MLB: Minor League 2016 All-Stars, Pitchers

As the World Series is underway to close out the MLB season, it’s good to look back at the play for the season. Who were the best in the minor leagues in 2016?

This is the in-depth effort of Benjamin Chase as he pours over thousands and thousands of innings of MiLB.tv coverage, reviewing as many minor leaguers that he can get his eyes on. Today’s post will feature the best pitching performances in 2016 in the minor leagues.

Ben scoured the minors, reviewing the stats, taking into consideration the league context and park context as well, not just raw numbers. Some preference will be given to guys who performed at advanced minor leagues if the numbers are close in general.

For hitters, a player needed to have 300 plate appearances total in the minor leagues to be considered for this list. Performance at the major league level was not taken into consideration at all. By no means is this intended as a comprehensive list of all excellent performers at each position, but just a list of the guys that I considered for the top spot.

Before we head into the list, a disclaimer – this is not a list of the best prospects, so if a guy who is a top 10 rated player on national lists didn’t have the stats that someone else did, he won’t be here. Numbers are the only thing that matter to getting on the list. The only time outside factors mattered was in selecting the final representative at each position, when factors like ballpark, league, age, and other factors were considered.

This list will have five starters and four relievers highlighted, but plenty of “honorable mentions” as well!

Starting Pitchers

Brock Stewart, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers, A+/AA/AAA, 24 years old

Stats: 121 innings, 1.79 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 19/129 BB/K ratio

Coming into the season, there wasn’t a whole lot of expectation for Stewart. He was originally a sixth round selection in 2014 as a “senior sign” selection from Illinois State University, so many felt that Stewart would be roster filler.

Stewart returned to high-A Rancho Cucamonga to start 2016, and after posting a 5.43 ERA in 2015 at the level, Stewart came out and dominated in two starts before being quickly promoted to AA, where he didn’t seem phased at all.

After posting a 0.82 ERA and 1.37 ERA in the Cal League and Texas League, both hitters’ leagues, a promotion to Oklahoma City in the Pacific Coast League looked like a possible issue, but Stewart just kept roasting, posting a 2.49 ERA in nine PCL starts.

He did shuffle a bit in the major leagues in seven appearances, five of them starts, but Stewart did have a tremendous minor league season, being recently selected as the pitcher of the year through MiLB.com.

Stewart will likely start at AAA to start 2017, and his control will be the key to his success. He walked just 4.1 percent of hitters in the minor leagues, but in the major leagues, part of his struggles was a 9.5 percent walk rate, over double that minor league rate. That forced Stewart into grooving some pitches to get strikes, and those pitches got pounded by big league hitters.

Next: Pirate Ace

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Stephen Gonsalves, LHP, Minnesota Twins, A+/AA, 21 years old

Stats: 140 innings, 2.06 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 57/155 BB/K ratio

The Twins drafted Gonsalves out of high school in San Diego in the fourth round in 2013. He’s been performing very well ever since, but somehow he’d flown under the radar before 2016.

While Gonsalves may not throw 99 or have a breaking pitch that will leave batters cursing, he has still found a way to sequence hitters to the tune of a 27 percent strikeout rate, which is certainly worthy of top of the rotation consideration.

The Twins have a recent history of seeing elite left-handers come out of trades and make debuts in their system, and those guys are known for their change ups. Johan Santana may have one of the best changes in recent memory, and Francisco Liriano can track his success in his career to the ability for him to sequence his change with his fastball and slider. Gonsalves fits that mold as well, with his change up arguably his best pitch overall.

His control is still a concern, and it will be the major thing that could hold up Gonsalves, but for a guy who will be 22 on Opening Day and likely starting at AA or AAA, he’s got a bit of time to get that ironed out before getting to the majors.

Don’t be surprised to see Gonsalves at the top of a number of Twins prospect lists this offseason!

Next: Milwaukee Riser

Brandon Woodruff, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers, A+/AA, 23 years old

Stats: 158 innings, 2.68 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 40/173 BB/K ratio

Woodruff was a fifth round selection out of high school with elite pitching ability, but he chose to attend college rather than signing out of high school. After injury issues and a move to the bullpen in college, Woodruff fell to the 11th round in 2014, where the Brewers were willing to take a chance on his upside.

Woodruff has a very solid frame, at 6’4″ and 215 pounds, built like a guy who could handle a pretty heavy workload in spite of his previous injury issues. His fastball can touch 97-98, but typically sits in the low-90s, and he’s really a sinker/slider style of pitcher in general.

Getting back in the swing of starting led to “meh” results his first two seasons, with 156 1/3 innings in 2014-2015 of a 3.40 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 7.4 BB%, and 16.2 K%.

