Farm Futures: MiLB Hitter Awards

Welcome to the second annual MiLB awards. This week the most impressive and most disappointing hitting prospects in each full-season league will be recognized. For the short-season leagues, I only recognized the most impressive hitters, as it's just way too early in the developmental stages to be getting worked up over poor performances.

Next week the best and worst from the pitching side will get their due.

I did not consider players like Rhys Hoskins, who dominated International League pitching, or Rafael Devers, who was the best hitter in the Eastern League, because their big-league exploits are far more impressive than anything they accomplished in the minor leagues this season.

International League

Most Impressive: Ronald Acuna (Braves)

Acuna could have been recognized for his exploits in the Florida State League or Southern League, but he has actually been better, relative to the rest of the league, at Triple-A, which is one of the many reasons he is the best prospect in the game. Of players with at least 100 plate appearances in the International League, Acuna is tied for first with a 167 wRC+. That is beyond absurd for a player who won't turn 20 until December. Of the 19 International League hitters who have been at least 40 percent better than league average, only Jordan Luplow (23), Billy McKinney (23) and Miguel Andujar (22) are under the age of 24. Acuna's speed is not surprising (although it's worth noting he has only been successful on 67.7 percent of his 62 attempts), but it's almost unheard of for a 19-year-old to hit for this much power (20 HR, .527 SLG) in the upper levels of the minors while maintaining manageable strikeout rates. He is going to be a superstar.

Biggest Disappointment: Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays)

There have been a lot of reports that Tellez has been the victim of some bad luck this year, and his .264 BABIP supports that notion. But even if his poor batting average (.222) can be mostly explained away by bad luck and a home ballpark that suppresses batting average, it's hard to get past the fact that he hit six home runs with a .112 ISO, given that he only profiles at first base or DH. He's still just 22, so it's way too soon to write him off, but his prospect stock has taken a significant hit.

Pacific Coast League

Most Impressive: Ryan McMahon (Rockies)

McMahon may have had the best bounce-back season in all the minors. He was a league average hitter in the Eastern League last year, although the Hartford Goats had to play all of their games on the road in 2016, so that could be explained away. It was therefore not surprising to see him rake in a return trip to Double-A. However, even with advantageous hitting conditions, it was still surprising to see the 22-year-old hit .367/.402/.594 with 13 home runs and a career-best 16.7 percent strikeout rate in 68 games in his first tour of the PCL. He also learned new defensive positions (first base and second base), as he is blocked for the foreseeable future at the hot corner. Those who expected McMahon to be deployed regularly after a brief promotion in August were disappointed, but the Rockies should be able to find room for him on a regular basis in 2018. Unfortunately he may only qualify at first base in certain formats.

Biggest Disappointment: Tyler O'Neill (Cardinals)

This is a tough one, because O'Neill only turned 22 on June 22, so in a vacuum there's nothing wrong with what he did this year in the PCL (102 wRC+). However, I ranked him as the No. 49 prospect before the season, and now he's ranked outside the top 200 (202 overall). Admittedly, at least 60 or 70 percent of the reason for that drop is due to the fact that I screwed up on the preseason ranking. He should have been ranked in the 100-150 range initially. He is a high-strikeout, right-handed power hitter who played a little above his head at Double-A (152 wRC+) last year in his age 20/21 season. Maybe he can be a Khris Davis type in the majors, but it's more likely he's a guy who struggles to hit better than .240 and, in turn, struggles to earn everyday at-bats, especially now that he is with the Cardinals.

Eastern League

Most Impressive: Austin Hays (Orioles)

I've been banging the drum for Hays for a while now, and while Francisco Mejia certainly has a claim for this honor, I wanted to take one last chance to impress upon everyone how excellent Hays has been since entering pro ball. Here are his wRC+ marks at his three professional stops since being drafted with the 91st overall pick in the 2016 draft: 168 (short-season), 166 (High-A), 164 (Double-A). Those numbers are even more remarkable considering he isn't particularly patient. He has not posted a walk rate above 4.5 percent in full-season ball. This style works because he has also not posted a strikeout above 16 percent over that span. He makes a lot of contact, and most importantly, a lot of hard contact. This is a guy who could profile anywhere from second to fourth in a big-league lineup, hitting for very high batting averages and flirting with 30 homers annually. He is strong, athletic and aggressive, which allows for all of his tools to play up a little. I'd say he could be had at a discount, based on how little respect he gets from other outlets, but his owner realistically isn't going to be in a rush to part with a guy who has yet to struggle at the plate.

