The Mud Hens wrapped up their home finale with probably their most unusual play of the entire season. "You know what we say, 'Holy Toledo,'" play-by-play man Jim Weber exclaimed. Toledo's 7-2-4-3 triple play was picked as the play of the year. Read More »

When you see Kevin Keyes connect on a mammoth home run to left in Carolina, it's impossible to ignore the connection: You immediately think "The Natural." Keyes' blast off a light tower in left field was an honest, real-life, actual light bulb-shattering shot that led to a rain of glass shards in an otherwise quiet April Minor League game for Class A Advanced Potomac. It's the Home Run of the Year. Read More »

Ricky Oropesa hit 14 homers over 123 regular-season games in 2013, reaching Double-A in the Giants' system, but more notably, he carried Class A Advanced San Jose to the California League Championship Series by homering in four consecutive playoff games. His last blast was chosen Moment of the Year. Read More »

A young couple is taking in a Minor League Baseball game when the man and woman are unexpectedly shown on the infamous "Kiss Cam," a popular gimmick at arenas and stadiums that's sure to produce cute moments and, sometimes, hilariously awkward ones. This setup in Fresno was chosen as Blooper of the Year. Read More »

It's a scenario that sounds straight out of Hollywood: a beloved hometown sports icon, severely weakened by old age and illness, musters up the strength for one final public goodbye. It's the story of Trenton bat dog Chase's last appearance at Arm & Hammer Park. Fans voted it the Promo of the Year. Read More »

When the sun went down and the lights came on in Clinton, Iowa, on June 28, Paul Gierhart grabbed his camera and made his way out to left field. What resulted was a memorable shot that the fans voted Photo of the Year ahead of diving catches, collisions at home plate and animal invasions of all sorts. Read More »

The video that commemorates our Promo of the Year was voted as the top mascot clip by fans. There's something about a beloved dog that brings a smile to one's face and a tear to one's eye, and this video provided both. Read More »

Phillies third base prospect Maikel Franco always had the tools, and his 2012 season ended with promise for more to come. Indeed, in 2013, Franco put it all together with a combination of contact and power that launched him up prospect lists to earn the staff's choice for Breakout Prospect. The fans gave the nod to Tigers infielder Devon Travis, who takes home his second MiLBY. Read More »

With his chase for a 40-home run/40-stolen base season, George Springer became the face of the Houston Astros' looming resurgence, and his all-around excellence at the plate and on the bases (not to mention his outstanding defense in center field) made him the staff's choice for top offensive player of 2013. Detroit middle infieleder Devon Travis proved that big pop can come from small packages to get the fans' vote. Read More »

A pair of pitchers who finished the season in Class A Advanced take home the MiLBYs. The fans selected Giants lefty Ty Blach, who thrived in the hitter-friendly Cal League in his first full season. Our staff went with C.J. Edwards, the stringbean righty who dominated for Hickory in the Sally League before a midseason trade sent him from the Rangers to the Cubs, where he helped lead Daytona to a Florida State League title. Read More »

The two Best Team MiLBY winners made their marks by sweeping through their league's playoffs. The GCL Nationals went 49-9 before rolling to the Gulf Coast League title and the staff's choice for a MiLBY. Trenton road momentum past talented Binghamton and Harrisburg squads and to the title, earning the fans' vote. Read More »

There was no disagreement in this category. The MiLB.com staff and fans alike agreed that Javier Baez's four-homer game on a June night in Florida was the premier performance of the Minor League season. The power display was merely the high point of a spectacular season for the Cubs' top prospect, and we have more on the night and Baez's future. Read More »

When it came to deciding the Minor Leagues' best fireman for 2013, the fans spoke loudly and clearly, choosing Nationals righty Richie Mirowski, who won 10 games in relief for Potomac and Harrisburg combined. Our staff went with Marlins righty and Purdue product Nick Wittgren, whose 26 saves and 0.77 ERA speak for themselves. Read More »

Chase the Bat Dog Retirement A timely farewell to a Double-A canine legend Over the past 13 years, the Thunder's most popular ballpark personality was Chase the Bat Dog. To honor his years of loyal service the team staged an emotional retirement party and bobblehead giveaway; Chase, unfortunately, passed away shortly thereafter. Votes: 29%

Wounded Warrior Softball Game A stunning display of athleticism in the face of adversity After entering the stadium through a tunnel of motorcycles and being introduced on the field in "World Series-style" fashion, a squadron of amputee war veterans competed in a competitive softball game that showcased their ability to overcome grave injury. Votes: 15%

Sharknado Night A tongue-in-cheek celebration of a basic cable phenomenon After consulting with meteorologists, marine biologists and crackpot conspiracy theorists, the Captains determined that a Sharknado was headed their way. The result was a B movie-worthy evening of inflatable shark attacks, temporary shark tattoos, gummy shark treats and shark-costumed staff. Votes: 14%

