We are unloading the clip, so to speak, on the interviews from last year we had
stored away for safe keeping. Below you will find one
from a consensus top-10 prospect in your Toronto Blue Jays' (ridiculouslytotally somewhat) thinned-out farm system.
They
say that in poker, timing is everything. This rock-solid interview was done
on July 19, 2013, almost two full months after Sean Nolin was
called up to the show. Our top minor league guru extraordinaire, Mr. Jay
Floyd of PhoulBallz.com, Phillies Nation TV, the Shore Sports Network and other outlets wasn't
shying away from the elephant in the room at all. "Jay Ballz", as he's nicknamed, asks the
tough questions. Jay Ballz listens to the awkward responses. Jay Ballz
takes it all in stride.
In this latest masterpiece you will hear:
His motto: "wish high, think high" (just not with the fastball, okay, champ?)
How he was notified by a fan in the stands of his MLB promotion
How he has been trying to call his own games more often
What it's like to throw to top catching prospect A.J. Jimenez
Him defending the honour of our boy Jesse Goldberg-Strassler from his days in Lansing
How he grew up a Yankee fan and how there might be some added fire when he pitches against the dreaded Red Sox
If
you skip ahead to the 2:06 mark you can actually hear what it's like to
have your childhood dreams smashed/destroyed/lit on fire right before
your very eyes.
Why the hell this guy was brought up to the
Major Leagues only to be farmed out the very next day is still a
mystery to us. One option burned for a whopping .001 days of MLB service time.
We realize that things went south in a hurry last year in terms of
arms, but this particular roster move still blows the mind.
And not in a good way.
Please
don't think that we are down on what the future has in store for this
player. We think that he could someday be a decent back-of-the-rotation
type guy and he does throw a ball with his left hand. The tale of Sean
Nolin's MLB debut and the soul-crushing aftermath should serve smartly
as a cautionary warning to the brain trust the next time they think
about rushing a young arm up to the show. It does appear
your Toronto Blue Jays learned this lesson rather quickly since they
slammed the breaks on bringing up Marcus Stroman in the garbage time of
the season, known more formally in these parts as "September."
Ranked among the Blue Jays' top prospects, catcher A.J. Jimenez represented Toronto in this year's MLB Futures Game roughly a year after being sidelined in need of Tommy John surgery. Back from rehab, the 23-year-old is putting forth very solid output this year, sporting a combined .349 average with two homers and 25 RBI in 39 games at two levels.
Selected in the 9th round of the 2008 amateur draft by Toronto, Jimenez has progressed steadily up the developmental ladder since turning pro. In 2011 in the Class A Advanced Florida State League, Jimenez sported a .303/.353/.417 line and was named a mid-season and post-season All-Star. Last year, in the midst of another good campaign (.257 avg, two home runs, 10 RBI in 27 games), Jimenez was faced with the need for surgery and missed the remainder of the season.
This weekend I spoke with A.J. about his Futures Game experience, his recovery from surgery and plenty more. Read ahead for that full interview.
- Last year you went through Tommy John surgery, something that's not very common among position players. Take me through the process for you and the recovery stretch of it. Yeah, I got hurt, like, three or four years ago. I was playing with the pain, through something with the elbow. Then last year, it came up again and then we just get it fixed. And it was a long year, the rehab. It was a long one, like a boring one. But finally we are here, one-hundred percent, and I'm back playing. I'm feeling great.
- During the time you were down in Dunedin rehabbing and working to get back, who was the biggest help to you as far as your recovery process went? I would say the head guy, Jeff (Stevenson) he was helping me with the rehab and I was with the catching staff, with (Sal) Fasano all the time, working on the arm mechanics and all that stuff. And, yeah, all the strength guys, they were great too, helping me, working and rehab and now finally I'm here.
- I spoke with you last year and I remember that you praised Sal a lot. He was the manager with New Hampshire then and you said you looked up to him. I know his role has changed within the organization, but what can you share with me about what Sal's role is and what he's doing overall? He's the catchers' coordinator right now. He's always traveling. I haven't seen him in, like, two, three weeks. But, he's (a) great guy and I'm learning a lot from him and he's the best guy for his job.
