, 0.94 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 57.2 IP, 42 H, 22 BB, 70 K
5 points
Quackenbush made the ballot as a reliever last year, and while his strikeouts per nine declined to merely human levels, I still find him fascinating. Maybe it’s the name. Maybe it’s the saves. Maybe it’s the fact that between him, Brad Brach, and Matt Stites, the Padres have shown a remarkable ability to develop pitchers who are awesome minor league closers that project as major league middle relievers. Maybe it’s all of that. I don’t know. But he’s got my vote. -Brian
NINTH
RHP A.J. Ramos, 25, Jacksonville (Miami AA)
55 G, 3-3, 21 SV, 1.44 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 68.2 IP, 36 H, 21 BB, 89 K
4 points
Like Garcia, Ramos reached the majors for the first time in September 2012, and he held his own in a limited amount of innings. With 74 minor league saves over the last three seasons, he’s been one of the most accomplished closers in the minors this year. -Scott
TENTH
LHP Donnie Joseph, 24, Pensacola/Louisville, Omaha (Cincinnati AA/AAA, Kansas City AAA)
55 G, 9-3, 20 SV, 2.33 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 69.2 IP, 56 H, 30 BB, 87 K
2 points
He’s not going to grow up to be a mere LOOGY. -Andrew
T-ELEVENTH
LHP Eric Eadington, 24, Great Lakes/Rancho Cucamonga/Chattanooga (Los Angeles A+/AA/AAA)
55 G, 4-3, 26 SV, 3.63 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 67 IP, 65 H, 20 BB, 77 K
0 points
T-ELEVENTH
RHP Justin Friend, 26, Reading/Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia AA/AAA)
50 G, 4-1, 25 SV, 1.33 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 54 IP, 45 H, 18 BB, 54 K
0 points
Please join us tomorrow for the full-season Starter of the Year.
