Toolshed: Memorable numbers from 2017

With a bulk of the Minor League playoffs opening tonight and regular seasons still fresh in our memory, Toolshed reflects on some of the top performances and most noteworthy facts from a memorable 2017.

.384, Bo Bichette, average -- Bichette finished his season with a Minor League-best .362 average over 110 games between Class A Lansing and Class A Advanced Dunedin, but what most will remember is the .384 he put in 70 games at the lower level. That stat gained a new level of perspective when Minor League Baseball declared Bichette the Midwest League batting champ, despite not getting enough at-bats to qualify. (According to Rule 9.22(a), even if he made up those at-bats by going 0-for-61 with the Lugnuts, he still would've had the Class A circuit's best average.) A 2016 Blue Jays second-rounder who faced some questions about his violent swing, Bichette is now ranked as the No. 29 overall prospect in the game and has proven to be one of the Minors' most exciting offensive talents. 

.425, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., on-base percentage -- It's difficult to look at 2017 and not pair Bichette and Guerrero, the top two Blue Jays prospects, in some manner -- and here they are once again with Guerrero Jr. leading the Minors in OBP. His strikeout-to-walk ratio of 62-to-76 would be impressive for any hitter, but that especially holds true for an 18-year-old in his first full Minor League season. With a .323 average, 13 homers and .910 OPS between Lansing and Dunedin, the young third baseman showed more offensive talent than just an ability to reach base, and it remains unclear just how high his ceiling might be as he gains experience. Ranked No. 5 overall, Guerrero should be in the conversation for top overall prospect this offseason.
.814 vs. .895 vs. .940, Ronald Acuña Jr., OPS -- See a trend? Somehow, as Acuna went from Class A Advanced Florida to Double-A Mississippi and then to Triple-A Gwinnett, the 19-year-old outfielder only got better, despite being one of the younger -- if not the youngest -- player at each level. His numbers in the International League were particularly astounding with a .344/.393/.548 line, nine homers and 11 steals over 54 games at the Minors' highest level. That growth earned him a spot as the top prospect in a loaded Braves system, and there remains an outside shot that the Majors could come calling this month. At the very least, he'll be the biggest name at the Arizona Fall League starting in October. No level of success should be surprising at this point, no matter where Acuna plays.

1.39, Jon Duplantier, ERA -- When a pitcher posts a 1.39 ERA over 136 innings, there's a good chance it will be the best mark in the Minors. That was indeed the case for Duplantier, and it wasn't even close. (Merandy Gonzalez finished second with a 1.66 ERA.) In fact, Duplantier's 1.39 mark was second-lowest among Minor League qualifiers since 1993 -- behind only Justin Verlander's 1.29 in 2005. There wasn't much luck involved either. Duplantier fanned 165 batters over 136 innings between Class A Kane County and Class A Advanced Visalia. A case could be made that the D-backs should've been more aggressive with their 2016 third-rounder, who entered the pro ranks out of Rice University, but plenty of credit is due for a level of dominance rarely seen at any level of the Minors.
2, Hunter Greene and Brendan McKay, ways in which to play -- Drafts come and go with exciting talent added to the Minor League pool every year. But this past June Draft felt different with the presence of No. 2 overall pick Greene (Reds) and No. 4 McKay (Rays). Both entered the Draft looking to cut it as both pitchers and position players in the Minors, and they might have the ability to make it happen. Greene looks the part of a pitcher with a fastball known to hit triple digits, but he could've easily been a shortstop as well. The Reds have given him time only at DH with Rookie-level Billings, when he's been allowed to hit, and how this plays out in 2018 will be a major storyline. McKay was so good at the plate and on the mound at Louisville that he was named the Golden Spikes Award winner during his junior year, and because he plays first base (where his arm won't be too taxed) and plays for an AL organization, where the DH could be an option, he seems right now the more likely to stay a two-way threat the higher he climbs. Either way, the fact that this is even an option for not just one but two recent draftees will be fun possibilities to keep an eye on.
16, current White Sox top-30 prospects not in the organization at the end of 2016 -- There were the prospects Chicago acquired in trades last offseason: Yoán Moncada, Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito, Dane Dunning and Luis Alexander Basabe. There were the others it brought in through in-season deals: Eloy Jiménez, Dylan Cease, Casey Gillaspie, Ryan Cordell, Ian Clarkin and A.J. Puckett. There were the 2017 Draft picks: Jake Burger, Gavin Sheets and Evan Skoug. There was the game's biggest international signee: Luis Robert. The White Sox basically drew up a blueprint for how to turn around a farm system and fast-tracked that plan over the past 12 months. It'll be years before anyone knows if this truly pays off, but general manager Rick Hahn and company have given the South Siders a chance with one of the deepest talent pools in the Minors. If the Sox get back to a competitive level in the next five seasons, we'll look back at 2017 as the year in which the foundation for that success was set.
29, Rhys Hoskins, home runs -- Much hay has been made about the way in which the No. 6 Phillies prospect has taken off in the Majors, setting the record for quickest ever to 12 homers at just 98 plate appearances. Those who had been following the 24-year-old slugger all season, however, knew of his prodigious power before he made it to Philly. Hoskins' 29 homers in 115 games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley were tied for second-most in the Minors by the time he was promoted Aug. 10. Between the Majors and Minors, Hoskins has gone deep 79 times since the start of the 2016 season. Only Giancarlo Stanton and Khris Davis have more professional homers over that time. 

