KISSIMMEE, FL - JUL 21: Peter Alonso of the Mets at bat during the Florida State League game between the St. Lucie Mets and the Florida Fire Frogs on July 21, 2017, at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
KISSIMMEE, FL – JUL 21: Peter Alonso of the Mets at bat during the Florida State League game between the St. Lucie Mets and the Florida Fire Frogs on July 21, 2017, at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
After a busy first month of April, we put together an All-Star team of the top performers at each position in minor league baseball
With minor league baseball flipped to May, we look back to the top performers throughout minor league baseball in the month of April at each position to create an All-Star team across all minor league levels.
First, we will award a top hitter and a top pitcher of the month:
Minor league baseball hitter of the month for April: Peter Alonso, Binghamton
Injuries over his last two seasons at Florida likely cost Alonso the opportunity to be a first-round selection, in spite of being a first baseman at best defensively. The Mets grabbed him in the 2nd round in 2016, and he’s simply hit the laces off of the ball ever since.
Alonso is not a good defender, and he’s only gotten less flexible and agile as a pro as he’s added good muscle to his swing, but muscle that’s hindered his movement at first base. He would be best as a DH, but if he continues hitting the way he has in April, there will be a spot somewhere for him!
Minor league baseball pitcher of the month for April: Zac Lowther, Delmarva
Lowther was a 2nd round pick out of Xavier last June by the Orioles due to his elite statistics due to his plus to double-plus command of his deceptive fastball that does not even average 90 MPH, but is incredibly difficult to pick up due to deception in his release and a unique angle in his delivery.
Lowther has been incredible this year, opening the season making just one start over the first two weeks of the year, but he’s still been able to be so productive with one less start than most of the starters that have thrown this year, leading all of minor league baseball in strikeout while throwing a fastball slower than nearly any of the other pitchers mentioned later on this list!
Now, let’s look at the team:
Next: Catcher/First Base
Catcher: Austin Allen, San Antonio
Allen has been seen as a bat-first since being drafted in the 4th round of the 2015 draft out of Florida Tech. While he had flashes with the bat his first two years, he hadn’t shown the power in game that many thought he would. Instead, many were impressed at the strides he made behind the plate.
In 2017, Allen showed an altered approach at the plate that allowed him to attack pitches with power, leading to 22 home runs and 31 doubles, and he’s started 2018 on the same sort of hard-hitting role in AA, hitting .364/.423/.773 with his 12 doubles tying for the lead in minor league baseball, along with 8 home runs.
The crazy part is that of any position, the quality at catcher of player competing for this spot was higher than any other position. There are players that I rejected for honorable mention that could have factored as the starter at other positions, especially when taking defense into consideration.
Honorable mention: Sean Murphy, Midland; Tom Murphy, Albuquerque; Brett Nicholas, El Paso; Connor Wong, Rancho Cucamonga; Seby Zavala, Birmingham
First Base: Peter Alonso, Binghamton
The Mets’ second-round selection in 2016 didn’t have huge power numbers in the Florida State League in 2017, but that was primarily due to the difficult power environment of the FSL, and his raw power has definitely shown well in the Eastern League in 2018.
Alonso slashed .408/.505/.776 with 7 doubles, 7 home runs, and had a 15/15 BB/K ratio. He even had a four-day streak of homering in games from April 25th through April 29th, putting him at the head of a very lofty class of productive first basemen in the month of April.
Honorable mention: Kacy Clemens, Lansing; Austin Davidson, Potomac/Harrisburg; Taylor Jones, Corpus Christi; Nathaniel Lowe, Charlotte; Josh Naylor, San Antonio; John Nogowski, Springfield; Juan Yepez, Peoria
Next: Second Base/Third Base
Second Base: Tony Kemp, Fresno
Talk about being between a rock and a hard place! Kemp has been incredibly productive over the last three seasons, but he’s behind arguably the best second baseman in the entire game right now, so he’s been polishing his skills across minor league baseball the last few years, trying other positions and playing well in hopes that he could get a shot with another organization or a breakthrough with the Astros.
Kemp has the highest qualified batting average of any hitter in all of minor league baseball with a .330 average. He’s been able to walk more than he strikes out with a 16/13 ratio and steal 8 bases without being caught once this year as well to be the choice at the keystone.
Honorable Mention: Cavan Biggio, New Hampshire; Alen Hanson, Sacramento; Ty Kelly, Las Vegas; Esteban Quiroz, Portland; Josh Rojas, Buies Creek
Third Base: Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., New Hampshire
After leading all of minor league baseball in on base percentage in 2017, Guerrero thrilled Blue Jays fans with his spring training show, including a huge home run in Toronto in an exhibition game. That has many excited for the teenage Guerrero.
