Triple-A award winners and All-Stars
Minor League Baseball has revealed the end-of-season award winners and All-Star teams for the two Triple-A circuits, based on votes cast by league managers. Highlighting the winners for the International League are the Rays' Jonathan Aranda, who took home a circuit's MVP honors for the second straight year; Pitcher of
Minor League Baseball has revealed the end-of-season award winners and All-Star teams for the two Triple-A circuits, based on votes cast by league managers. Highlighting the winners for the International League are the Rays'
In the Pacific Coast League, the Giants'
Here are the major award winners from each circuit as well as the full All-Star teams.
View all the 2022 Minor League All-Stars >>
International League
Most Valuable Player: Jonathan Aranda, Durham (TB)
Aranda earned league MVP honors as a member of Double-A Montgomery last year, and he followed that up with a repeat performance in Triple-A. The 24-year-old hit .318 and led the International League in OPS (.915) while setting career highs in games played (104), homers (18), RBIs (85), doubles (26) and walks (45). He made his MLB debut on June 24.
Pitcher of the Year: Greg Weissert, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (NYY)
Weissert followed a career year with an almost identical 2022 season. The right-hander was straight-up dominant out of the RailRiders bullpen, allowing just three homers and nine earned runs across 48 innings, good for a 1.69 ERA. The 27-year-old whiffed 70 batters and walked only 19 while holding opposing batters to a .149 average. He made his MLB debut on Aug. 25, striking out 11 in 11 1/3 innings.
Got him. Weissert strikes out the side to get us the W. pic.twitter.com/NdlBOy7Jqh
— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) June 4, 2022
Top MLB Prospect: Gunnar Henderson, Norfolk (BAL)
Henderson started the season with Double-A Bowie and rose all the way to the big league club, where he immediately made an impact on both sides of the ball. MLB's No. 2 overall prospect was one of several top prospects who homered for his first MLB hit, and he clubbed four dingers and drove in 18 runs in 34 games with the Orioles. Before that, the 21-year-old slashed .297/.416/.531 with 19 homers and 76 RBIs in 112 Minor League games across two levels in ‘22, highlighted by hitting for the cycle a day before his 21st birthday in June.
All-Star Team (view stats >>)
1B: Jonathan Aranda, Durham (TB)
2B: Miles Mastrobuoni, Durham (TB)
SS: Gunnar Henderson, Norfolk (BAL No. 1, MLB No. 2)
3B: Mark Vientos, Syracuse (NYM No. 7)
C: Bo Naylor, Columbus (CLE No. 5, MLB No. 75)
OF: Alec Burleson, Memphis (STL No. 5, MLB No. 88)
OF: Will Benson, Columbus (CLE)
OF: Josh Lowe, Durham (TB)
DH: Mark Payton, Charlotte (CWS)
RHP: Grayson Rodriguez, Norfolk (BAL No. 2, MLB No. 4)
LHP: Kyle Muller, Gwinnett (ATL No. 1)
RP: Greg Weissert, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (NYY)
Manager: Rick Sweet, Nashville (MIL)
Pacific Coast League
Most Valuable Player: David Villar, Sacramento (SF)
Villar had the best year of his career on his way to earning the coveted MVP title. The 25-year-old hit 275/.404/.617 with a club-leading 1.021 OPS, 27 homers and 82 RBIs. Villar won his first-ever Player of the Week honor for the week of May 15 and earned a callup to the big leagues in July, closing out the season with the Giants. He smacked nine homers and drove in 24 runs in 52 games.
Pitcher of the Year: Hunter Brown, Sugar Land (HOU)
Before logging innings down the stretch and in the postseason for the Astros, the club’s No. 1 prospect (MLB No. 68) was dominating in the Pacific Coast League. Brown posted an impressive 2.55 ERA across 106 innings of work, setting a career high in strikeouts with 134, good for third overall in the league, while only allowing five long balls all year. The 24-year-old held opposing batters to a .189 clip.
Top MLB Prospect: Miguel Vargas, Oklahoma City (LAD)
In a loaded Dodgers system, Vargas stood out as one of the best. The 22-year-old hit .304/.404/.511 with 100 runs scored in 113 games with Oklahoma City, earning a callup to Los Angeles at the end of August and belting his first MLB homer in September. The club’s No. 3 prospect (MLB No. 41) was third in the PCL with a .915 OPS and his .404 OBP was second overall in the circuit.
All-Star Team (view stats >>)
1B: Matt Davidson, Reno/Las Vegas (ARI/OAK)
2B: Eguy Rosario, El Paso (SD No. 5)
SS: David Hensley, Sugar Land (HOU)
3B: David Villar, Sacramento (SF)
C: Shea Langeliers, Las Vegas (OAK)
OF: Jason Martin, Oklahoma City (LAD)
OF: Stone Garrett, Reno (ARI)
OF: Wynton Bernard, Albuquerque (COL)
DH: Sean Bouchard, Albuquerque (COL)
RHP: Hunter Brown, Sugar Land (HOU No. 1, MLB No. 68)
LHP: Jake Kalish, Salt Lake (LAA)
RP: Enoli Paredes, Sugar Land (HOU)
Manager: Gil Velazquez, Reno (ARI)
Stephanie Sheehan is an contributor for MiLB.com.