You'll find no award winners for Best Picture here. Just a few for top pitchers.
We aren't interested in honoring those working in supporting roles. No, our accolades are reserved strictly for leading men.
This, you see, is a list of the first annual FOXSportsNorth.com Minor League Stars of the Year. Max Kepler, a 22-year-old center fielder from Berlin, Germany, earned the most widespread acclaim in 2015, looking like a five-tool player as he hit .318 overall, to go along with 34 doubles, 71 RBI and 19 stolen bases for Double-A Chattanooga. The sweet-swinging lefty was the Minnesota Twins' biggest overall minor-league star this season.
But Minnesota also saw plenty of other blockbuster performances from its prospects this summer (you'll notice every Twins farm team from Triple-A down to low Class-A had a winning record in 2015). On that note, here's a look at the best original stories throughout the Twins' farm system in 2015 -- sans any acceptance speeches.
TRIPLE-A ROCHESTER RED WINGS
Record: 77-67; 2nd place in International League North
Player of the year: 2B James Beresford
2015 regular-season stats: .307/.341/.359, 21 2B, 50 RBI
Highlights: Among the nominees were: Aaron Hicks, who hit .342 at Rochester -- in 38 games . . . and Danny Santana, who hit .322 at Rochester -- in 35 games. As impressive as those performances were in brief, sneak previews, Beresford drew consistent rave reviews in Triple-A this season, over an entire season. It's been a slow climb for the native Australian since joining the Gulf Coast League Twins in 2007, but he has usually been steady at the plate. A .285 career hitter in the minors, Beresford had his best season as a pro in 2015. The 26-year-old has played parts of three seasons for Rochester now, and he's behind an All-Star second baseman in Brian Dozier in the Twins' system, so it'll be interesting to see where he goes from here with the Twins organization.
Pitcher of the Year: LHP Pat Dean
2015 stats: 12-11, 2.82 ERA, 179 IP, 98 K, 36 BB
Highlights: The Red Wings had plenty of candidates for this honor, like Michael Tonkin (1.10 ERA in 33 games, 0.73 WHIP), A.J. Achter (2.63 ERA in 43 games, 0.85 WHIP) and Logan Darnell (5-1, 2.78 ERA). But Dean, a 26-year-old Boston College product, gets the nod, due to his workhorse significance in 2015. The left-hander logged a team-high 179 innings this season, and also registered five complete games. Additionally, Dean produced a 1.15 WHIP for the Red Wings.
DOUBLE-A CHATTANOOGA LOOKOUTS
Record: 76-61; first-half Southern League North champion
Player of the Year: CF Max Kepler*
2015 stats (overall in minors): .318/.410/.520, 34 2B, 9 HR, 71 RBI
Highlights: Jorge Polanco (.288, 23 doubles) deserves a tip of the cap for his fine season, as does slugger Adam Brett Walker (Chattanooga single-season home record, with 31). But Max Kepler was, without a doubt, the top Twins minor-league performer in 2015. Kepler, a 22-year-old center fielder, finished second in the Southern League's batting race, with a .322 average in 407 at-bats with Chattanooga. The native German did a bit of everything for the Lookouts, even registering 13 triples. It'd be a surprise if Kepler didn't see at least some time at Target Field next season.
Pitcher of the Year: RHP Jose Berrios
2015 stats (overall in minors): 14-5, 2.87 ERA, 166 1/3 IP, 175 K, 38 BB
Highlights: The hard-throwing J.T. Chargois (11 saves, .218 opponent batting average) opened eyes this season. But Jose Berrios caught everyone's attention all summer, as arguably the top strikeout man in all of minor-league baseball. The 21-year-old right-hander was supremely impressive at Chattanooga -- and then took his game to a whole other level at Triple-A Rochester, going 6-2 with a 2.62 ERA. At Double-A, Berrios went 8-3, with a 3.08 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in 90 2/3 innings. Pundits are almost unanimous in their belief that Berrios could be helping the Twins this September, but he pitched 166 1/3 minor-league innings this season; his previous career-high as a pro was the 140 he registered in 2014.
HIGH-A FORT MYERS MIRACLE
Record: 76-63, best overall record in Florida State League South
Player of the Year: C Alex Swim
2015 stats: .311/.349/.360, 13 2B, 38 RBI in 85 games
Highlights: Swim is a former 22nd-round draft pick out of Elon in 2013, but attained top billing in Fort Myers' lineup this season. The left-handed hitter batted .327 versus righties. For his efforts, the 24-year-old backstop was recently named to the Florida State League's postseason All-Star team. Among Miracle hitters who had at least 300 at-bats this season, Swim's batting average was 41 points higher than the closest competitor, shortstop Engelb Vielma.
Pitcher of the Year: LHP Stephen Gonsalves
2015 stats (overall in minors): 13-3, 2.01 ERA, 134 1/3 IP, 132 K, 53 BB
Highlights: Fort Myers hurlers like Mat Batts (2.77 ERA, 1.10 WHIP in 24 starts) and Aaron Slegers (2.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP in 19 starts) deserve honorable-mention status. But Gonsalves was the brightest star on a Miracle staff that produced a 2.70 team ERA in 2015. A 21-year-old lefty, Gonsalves went 7-2 with a 2.61 ERA during his time in Fort Myers, with a .225 opponent batting average. Earlier in 2015, the 6-foot-5 southpaw went 6-1 with a 1.15 ERA at Cedar Rapids.
LOW-A CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS
Record: 77-63; playoff participant
Player of the Year: SS Nick Gordon
2015 stats: .277/.336/.360, 23 2B, 58 RBI
Highlights: Gordon, a 19-year-old who was Minnesota's top pick in the 2014 draft, looked like an asset that's destined to pay dividends with his strong finish to the regular season. The son of former big-league reliever Tom Gordon and the younger brother of Marlins star Dee Gordon, Nick Gordon displayed a versatile all-around game in his full season at Cedar Rapids. The left-handed hitter finished as the Kernels' team leader in hits (133), runs (79), doubles (23) and RBI (58), and added 25 stolen bases while hitting .277. Gordon has developed nicely so far as a pro, after hitting .294 in rookie ball last season.
Pitcher of the Year: RHP Trevor Hildenberger
2015 stats (overall in minors): 3-2, 1.55 ERA, 64 IP, 80 K, 7 BB, 17 saves
Highlights: Hildenberger, a 24-year-old righty who ended the year at High-A Fort Myers, was virtually unhittable during his time with Cedar Rapids this season. Consider these jaw-dropping stats: the former 22nd-round draftee out of California in 2014 had a 0.80 ERA with Cedar Rapids, to go along with 14 saves, 59 strikeouts to just five walks, a 0.64 WHIP and .153 opponent batting average. Hildenberger got a bit of a late start to his pro career, but has played for four teams in the Twins' farm system in two years. It'll be interesting to see how far he can ascend next season. He turns 25 in mid-December.
*Overall top Twins minor leaguer of 2015.
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