NOTE: I started writing this yesterday, so a stat or two won't be exact after last night's games changed the numbers.
Of course it's not actually the postseason yet, but that didn't stop the Cal League from announcing their award winners and postseason All-Star team Friday. Originally, I planned on doing a predictions post before everything was announced and also do a follow up post comparing my picks to the official team, but obviously that ship has sailed.
I'll preface all of my analysis here by saying I'm not aware of any eligibility requirements for being named to the team. Mainly, this pertains to Brandon Belt. Of course he only played about half the season with San Jose, but it's hard to deny his impact, considering his stats and San Jose's struggles in the second half. I think it's fair to use batting title and ERA title AB/IP minimums to determine who played enough time in the Cal League to make the team. www.milb.com defines those as 2.7 AB per team game and .8 IP per team game.
I'll name the official Cal League pick in bold and then analyze it a bit. If I disagree with the pick, I'll name who I would've picked and why. I don't have all the information on these players though. I can only look at statistics and recall reports I've read in some cases. Defensive information is incredibly difficult to come by, and that's one huge advantage coaches and media members have over me because they see these players play every day. After that, I'll list some honorable mentions if there are any. In my honorable mentions, I'll also name guys that didn't meet the qualification minimums because guys that had an impact on the league in a short period deserve recognition too.
MVP- Paul Goldschmidt, Visalia
This one isn't a total slam dunk, but Goldschmidt is certainly deserving. He could finish up as the minor league leader in home runs, even if he's in a bit of a power slump lately. He leads the Cal League in SLG%, doubles, total bases, extra bases hits and doubles, and he's also the qualified leader in OPS. He's not just a one trick pony, and although he has some room for improvement in terms of his prospect status, he certainly had a great year deserving of an MVP.
My pick- Paul Goldschmidt, Visalia
Honorable mentions:
Brandon Belt, San Jose
Rich Poythress, High Desert
Kyle Russell, Inland Empire
Pitcher of the Year- Brad Brach, Lake Elsinore
In the majors, it's pretty rare for relievers to win the Cy Young Award, the last time being in 2003. It has to be a truly historic or dominant season for it to happen, and I think that makes sense. I also think Brach's season qualifies as historic. He set the Cal League saves record with plenty of games to spare, and he could put it out of reach for awhile. He's not just a closer that gets into trouble and gets lucky to collect saves. His WHIP is below 1, and he's striking out more than nine batters per nine innings.
My pick- Brad Brach, Lake Elsinore
Honorable mentions:
Anthony Bass, Lake Elsinore
Eric Surkamp, San Jose
Craig Westcott, San Jose
Rookie of the Year- Paul Goldschmidt, Visalia
Unless I completely misunderstand the eligibility for this award, it seems to me like most years it would go to the league MVP or Pitcher of the Year. I could be wrong, but since most players in the league are new to the league, both awards seem to have the same player pools. Regardless, Goldschmidt is obviously a deserving winner again. He's a rookie and the league MVP, so it makes sense that he would be the rookie of the year in just his first full year of professional baseball.
EDIT: Thanks to Donny Baarns, Director of Broadcasting for the Visalia Rawhide, I can say that Rookie of the Year is awarded to the best player in their first full year of professional baseball, not their first year in the league. That makes a lot of sense, and I'm glad it's cleared up. Goldschmidt is definitely still the winner.
My pick- Paul Goldschmidt, Visalia
Honorable mentions:
Brandon Belt, San Jose
Brad Brach, Lake Elsinore
Craig Westcott, San Jose
Manager of the Year- Carlos Lezcano, Lake Elsinore
Manager of the Year awards are always difficult to decide. It's tough to balance different factors like preseason expectations, a team being successful, dealing with adversity such as injuries and promotions and affect they have during games with their strategy. I personally don't buy into the last one that much, but Lezcano has certainly dealt with tough circumstances, including promotions of key players such as Blake Tekotte, Drew Cumberland, injuries such as Jaff Decker, and innings limits handcuffing his starting staff in the second half.
My pick- Carlos Lezcano, Lake Elsinore
Honorable mentions
Brian Harper, San Jose
Keith Johnson, Rancho Cucamonga
Steve Scarsone, Stockton
Catcher- Jordan Pacheco, Modesto
Pacheco is a pretty easy choice as the league's best catcher. He didn't maintain the torrid pace he set in April, but he was a consistent performer at the plate. He makes contact consistently using one of the best plate approaches in the league, walking more times than he struck out. The defense is still a work in progress, which is understandable considering he didn't become a catcher until his pro career started. If he keeps hitting, the Rockies will find a place for him.
My pick- Jordan Pacheco, Modesto
Honorable mentions
Jose Felix, Bakersfield
Ryan Ortiz, Stockton
First Base- Paul Goldschmidt, Visalia
This is the last time I'll have to talk about Goldschmidt in this entry. Counting the departed Brandon Belt, 1B is a pretty deep position in this league, so Goldschmidt certainly had a lot of competition. He didn't make the midseason All-Star team, but it's not like he had a bad first half. He just did most of his damage in the second half (20 home runs to 13 in the first half.) He's striking out more in the second half, but he's also walking a lot more which was one of his weaknesses earlier in the season.
