Farm Country: Year End Awards

Since the regular season of minor league baseball is officially over (at least until the start of the Arizona Fall League), I thought I would break out the end of season awards. Coming from me, these are essentially meaningless but I like to fancy myself knowledgeable enough to bestow name-only-awards to minor league players in the Sox system.

First, an ad hoc rule. I eliminated any farmhand who spent time with the big league club. This is wholly unfair and largely unwarranted but just about every baseball fan knows who Clay Buchholz is and most have heard of Jacoby Ellsbury AND since each player could easily have won awards, I thought I'd just exclude them and give accolades to other deserving, less well know players.



Offensive Player of the Year:

Josh Reddick--Reddick had a monster year for Greenville. He posted .306/.352/.531 with 18 HRs and 72 RBIs. At 20 years of age, Reddick looks like a player that could rise to AA next year and reach the bigs by 23.

Honorable Mention: Jed Lowrie, Lars Anderson, Bubba Bell, Oscar Tejeda, Ryan Kalish (pre-injury), Aaron Bates, Jon Still, Zack Daeges


Marginal to Mainline:

Jed Lowrie---Last year, Lowrie was a bust. This year, Lowrie arguably had the best offensive season of any minor league shortstop. Lowrie hit .298 and slugged .501 with AA Portland and hit .300 and slugged .506 with AAA Pawtucket. Lowrie may have made the decision regarding a utility man next year much more difficult given Cora's woeful production this year. If the Sox choose to go another route, Lowrie will likely be good trade fodder since he is blocked by Pedroia and Lugo.

Honorable Mention: Bubba Bell, Brandon Moss (yes, including Moss violates my rule but since he didn't actually win, I;m making an exception)

Starting Pitcher of the Year:

Justin Masterson---Masterson went from a promising prospect to a legitimate contender for the 2009 Sox starting rotation. (Beckett, Matsuzaka, Buchholz, Lester, and either Bowden or Masterson). He has a lethal combination of a heavy sinking fastball and the ability to miss bats. He will likely start at Portland next season but, hopefully, be promoted to Pawtucket within two months.

Honorable Mention: Michael Bowden, Dustin Richardson, Nick Hagadone


Relief Pitcher of the Year:

Hunter Jones---An position that was once a wellspring of talent for the organization appeared much thinner this year. Bryce Cox regressed and Craig Hansen only found his stride toward the end of the season. Edgar Martinez was OK. And, on the upside, Manny Delcarmen graduated to become a go-to guy in the Sox pen. But, Hunter Jones showed a good deal this past year, particularly after he was promoted to AA Portland. He posted a 2.69 K/BB and posted a respectable 1.21 WHIP. He could become a serviceable reliever if he continues to build off what he started this season.

Honorable Mention: Mike James

Player I'm most excited to watch next year:

Oscar Tejeda---OK, this isn't really an award but Tejeda exploded on the scene as a 17 year old. His numbers in the Gulf Coast League and brief stint with the Lowell Spinners make comparisons to Hanley Ramirez easy. He's a five tool player who seemed to improve as he moved from the GCL to the New York-Penn League. It will be interesting to see where the organization starts Tejeda next year but I'd guess he'll play for the Drive.