Here are the 2023 Double-A All-Stars and award winners
Joe Trezza
In the Eastern League, Baltimore's Coby Mayo took home MVP honors while the Yankees' Richard Fitts and Jasson Domínguez were named Pitcher of the Year and Top MLB Prospect respectively.
In the Southern League, Tampa Bay phenom Junior Caminero picked up MVP and Top MLB Prospect honors, while Milwaukee right-hander Carlos F. Rodriguez was selected the league's Pitcher of the Year.
Rounding out the Double-A awards in the Texas League, St. Louis newcomer Thomas Saggese nabbed MVP honors and Houston's Rhett Kouba won Pitcher of the Year. D-backs shortstop Jordan Lawlar was named the circuit's Top MLB Prospect.
Here are the major award winners as well as the full All-Star teams for each Double-A circuit.
Eastern League
Most Valuable Player: Coby Mayo, Bowie (BAL)
Long one of the Orioles¡¯ most exciting prospects due to his tantalizing upside power, the 21-year-old Mayo put it all together this year, becoming one of the more complete hitters in the Minors. Baltimore¡¯s No. 4 prospect earned MVP honors despite playing only 78 games at Bowie, dominating Eastern League pitching enough to earn a mid-season promotion to Triple-A. The numbers were eye-popping at Bowie, where Mayo slashed .307/.424/.603 with 17 homers, 30 doubles and 44 RBIs. He also nearly doubled his walk rate from his first stint at Bowie in 2022, in more than twice the games, and kept hitting down the stretch at Norfolk. All told, Mayo hit .290/.410/.564 with 29 homers and 77 extra-base hits in 140 games in 2023.
Pitcher of the Year: Richard Fitts, Somerset (NYY)
The Yankees sixth-round pick in the 2021 Draft, Fitts rode his trademark changeup to new heights this summer at Double-A. Spurred by a sensational August, the 23-year-old Fitts went 11-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 27 starts, amassing a league-leading 163 strikeouts in 152 ? innings. Fitts didn¡¯t only give opposing hitters fits, he finished strong. He didn¡¯t lose any of his final 15 starts or last eight decisions, and pitched to a 2.74 ERA over his final eight starts.
Top MLB Prospect: Jasson Dom¨ªnguez, Somerset (NYY)
Yankee fans won¡¯t see Dom¨ªnguez until probably around midseason 2024 after the former top prospect had his electric arrival in the Bronx cut short due to Tommy John surgery in early September. But what Dom¨ªnguez displayed in his first eight games in pinstripes more than showed why he deserved this honor. Jumping to the Majors after only nine games at Triple-A, the 20-year-old Dom¨ªnguez homered with the first swing he took in the Majors, and went deep three more times in his next six games before the injury.
All-Star Team
1B: Carlos De La Cruz, Reading (PHI No. 6)
2B: Oliver Dunn, Reading (PHI)
SS: Leo Jimenez, New Hampshire (TOR No. 6)
3B: Coby Mayo, Bowie (BAL No. 4, MLB No. 27)
C: Nathan Hickey, Portland (BOS No. 15)
OF: Jasson Domínguez, Somerset (NYY No. 2, MLB No. 74)
OF: Justice Bigbie, Erie (DET No. 21)
OF: Jonathan Rodriguez, Akron (CLE No. 24)
DH: Hunter Goodman, Hartford (COL No. 12)
UTIL: Colt Keith, Erie (DET No. 2, MLB No. 25)
SP: Richard Fitts, Somerset (NYY No. 12)
SP: Brant Hurter, Erie (DET No. 12)
SP: Clayton Beeter, Somerset (NYY No. 16)
SP: Christian Scott, Binghamton (NYM No. 12)
RP: Luis Guerrero, Portland (BOS)
RP: Andrew Magno, Erie (DET)
Manager: Gabe Alvarez, Erie (DET)
Southern League
Most Valuable Player: Junior Caminero, Montgomery (TB)
Caminero didn¡¯t arrive in the Southern League until late-May, and quickly made it clear he wouldn¡¯t be staying there very long. The Rays saw what the rest of the Double-A circuit did for the next four months and called the 19-year-old straight to the Majors in mid-September, after only 223 Minor League games. The 81 he played at Montgomery left little doubt, with Caminero hitting .309 with 20 homers and a .921 OPS.
Pitcher of the Year: Carlos F. Rodriguez, Biloxi (MIL)
The Brewers¡¯ 2022 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Rodriguez followed that honor up with an even better season at Double-A this summer. The 21-year-old went 9-6 with a 2.77 ERA in 25 starts, amassing 152 strikeouts in 123 ? innings as a 21-year-old this summer. Rodriguez led Southern League hurlers in ERA and opponent batting average, and ranked second in strikeouts and WHIP.