Sharkarine Giveaway Literal interpretation of memorable nickname leads to inspired giveaway Before reaching the Majors, Roger "the Shark" Bernadina patrolled the Potomac outfield with a predatory vigilance. Hence the P-Nats' "Sharkarine" giveaway, which depicted Bernadina as the half-shark half-man that he may very well wish to be. Votes: 14%

Boston Strong Night A strong show of solidarity from the land of the Braves In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, the G-Braves sprang into action and organized a star-studded fundraiser. A who's-who of A-list athletes with Boston ties -- Matt Ryan, Jason Varitek and Dee Brown among them -- lent considerable star power to the philanthropic ballpark proceedings. Votes: 7%

Maker Faire Robotics and blacksmiths merge with the national pastime Maker Faire -- described as "the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth" -- are steadily increasing in popularity nationwide, and this season the Grizzlies brought a "mini" version to the ballpark. Innovation, inspiration and participation ensued. Votes: 6%

Staged Marriage Proposal In which a romantic ballpark engagement goes horribly wrong The Rock Cats received a deluge of national attention after video of a failed on-field marriage proposal went viral. This cringe-inducing bit of public humiliation turned out to be a stunt, but did it really matter? Votes: 4%

Bopening Night A touching tribute to a much-missed ballpark fixture After the tragic offseason passing of longtime batboy Bo Forney, the Curve dedicated the entirety of their Opening Night festivities to his all-too-short life. Friends and family packed the stands, and a silent auction benefited the American Heart Association. Votes: 4%

Clue Night A harrowing whodunit plays out at the ballpark Keys rally mascot Frank Key has been murdered - but by whom? Through scoreboard videos, ballpark clues and dugout interrogations, all was (eventually) revealed during this interactive and uber-suspenseful night at the ballpark. Votes: 4%

Twitter Theme Jerseys Taking the lead with those who follow In a truly unprecedented example of social media innovation, TinCaps players took the field in a theme jersey that displayed the Twitter handles of over 6,200 of the team's followers. A great way to send a direct message! Votes: 3%



Trenton Thunder 74-67, Eastern League champions The Thunder finished second behind Binghamton in the Eastern League Eastern Division but got revenge in the playoffs with a three-game sweep. Trenton also swept Harrisburg in the Championship to complete a perfect postseason. Votes: 22%

GCL Nationals 49-9, Gulf Coast League champions The Nationals' .845 winning percentage was the best ever by a domestic-based short-season or Rookie-level club. They won each of their three playoff games to sweep their way to a Gulf Coast League championship. Votes: 16%

Savannah Sand Gnats 77-61, South Atlantic League champions The Gnats went 43-26 in the first half to take the South Atlantic League Southern Division title for that stanza. Savannah defeated Hagerstown in four games to win its first Sally League title since 1996. Votes: 10%

Durham Bulls 87-57, International League champions The Bulls held the best record in the International League for most of the season before finishing 6 1/2 games ahead of Pawtucket at season's end. They won six of seven playoff games en route to their fourth IL title since 2002. Votes: 10%

Daytona Cubs 75-51, Florida State League champions The club featured Cubs top prospect Javier Baez in the first half and newly acquired rising star C.J. Edwards in the second half. It won five of six games in the playoffs for its third title in the last six years. Votes: 9%

Salem Red Sox 76-64, Carolina League champions With a 43-27 record in the second half en route to a division title, the Red Sox put together the best half in the Carolina League this season and carried that momentum into the playoffs, where they swept both rounds and won their first title since 2001. Votes: 7%

Quad Cities River Bandits 81-57, Midwest League champions As the Class A squad in a talented Astros system, the Bandits were always going to be ones to watch. After qualifying with a second place Western Division finish in the second half, they took the Midwest League title home by winning seven of their eight playoff games. Votes: 6%

Cedar Rapids Kernels 88-50, Midwest League Western Division second-half champions The Kernels went 48-22 in the latter half of the Midwest League season to capture the Western Division second-half title. Their 88 wins on the year were the most in all of Minor League Baseball. Votes: 6%

Omaha Storm Chasers 70-74, Pacific Coast League and Triple-A champions Despite putting up a losing record, the Storm Chasers won the PCL American Northern Division and then went on to capture not only the circuit championship but also the Triple-A Baseball National Championship with a 2-1 win over Durham. Votes: 5%

San Antonio Missions 78-61, Texas League champions The Missions owned the second-best record in the Texas League and took both the semifinals and Championship Series to five games before winning their 13th title in team history. Votes: 4%

Binghamton Mets 86-55, Eastern League Eastern Division champions Thanks to Eastern League MVP Allan Dykstra and Manager of the Year Pedro Lopez, the B-Mets held the circuit's best record and captured their first Eastern Division title since 2000. Votes: 3%

Pulaski Mariners 41-27, Appalachian League champions The Mariners' Rookie-level affiliate showed they were tops in the Appalachian League with the circuit's best regular-season record. Then, it proved it even further by sweeping Bluefield and Greeneville in the playoffs on the way to a championship. Votes: 2%