This season showed his arm was healthy and that he really had taken a step forward on his solid fastball, getting excellent plane on the pitch, but also showing drastically improved command on the pitch.

The biggest notable numbers in Woodruff’s line from 2016 were his reduction to a 6.3 BB% and drastic strikeout rate spike to 27.3 K%.

Woodruff may not be a guy who profiles as a Clayton Kershaw/Max Scherzer sort of ace-type. However, he could certainly profile as a guy who throws heavy innings with high effectiveness for the Brewers, and that has a ton of value, especially from an 11th round selection!

Next: Yankee Chance

Chance Adams, RHP, New York Yankees, A+/AA, 21 years old

Stats: 127 1/3 innings, 2.33 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 39/144 BB/K ratio

Though he had mid-90s stuff and great ability to sequence and control his pitches, Adams’s small-ish size (6’0″, 215 pounds) worried teams about his future role, allowing the Yankees to grab him in the 5th round of 2015.

His first season was spent in the bullpen, more due to the amount of innings already on his arm from his college season rather than a change of his long-term role. He was pitching multiple innings each time out in 2015, so there was definitely intention to get him back in the rotation in 2016.

That turned out to be a smart move. Starting out at high-A Florida State League, Adams pitched tremendously well across two levels in 2016, showing not just excellent control of his fastball, but also great control of his off speed stuff.

While Adams doesn’t have stuff that probably profiles as an ace, he does profile as a solid #2 starter, with his control allowing his stuff to play up. His biggest bugaboo has been when he does miss his spot within the zone, he tends to get hit pretty hard, with nine home runs on just 76 total hits allowed.

Adams should work at AAA in 2017 as a starter and give the Yankees a guy who could help at the back end of the rotation late in the season or starting in 2018. I could also see him moving into a role like Adam Warren has done very well with the Yankees and Cubs.

Next: Other Starters

Other Starters In Consideration

I had a ton of guys I looked over, and these are listed alphabetically and by no means the only guys I reviewed, but some of the ones I thought deserved to be highlighted!

Anthony Banda, LHP, Arizona Diamondbacks, AA/AAA, 150 IP, 2.88 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 55/152 BB/K
Jose Berrios, RHP, Minnesota Twins, AAA, 111 1/3 IP, 2.51 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 36/125 BB/K
Phil Bickford, RHP, San Francisco Giants/Milwaukee Brewers, A/A+, 120 IP, 2.92 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 42/135 BB/K
Trevor Clifton, RHP, Chicago Cubs, A+, 119 IP, 2.72 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 41/129 BB/K
Nestor Cortes, LHP, New York Yankees, A/A+/AA/AAA, 106 IP, 1.53 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 24/115 BB/K
Chase De Jong, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers, AA/AAA, 147 IP, 2.82 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 40/133 BB/K
Marcos Diplan, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers, A/A+, 113 1/3 IP, 3.02 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 50/129 BB/K
Amir Garrett, LHP, Cincinnati Reds, AA/AAA, 144 2/3 IP, 2.55 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 59/132 BB/K
Daniel Gossett, RHP, Oakland Athletics, A+/AA/AAA, 153 2/3 IP, 2.69 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 41/151 BB/K
Chad Green, RHP, New York Yankees, AAA, 94 2/3 IP, 1.52 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 21/100 BB/K
Josh Hader, LHP, Milwaukee Brewers, AA/AAA, 126 IP, 3.29 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 55/161 BB/K
Jose Hernandez, RHP, Houston Astros, A/A+, 125 1/3 IP, 2.94 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 24/127 BB/K
Mitch Keller, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates, A/A+, 130 1/3 IP, 2.35 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 19/138 BB/K
Dinelson Lamet, RHP, San Diego Padres, A+/AA/AAA, 150 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 61/158 BB/K
Zack Littell, RHP, Seattle Mariners, A/A+, 165 2/3 IP, 2.66 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 34/156 BB/K
Ben Lively, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies, AA/AAA, 170 2/3 IP, 2.69 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 42/139 BB/K
Reynaldo Lopez, RHP, Washington Nationals, AA/AAA, 109 1/3 IP, 3.21 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 35/126 BB/K
German Marquez, RHP, Colorado Rockies, AA/AAA, 166 2/3 IP, 3.13 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 39/155 BB/K
Daniel Mengden, RHP, Oakland Athletics, AA/AAA, 98 1/3 IP, 1.46 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 29/95 BB/K
Jordan Montgomery, LHP, New York Yankees, AA/AAA, 139 1/3 IP, 2.13 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 45/134 BB/K
Yefrey Ramirez, RHP, New York Yankees, A/A+, 124 1/3 IP, 2.82 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 32/132 BB/K
Sean Reid-Foley, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays, A/A+, 115 1/3 IP, 2.81 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 38/130 BB/K
Fernando Romero, RHP, Minnesota Twins, A/A+, 90 1/3 IP, 1.89 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 15/90 BB/K
Jose Taveras, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies, A, 137 1/3 IP, 3.28 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 26/154 BB/K
Luke Weaver, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals, AA/AAA, 83 IP, 1.30 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 12/92 BB/K
Patrick Weigel, RHP, Atlanta Braves, A/AA, 149 2/3 IP, 2.47 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 55/152 BB/K

