Topps Minor League Players of the Year

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.- San Diego Padres’ farmhands Kyle Blanks, Dan Robertson and Jaff Decker have been named the Topps Player of the Year in their respective leagues. The Atlanta, Florida and Texas organizations each have a pair of winners, and 11 farm systems are represented in all.

The annual George M. Trautman Awards are presented in each of the 16 domestic Minor Leagues by the Topps Company of New York, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball.

Lou Montanez led the Eastern League with a .335 batting average, 26 homers and 97 RBIs to become only the fifth player to win the Triple Crown in the circuit’s history. Other winners who were the top run producers in their league include Mat Gamel (Southern), Mitchell Moreland (Midwest), Curt Smith (Appalachian) and Roberto Lopez (Pioneer).

Jim Negrych (Carolina), Logan Morrison (Florida State), Miguel Fermin (NY-Penn), Dan Robertson (Northwest), Smith and Lopez were league batting champions. Fermin is the only other winner, besides Montanez, who led his league in home runs.

Topps salutes the top performances throughout Minor League Baseball, including monthly awards and all-star teams in each classification.

Kyle Blanks: He hit .325 with 20 homers and 107 RBIs.

Dan Robertson: He hit .377 with 3 homers and 45 RBIs.

Jaff Decker: He hit .352 with 5 homers and 34 RBIs.