Yahoo Sports and Baseball America posted the post-season All-Star teams for the Minor Leagues. And six different players from the Cubs system received nods from the two publications.
C Willson Contreras and INF Javier Baez were Minor League All-Stars according to Baseball America and Yahoo Sports. Contreras really improved his stock this season and is receiving the national attention for the numbers he put up for Double-A Tennessee.
SS Gleyber Torres, OF Billy McKinney, RHP Carl Edwards Jr. and OF/2B Ian Happ also put together very good seasons that were noticed by Yahoo Sports and Baseball America.
Yahoo Sports All-Minor League Team
Jeff Passan posted Yahoo Sports’ 2015 All-Minor League Team and five Cubs’ minor leaguers ended up making the cut, one on the first team and four honorable mentions.
Yahoo Sports named Willson Contreras its first team catcher. Contreras played his way up the depth chart this season. Contreras is scheduled to spend the fall in Arizona and will be added to the 40-man roster. As Jeff Passan reported, Contreras should start next season at Triple-A Iowa and is pushing his way to the majors.
Javier Baez and Gleyber Torres received honorable mentions at shortstop. Baez performed well on the field in what was a rough season for him. Baez spent the first month of the year away from Iowa after the death of his sister and lost time to a broken finger when he returned.
Gleyber Torres had a sensational year that ended with him celebrating a Carolina League Championship with Myrtle Beach. The 18-year old shortstop tore up the Midwest League. Torres batted .293/.353/.386 with 24 doubles, 5 triples and three home runs for a .739 OPS. Torres showed steady improvement on the defensive side and earned his promotion to High-A Myrtle Beach. Torres ended his first year of full-season baseball with a .287/.346/.376 line and a .722 OPS.
Billy McKinney put together good numbers for High-A Myrtle Beach and Double-A Tennessee before a foul ball ended his season early. McKinney hit .285/.346/.420 in 77 games for the Smokies with 26 doubles, a triple and three home runs for a .766 OPS. The 20-year old played the corner spots this season, where he should end up in the big leagues. In 106 games between Myrtle Beach and Tennessee, McKinney batted .300/.371/.454 with 31 doubles, three triples and seven home runs for a .825 OPS.
One of the top arms in the system received an honorable mention for the year he had as a reliever. RHP Carl Edwards Jr. made the move from a starter to a reliever and had a good year. Edwards Jr. began the season with Double-A Tennessee and will finish it in the majors.
The String Bean Slinger was 2-2 in 13 games for Double-A Tennessee with four saves, a 2.66 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. Edwards Jr. posted a 3-1 record in 23 games with two saves for Triple-A Iowa. Edwards Jr. allowed 11 runs, 10 earned, on 15 hits with 24 walks and 39 strikeouts. Between Tennessee and Iowa, Edwards Jr. was 5-3 in 36 appearances with six saves. He allowed 23 runs, 17 earned, on 26 hits with 41 walks and 75 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings (2.77 ERA, 1.21 WHIP).
• Yahoo Sports – All-Minor League Team
Baseball America
Baseball America recently selected its Minor League All-Star teams by classification. And three Cubs’ minor leaguers made three different teams.
Javier Baez was named to the Triple-A All-Star team as a second baseman. Baez had a challenging year personally and missed time with broken left ring finger. But when he was on the field, he put up very good numbers offensively.
Baez batted .324/.385/.527 in 70 games for the Iowa Cubs with 14 doubles, two triples and 13 home runs for a .911 OPS. Baez changed his approach at the plate and walked 21 times with 76 strikeouts. Baez played second base, shortstop and third base before his call-up.
Baseball America placed C Willson Contreras on its Double-A All-Star team. Contreras had an excellent season from start to finish that ended with a Southern League Batting Crown. Contreras played in 126 games and hit .333/.413/.478 with 34 doubles, four triples and eight home runs for a .891 OPS.
Cubs’ first round draft pick, Ian Happ was named to the Short-Season All-Star team as an outfielder. Happ started his pro career with Short-Season Eugene. Happ batted .283/.408/.491 with eight doubles, a triple, four home runs and a .898 OPS. Happ finished the season with Low-A South Bend where he hit .241/.315/.448 with nine doubles, three triples and five home runs for a .763 OPS in 38 games. Happ played all three outfield spots over his first 67 games in pro ball.
• Baseball America – 2015 Minor League Classification All-Star Teams