I asked on Twitter today who people would pick as their minor league hitter and pitcher of the year this year, if the season ended today. The almost unanimous decision for the pitcher was Kyle McPherson. That’s a good choice, as McPherson has a 2.86 ERA in 116.1 innings, along with a 103:17 K/BB ratio. As for the hitting side, it wasn’t as clear cut. The majority were split between Matt Curry and Matt Hague, although there were also votes for Starling Marte and Robbie Grossman. Here are the numbers for each:
Matt Curry: .317/.404/.553 in 331 AB (.278/.330/.449 in 176 AA at-bats)
Matt Hague: .319/.378/.475 in 364 AB
Starling Marte: .304/.340/.437 in 359 AB
Robbie Grossman: .287/.424/.417 in 345 AB
Hague is putting up great numbers at the top level, although not elite numbers (his .853 OPS isn’t earth shattering). Curry is putting up better overall numbers, although most of his success came in low-A. Recently he’s been on a hot streak, and if he keeps that up for the final month of the season, we probably won’t be having this discussion. Marte has seen a bit of a cold streak recently, bringing his overall numbers down, although they’re still in a good range. Grossman has had a great season, with an amazing 84 walks. Alex Presley would be in this conversation, but since he’s in the majors, I’d leave him out of the mix.
So who would your choice be?
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Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
I have to go with Hague just because I feel like he deserves some recognition for how solid he has been all the way through the minors since we drafted him. If Curry or Marte get hot they are going to win though. Marte was hitting close to .330 all year until he has looked horrible lately. Take some pitches Starling!
Too bad Presley got promoted to take him out of contention….well, I guess it isn’t too bad..but you get the point