Biggest Disappointment: Richard Urena (Blue Jays)

That 97-game run at High-A in 2016 is starting to look more and more like a mirage. Urena has been a well below average hitter in 158 total games at Double-A, tallying five home runs and zero steals over that stretch. He is still just 21, but it's not like he ever profiled as a true impact hitter. The hope was that he might provide Brandon Crawford level production. There is no reason to show extreme patience with a player with that kind of ceiling in most dynasty formats.

Southern League

Most Impressive: Nick Senzel (Reds)

Senzel leads all Southern League hitters who have at least 150 plate appearances this season in wRC+ (183), wOBA (.440), OPS (.973) and SLG (.560). He has impact potential in all five roto categories, which is a rarity for a third baseman. There could be some 15/15 seasons early on, and perhaps he even flirts with a 20/20 season. The one thing we can feel very confident about is that it won't take long for him to start posting batting averages around .300. His hit tool is special. Given his impressive plate discipline, an OBP around .400 seems doable in his peak seasons, and with that home ballpark, he should eventually slug around .500. His upside sometimes seems to get lost in the shuffle as everyone praises how high the floor is, but he could easily warrant a second-round fantasy pick in his prime.

Biggest Disappointment: Aristides Aquino (Reds)

His impressive power/speed tools have still been on display at times, but he has mostly looked overmatched in his first crack at Double-A pitching. His 28.5 percent strikeout rate is easily his highest mark since he was in rookie ball in 2013. The jump from High-A to Double-A is a very significant one, as the amount of pitchers who can locate a breaking ball increases exponentially. If he were 21 this would be less concerning, as it wasn't a complete disaster of a season (88 wRC+), but he's 23, on the 40-man roster, and not particularly close to being able to hold his own against big-league pitching.

Texas League

Most Impressive: Luis Urias (Padres)

Stop me if you've heard this before: Urias walked more than he struck out while being the youngest qualified hitter in his league. He did that last year in the California League, and did so again as a 20-year-old in the Texas League while playing half his games at San Antonio, which is a difficult place to hit. The main difference this year is that he played the majority of his games at shortstop. He won't be a plus defensive shortstop in the big leagues, but there is no obvious roadblock to him getting enough starts there to qualify for his first couple of seasons. There may never be impact power or speed, but it's too soon to say he won't be able to yank 10-15 homers out in his peak seasons. The key is that he will likely be hitting first or second, potentially competing for batting titles and scoring 100-plus runs.

Biggest Disappointment: Ramon Laureano (Astros)

The trouble with pop-up prospects is that if they don't support that production the following year, it's easy to quickly decide that the previous year was an illusion. Instead of hitting above .400 on balls in play, as he did at High-A and Double-A in 2016, Laureano hit .266 on balls in play in a return trip to Corpus Christi. His walk rate also fell from 13.5 percent to 8.0 percent. He is a 23-year-old with 153 games at Double-A under his belt in an organization that is overflowing with outfield options in the upper levels. The power/speed intrigue still exists, but if Derek Fisher is finding it hard to get a look, there's no reason to expect Laureano to ever serve as more than a depth piece, barring a trade.

California League

Most Impressive: DJ Peters (Dodgers)

It is quite the indictment on the Cal League that Peters is pretty easily the most interesting offensive prospect who spent a full season in the league this year. Brendan Rodgers took full advantage of Lancaster en route to a quick promotion to Double-A, and Jahmai Jones has been excellent in less than 200 plate appearances after a promotion from Low-A, but Peters has been the constant. His 32.3 percent strikeout rate will rightfully scare some owners off, but he has legitimate tools. He finished third in the league with 24 home runs, and among the hitters in the league with 15-plus homers, his .374 OBP ranks highest. The highlight of Peters' season was when he took Madison Bumgarner deep twice in a rehab start. He bypassed Low-A entirely, and when he heads to Double-A next year, I wouldn't be surprised if we see his strikeout rate drop and his overall offensive performance remain constant.

Biggest Disappointment: Michael Gettys (Padres)

I didn't expect Gettys to have a great year. I expected him to rake in a return trip to the Cal League and then fall flat on his face after a promotion to Double-A. Unfortunately, he took a major step back against High-A pitching, going from a 28.3 percent strikeout rate last year to a 37.5 percent strikeout rate this year. His crazy tools were still able to propel him to a 102 wRC+ while flirting with a 20/20 season (16/21). Gettys now has 171 games at High-A under his belt without earning a promotion to Double-A. He is still a more intriguing long-term prospect than, say, Franchy Cordero, who was added and dropped in many single-season leagues this year after getting an audition in San Diego. But realistically, Gettys is at best a fourth outfielder who never hits enough to let his impressive power and speed really show up in games.

