Since 2006 Perfect Game has assembled a Minor League All-Star Team comprised of players coming off of successful seasons in professional baseball below the Major League level that had previously participated in a Perfect Game event. Many of those names are easily recognizable and represent a large bulk of the young talent that defines the game at its highest level.
The 2015 season was a
banner year when it comes to graduating prospects to the big leagues
with no shortage of easily recognizable talent.
Carlos
Correa, Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Joc Pederson,
Corey Seager, Daniel Norris, Francisco Lindor, Lance McCullers and
Aaron Nola are among those players already making an impact in the
big leagues. Bryant, Pederson, Seager and Norris all have made this
team in past years with Schwarber, Seager and Nola making the cutting
this year.
Established big league stars including Clayton
Kershaw, Mike Trout, Paul Goldschmidt, Anthony Rizzo, Buster Posey,
Madison Bumgarner, Joey Votto, Chris Archer, Gerrit Cole, George
Springer and Jose Fernandez are just a handful of players that have also been named to this team in previous years.
To
view those teams visit the following links, year-by-year:
Although
there's no lack of starpower on this year's team, the aforementioned
wave of graduating talent to the big leagues created an opportunity
for the next wave of talent to identify itself.
The talent on this year's team is fairly evenly distributed between 21 different
ballclubs, with the Brewers having the most representatives with
three. The Dodgers, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Rays, Phillies, Giants,
Twins, Tigers and Orioles each have two prospects listed, while the
Rangers, Mariners, Rockies, Nationals, Indians, Royals, Pirates,
Cardinals, Mets, Reds and Angels each have one.
*Indicates
the player is a former Perfect Game All-American
Starting
Lineup
Brett
Phillips, CF (Brewers)
A
talented multi-positional, multi-sport athlete coming out of high
school, Phillips showed not only his tools (6.76 60-yard dash, 96 mph
throw from the outfield) at the 2012 World Showcase six months prior
to being drafted by the Astros in the sixth round, but he also showed how
serious he was about pursuing a professional baseball career. He was
also the top prospect traded prior to this year's deadline, being
dealt to the Brewers as part of the trade in which the Astros
acquired Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers. Phillips hit .309 this summer with 64
extra-base hits (34 doubles, 14 triples, 16 home runs) while scoring
104 times, driving in 77 and swiping 17 bases.
Lewis
Brinson, LF (Rangers)
Brinson
capped his nine PG tournament appearances by making the
All-Tournament Team at the 2011 WWBA World Championship – more
commonly known as Jupiter – by hitting .400 with three doubles.
While he had enjoyed a solid professional career leading up to the
2015 season, he exploded this year by hitting .332/.403/.601 across
three levels that includes 31 doubles, eight triples, 20 home runs
and 18 stolen bases, ending the season at Triple-A Round Rock. While
he predominantly plays center field, he did make a handful of starts in both left and right field and will enter the 2016 season just a
phone call away from the Rangers.
Corey
Seager*, SS (Dodgers)
Also
a member of the 2014 Perfect Game Minor League All-Star team, Seager
was rewarded with a callup to the big leagues earlier this month and
has continued to hit for the Dodgers. Prior to his callup the
lefthanded hitting Seager hit .293 with 37 doubles, 18 home runs and
76 RBI across two levels, and with the aforementioned callups Seager was
considered the top prospect in all of baseball during the second half of the season that had yet to make his big league debut. Prior to being
selected in the first round of the 2012 draft, Seager's high school
career was highlighted by participating in the 2011 Perfect Game
All-American Classic where he started on the infield for the East squad
alongside Addison Russell and Carlos Correa.
Kyle
Schwarber, C (Cubs)
Although
Schwarber's season is defined by the impact he is making at the big
league level with the surging Chicago Cubs, he forced a midseason
callup by hitting .323/.430/.591 in 75 minor league games, which
included 17 doubles and 16 home runs. The power certainly has
continued for the fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft at the Major
League level as part of the game's most talented young lineup that
includes Kris Bryant, who made this same team last year, Anthony
Rizzo, who was named to the squad in 2011, and Addison Russell.