- You spoke about that elbow injury, having dealt with that for a while. Was the ailment always there or did it go away for some time and come back? It was always there. I think I was getting used to it, playing when I was sore. But, yeah, I just got tired of it and got it fixed.
- You're playing great this year, through 30 games with Double-A New Hampshire you've posted a .331 average and batted .429 in nine games with High A Dunedin. What do you attribute to the solid success this season after returning from the injury? I would say patience. I was here last year, so I learned a little bit from last year too. And I was just in my game, you know? Just be confident back there, focused on catching good, hitting good. That's what it's all about.
- You got a nice honor this year. You got to go out and play at the MLB All-Star Futures Game. Talk about that a bit...how did you get the news? What was your reaction? And how was the whole event for you? It caught me by surprise, 'cause I was back 15 games at that time, playing, so my agent called me. He was the first one and I didn't believe it at that time. And then the manager called me into the office and then gave me the news. It was a great experience, like, with big names on that team and I had fun. It was the first time I've been in a big game like that. It was fun.
- That game was at Citi Field, it's in New York, it's on a big stage. Had you played in a big league park before? No, that was the first time. In front of a big crowd, in that big park, I was excited.
- That's cool. You got to go out there and I know you drove from Reading, up to New York, with a couple Phillies guys, Jesse Biddle and Maikel Franco. Did you get to bond with those guys at all? Yeah. I played (against) them, like three or four times this year. We talked a lot in the car and they're great guys.
- You talked about playing on that big stage, playing in that big league park, clearly playing there regularly is the goal for every player. But, when you get a sample of that, does that make you hungrier to get back there and play in those big parks again? Yeah, sure. I mean, it was like I was a big leaguer for one day. I just want to stay there and now I'm fighting and working harder to get there.
- Some former big leaguers were coaches for those teams. Was there anyone you got to meet that made a big impression on you, or you were able to talk to and learn things from? I would say Edgardo Alfonso, he was the main guy from us. He was a great guy. We talked about the game and all that stuff. But, yeah, he was a great guy.
- That's good to hear. You're from Puerto Rico, so I think there might be an obvious answer to this question, but as a catcher from Puerto Rico, what players did you look up to most? I would say back in the days it was Pudge (Rodriguez). I always looked at Pudge like my big guy. But, now, I would say (Yadier) Molina. He's great at that position. I mean, I'm not trying to be him, but I'm trying to get close.
New Hampshire Fisher Cats' backstop A.J. Jimenez is ranked among the top prospects in the Toronto system by virtually every outlet that ranks such things. Regularly praised for his defense and his abilities guiding a pitching staff, Jimenez is among the deep group of catchers the Blue Jays have in the minor league system.
Thus far this season, the 22-year-old Puerto Rico native has posted a .257 average with 2 homeruns and 10 RBI in 27 games in the Double-A Eastern League.
Taken in the 9th round of the 2008 amateur draft by Toronto, Jimenez has progressed steadily up the developmental ladder since turning pro. Last season with the Class A Advanced Florida State League, Jimenez sported a .303/.353/.417 line and was named a mid-season and post-season All-Star.
Recently, I spent some time chatting with AJ and he talked about his draft process, playing for New Hampshire, his manager Sal Fasano and plenty more. Check out the media player below to hear that interview.
“I won’t be open to it after the hearing,” said Bautista following a workout at the Jays spring training facility.
“After the hearing, I believe we will notify the team that (a
long-term deal) is not going to be a possibility, unless it’s in that
window they have from the end of the season until the free agency period
begins.”
It’s a crapshoot for both sides. By season’s end, Bautista’s value
could be through the roof or plummet back into the real world.
Bautista contends the reason he will close off negotiations is that
he doesn’t want any distractions for himself or for the team. Nobody
should read into this decision that Bautista wants to play anywhere else
but Toronto. He made that clear.
“My desire is to play in Toronto long term but, after the hearing, or
during the season, I have come to the conclusion that it’s probably not
the best thing for me to be negotiating any type of deal,” he said. “I
want to focus on the game and trying to win ballgames.
“If I’m in that type of negotiation, it’s going to shift my focus
from what I need to worry about and that’s baseball. I don’t want my
mind to be elsewhere when I come to the ballpark to help my team win.”