Carolina League

Most Impressive: Eloy Jimenez (White Sox)

He missed the first month of the season with a shoulder injury and hit well in 42 games with the Cubs' Carolina League affiliate. However, he was probably the best hitter in all the minors after getting traded to the White Sox. He posted a 199 wRC+ with High-A Winston-Salem and a 195 wRC+ in 15 games with Double-A Birmingham, ripping 11 home runs with a strikeout rate below 20 percent in 44 games as a 20-year-old. Jimenez's tools are very similar to Vlad Guerrero Jr.'s (huge raw power, excellent hit tool), he just might not get on base as much. The way he finished the season suggests he could be in line for a big-league promotion next summer, unless the White Sox show extreme discipline and are willing to keep him down until mid-April 2019.

Biggest Disappointment: Corey Ray (Brewers)

There are younger players who have a claim here, but Ray was just as bad as most of them, while being a year or two older and a top-five pick out of college. It may not be completely fair, but the expectation among most dynasty league owners for a player like Ray is that he more than holds his own in the lower levels of the minors. Instead, he struck out at a 31 percent clip and didn't post a .700 OPS against righties or lefties. There are reports that he really struggles against premium velocity, which is a problem. He has enough physical talent to bounce back in a huge way next season, but there is no denying the fact that he really hurt his stock in 2017.

Florida State League

Most Impressive: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays)

He may only have 43 games under his belt at High-A, but among hitters with 150-plus plate appearances in the Florida State League, Guerrero is tied for first with a 178 wRC+, and he is six years younger than the guy he is tied with (Tim Lynch). There are plenty of other players who have impressed in this league (Brent Rooker, Brandon Lowe, Shed Long, Peter Alonso, Nick Solak, Alex Jackson, etc.), but Guerrero has been better and he's at least three years younger than all of them. I was much higher on Guerrero before the season than the rest of the industry, but even I'm surprised by how impressive he has been in his first full season. The best bet for an ETA to the big leagues seems to be mid-April 2019, but he could beat that if the Blue Jays are competitive next year.

Biggest Disappointment: Will Craig (Pirates)

Craig was 23 percent better than the average hitter in the league, so how could he possibly be a disappointment? Well, he's a 22-year-old who will likely end up at first base, and he posted a .104 ISO with just six home runs in 119 games at High-A. His ability to get on base has always been very apparent, but he has never hit for enough power to even profile at second base, let alone third or first. This is becoming a bit of a trend with recent high-profile Pirates draft picks, but at least Ke'Bryan Hayes is still just 20 and at least Kevin Newman can play shortstop.

Midwest League

Most Impressive: Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres)

It's hard to go wrong with an 18-year-old who goes 21/29 with a .281/.390/.520 slash line in his first full-season assignment. Tatis is already a top-15 prospect, and he could be a top-five prospect by June or July of next year. The speed is a bit misleading, as he probably won't be a double-digit steal threat many years in the big leagues, unless the Padres are OK with him getting caught a lot. However, the power potential while possibly qualifying at shortstop is pretty wild to think about. It's essentially a Carlos Correa skillset, if he can keep the strikeouts in check as he moves up the organizational ladder. He was promoted to Double-A to play with San Antonio as they chase a Texas League title, but may be assigned to High-A at the outset of 2018. He is on pace to reach the majors at some point in 2019.

Biggest Disappointment: Demi Orimoloye (Brewers)

There wasn't a great candidate here, but considering that Orimoloye's raw tools rival anyone in the league and he is 20 years old, he warrants mentioning. He tried to pull everything, struck out too much, made a lot of weak contact... it just wasn't good. Orimoloye will continue to be a fringe top-400 prospect for now, even after this poor showing in the Midwest League, just based on his tools. Look at what Orimoloye's organization mate Monte Harrison did this year in his age 21/22 season -- he repeated Low-A, raked, and then continued to rake after a promotion to High-A. Tools will often win out, and like Harrison, Orimoloye has them in spades.

South Atlantic League

Most Impressive: Carter Kieboom (Nationals)

There are so many deserving candidates here. Colton Welker, Estevan Florial and Daniel Johnson all deserve recognition, but I was high on Welker and Florial coming into the year, and not necessarily surprised by anything they did. Johnson was a revelation, but he is also 22 years old. Kieboom wasn't a player I strongly considered for the top 200 before the season, which was clearly a mistake. A hamstring injury has limited him to 187 plate appearances at Low-A, but he has slashed .297/.380/.515 with eight home runs and a 19.3 percent strikeout rate in that limited sample. Unlike Welker, Kieboom did not benefit from an advantageous home ballpark, and unlike Florial, Kieboom did not benefit from an unreasonably high BABIP. He's a slam dunk top-100 prospect heading into the offseason.