My pick- Paul Goldschmidt, Visalia
Honorable mentions
Brandon Belt, San Jose
Rich Poythress, High Desert
Second Base- Kyle Seager, High Desert
Seager is another guy who was okay in the first half, didn't really stand out and didn't make the midseason All-Star team. In fact, it's possible to argue he was below average in the first half due to his home park. After the break, Seager turned it on, going on the league's longest hitting streak and hitting for power. He does a good job drawing walks and putting the ball in play. His power this year isn't a product of High Desert either. His home and road splits are pretty even.
My pick- Kyle Seager, High Desert
This is the first one I felt compelled to offer an additional comment on. On the surface, Albert Cartwright, now playing for AA Corpus Christi, could've been a better choice. However, his home park is also a hitter's paradise, and a quick look at his splits shows Cartwright mashed at home and wasn't the same player on the road.
Honorable mention:
Albert Cartwright, Lancaster
Shortstop- Grant Green, Stockton
Green had a pretty slow start to the season. His game still isn't perfect, his plate approach needs work, but earlier this year he hit for a good average and did nothing else. In the second half, his power is developing, and he's becoming a more complete player. His defense may never be ML quality for SS, but his bat could certainly get him there. 12 of his 17 home runs have come in the second half, and his slugging is up about 100 points. Oakland has to be satisfied with this 2009 first round selection.
My pick- Grant Green, Stockton
Thomas Field has pretty similar numbers to Green. He trades in power for better patience at the plate, but he still strikes out at a healthy pace too. If his defense was significantly better than Green's, I might've taken him, but from what I can tell, it isn't. His first half was worthy of a spot in the midseason All-Star Game, but since the break his power has tailed off, and he hasn't been making very good contact.
Honorable mention
Drew Cumberland, Lake Elsinore
Thomas Field, Modesto
Third Base- Stephen Parker, Stockton
Parker's season has flown under the radar despite being a pretty high draft pick and playing the role of hero for the Cal League in the All-Star Game. He's really doing everything the A's could ask for at the plate after a rough pro debut last season. Parker has been patient at the plate, among the league leaders in walks, hit for a good average and shown some power too. He's pretty pedestrian against left handed pitchers, and it seems like his defense at 3B leaves a lot to be desired.
My pick- Stephen Parker, Stockton
Honorable mention
Luis Jimenez, Rancho Cucamonga
Outfield- Johermyn Chavez, High Desert; Marc Krauss, Visalia; Francisco Peguero, San Jose
Johermyn Chavez does have real power as he showed last year with A Lansing in the Midwest League. His July is one of the best months anyone in the Cal League had all season, and he's been one of the league's hottest second half hitters, powering High Desert's relentless attack. However, as is the case with most High Desert hitters, there's a noticeable difference between his home and road performance. 23 of his home runs have come at home and only eight on the road.
In the 2009 draft, Arizona had seven picks in the first two rounds, and Krauss was the 7th. He's had a lot of success at the plate since, and his second half this year has been great. It remains to be seen if he'll hit at higher levels with a plate approach that needs work, but he hits for contact and a lot of power. Besides one bad month, Krauss has been one of the most consistent hitters in the league, especially in the second half when he has 17 of his 24 home runs this season.
Francisco Peguero might be the choice I disagree with the most, but I can understand the selection. If the voters were looking for a true CF, he might be the best option. He has great speed, 15 triples this season, steals bases and likely plays good defense. He was a starter for the World Team in this year's Futures Game which was a tremendous honor. He puts the ball in play very well, but he needs to become a lot more patient to be a legitimate leadoff option in the future.
My pick- Johermyn Chavez, High Desert; Marc Krauss, Visalia; Jermaine Mitchell, Stockton
In my mind, Jermaine Mitchell has flown under the radar. He's an older player and maybe not much of a prospect, but this team is for the best Cal League performers and not the best prospects. Maybe his 30 games in AA takes him out of consideration, but he still has over 300 at bats with Stockton which qualifies him for leaderboards. He's athletic, hits for decent power and absolutely mashes lefties, unlike a lot of minor league left handed hitters. He also plays CF, so I think he would've been a good choice. Jake Shaffer and Brandon Barnes also deserved consideration, but they're corner outfielders.
Honorable mentions
Brandon Barnes, Lancaster
Dennis Raben, High Desert
Kyle Russell, Inland Empire
Jake Shaffer, High Desert
Blake Tekotte, Lake Elsinore
Designated Hitter- Rich Poythress, High Desert
In the first half, I thought he was a solid hitter that just piled up good counting stats at Stater Bros. Stadium and a good High Desert lineup. In the second half, I was proven wrong as Poythress has posted some of the best post-ASB stats in the league. RBI continue to pile up in bunches, including a couple seven RBI games this year, and he's going to lead the minors in the category pretty easily. Poythress is definitely the best hitter not already on the All Star team, so he deserves the DH spot for sure.