Honorable Mentions

These are a few guys who did not make the innings requirement that I had, but had tremendous seasons:

Yadier Alvarez, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers, Rookie/A, 59 1/3 IP, 2.12 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 21/81 BB/K
Alec Hansen, RHP, Chicago White Sox, Rookie/A, 54 2/3 IP, 1.32 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 20/81 BB/K
Michael Kopech, RHP, Boston Red Sox, A-/A+, 56 1/3 IP, 2.08 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 33/86 BB/K
Chris Paddack, RHP, Miami Marlins/San Diego Padres, A, 42 1/3 IP, 0.85 ERA, 0.59 WHIP, 5/71 BB/K
Sixto Sanchez, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies, Rookie, 54 IP, 0.50 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 8/44 BB/K

Next: First Reliever

Relief Pitchers

Jonathan Holder, RHP, New York Yankees, A+/AA/AAA, 23 years old

Stats: 65 1/3 IP, 1.65 ERA, 0.66 WHIP, 7/101 BB/K ratio

Holder was drafted in the sixth round out of Mississippi State, and as a starter many thought that Holder would be more of an org filler with a heavy fastball that sits in the low 90s that he can spot exceptionally well and a looping curve being his primary pitches.

After good results in his first two seasons in the system, the Yankees moved Holder into the bullpen this season, and the results were flat-out dynamic. Holder was ridiculously difficult for hitters to adjust to coming from the bullpen in the minors.

He worked his way from high-A all the way to the major leagues this season. He struggled with his control with the Yankees, which was the primary issue for him in the big leagues, but his excellent control allowed his stuff to play up all season long.

He may not have major velocity, but he could be a guy that works in the middle of a bullpen well and even fits at the back end of a bullpen in the right situation. There are some excellent relievers who have lived on lesser velocity and pinpoint control, like Mark Melancon, so there is a path to success for Holder for sure.

Next: Padres Dominator

Kyle McGrath, LHP, San Diego Padres, A+/AA/AAA, 23 years old

Stats: 67 2/3 IP, 0.93 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 10/78 BB/K ratio

The ultimate in late-round draft production, McGrath was a 36th round selection in 2014 out of a very good baseball program at the University of Louisville. He was used as a reliever in college, and the Padres kept him in that role.

McGrath spent all but one game with low-A in 2015, but he pitched well, and his control was the biggest notable thing about his performance. He struggled in college with his control, but keeping the ball in the zone allowed his stuff to definitely play up.

In 2016, he took things to a different level. He pitched in the Cal League, Texas League, and made one appearance in the Pacific Coast League, all hitters’ leagues, yet he put up numbers that were ridiculous all season.

McGrath does not have an elite fastball, rarely touching 90 MPH, but he adds in a hard-breaking slider and a change with excellent movement. Both the change and slider work well arm side low in the zone.

Due to his excellent slider, solid control, and the example of Andrew Miller this postseason, McGrath is getting stretched out some in the Arizona Fall League this winter with a stated intent to use him for multiple innings out of the bullpen (not moving him to the rotation). That could make him even more of a weapon for the Padres going forward.

Most likely McGrath will be in AAA to start 2017, but with his ability to work multiple innings from the left side, he could certainly earn a spot in the bullpen out of spring training in the major leagues or move quickly up to San Diego.

Next: Tiger Closer

Joe Jimenez, Detroit Tigers, A+/AA/AAA, 21 years old

Stats: 53 2/3 IP, 1.51 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 17/78 BB/K ratio

Jimenez was signed as a power arm out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy by the Tigers, and he’s been tremendous in the bullpen ever since. He’s moved his way into their future closer role, and he’s currently considered as highly thought-of as a closer prospect since perhaps when Craig Kimbrel was coming through the Atlanta Braves system.

Jimenez has an elite fastball that can not just touch triple digits, but also has excellent movement low in the zone. He adds in an excellent slider to go along with the fastball, and while he’s struggled at time to control the slider, he has still had success ever since signing with the Tigers.

