Oakland A's 2014 Minor League Awards
As the Oakland A's big league team fights for its postseason life, the organization's minor league squads did well this year.
The Sacramento River Cats (Triple-A) came within one win of returning to playoffs. The Stockton Ports (Single-A) were swept in the first round of their postseason but finished 85-55, the best record in the league. The Midland RockHounds earned the ultimate bragging rights when they became 2014 Texas League champions.
No team could have done it with only a superstar or two.
Though Addison Russell and Billy McKinney—formerly the organization's top two prospects—are no longer here, the A's still certainly have dominant starting pitchers, shutdown relievers and Silver Slugger hitters to be proud of.
Here, we'll take a look at the Cy Young, Relief Man of the Year and MVP for each team, as well as the Rookie of the Year, overall Manager of the Year and Minor League Player of the Year (within the organization).
In addition to identifying top candidates based on statistics, I reached out to Melissa Lockard of OaklandClubhouse.com (of the Scout.com network) and A's minor league blogger Chris Kusiolek for deeper analysis and reports on the intangibles.
And lastly, for ease of understanding, the list is sticking with the Single-A through Triple-A teams. The Beloit Snappers, Vermont Lake Monsters and other Low-A, rookie ball and international teams will not be featured.
All quotes obtained firsthand by author unless noted otherwise.
Relief Man
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Stockton Ports: Austin House
At 54.2 innings, House pitched the 10th-most innings for Ports pitchers, including starters. Remove anyone who started more than 10 games, and House pitched the fourth-most innings.
In that span, he accumulated a 3.46 ERA with 19 saves. He allowed just four home runs, walked 19 batters and struck out 79. For perspective on strikeouts, House's 79 is only 10 less than starter Josh Bowman, who pitched in 130.2 innings.
What the experts say: Kusiolek said House dominated right-handed batters all season despite having control issues. He called House a "slam-dunk Midland bullpen anchor for 2015" and believes the reliever is talented enough that other teams will be calling soon.
Midland RockHounds: Ryan Dull
We're splitting hairs between Seth Frankoff and Dull here.
Frankoff finished with the lower ERA at 2.44 compared to Dull's 2.88. Frankoff had 15 saves to Dull's nine. But Dull pitched in 23 more innings in 2014.
So Dull gets the nod here, barely.
It almost seems counterintuitive to not pick Frankoff because he moved up to the next level. But we're looking for the most dominant RockHounds reliever, so it doesn't seem fair to pick a guy who pitched less with the team, even if it is because he was so good he moved up.
But Dull is no slouch.
He walked 15 and struck out 67. And he only allowed six home runs the entire year.
What the experts say: Kusiolek said, "Dull had an incredibly solid adjustment period" after initially taking a beating in late 2013. He noted Dull's deception and agreed he is "worthy of recognition, especially for a 32nd-round find."
Sacramento River Cats: Evan Scribner
You could make the argument that if Frankoff couldn't be chosen, then Scribner shouldn't be either, because he spent time with the Oakland A's. However, Scribner spent the majority of his time in Sacramento, bouncing back and forth a time or two.
"Scribbles" pitched the fourth-most innings among relievers (minus spot starters) at 47.0 innings.
In 40 games, he kept a 3.06 ERA and picked up 16 saves and three holds. He allowed four home runs, walked nine and struck out 72. That's eight strikeouts per walk.
Fernando Rodriguez had a better ERA and no losses. But he had no saves, more walks and less strikeouts, all in less innings.
What the experts say: Both Kusiolek and Lockard agreed with the selection here.
Cy Young
2 of 6Stockton Ports: Seth Streich
Streich (this guy's name begs for a nickname) is too easy of a selection here.
His nine wins led the Ports. Of regular starters, his 3.16 ERA led as well. He only pitched 15 innings fewer than the team leader but still managed to allow 33 fewer runs, give up 16 fewer home runs and keep a WHIP of 1.16.
His walk-to-strikeout ratio stands out, too. Streich walked 22 and struck out a team-high 116.
Streich missed an opportunity to do even more damage, though, when he went down with an injury late in the season.
What the experts say: Both agreed Streich is a deserving pick. Kusiolek mentioned Chris Lamb as being very close to earning honors here, specifically due to three games of 10 or more strikeouts, including one in which he struck out 17. Still, he said there is "not a wrong decision with either one."
Midland RockHounds: Nate Long
Long wins this one, but Chris Jensen is right behind him.
Long's 13-8 record is one win better than Jensen's, but Jensen's 3.14 ERA is .04 ticks lower. Jensen also pitched in 10 more innings.
Long gave up the long ball 17 times, 14 more than Jensen. But when it comes to walks and strikeouts, Long was the "better" pitcher. He walked 49 (13 fewer) and struck out a team-leading 126 batters. The next closest is 95.
What the experts say: Both were sold on the pick. Kusiolek felt Long could have done well at the next level, but there never seemed to be a spot for him.
Sacramento River Cats: Zach Neal
This one is almost too tough to call between Neal and Arnold Leon.
Leon was a workhorse this season, pitching in 145.0 innings, earning 10 wins and striking out 128. He could easily be named the "Cy Young" winner of Sacramento and you'd see little argument here.
In 119.1 innings pitched, Neal kept a 4.07 ERA (compared to Leon's 4.97). He went 7-7 in 20 starts, striking out 80.
So why Neal?
Though he pitched in less innings, Neal gave up 26 fewer earned runs in 2014 than Leon. He also walked 36 fewer batters. In addition to having the better ERA, he has the better WHIP, too.
