Cubs name Victor Caratini, Jen-Ho Tseng as Minor League Hitter, Pitcher of the Year

The Cubs have named their official Minor League Player and Pitcher of the year and they are a pair of Iowa Cubs with catcher Victor Caratini and pitcher Jen-Ho Tseng.

Caratini had a breakout year at the plate this summer, as he set career highs in pretty much every category except hits and doubles, and that’s only because he spent all of July in the majors. Caratini played 83 games for Iowa this season and hit .342/.393/.558 with 10 home runs and 61 RBI. Those numbers earned him his first major league call-up where he has hit a respectable .250/.321/.375 with three doubles and a home run in 24 games so far. Defensively he still has some work to do, but there is no question that he is improving behind the plate and that he has the skills necessary to be a solid major league catcher.

Caratini was named to the All-Pacific Coast League Team at the end of the year.

For Tseng, this is the second time he has won this award, having first won it in 2014 when he pitched for Kane County. This year, he started repeated Double-A and made 15 starts for Tennessee. He went 7-3 with a 2.99 ERA. That earned him a promotion to Iowa where he was even better, going 6-1 with a 1.80 ERA in nine starts. His overall record in 24 starts was 13-4 with a 2.54 ERA. He struck out 122 and walked 38 over 145.1 innings. His pitching repertoire and approach have been compared to Kyle Hendricks, and he worked out OK.

Congratulations to both Caratini and Tseng and here’s hoping they have many great days at Wrigley Field in the future.