37.6, Forrest Whitley, strikeout rate -- The notable number for Whitley could very well be three -- as in the amount of levels the 19-year-old right-hander played at during his first full campaign in the Minors. Instead, we'll focus on what allowed him to do that -- getting a ton of whiffs. Tyler Glasnow (38.5) was the only Minor League pitcher with at least 90 innings this season that struck out batters at a higher rate than the 2016 17th overall pick. The Astros saw enough from Whitley to move him from Class A Quad Cities to Class A Advanced Buies Creek to Double-A Corpus Christi, instead of letting him rest on his laurels in what could've been an even more dominant full-season debut. Working with four above-average pitches in his fastball, curve, slider and changeup, Whitley really found his form after moving exclusively to the stretch. The next goal will be to add innings and experience as Whitley threw only 92 1/3 frames this campaign, but if the Astros remain willing to get aggressive with the righty, the rest of us can only imagine what will lie ahead in 2018.
39, Jose Siri, hitting streak -- Siri's streak was already the stuff of legend through the beginning of August, when he set the Midwest League record with a 39-gamer for Class A Dayton, but the way it ended added another layer. The No. 22 Reds prospect was 0-for-3 entering the eighth inning of an Aug. 4 game against Great Lakes but faced few pitches to hit in his final at-bat, including an offering that went behind him and a payoff pitch that wasn't close. The walk caused both benches to clear, but the damage was already done. Siri's streak didn't quite live up to Francisco Mejía's 50-game string from 2016, but the controversy at the end sure made it memorable.

310, Austin Hays, total bases -- One might assume the Minor League leader in total bases would come from offensive circuits like the Pacific Coast or California leagues. Instead, Hays led the Minors after splitting his time between Class A Advanced Frederick and Double-A Bowie. That fact underlines just how much of a breakout campaign this was for the 2016 third-rounder, who finished with a .329/.365/.593 line, 32 homers, five triples and 32 doubles in 128 games. The Orioles apparently saw enough from one year to bring him up to Baltimore on Tuesday, so there's a chance the 22-year-old outfielder made his only full Minor League season his last. 
1997, Ozzie Albies, birth year -- Depending on your point of view, this might be memorable or it might be something you'd rather forget. MLB.com's No. 18 overall prospect became the first Major Leaguer born in the year 1997 when he was called up to the Braves on Aug. 1. No doubt, there will be more like him soon. Other notable 1997-born prospects -- Acuna, Victor Robles, Kyle Tucker and Kolby Allard -- are all looking at possible 2018 debuts, but there's a chance Albies could be alone for quite a while.