My pick- Rich Poythress, High Desert
Honorable mentions
Brandon Belt, San Jose
Jermaine Mitchell, Stockton
Kyle Russell, Inland Empire
Utility Player- Jimmy Cesario, Modesto
I'm assuming the utility position isn't meant for the best hitter, but a hitter having a good season and able to play multiple positions. Cesario certainly fits that bill, despite spending about half the season at DH. He has appeared at six different positions this year, everything except SS and CF. He was a midseason All Star thanks to one of the league's best averages and a lot of triples, but his second half hasn't been as good at the plate. Despite that, I can see why he was selected.
My pick- Jimmy Cesario, Modesto
Looking at the available options, Cesario is the best choice. There are hitters having better offensive seasons, but they're all limited to just one position this year. If utility player was just supposed to be a second DH spot for the best hitter that didn't get voted on that their position, Cesario wouldn't be the pick, but that's not what it is.
Honorable mention
Drew Cumberland, Lake Elsinore
Jose Flores, San Jose
Andy Simunic, Lancaster
Starting Pitcher- Eric Surkamp, San Jose; Anthony Bass, Lake Elsinore; Shawn Haviland, Stockton
Eric Surkamp doesn't have enough innings to qualify for leaderboards due to a hip injury sustained in July. I'd imagine the voters gave him a break because he lost innings due to injury and not promotion, which is good because he certainly deserves to be here. Despite the meager win total and an ugly month of June, Surkamp has consistently dominated Cal League hitters and was a huge part of San Jose winning the first half title. He's shown good stuff and throws strikes.
Anthony Bass already had some Cal League experience before this year, and he used that to improve on the results and become the league's qualified ERA leader. The win total isn't impressive because most of his starts in the second half haven't been five innings, but that doesn't take away from how effective Bass has been. He has some of the best control in the league, and he strikes out a decent amount of batters too. We'll see how the Storm gets him stretched out for the postseason.
Shawn Haviland is tied for the league lead in strikeouts, and he gets them at a really good rate too. His first half was pretty pedestrian, allowing a lot of hits but still maintaining a good K:BB ratio. The second half has been great, still striking out a lot of batters and pitching more effectively. Haviland has been a huge part of Stockton's run to the playoffs in the second half, winning two pitcher of the week awards in August. He's clearly one of the better starters in the league this year.
My pick- Eric Surkamp, San Jose; Anthony Bass, Lake Elsinore; Ethan Hollingsworth, Modesto
This was an incredibly tough call. There are a lot of really good pitchers in the league this year with varying amounts of innings and other important stats. I think Hollingsworth has the best combination of innings in the Cal League and effectiveness. His WHIP is 1.21, better than Haviland's, and he piles up strikeouts at a decent rate too. His control is great, and he's been a rock at the top of the Modesto rotation which hasn't been very consistent for most of the season.
Honorable mentions
Charles Brewer, Visalia
Tyler Chatwood, Rancho Cucamonga
Pat Corbin, Rancho Cucamonga and Visalia
Dallas Keuchel, Lancaster
Aaron Miller, Inland Empire
Juan Oramas, Lake Elsinore
Anthony Vazquez, High Desert
Craig Westcott, San Jose
Relief Pitcher- Brad Brach, Lake Elsinore
The MILB article about the team doesn't specifically say there's a RP spot on the team, but I doubt he'd be Pitcher of the Year and not on the All-Star team, so I'll talk about him again. In a league where there's only been a handful of pitchers reach 30 saves, Brach shattered that mark and should have the saves record for awhile. He has 14 more saves than 2nd place in 2010, and he's done nothing but dominate the back end of the bullpen since being drafted by San Diego in 2008.
So that's the team. I actually feel like the voters did a very good job. I agreed with them on just about every pick, and it's not like any I disagreed with were slam dunk upgrades. There's a lot of talent in this league, and this team only includes players that have been around almost the entire season. Guys like Brandon Belt, Kyle Russell and Drew Cumberland had great first halves and earned new challenges at higher levels. To recap, here's the official team on the left and my picks on the right.
MVP: Goldschmidt/Goldschmidt
POY: Brach/Brach
ROY: Goldschmidt/Goldschmidt
MOY: Lezcano/Lezcano
C: Pacheco/Pacheco
1B: Goldschmidt/Goldschmidt
2B: Seager/Seager
SS: Green/Green
3B: Parker/Parker
OF: Chavez-Krauss-Peguero/Chavez-Krauss-Mitchell
DH: Poythress/Poythress
UT: Cesario/Cesario
SP: Surkamp-Bass-Haviland/Surkamp-Bass-Hollingsworth
RP: Brach/Brach
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