Jose Siri gained a ton of attention for his 39-game hitting streak. Yesterday he gained more recognition for what he’s done the entire season. Baseball America began releasing their “Top Tools” series for each of the different leagues in the minors, but the print edition reportedly had all of the leagues listed.
The Midwest League, where Jose Siri and the Dayton Dragons play, handed out many “top tools” categories. Jose Siri was named at the top of the list in two categories. The first one was fastest base runner. After last night he now has 34 steals on the season, which leads the league. Siri was also named the best defensive outfielder in the league. Manager Luis Bolivar was also named Best Manager Prospect in the league. He’s in his first year managing after spending several years as hitting coach in the organization.
Best Tools in MWL:
Best Defensive Outfielder: Jose Siri, Dayton
Fastest Base Runner: Jose Siri
Best Manager Prospect: Luis Bolivar, Dayton— Dayton Dragons (@DragonsBaseball) August 8, 2017
Kevin Shackelford named Top Reliever
The International League list is now available on the website. The Louisville Bats only had one player crack the list. Kevin Shackelford was named the Best Reliever in the league. He’s posted a 1.53 ERA in 47.0 innings with 18 walks and 61 strikeouts on the year for Louisville.
The mangers in each league vote on these awards in July. Each manager is given a set of categories and has to fill out the player they believe has the best tool in that. They are then submitted back to Baseball America and the votes are tabulated. Over the next few days we will get more lists that become available online and I’ll be sure to write up any other Reds players or managers that happen to make the lists.