Former Seadog Wins Top Minor League Award

Xander Bogaerts started the season at Hadlock Field in Portland playing SS for the Seadogs. Then on to Pawtucket. Now he plays at Fenway. The meteoric climb didn't go unnoticed. USA TODAY has named him Minor League Player of the Year.

Bogaerts was first know to baseball fans in Maine as a 16-year-old playing for Aruba at the Senior League World Series in Bangor.

His combined minor league stats this year read like this - .297 / 15 home runs / 67 RBI.

Now he is part of the Red Sox September stretch drive.

USA TODAY's player of the year award has proven to be on target. Consider the past few winners...

2012 Wil Myers   Tampa Bay

2011 Paul Goldschmidt    Arizona

2010 Jeremy Hellickson    Tampa Bay

2009 Jason Heyward    Atlanta

2008 David Price   Tampa Bay