It’s been 29 years since we’ve had simultaneous 100-steal season in Minor League Baseball, but the wait is over, people. Billy Hamilton swiped his 100th bag, like, back in May or something, and he finished up with 155 on the year. He was joined in triple-digit land earlier this week by Delino DeShields, who ended 2012 with 101 stolen bases. It was an outstanding year for the Astros’ 2010 first-rounder, one that would’ve drawn far more praise had it not been overshadowed by Hamilton’s record-breaking season. The kicker here, though, was Delino’s pop — the 20-year-old hit 12 homers between Low-A and High-A, becoming the first MiLB player in history to collect 10+ homers while stealing 100+ bases. The future is bright for this one.
Javier Baez | SS, Cubs — After hitting .333/.383/.596 at Low-A Peoria, Baez regressed considerably in High-A, hitting an ugly .188/.244/.400 during his stint there. The 19-year-old finished strong, though, cracking two homers in the season’s final game.
Roger Clemens | RHP, Skeeters — The Rocket pitched again for the Skeeters on Friday, lasting 4.2 scoreless frames this time. Roger said a return to the majors was unlikely this season, but he’s not ruling out a 2013 comeback. I have more thoughts on this nonsense here.
Kevin Gausman | RHP, Orioles — The 4th overall selection in June, Gausman was promoted to Double-A Bowie in order to help the Bay Sox in the Easter League playoffs. He tossed three scoreless frames in his high-minors debut, whiffing five in the outing.
Steven Rodriguez | LHP, Dodgers — Surprise! A left-handed reliever was the first 2012 draftee to reach the bigs. LA called-up Rodriguez after tossing just 20 frames in the minors.
Michael Wacha | RHP, Cardinals — You could say that Wacha’s first pro season was a success. The Cardinals’ first-rounder posted a 0.86 ERA and a 0.57 WHIP in 21 IP between rookie ball, High-A, and Double-A, striking out 40 (!) batters along the way.
Darin Ruf | 1B, Phillies — Ruf had an insanely awesome August, blasting 20 homers in the month to give him 38 on the year. That’d be good enough for the MiLB HR crown, edging Wil Myers who finished with 37.
Danny Hultzen | LHP, Mariners — Hultzen’s woes at Triple-A continued through his final start of the season. The command issues register as more than a blip after finishing with a 1.89 WHIP in 48.2 IP with Tacoma.
Oscar Taveras | OF, Cardinals — Taveras claimed the Texas League batting title, hitting .321 over a full season at Double-A Springfield. An impressive feat for the 20-year-old. He could play a big role for St. Louis next year if Carlos Beltran’s knees don’t heal up.
Gerrit Cole | RHP, Pirates — Cole was humbled on Thursday in the International League playoffs: 2 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 0 BB, 1 K.
Courtney Hawkins | OF, White Sox — The White Sox 18-year-old first-rounder keeps impressing — 2 homers in his first two postseason games at High-A. MLB.com recently released their top 100 prospects, and the White Sox were the only organization absent from the list. But Hawkins can hit, yo, and a spot in the top 100 would’ve been ok with me.