Tyler
O'Neill, RF (Mariners)
After
hitting 13 home runs between three levels last year O'Neill exploded
at the plate this season, hitting 32 home runs in the California
League. With 55 combined extra-base hits, O'Neill, a native of
British Columbia, slugged .558 while hitting .260 for the season.
Like many young sluggers the Mariners will look for O'Neill to trim down the strikeouts (137) while bumping up the walks
(29) in the patience department, but assuming the power and overall
improvements continue he could enjoy a quick ascent to the big
leagues.
Trey
Mancini, 1B (Orioles)
The
Orioles landed a steal out of the eighth round of the 2013 draft in
the form of first baseman Trey Mancini. A career .315 hitter in the
minor leagues, Mancini has made a steady ascent towards the big
leagues, enjoying his best season to date with a .341/.375/.563
triple slash line across two levels, ending the year at the Double-A
level. Of his 182 base hits 70 went for extra-bases, including 43
doubles and 21 home runs, while also driving in 89 and scoring 88
times, although his path to the big leagues may be blocked somewhat
due to the presence of Chris Davis.
Daniel
Palka, DH (Diamondbacks)
Speaking
of Davis, Palka's overall profile is similar to that of the Orioles
slugger, with an extremely patient approach at the plate and
prodigious power potential from the lefthanded batter's box. Palka
showed off his offensive prowess this season by hitting .280 with 36
doubles, 29 home runs and 90 RBI in 129 games at the High-A level.
Palka played in six PG tournament events while in high school with
the Carolina Cyclones prior to attending Georgia Tech where he
enjoyed a successful college career. Although he's listed here as the
team's designated hitter, Palka played most of the 2015 season in
right field after playing first base predominantly in 2013 and 2014.
Richie
Shaffer*, 3B (Rays)
A
member of the 2008 Perfect Game All-American Classic, Shaffer's
professional career has been a little slow to progress since being
selected in the first round of the 2012 draft out of Clemson. That is
until this season in which he hit .267 with 26 home runs and 72 RBI
between the Double-A and Triple-A levels of the Rays' farm system,
and finishing the year with the Rays to get a taste for big league
pitching. With 60 career home runs in the minor leagues, and the .539
slugging percentage he posted this past year, power is Shaffer's
calling card, and he has seen time at first base as well as both
corner outfield spots should Evan Longoria's presence create the need
for Shaffer to switch positions.
Trevor
Story, 2B (Rockies)
Story
has moved up the ladder steadily since being the Rockies supplemental
first-round pick in 2011. He played at several PG tournaments while
in high school with the Dallas Patriots, and ended his prep career as
Perfect Game's 27th best high school player eligible for the 2011 draft. Although he
spent more time at shortstop (85 games) than second base (24) this
year, he starts at second on this team largely because his offensive
production was impossible to ignore. Between the Double-A and
Triple-A levels he hit .279 with astonishing extra-base totals (40
doubles, 10 triples, 20 home runs) that will fit in nicely at Coors
Field when he finally gets the call.
And
since it's hard to limit this team to nine players, here is the
second team:
C
– Andrew Knapp (Phillies)
1B
– Cody Bellinger (Dodgers)
2B
– Javier Baez* (Cubs)
3B
– Matt Duffy (Giants)
SS
– Trae Turner (Nationals)
OF
– Peter O'Brien (Diamondbacks)
OF
– Clint Frazier* (Indians)
OF
– Brett Eibner (Royals)
DH
– Josh Bell (Pirates)
Pitching
Staff
Jose
Berrios, RHP (Twins)
Berrios
was one of several players from Puerto Rico that attended the 2011
National Showcase in Fort Myers, Fla. in a promising class from the
island that included Carlos Correa and Edwin Diaz, a righthanded
pitcher in the Mariners system. In four seasons pitching in the minor
leagues Berrios has a 2.98 ERA and has advanced steadily up the
Twins' organizational ladder. He finished this year at the Triple-AAA
level, and between that level and Double-A the 21-year old
righthander went 14-5 with a 2.87 ERA, striking out 175 and allowing
just 136 hits and 38 walks in 166 1/3 innings. He's poised to make
his big-league debut at some point in 2016 less than four years
removed from high school with impressive stuff, and command, for such
a young pitcher.
