Yanks Go Yard 2016 Minor League Season Awards

The Yanks Go Yard staff voted on which New York Yankees prospects have had the most notable performances during the 2016 season.

The New York Yankees minor league system had their most successful season in recent memory in 2016. Even before the huge influx of talent from the trade deadline, the Yankees looked like a system on the rise, and now they have a strong argument for having the deepest farm in baseball.

Maybe the most exciting development was how many long-awaited prospects made their big league debut. The team had made a concerted effort to get younger in 2015, but that was kicked into high gear in the second half this year, with several of the biggest names in the system getting regular playing time. There were skeptics who said a rebuild would never happen in New York, but here we are.

While minor league team success isn’t a perfect barometer of organizational talent, it was still fun to see five of New York’s eight minor league affiliates make the postseason this year.

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The Yankees eight clubs went a combined 447-363 this season, good for the third best winning percentage of any organization. Most of the key contributors on those winning clubs have been legitimate prospects too, not 30-year-old journeymen destroying Double-A.

The Yanks Go Yard writing team recently voted on our annual Yankees Minor League Awards. For each category, a writer submits a ballot with a first, second, and third place vote. Three points is given for first, two for second, and one for third. Here is how the voting came out this year:

Position Player of the Year

1. Gary Sanchez (five 1st place votes)
2. Aaron Judge (one 1st)
3. Ben Gamel

Also receiving votes: Tyler Austin (One 1st), Kyle Higashioka, Miguel Andujar, Dustin Fowler

Pitcher of the Year

1. Chance Adams (four 1st place votes)
2. Jordan Montgomery (one 1st)
3. Chad Green (one 1st)

Also receiving votes: Dietrich Enns (one 1st), Nestor Cortes

Team of the Year

1. Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders (Unanimous first place after winning first Triple-A championship)
2. Trenton Thunder
3. Pulaski Yankees

Also receiving votes: Tampa Yankees

Breakout Performance of the Year

1. Chance Adams
2. Kyle Higashioka
3. Miguel Andujar

Also receiving votes: Tyler Austin, Blake Rutherford, Jordan Montgomery, Dustin Fowler, Chad Green, Dietrich Enns, Jake Cave

Yanks Go Yard Minor League MVP of 2016

1. Gary Sanchez (four 1st place votes)
2. Aaron Judge (one 1st)
3. Dustin Fowler (one 1st)

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Also receiving votes: Tyler Austin (one 1st), Ben Gamel, Jordan Montgomery, Chance Adams, Tyler Wade, Gleyber Torres, Kyle Higashioka