In a piece of news that should surprise no one, former Charlottesville first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (2017) was named an Honorable Mention Organization All-Star by milb.com.

The author, Sam Dykstra, freely admits that Pasquantino would have been the primary choice in most organizations, but didn’t quite get to the level of Nick Pratto’s season.

It’s true; Pasquantino had a fantastic 2021 season split between High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. In 513 total plate appearances, he hit .300/.394/.563, with 79 runs scored, 84 RBIs, 37 doubles, three triples, 24 home runs, and an even 64/64 BB/K ratio. He finished second among all Minor Leaguers in doubles, and sixth in extra base hits. (Pratto split his season between Double-A NW Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha, hitting .265/.385/.602 in 445 at-bats, with 28 doubles, seven triples, 36 home runs, 98 RBIs, and a 83/157 BB/K ratio. He’s also a year younger.)

Pasquantino was excellent in 2017 for Charlottesville, hitting .336/.401/.500 in 134 regular season at-bats, along with eight doubles, a triple, and four home runs. He also went 10-29 in seven playoff games, helping the team to a title. ATVL named him the 13th best hitter in the league that summer.

It will be interesting to see what the Royals do with both Pratto and Pasquantino in the future, but if Pasquantino keeps hitting, he’ll find himself in the major leagues somewhere, I imagine.