By Tomasz Kamien / NewJerseyHitmen.blogspot.com
You would think that GM Holleb Kasprowicz would have an easy time of making these decisions with recommendations from his minor league managers, but the decision only became harder apparently. For those on the outside, it looks like the stand out favorite for pitcher of the year would be (AAA) Jersey City starting pitcher Francisco Encarn who went 16-7 (2nd in the AML) for the year in Jersey City with an ERA of 3.35 and a 1.22 WHIP. He also managed to rack up 210 strike outs which tallied as most in the whole AAA. This was good enough to net him the 2013 Global Baseball Brotherhood (AAA) Appalachian Mountain League Outstanding Pitcher Award. "Hopefully the first of many awards..." Holleb said when asked about the 2011 29th overall pick. Jersey City pitching coach Willie Johnson said the organization have considered sending Encarn to Winter Ball this offseason in hopes of having the hard thrower ready to start for the major league squad next season. With news from inside sources however, I do not believe any such decision has yet been made.
On the same note, one would think the 2013 winner of the Global Baseball Brotherhood (AAA) Appalachian Mountain League Outstanding Hitter Award, Hyeon-san Yi, would be the winner of the Minor League Hitter of the Year for the organization, however that is not the case. Yi showcased his talents while playing in Evansville and it was this play that got the previous GM and now owner, Michael 'Szef' Czosnyka, so interested in him and it was reason enough for him to make the controversial trade for him sending a 1st round pick to the Sandgnats while in return while picking up some late round picks and additional players. In his time with in the New Jersey minor league system, Yi did not show this same spunk. The remainder of the 2011 season as well as the 2012 season were a disappointment for Yi and because of this many questioned the sanity of 'Szef' and his trading skills. Although a breakout 2013 season has tamed the crowd slightly, with limited success so far in the bigs the verdict on Yi is still out.
With the arrival of Holleb to the organization, at his request, this is the first time that such awards will be announced to the public as opposed to keeping the information in house. In doing so he hopes to garner some more recognition for the minor league players that some day could make up a large part of the major league squad. He has also decided to award the first public awards with a bigger look at past play as well to just this season's accolades. This is why the stand outs from 2013 are not the lock down winners of these awards. New Jersey's 2013 winners of the Minor League Pitcher and Hitter of the Year awards belong to Jonathan Peña and Cliff Jones. The common ground between the two is how well they have both played while quickly jumping through the minor league levels for us.
Peña has been just filthy since the 2011 season which saw him start off in (Hi-A) Union City, later in the year joining Bergen for three games. In 2012 he played out the full season in (AA) Bergen posting a 15-5 record. 2013 once again saw him splitting time as he began in (AA) Bergen and halfway through the season he found himself dominating at the (AAA) level. In these three seasons Peña has posted a combined 41-17 record with an average ERA of 2.38 and a 1.13 WHIP, also managing to strike out 467 batters. Despite all this, head scout Martín Diharce still does not believe Peña will translate well to the major league level. Only time will tell though and whether or not he gets his chance to showcase his skills will be left in part to Holleb. One thing is for sure and that is that Holleb has taken notice of his talents and play and has awarded the Minor League Pitcher of the Year to him in recognition of his hard work and play so far commenting that, "Hidden gems are out there and I like to find them. I believe Peña is one such player..."
Outfielder Cliff Jones is another one of these so-called "gems" in Holleb's eye. Selected 392nd overall in the 17th round of a 20 round draft year, Jones has done the best he could with the opportunity he was given. In his first season with (SS-A) Hilo Jones did not stand out at all, in fact one could say he didn't amount to much talent wise and his stats showed. Although with some hard work, he came back in 2012 with something to prove as he once again started out with Hilo but soon found himself promoted to Union City after just 11 games. 2013 saw him begin the season in Bergen but he managed to impress Holleb enough that he found himself becoming a September call up after the Jersey City team was eliminated from the playoffs. Early reports say that Jones could be fighting for the 4th outfield spot next season with stand out teammate Yi and a few others. His quick rise from mediocrity and strong play throughout the minors is why Holleb selected Cliff Jones as the Minor League Hitter of the Year.
These two set the standard for break out play and next years winners will have to work harder to impress the quiet new GM.
Tomasz Kamien is a beat writer for the New Jersey Hitmen. This story was not subject to the approval of Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance or its clubs.
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