Who was the best minor leaguer...

[The_Leff_Fielder]

...that did nothing of significance in the Majors?

I think Ron Necciai has to be way up on that list.

[ElHalo]

Jigger Statz has to get a mention.

[Pere]

Necciai is way overrated.

What he did for a few months in '52 was a kind of beautiful, and he is rightly remembered for it. But his talent was almost one-dimensional, and he burned out very fast.

[Chickazoola]

Give me Frank Shellenback for pitchers and Ike Boone for hitters I guess.

[Dalkowski110]

Agreed for the most part on Shellenback (although Herman Pillette's ERA vs. the league average and peak are better...he just had the awful luck of playing for the San Francisco Mission Reds), but give me Smead Jolley over Ike Boone. Better fielder, better outfield arm (also a better batting eye than Ike Boone). You could also meet in the middle and just say Buzz Arlett was the greatest. I'll make a "top five" for pitchers and position players (bear in mind, these guys all did or all could have succeeded in the Majors)...

Position Players:
-Smead Jolley
-Ike Boone
-Buzz Arlett
-Ox Eckhardt
-Arnold "Jigger" Statz

Honorable Mentions: Ollie Carnegie, Ray Perry, Joe Hauser (Despite Nicollet Field inflating his power numbers, you can't ignore the BA and OBP)

Pitchers:
-Frank Shellenback
-Herman Pillette (WAY underrated)
-Sad Sam Gibson (Elden Auker of the Minors)
-Henry Schmidt
-Spider Baum (I know, there are two submariners on this list. But Baum was a power pitcher, closer to Carl Mays than Elden Auker or Sad Sam Gibson. Invited to ST an unprecedented seven times, Baum refused the invitations because his uncle actually ran the PCL)

Honorable Mentions: Hank "Rube" Robinson (Frank Shellenback Lite), Harry Krause, Cack Henley (and not because of the 24 inning shutout), and I'll add Ron Necciai. Why?

"Necciai is way overrated.

What he did for a few months in '52 was a kind of beautiful, and he is rightly remembered for it. But his talent was almost one-dimensional, and he burned out very fast."

But that's the thing...he didn't just do it for a few months. His MLB career was an aberration with regards to his other pro stats (though his W/L is dreadful, he actually averaged the worst run support of any qualifying pitcher two leagues). He hadn't played a game above A ball when he was promoted to the Majors. And the only reason Necciai burned out was because he even further damaged his rotator cuff in military service.

[Pere]

But that's the thing...he didn't just do it for a few months.

Early May through early August, 1952. Three months.

[Dalkowski110]

"Early May through early August, 1952. Three months."

Plus Burlington in 1953, when he actually hurt his arm. He only appeared in six games and was pitching injured but I know he K'ed 13 in 6 innings in one of those games.