Biggest Disappointment: Mickey Moniak (Phillies)

A scout that sat in on a Lakewood series this year would have had no idea Moniak was the first overall pick in the 2016 draft by just watching him play. They might not even guess he was a first rounder at all. This was always going to be a profile more reliant on polish, with the glove and the bat, than loud tools. So when the polish isn't even there (.492 OPS against lefties, .285 OBP against all pitchers), we are left with a guy who might be a fourth outfielder, and even that outcome requires a bit of projection. If he can be traded for a top-150 prospect, that's a deal that should be done as soon as possible.

New York-Penn League

Most Impressive: Jhailyn Ortiz (Phillies)

Ortiz has been the best hitter in the New York-Penn League. That's a great feat for any player. It's specifically remarkable for him for two reasons, however. First, he is the youngest hitter in the league (18). Second, he leads the league in ISO (.258), SLG (.560) and is tied for the lead in HR (eight). So while many youngsters take a while to tap into their power in games, he is showing he can get to it already with ease. Ortiz may not be an Acuna/Tatis type of riser on real life lists, as he projects to offer very little defensive value (although Guerrero Jr. bucked that trend). But for our purposes, he has a chance to be a major riser this offseason.

Northwest League

Most Impressive: Daulton Varsho (Diamondbacks)

Varsho is an extremely unique catching prospect. He is 5-foot-10 but is a great athlete with at least average speed. He also hails from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which is not necessarily a hotbed for baseball talent. At 21, he is a little old for short-season ball, but he has still produced enough with the stick to get the attention of dynasty-league owners. There do not appear to be any swing-and-miss issues (15.1 percent strikeout rate), at least not yet, and he is showing power (seven homers) and speed (7-for-9 on stolen-base attempts). While his defense behind the plate is unlikely to ever be spectacular, there is already talk that he could be a capable defender in the outfield or at second base, so he could end up playing 20 or 30 games behind the dish and the rest in the field. We should learn a lot more about his upside and eventual defensive role when he gets a full-season assignment next year.

Appalachian League

Most Impressive: Ronaldo Hernandez (Rays)

This came down to a couple of catching prospects, Hernandez and William Contreras (younger brother of Willson). It's basically a toss up, and they could end up being ranked in a different order this offseason, but Hernandez gets the edge because he showed a little more game power. Both catchers should head to Low-A as 20-year-olds next year, and while struggles against full-season pitching should be somewhat expected, it seems both have the plate skills to hold their own and continue to climb up the top 400.

Pioneer League

Most Impressive: Pedro Gonzalez (Rangers)

There are honestly a dozen deserving players here, but Gonzalez has the most upside of the bunch. He was recently announced as the returning player for the Rangers in the Jonathan Lucroy trade, and that's a much better haul than I thought Texas was going to get when that trade was first announced. A .432 BABIP really propped up his numbers in the Pioneer League and he has really struggled in a tiny sample in the Northwest League, so there's a crazy amount of risk here. However, if it all works out, he's a No. 3 or No. 4 hitter who cranks out 30-plus homers annually.

Arizona League

Most Impressive: Esteury Ruiz (Padres)

Another player who was recently traded as part of the package that sent Brandon Maurer and Trevor Cahill to the Royals, Ruiz has drawn rave reviews for his current hitting ability and overall across-the-board upside. He has a chance to hit for power and average while playing a premium infield position. People have been quick to compare him to Tatis Jr., based on the fact the Padres acquired him while he was in Rookie ball. I don't think he has Tatis' impact tools, but he could develop into a top-100 prospect in the not-so-distant future.

Gulf Coast League

Most Impressive: Mason Martin (Pirates)

Again, there are roughly a dozen prospects who have a case here, but Martin has been too good to ignore. He was a 17th-round pick in this year's draft, so if you're looking for a late-round pick from that class for dynasty leagues, he's your guy. That said, he probably won't be under the radar, given how much he has produced. He leads the league by a wide margin in most hitting statistics, which is good, because he will likely end up at first base. There is a chance he has debilitating contact issues against upper-level pitching, but for now, he has managed to produce at an elite clip despite sporting a 25.8 percent strikeout rate (he is also third in the league with an 18.7 percent walk rate).