Top MLB Prospect: Junior Caminero, Montgomery (TB)
Caminero¡¯s rise has been meteoric. Acquired by the Rays in a low-profile trade in November 2021, Caminero had only 106 games of pro experience when he opened this season at High-A Bowling Green. He turned 20 on July 5 and on Sept. 22, became the youngest active player in the Majors when the Rays promoted him for the stretch run. He began 2022 as Tampa Bay¡¯s No. 30 prospect, started this year as No. 96 overall and wound up climbing 90 spots and making the All-Star Futures Game on his way to the big leagues.
All-Star Team
1B: Troy Johnston, Pensacola (MIA No. 23)
2B: Luke Waddell, Mississippi (ATL)
SS: Kyren Paris, Rocket City (LAA No. 5)
3B: Junior Caminero, Montgomery (TB No. 1, MLB No. 6)
C: Jeferson Quero, Biloxi (MIL No. 2, MLB No. 32)
OF: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Tennessee (CHC No. 1, MLB No. 12)
OF: Owen Caissie, Tennessee (CHC No. 3, MLB No. 64)
OF: Jackson Chourio, Biloxi (MIL No. 1, MLB No. 2)
DH: Blake Dunn, Chattanooga (CIN No. 22)
UTIL: Tyler Black, Biloxi (MIL No. 4, MLB No. 51)
SP: Patrick Monteverde, Pensacola (MIA No. 16)
SP: Luis De Avila, Mississippi (ATL No. 14)
SP: Carlos F. Rodriguez, Biloxi (MIL No. 6)
SP: Connor Phillips, Chattanooga (CIN No. 4)
RP: Jefry Yan, Pensacola (MIA)
RP: Luke Little, Tennessee (CHC No. 25)
Manager: Kevin Randle, Pensacola (MIA)
Texas League
Most Valuable Player: Thomas Saggese, Springfield (STL)
Acquired from the Rangers in the Trade Deadline deal for Jordan Montgomery, Saggese made a sensational first impression with his new organization down the stretch in 2023. Saggese had a stellar .313/.379/.512 slash line with 15 homers at Double-A Frisco prior to the trade, and only got hotter after joining Springfield. Saggese hit .331 with a 1.064 OPS and 10 more homers in 33 games for the Cardinals before earning a late-season promotion to Triple-A. All told, he led the Texas League in OPS (.936), hitting (.318), hits (158), and RBIs (107) while finishing second in slugging, homers and runs.
Pitcher of the Year: Rhett Kouba, Corpus Christi (HOU)
Kouba¡¯s combination of deception and control enables his stuff to play higher than it's graded, and Texas League hitters learned that all too well in 2023. The 23-year-old righty took a big leap forward after pitching to a 4.53 ERA at High-A in 2022, posting a 3.27 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 23 games (21 starts) at Corpus Christi. Houston¡¯s No. 6 prospect put together an impressive 118/23 K/BB ratio in 110 innings and held hitters to a .228 average prior to his promotion to Triple-A Sugar Land on Aug. 26.
Top MLB Prospect: Jordan Lawlar, Amarillo (AZ)
The sixth overall pick in the 2021 Draft, Lawlar was always expected to rise quickly. But it¡¯s even more impressive that he¡¯s risen this quickly, given the injuries that cost him significant time in both ¡®21 and ¡®22, and the slow start he got off to at Double-A Amarillo in 2023. Lawlar hit only .263 in 89 games at Amarillo but came on strong after a promotion to Triple-A, hitting .358/.438/.612 in 16 games before reaching the Majors on Sept. 7.
All-Star Team
1B: Chandler Redmond, Springfield (STL)
2B: Thomas Saggese, Springfield (STL No. 9)
SS: Jordan Lawlar, Amarillo (AZ No. 1, MLB No. 10)
3B: Yunior Severino, Wichita (MIN No. 28)
C: Pedro Pagés, Springfield (STL No. 28)
OF: Joey Loperfido, Corpus Christi (HOU No. 6)
OF: Evan Carter, Frisco (TEX No. 1, MLB No. 8)
OF: Caleb Roberts, Amarillo (AZ)
DH: Ryan Bliss, Amarillo (now SEA No. 14)
UTIL: Luisangel Acuña, Frisco (now NYM No. 1, MLB No. 38)
SP: Emmet Sheehan, Tulsa (LAD)
SP: Pierson Ohl, Wichita (MIN)
SP: Rhett Kouba, Corpus Christi (HOU No. 9)
SP: Ryan Gusto, Corpus Christi (HOU)
RP: Prelander Berroa, Arkansas (SEA No. 15)
RP: Antoine Kelly, Frisco (TEX No. 26)
Manager: Mike Freeman, Arkansas (SEA)