A bumper crop of prospects finally came up in 2016, including a trio of impressive shortstops that could be cornerstones for their respective franchises. Almost half of a dozen of the leading Listach candidates were drafted at least a year before they first saw action in the DMBL.
The Listach Award recognizes the top rookie (batter or pitcher) in the DMBL during the past season. The ballot consists of three votes: 5 points for a 1st-place vote, 3 points for 2nd place, and 1 point for 3rd. There is no separate award for best rookie pitcher or best rookie batter. Candidates are listed alphabetically. Bold italics represents the rookie leader in that category:
Mookie Betts, Hillsborough
Drafted: 2015, 1st round (18th overall)
.261/.300/.439
155 hits, 30 doubles, 14 triples
16 HR, 84 RBI, 77 runs
33 BB, 99 K
8 SB, 3 CS
Betts led the entire league in triples. Though he struggled against lefties, he still patrolled Hillsborough's center field for 147 starts, registering 11 assists (5th in the league among CF), against just 2 errors, for a .994 fielding percentage.
Drafted: 2014, 2nd round (20th overall)
.307/.337/.391, challenged for the batting title
156 games
196 hits, 27 doubles, 3 triples
7 HR, 58 RBI, 72 runs
27 BB, 109 K
8 SB, 2 CS
Bogaerts led all rookies in hits and challenged for the batting crown late into the season, nearly "Bogaert-ing" the title from Buster Posey but ultimately finished second.
On the glove side, Bogaerts was top 10 in the league among shortstops in most every fielding category, and had the high mark for putouts per game (1.40). His 213 putouts was second only to Correa in all of DMBL.
Kris Bryant, Hillsborough
Drafted: 2014, 3rd round (40th overall)
.254/.330/.425
20 HR, 66 RBI, 67 runs
116 hits, 16 doubles
50 BBs, 167 Ks
6 SB (3 CS)
Bryant made 118 starts for the Hit Men, splitting time between LF (74) and 3B (44). He batted a respectable .254/.330/.425, almost exclusively facing right-handed pitching (he only went 2-for-27, .074, versus lefties, with 1 home run).
Drafted: 2015, 4th round (56th overall)
.231/.289/.420
30 HR, 75 RBI, 93 runs
152 hits, 34 doubles
52 BBs, 158 Ks
7 SB (2 CS)
If Miguel Sano's candidacy gets knocked for not playing the field in 162 starts, perhaps Correa gets extra points for playing the most demanding position for the Chihuahuas; only four SS started all 162 games. He'll need extra credit wherever he can get it to offset his paltry slash line. But supporters might not want to mention his glove: Correa led the league in errors by a wide margin (32; Francisco Lindor of Blue Ridge was 2nd with 20), though he also led the league in putouts (216).
That's not to say he didn't compile some big numbers in his inaugural season. Correa led all rookies in doubles and he did slug 30 homers as a SS. His 713 plate appearances was in the top 15 league-wide. He also ranked 5th overall in ABs (657), and against left-handed pitching specifically, he ranked 10th in AB per HR (16.4) and 7th in ISO (.243). He also ranked 3rd in the league in ground ball double plays (31).
Randal Grichuk, Marietta
Drafted: 2016, 1st round (11th overall)
.229/.279/.470
23 HRs, 67 RBI, 71 runs
108 hits, 25 doubles, 10 triples
30 BBs, 171 Ks
Grichuk's batting average was paltry but his variety of extra base hits out of the CF position, including a rookie-high 10 triples, made him a valuable piece of the Marietta lineup. He slugged .495 against righties and made 123 starts manning CF for the Mighty Men.
Jung Ho Kang, Hopatcong
Drafted: 2016, 1st round (4th overall)
.241/.299/.388
17 HRs, 51 RBI, 80 runs
137 hits, 29 doubles, 2 triples
30 BBs, 144 Ks
Kang primarily saw his 132 starts at SS (119 games) but also saw time at 3B (13 games). The oldest rookie at 32, the South Korean import tied topped first-year players in a unique category (18 HBP), which ranked 4th in the league overall.
He made 19 errors at shortstop, 3rd in the league and among rookies, but led the league in total chances per game (5.05). Kang ranked 10th in putouts (168) and his average 1.38 putouts per game was second only to Poovey Farms' Bogaerts.