He very well may make it to Toronto before he hits 20 years old the way he’s going, slashing .388/.448/.588 this season in AA, with 25 runs driven in and 11 extra base hits. He will certainly see AAA before the end of the season, and it will not surprise if he ends up in Toronto by the end of the season.
Hartford has split shortstop and second base between Hampson and Rodgers this season, and while Rodgers has had a solid season, he’s not hit at the level to be recognized here.
Hampson is working to be the next in a long line of Long Beach State infielders to show out as future major leaguers, and the Rockies see him as a future player up the middle. He’s hit well this year, with a .284/.370/.466 line with 12 steals and an incredibly impressive 12/7 BB/K ratio.
Honorable mention: Joe Dunand, Jupiter; Hutton Moyer, Mobile; Kevin Smith, Lansing
Left Field: Buddy Reed, Lake Elsinore
Coming into his draft season with Florida, Reed was considered a legit possibility to go in the top 10 in the 2016 draft. Instead, he had a rough draft season for the Gators, and he’s struggled since the Padres selected him in the 2nd round that season.
Moved to a corner outfield spot that is likely more appropriate as a pro for his skills in left field than he was in center field, he has flourished offensively this season. In April, Reed flashed his power and speed, slashing .366/.385/.591 with 5 home runs and 13 stolen bases. While his 3/25 BB/K ratio is still a work in progress, he’s certainly showing much, much better in 2018.
Identified as an “under radar” player before the minor league baseball season began, Straw has done plenty to insert himself into the spotlight this season. He was known for his speed and defense coming from community college in Florida, and now he’s establishing himself for that – and more – as a pro.
In the month of April, Straw hit .361/.461/.458 with 3 triples and 14 stolen bases to lead minor league baseball. Incredibly, he’s really become an even more difficult hitter to face when the situation is more difficult, as he has a .500/.591/.722 line over the month in 22 plate appearances with 2 outs and runners in scoring position.
Honorable mention: Luis Alexander Basabe, Winston-Salem; Oscar Mercado, Memphis; Forrest Wall, Lancaster
Right Field: Juan Soto, Hagerstown/Potomac
Probably the biggest threat to Alonso for player of the month before he struggled a bit out of the gate in his promotion, Soto missed much of 2017 with injury and had many scouts hoping for the best, but worried that injury issues may follow him.
Soto’s done nothing but hit this year, with a .341/.457/.708 line on the month with 6 doubles, 4 triples, and 6 home runs as his line-drive swing often sent his home run balls that he did hit out of the park on a straight line!
Soto homered in his first game of May as well, so he’s well on his way to another month of honors already!
Honorable mention: Jabari Blash, Salt Lake; Calvin Mitchell, West Virginia; Jesus Sanchez, Charlotte
Next: Starting Pitchers
Right-Handed Pitcher: Yennsy Diaz, Lansing
Originally signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2014, Diaz made his pro debut in 2015, but he had an impressive first impression. However, after two years of stalling at advanced rookie ball and low-A, many were wondering if it was time to shift Diaz to the bullpen.
A return this year to low-A Lanshing has allowed Diaz to really play up his moving fastball that can touch 96-97 and sits low-90s. He has seen his curve really play up this year with his change still lagging behind, but incredibly, Diaz has allowed just 6 hits in 28 2/3 innings, as he has posted a 0.31 ERA and 0.66 WHIP.
Honorable mention: Shane Bieber, Akron; JT Brubaker, Altoona; Parker Dunshee, Stockton; Spencer Howard, Lakewood; Brett Kennedy, El Paso; Keury Mella, Pensacola; Elijah Morgan, Lake County; Brady Puckett, Greensboro; Tommy Romero, Clinton; Tony Santillan, Daytona; Erik Swanson, Trenton
The Orioles don’t have a great history of producing pitching in their system, but right now, they may have one of the most impressive rotations in minor league baseball, and Lowther has been the top performer, striking out 39 in 22 innings while walking only 3 hitters, posting a 1.23 ERA and a 0.55 WHIP.
Lowther works with a fastball that sits 88-91 with exceptional deception and movement, along with a changeup that matches that deception and really is effective on right-handed hitters. His breaking pitch has really played up this year, and his plus to plus-plus command could allow his #4 starter projection to play up even better to a mid-rotation or better starter as he pushes up the system.
Honorable mention: Jalen Beeks, Pawtucket; Cameron Bishop, Delmarva; Blaine Hardy, Toledo; Jesus Luzardo, Stockton/Modesto; Conner Menez, San Jose/Sacramento
