With the 2053 season in the books, the Spuds carried out their tradition of announcing the team award winners at the infamous team banquet, an event sponsored by Ore-Ida which has been described by some as “The Burning Man of Potatoes”. There’s live music from local punk band, The Starch Avengers, and a giant mashed-potato man in the middle of the room, which is slowly roasted throughout the evening, serving as part of the dinner buffet.But 200-plus Spuds’ minor league farmhands don’t pack themselves into the Boise Centre every year just to see the mashed potato man. They’re mainly there for the announcement of the recipient of the coveted “Star Sprout” award, given to the most outstanding minor league player in Boise’s system.
The list of former Star Sprout winners is truly a roster of the franchise’s elite. Félix Román won it in 2039. Ricardo Ruíz in 2040. Brian Ioneki in 2048. In short, legends win this award. If you’re not a legend, you’re not winning it. Or you’re Pedro Díaz, who inexplicably won it over Dennis French in 2036, in one of the more controversial decisions in the event’s history. But we don’t talk about that.
This year, there was no shortage of contenders, as Boise’s minor leagues are about as stacked as they’ve ever been.
Kent Johnson, last year’s winner, had another outstanding season for Double-A Weymouth, prompting questions such as, could a player win the award two years in a row? And, why isn’t Johnson in the majors yet if he’s that good?
Some more recent draft picks also liked their chances. Outfielder Kevin Myers, the Spuds’ 2nd-round pick in 2051, had just wrapped up a 3.4-WAR season for Weymouth. And this year’s third-round pick, starting pitcher Leland Corbitt, was quietly outstanding in Rookie League and Short-A ball, posting a 0.89 ERA in 13 starts between the two levels.
Adrian Fox
Fox was summoned to the stage to accept the coveted trophy, a plaque with a bronze lump on it that’s supposed to be a potato plant. His reaction to his name being called was a mix of joy and regret.
“Hey, this is pretty heavy,” he said at the podium, upon being handed the bronze sprout. “How am I supposed to carry this thing home? I rode my bike here.”
The night went on to include the announcements of the Spuds’ major league team awards, including Most Valuable Potato (Qutuz Mahdi) and Pitcher of the Year (Ommar bin Ayyub). But by that time, most of the room was gorging on the potato man, and no one was paying attention.