Francisco Lindor, Blue Ridge
Drafted: 2014: 14th round (226th overall)
.267/.312/.372
184 hits, 29 doubles, 5 triples11 HR, 56 RBI, 86 runs
45 BB, 144 K
7 SB, 2 CS
The third of the young shortstops, Lindor ranked 4th in the league in total chances per game (4.72) and his 552 assists were not only tops among rookies but second only to Didi Gregorious (557). Leaguewide, he was 6th in putouts and 3rd in errors per game (0.12). Lindor also had a league-high 692 ABs while playing all 162 games.
Drafted: 2015, 2nd round (20th overall)
.252/.364/.497
37 HR, 96 RBI, 98 runs
148 hits, 33 doubles
102 BBs, 256 Ks
Sano led all rookies in most every batting category, secondary or otherwise, likely making him the front-runner for the Listach. One could also make a solid case for him for the Mitchell Award after nearly carrying the Hit Men to the playoffs. Sano did much of his damage against right-handed pitching but if there's a knock on his campaign, it could be that all 162 starts were at DH and his league-leading strikeout total approached the all-time season record. He also found himself among the top 10 in the league in runs created (111.1), RC/27 (6.6), total bases (292) and AB/HR (15.9).
Kyle Schwarber, Tucson
Drafted: 2016, 1st round (1st overall); 2015, 15th round (240th overall)
.207/.325/.376
24 HRs, 67 RBIs, 62 runs
102 hits, 9 doubles, 1 triple
80 BBs, 148 Ks
Schwarber didn't stick with the Scorpions through 2015 but in the offseason, they moved up to the No. 1 overall pick to get their man. Tucson sent Josh Harrison, Tyson Ross and a 6th in 2017 to Blue Ridge for the No. 1 pick (which Blue Ridge had acquired from Philly along with a 6th in 2016 for Josh Reddick and Cole Hamels).
Despite the pressure of being the No. 1 overall pick last year, Schwarber contributed for the Scorpions, swatting 24 home runs and driving in 67 RBI while scoring 62 runs. He was in a strict platoon, with all but 5 at-bats coming against right-handers. Schwarber made the majority of his 128 starts at DH, getting 29 starts at catcher and 4 in the outfield.
Honorable mentions
Billy Burns, Arkansas
Drafted: 2016, 1st round (16th overall)
.275/.325/.355
141 hits, 17 doubles, 9 triples
2 HR, 42 RBI, 77 runs
31 BB, 91 K
16 SB, 8 CS
Maikel Franco, Philly
Drafted: 2014, 7th round (107th overall) BKC
.266/.332/.481
16 HRs, 42 RBI, 46 runs
93 hits, 23 doubles, 2 triples
28 BB, 60 Ks
Originally drafted by Brick City, Franco was dealt to Philly straight up for Cole Hamels just before the 2016 protected deadline.
Odubel Herrera, Poovey Farms
Drafted: 2016, 1st round (12th overall)
.273/.324/.394
4 HRs, 45 RBI, 45 runs
120 hits, 33 doubles, 4 triples
29 BB, 124 Ks
5 SB (3 CS)
Matt Duffy, El Paso
Drafted: 2016, 1st round (14th overall)
.262/.307/.387
159 hits, 28 doubles, 3 triples
14 HR, 48 RBI, 74 runs
33 BB, 116 K
Joc Pederson, Sardine City
Drafted: 2015, 2nd round (18th overall)
.193/.354/.442
17 HRs, 38 RBI, 37 runs
55 BBs, 70 Ks
Stephen Piscotty, Sardine City
Drafted: 2016, 1st round (2nd overall)
.326*/.364*/.551*
13 HRs, 53 RBI, 43 runs
90 hits, 15 doubles, 4 triples
* Not enough plate appearances to qualify
Addison Russell, Sardine City
Drafted: 2014, 4th round (62nd overall)
.257/.322/405
122 hits, 26 doubles, 1 triple
14 HR, 60 RBI, 59 runs
45 BBs, 146 Ks
If you're looking for SS Corey Seager, he'll probably be among the contenders for the 2017 Listach having been on Sardine City's reserve list since being selected in the 4th round (50th overall) of the 2015 draft. Another name to watch will be El Paso's Steven Matz who was stashed on the reserve list for 2016 and will be a rookie next year. Other strong candidacies might come out of next month's draft.
The award is named for former Columbia Crusaders OF Pat Listach. It was first awarded in 1998 to Nomar Garciaparra of Phoenix Dragons.
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