Stephen
Gonsalves*, LHP (Twins)
It
would seem as though the Twins have an embarrassment of riches on the
mound for a team that routinely depends on their farm system to
cultivate young, impact talent. While Gonsalves is a few years behind
Berrios developmentally, he too has shown little problems adjusting
to pro ball after signing straight out of high school as the Twins
fourth-round pick in 2013. A native of San Diego, Gonsalves was the winning
pitcher, and scored the game-tying run, for the winning West squad at
the 2012 PG All-American Classic at Petco Park. This year used his well-rounded
arsenal to compile a 13-3 record with a 2.01 ERA across two levels of
Single-A.
Austin
Gomber, LHP, (Cardinals)
The
2015 season marked the first full year Gomber spent as a professional
after being selected in the fourth round of the 2014 MLB Draft. He
more than embraced that challenge, going 15-3 in the Low-A Midwest
League, posting a 2.67 ERA over 22 starts. He also struck out 140 and
allowed just 97 hits and 34 walks in 135 innings. That's less than
one baserunner per inning. Of course Gomber will need to continue to
prove to be effective as he moves up next year, as the Cardinals
could opt to challenge him a little more considering he turns
22-years old in November.
Jacob
Faria, RHP (Rays)
After
going 10-1 at the High-A level over the first half of the season, the
Rays rewarded Faria with a promotion to Double-A Montgomery in the
Southern League where he proved to be almost as effective. Between
the two levels he collectively went 17-4 with a 1.92 ERA. The
secondary numbers (159-to-52 strikeout-to-walk ratio, 103 hits
allowed) are just as impressive for the young righthander who was a
10th-round pick in 2011, yet one who spent his first three pro
seasons in rookie ball. With nearly 270 innings pitched the last two
years, the pace for Faria has quickened and he may get a taste of the
big leagues at this time next year with continued success.
Every
year the hardest part of this exercise is trimming down the pitching staff to
four starters. Because of that, here are two more four-man staffs of players who enjoyed successful seasons on the mound:
Staff
2:
Jorge
Lopez, RHP (Brewers)
Michael
Fulmer, RHP (Tigers)
Matt
Boyd, LHP (Tigers)
Aaron
Nola, RHP (Phillies)
Staff
3:
Tyler
Wagner, RHP (Brewers)
Steven
Matz, LHP (Mets)
Cody
Reed, LHP (Reds)
Sean
Newcomb, LHP (Angels)
Mychal
Givens*, RHP (Orioles)
Givens
originally began his career as a shortstop as the Orioles
second-round pick in 2009, and was a well-known two-way talent coming
out of high school. In fact, he held the fastball velocity record for
the Perfect Game All-American Classic (98 mph in 2008) until Tyler
Kolek broke it with a 99 mph heater in 2013. Givens made his big
league debut in late June for the Orioles, and has steadily made more
and more appearances out of the bullpen. He wasn't coverted to a
pitcher at the professional level until 2013, and this past year he
went 4-2 with a 1.73 ERA in 35 games at AA Bowie, recording 15 saves
while striking out 79 in 57 1/3 innings.
Mike
Broadway has thrown over 500 innings in the minor leagues, and has
had a taste of the big leagues this season with the Giants. A
fourth-round pick of the Braves back in 2005, Broadway enjoyed one of
his best seasons in the minor leagues this year, posting a 0.93 ERA
in 40 games, recording 13 saves while allowing just 25 hits and eight
walks, with 64 strikeouts, in 48 1/3 innings. It's hard not to root for a journeyman like Broadway.