Boston Red Sox's 2014 Minor League Awards

The 2014 season is over for nearly all of the Boston Red Sox's minor league affiliates, and by and large, what a successful season it was.

Both the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox and the rookie ball Gulf Coast League Red Sox won their league's respective championships, while Double-A Portland saw a deep playoff run of its own. Add in some talented young players showing off their skills at Salem, Greenville and Lowell, and fans of Boston's farm system had plenty to watch this season.

With nearly every MiLB season now in the books, it's the perfect time to dole out awards to Boston's most talented prospects. In this deep of a farm system, the competition was certainly stiff, but by pointing out the best and the brightest in Boston's farm system, we can highlight players who should make an impact in 2015 and beyond.

To qualify for these awards, players must have started the season with prospect eligibility (fewer than 130 MLB at-bats or 50 MLB innings pitched).

MVP: Mookie Betts, OF/2B

While not all of their young talent has acclimated well to the majors, the Red Sox have been blessed with several outstanding performances from individual prospects this season. Yet, despite the fierce competition he faced for this award, no prospect has been more valuable to Boston in 2014 than Betts.

The numbers Betts put up this season as a 21-year-old are truly staggering. He hit .355/.433/.551 in 253 PA in Portland, representing his first taste of professional baseball above the High-A level. He then hit .335/.417/.503 in 211 PA in Pawtucket, learning a new position in the outfield along the way.

And in the majors, Betts has hit .291/.367/.455 in 151 PA, cementing himself as Boston's leadoff hitter, showing defensive versatility and flashing a unique blend of power and speed. In a season that was supposed to serve as Xander Bogaerts' coming-out party, Betts has stolen the show instead.

If we assume that Dustin Pedroia, Yoenis Cespedes and Rusney Castillo will start everyday for the Red Sox in 2015, Betts could have a difficult time breaking into the lineup this season, even with his impressive contributions this year.

But whether he starts 2015 in Boston, in Pawtucket or in a different organization as part of a trade, Betts has been one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise bleak 2014 season for the Red Sox.

Honorary Mention: Blake Swihart, Henry Owens

Cy Young: Henry Owens, LHP

The Red Sox benefited from a variety of outstanding pitching performances in the minor leagues this year. Anthony Ranaudo held hitters to a sub-3.00 ERA in Triple-A. Brian Johnson dominated the Eastern League as a member of Portland's rotation. And Allen Webster pitched well when he was in the minor leagues, too.

Yet no pitcher in Boston's system was quite so impressive as Owens was this year, and the 22-year-old lefty has cemented his status as one of the better left-handed starting pitching prospects in the game.

Owens posted a 2.60 ERA with a 25.6 strikeout percentage and a 9.5 walk percentage in 121 innings in Portland, en route to being named Eastern League Pitcher of the Year. In Triple-A, Owens allowed a less-than-stellar 4.03 ERA in six starts, but he increased his strikeout and walk rates, which generally portends future success.

Owens threw 159 innings this season—a career high for the youngster—and given his workload and the bevy of names in front of him on Boston's depth chart, he was not given a chance to shine in the majors in 2014. But he has a great chance of seeing MLB time at some point in 2015, and that's largely due to his outstanding success this season.

Honorary Mention: Brian Johnson, Anthony Ranaudo

Rookie of the Year: Rafael Devers, 3B

It may be a bit odd to give a Rookie of the Year award to a player in the minors, but for this exercise we'll restrict qualifications to prospects who made their professional debuts in 2014. And there's no such prospect in the Red Sox system with a more promising future than Devers.

Kelly O'Connor, www.sittingstill.net

One year after ranking as Baseball America's No. 3 international prospect, Devers hit .337/.441/.529 in 127 PA in the Dominican Summer League, turning plenty of heads along the way. He then moved up to the Gulf Coast League, where he hit .312/.374/.484 in 174 PA, further distinguishing himself from his peers.

Devers is still just 17 years old, but he's on the periphery of gaining national recognition as an intriguing prospect. SoxProspects.com currently ranks Devers as Boston's third best prospect, and Baseball Prospectus' Jeff Moore (subscription required) gave Devers a glowing review in a recent breakdown.

He may still be too young to make it onto any national top-100 lists this offseason, but expect to see his name pop up here and there nonetheless.

Honorary Mention: Sam Travis, 1B

Comeback Player of the Year: Brian Johnson, LHP

A former first-round draft pick, Johnson missed time after being struck in the head by a line drive in 2012 and suffering a shoulder injury in 2013, but he was able to largely stay healthy in 2014. The result was a spectacular season, and one for which Johnson probably doesn't get enough recognition.

After a successful five-start stint in Salem, Johnson proved he was too polished for Double-A pitching all season long. The 23-year-old posted a 1.75 ERA, holding opponents to a .189/.245/.283 batting line along the way. Johnson struck out just 21.9 percent of the batters he faced, but he didn't give up much hard contact (six homers allowed) and limited his walks across his 118 innings in Portland.

According to Baseball Prospectus' Tucker Blair (subscription required), Johnson succeeds by knowing how and when to use his wide variety of pitches, rather than relying on one or two "out pitches" or premium velocity. Unfortunately, that limits Johnson's ultimate ceiling, with Blair citing him as a probable middle reliever/swingman or back-end rotation piece at best.

However, that projection shouldn't take away from what Johnson has accomplished this year. He has a long road in front of him if he wants to supplant Boston's litany of young pitching talent, but he's another arm the Red Sox should be able to count on in some capacity in short order.

Honorary Mention: Sean Coyle, 3B/2B

Reliever of the Year: Tommy Layne

As a 29-year-old left-handed reliever, Layne certainly wasn't much of a prospect when the season began, even though he technically qualified as such. But after a 2014 campaign that saw Layne stymie Triple-A hitters and then continue his success in the majors, he may have carved himself out a spot in the bullpen for 2015 and beyond.

Layne pitched to a 1.50 ERA in Pawtucket in 48 innings, striking out 53 batters while walking 20. He gave up just one home run and held left-handed hitters to just a .122/.218/.143 line.

The former Padre experienced similar success in the majors, allowing just two earned runs over 18 innings, though his strikeout rate in Boston is less impressive. Still, in a season in which Craig Breslow and Drake Britton have struggled and Andrew Miller was traded, Layne has emerged as a legitimate bullpen option for 2015.

Honorary Mention: Noe Ramirez