Many were surprised that the Tigers left Jimenez in the minor leagues for September rather than calling him up as he moved from high-A through AAA with success at each level.

As long as Jimenez keeps the ball low in the zone, he does an excellent job of keeping the ball in the park and getting plenty of weak contact by those who do make contact off of him. Overall, though, his strikeout rate has been 13 K/9 throughout his minor league career.

It’s very probable that Jimenez starts in the Detroit bullpen in 2017, and his role will have a lot to do with whether the team brings back Francisco Rodriguez on a $6M option for 2017, which would be quite affordable. K-Rod could be a solid mentor for Jimenez to ease him into the majors, much like Troy Percival did for K-Rod when he came up.

Next: Astro Journeyman

James Hoyt, RHP, Houston Astros, AAA, 29 years old

Stats: 55 IP, 1.64 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 19/93 BB/K ratio

One of the more fun things about baseball is the variety of ways that players come into the league. Hoyt is the best example of that. He was pitching in independent ball (and even the Mexican League) when the Atlanta Braves signed him before the 2013 season.

He came in as a 26-year-old reliever into the Braves system, and he showed some excellent skills in 2013 and 2014 before being part of the trade that also brought catcher Evan Gattis to Houston.

Hoyt leans heavily on his hard slider, which has tremendous plane coming from his 6’6″ frame, generating a ton of swing and miss. His fastball is only in the low-90s, though he does get excellent movement low in the zone from the pitch. He also mixes in a cutter and a change as well.

One of the interesting things with Hoyt has been his use of multiple arm angles to help with his effectiveness. This has not affected his control, but he can fall in love with one arm angle if he has success for a time.

Hoyt did make his major league debut with Houston this season, and he had some success with the big league club. He should be a contender for a spot in the Astros bullpen in 2017.

Next: Other Relievers

Other Relievers In Consideration

Once again, this is by no means comprehensive, but a list of guys I looked at for consideration:

Shawn Armstrong, RHP, Cleveland Indians, A/AAA, 51 IP, 1.76 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 29/77 BB/K
Danny Barnes, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays, AA/AAA, 61 1/3 IP, 0.73 ERA, 0.47 WHIP, 6/77 BB/K
Matt Carasiti, RHP, Colorado Rockies, AA/AAA, 46 IP, 1.96 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 9/48 BB/K
Jake Cosart, RHP, Boston Red Sox, A/A+, 70 2/3 IP, 1.78 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 36/104 BB/K
Grant Dayton, LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers, AA/AAA, 52 IP, 2.42 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 11/91 BB/K
Caleb Dirks, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers/Atlanta Braves, AA, 61 IP, 1.18 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 18/67 BB/K
Giovanny Gallegos, RHP, New York Yankees, AA/AAA, 78 IP, 1.27 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 17/106 BB/K
Kevin Grendell, LHP, Los Angeles Angels, A/A+/AA, 61 1/3 IP, 2.64 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 35/92 BB/K
Phil Maton, RHP, San Diego Padres, A/A+/AAA, 51 2/3 IP, 1.74 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 11/78 BB/K
Reyes Moronta, RHP, San Francisco Giants, A+, 59 IP, 2.59 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 20/90 BB/K
Gabriel Moya, LHP, Arizona Diamondbacks, A/A+, 63 2/3 IP, 1.55 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 17/82 BB/K
Jose Quijada, LHP, Miami Marlins, A/A+, 50 1/3 IP, 2.32 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 10/69 BB/K
David Roseboom, LHP, New York Yankees, AA, 57 2/3 IP, 1.87 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 18/54 BB/K
Drew Steckenrider, RHP, Miami Marlins, A+/AA/AAA, 52 IP, 2.08 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 19/71 BB/K
Colton Turner, LHP, Toronto Blue Jays/Chicago White Sox, A/A+/AA, 58 IP, 1.24 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 23/76 BB/K
Brad Wieck, LHP, San Diego Padres, A+/AA, 61 1/3 IP, 1.17 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 24/93 BB/K

Honorable Mentions

A few guys who had dominant seasons that didn’t make the minimum games that I had set, but that I felt deserved mention:

Kirby Bellow, LHP, Arizona Diamondbacks, A-/A/A+, 38 2/3 IP, 0.70 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 10/58 BB/K
A.J. Minter, LHP, Atlanta Braves, A/A+/AA, 34 2/3 IP, 1.30 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 11/47 BB/K
Spencer Patton, RHP, Chicago Cubs, AAA, 36 IP, 0.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 15/59 BB/K

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Is there anyone you see that was missed? Let me know in the comments below!