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 four experts: Chris Fee, Brian Moynahan and Andrew Rosin of Bus Leagues and Craig Forde of the Boston Globe. I also voted. To start things off, here is our Indy League Relief Pitcher of the Year.
Independent League Reliever of the Year
FIRST
Tom Boleska, 25, Fargo-Moorhead (American Association)
46 G, 2-1 W-L, 29 SV, 1.76 ERA, 46 IP, 37 H, 11 BB, 58 SO
15 points (1 first place vote)
As the lone first place voter here, I have to justify my vote. With more than a strikeout per inning, a WHIP just a shade over 1.00 and plenty of saves, this former Pirates farmhand earns the #1 spot to me. -Scott
SECOND
Mike Benacka, 30, Laredo/York (American Association/Atlantic League)
45 G, 2-2 W-L, 12 SV, 2.30 ERA, 54.2 IP, 34 H, 37 BB, 95 SO
14 points (2 first place votes)
A little too wild to overcome the name advantage of ALFREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDO CABBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! -Andrew
THIRD
Jonathan Kountis, 24, Lake Erie (Frontier League)
40 G, 6-2 W-L, 18 SV, 1.06 ERA, 59.2 IP, 31 H, 19 BB, 68 SO
14 points (1 first place vote)
Given his record, saves, ERA, and strikeouts, he would have been a clear number one if I had been able to get past the feeling I got when I looked at Mike Benacka’s strikeout totals. I’m not always a rational man. -Brian
Obvious Berman Nickname would be controversial. -Andrew
FOURTH
Jorge Vasquez, 33, Newark (Canadian-American Association)
41 G, 1-2 W-L, 22 SV, 2.18 ERA, 45.1 IP, 33 H, 15 BB, 71 SO
7 points (2 third place votes)
My limited knowledge of the Canadian-American Association indicates it’s a league a bit geared toward pitching, but 71 strikeouts in 45.1 innings is impressive nonetheless. It’s been seven years since Vasquez appeared in a major league game, but he’s still at it. -Scott
FIFTH
Tim Hamulack, 35, Lancaster (Atlantic League)
46 G, 2-1 W-L, 31 SV, 2.05 ERA, 44 IP, 36 H, 14 BB, 51 SO
7 points (2 third place votes)
T-SIXTH
Alfredo Caballero, 27, Alpine/San Angelo (Pecos League/North American League)
43 G, 4-2 W-L, 14 SV, 3.27 ERA, 44 IP, 37 H, 17 BB, 67 SO
5 points (1 first place vote)
I could announce that name for like a minute. -Andrew
T-SIXTH
T.J. Stanton, 31, Quebec City (Canadian-American Association)
34 G, 3-2 W-L, 18 SV, 1.73 ERA, 36.1 IP, 21 H, 7 BB, 46 SO
5 points
Stanton had fewer innings than some of the other top relievers, but this may have been the best season in his long Indy League career. -Scott
EIGHTH
Dustin Umberger, 25, River City (Frontier League)
22 G, 5-2 W-L, 7 SV, 0.93 ERA, 29 IP, 15 H, 9 BB, 48 SO
4 points
Umberger is traveling an unlikely path in professional baseball. After an unimpressive pro debut in 2011 in the Frontier League, he returned to River City in 2012 and pitched well enough to get picked up by the White Sox. -Scott
T-NINTH
Jon Meloan, 28, Long Island (Atlantic League)
23 G, 4-0 W-L, 11 SV, 0.99 ERA, 27.1 IP, 23 H, 8 BB, 36 SO
2 points
T-NINTH
Patrick Mincey, 23, Schaumburg (Frontier League)
34 G, 4-1 W-L, 17 SV, 2.78 ERA, 35.2 IP, 22 H, 17 BB, 57 SO
2 points
T-ELEVENTH
Erik Draxton, 25, San Angelo (North American League)
38 G, 5-1 W-L, 23 SV, 2.42 ERA, 41 IP, 29 H, 15 BB, 32 SO
0 points
T-ELEVENTH
Rich Mascheri, 23, Normal (Frontier League)
26 G, 0-0 W-L, 10 SV, 2.29 ERA, 35.1 IP, 33 H, 14 BB, 47 SO
0 points
Tomorrow, please join us for the Independent League Starter of the Year.