What the experts say: Lockard said Neal is "a solid choice," but Kusiolek said that, though Neal's fastball command is the better of the two, Leon has "the best stuff despite the lackluster statistical result."
MVP
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Stockton Ports: Matt Olson
Most valuable player on the Ports? Take your pick!
Daniel Robertson had 170 hits. He scored 110 times. Renato Nunez knocked in 96 runs. But more valuable than both, at least in 2014, was Olson.
Olson hit .262, lower than Nunez and Robertson. But his .404 on-base percentage is higher than the other two. Why? Because he walked a whopping 117 times. That's 45 more times than the next highest.
Additionally, Olson's .543 slugging percentage led all regular Ports players. Olson's 97 RBI led the team, as did his 37 home runs.
Many contributed to the Ports' run this year. But Olson showed he could hit for power consistently while remaining disciplined at the plate.
What the experts say: Both agreed there were a few options but that you wouldn't be wrong to go with Olson.
Midland RockHounds: Conner Crumbliss
Realistically, there isn't just one most valuable player on this team. Several guys showed up this year.
Josh Whitaker led regulars with a .333 average. He's about middle of the pack in terms of RBI, home runs and runs. Dusty Coleman led the team in runs scored, home runs and RBI. His 202 strikeouts is a huge strike against him, though. Billy Burns hit .250 and stole 51 bags.
But at the top of almost every category you'll find Max Muncy and Crumbliss almost side by side.
Crumbliss had more runs (65 to 59). He also hit two more doubles, one more triple and three more home runs than Muncy.
Muncy had the higher batting average and on-base percentage, but Crumbliss slugged better and stole more bases (power and speed). And though Crumbliss didn't walk as much as Muncy, he walked more often than he struck out, which is a feat in itself.
What the experts say: Both implied this one is a judgment call that could go either way.
Sacramento River Cats: Shane Peterson
Peterson was the man in Sacramento this year.
He led the team in runs scored, hits, doubles, touched bases, walks and batting average (among regulars). He also tied for first in triples, had the third-most home runs and third-most stolen bases.
Stats-wise, that argument should be all you need.
What the experts say: Both were sold on the pick.
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Rookie of the Year
4 of 6This slide needs a bit of explaining. Though I did not give Cy Young, MVP and Relief Man of the Year awards for teams lower than the Stockton Ports, this slide encompasses the entire organization.
The "Rookie of the Year" award will go to the player who, in his very first year in professional baseball, had an outstanding season.
For this, I heavily relied on Kusiolek's and Lockard's input. The unanimous pick is Matt Chapman.
Drafted in June 2014, Chapman first reported to the AZL Athletics. In three games, he went 6-for-14 with one walk and one strikeout. Of the six, two were extra-base hits.
He then moved up to the Beloit Snappers.
In 50 games, he hit .237 with eight doubles, three triples, five home runs and 20 RBI. He walked seven times and struck out 46 times.
On the struggles in Beloit, Kusiolek said:
"The disciplinary issues in Beloit likely are attributable to incoming draftees preferring to feel out professional pitching and swinging away at most everything when they first enter the organization. [Matt] Olson and [Daniel] Robertson were caught doing it in their debut seasons in 2012 as well.
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Chapman then moved up once more, this time to the Midland RockHounds.
"Chapman helped Midland win the [Texas League] title with a strong postseason," Lockard said.
Bob Hards, RockHounds beat reporter for MiLB.com, said a "strong case could be made" for Chapman as the unofficial playoff MVP after hitting .310 with two home runs. Hards noted Chapman's defense helped the cause as well.
Chapman's defense is something Kusiolek also noted.
"Chapman also is the best defensive infielder in the organization already, has outstanding range and reactions at the position with an arm that's one of the best among positional players," he said.
Manager of the Year
5 of 6A's Minor League Manager of the Year: Aaron Nieckula, Midland RockHounds
The Sacramento River Cats, whether through the fault of their manager or elsewhere, had a sizable collapse down the stretch. Ultimately, the team missed out on playoffs by one game.
The Stockton Ports made the playoffs, finishing with the best record in their league. However, they were swept out of the postseason in the first round.
Regardless, though, can you argue against a manager who took his team to and won the Texas League championship?
And this is with the loss of the organization's top prospect, Addison Russell.
Nieckula's squad could have struggled. Not only did it lose Russell to injury to start the year (then via trade), but it also lost players who moved up to the River Cats. Some of those players include Anthony Aliotti, Seth Frankoff, Zach Neal and Billy Burns.
Furthermore, the organization's top prospects—Matt Olson, Daniel Robertson, Raul Alcantara, Renato Nunez—are all still in Single-A.
The change and the "lack" of top prospects speak to how awesome Midland's win is.
Minor League Player of the Year
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A's Minor League Player of the Year: Shane Peterson, Sacramento River Cats
It came down to Matt Olson or Peterson.
Comparing their numbers side by side, it's extremely close.
Peterson totaled more hits and had a much higher average. But Olson hit three times the amount of home runs and knocked in more RBI. He also walked a ton.
It's a tough one to call.
The tiebreaker is defense, and it goes to Peterson—barely, again.
In 2014, Peterson was asked to play all three outfield positions and first base. Of course, Olson played a few games in the outfield as well, but not nearly as often as Peterson did. And of course, both men committed seven errors.
It's going to be interesting to see who the A's select as their Minor League Player of the Year. You really can't go wrong with either guy.
What the experts say: Kusiolek agreed, "Peterson is fine [as Player of the Year], especially since he's a plus defender at the corners to make up for some offensive gaps."
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