I'll start off with the elephant in the room. I have said it before and I'll say it again, there is no way - if I'm Jose Bautista - that I sign any contract extension of any length for any amount. As an athlete all you can ask for is an opportunity to show how good you can be. J-Bau was given that last season for the first time in his career. And he will be given that again in 2011. I think he easily wins the arb case tomorrow and doesn't talk extension until that small five day window after the World Series ends.
I’ve updated the 2011 CAIRO projections to version 0.6 and have
uploaded them to the site. They can be downloaded at the link below: Cairo_2011_v0.6.zip
I’ve basically just updated rosters again and fixed a few issues. I’ve also added a projected standings page.
TM
W
L
RS
RA
Div
WC
PL
W+/-
RS+/-
RA+/-
Red Sox
96.2
65.8
831
687
45.6%
17.6%
63.2%
7.2
13
-57
Yankees
92.1
69.9
821
726
28.8%
19.4%
48.2%
-2.9
-38
33
Rays
87.9
74.1
737
663
17.3%
14.6%
31.9%
-8.1
-65
14
Blue Jays
77.2
84.8
709
738
4.2%
5.0%
9.2%
-7.8
-46
10
Orioles
76.9
85.1
739
788
4.2%
4.8%
9.0%
10.9
126
3
Here is the first of many predictions with respect to standings. 77 wins sounds about right to me.
Four games will be nationally televised on Rogers Sportsnet, four
games on bluejays.com while eight games can be heard on Sportsnet Radio
Fan 590, with an additional two games being available on the Blue Jays
network of stations. Specific details are below:
Feb. 26 -- vs. Detroit Tigers -- 1:05 (FAN 590)
Feb. 27 -- at Detroit Tigers --- 1:05 (FAN 590)
March 2 -- vs. Tampa Bay Rays -- 1:05 (Bluejays.com)
March 5 -- vs. Detroit Tigers -- 1:05 (Jays Radio Network)
March 6 -- at Pittsburgh Pirates -- 1:05 (SNET/FAN 590)
March 11 -- vs. NY Yankees -- 1:05 (Bluejays.com)
March 12 -- vs. Pittsburgh Pirates -- 1:05 (FAN 590)
March 13 -- vs. Tampa Bay Rays -- 1:05 (SNET-1/Jays Radio Network)
March 15 -- vs. Philadelphia Phillies -- 1:05 (Bluejays.com)
March 19 -- at NY Yankees -- 1:05 (FAN 590)
March 20 -- vs. Minnesota Twins -- 1:05 (FAN 590)
March 23 -- at NY Yankees -- 7:05 (SNET)
March 24 -- vs. Atlanta Braves -- 1:05 (Bluejays.com)
March 26 -- at Philadelphia Phillies -- 1:05 (FAN 590)
March 27 -- vs. Baltimore Orioles -- 1:05 (FAN 590)
March 30 -- vs. Tampa Bay Rays -- 4:10 (SNET)
Anybody know WTF the Jays Radio Network is and whether or not I have to pay the cheap bastards @ Rogers to get it?
When talking about the A.L.'s top rookies, don't leave out Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia.
He heads into spring training with a starting job to be won. He's doing what he can to make sure he's ready.
"J.P. has been here since Jan. 3," said Blue Jays TV play-by-play man
Buck Martinez, who resides in Dunedin, Fla., the Jays' spring home.
I'm so happy that we will actually have a Rookie of the Year candidate this season. Go get em J.P.
Toronto also is asking Lind to learn to play first base after
serving primarily as a DH the past two seasons. Regaining your batting
stroke while learning a new position doesn't make for a stress-free
spring.
"Sometimes you can make a drastic change and it can affect your
hitting," Blue Jays hitting coach Dwayne Murphy says. "I hope it
doesn't. I don't think it will."
The 11 games Lind played at first base last season were the only
times he has played anywhere but the outfield or DH in his professional
career, other than one game at first base in the minors. General manager
Alex Anthopoulos prefers to have Lind take over for Lyle Overbay, who
signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent, in the field because
it will give the club needed flexibility at the DH spot.
Murphy doesn't believe Lind, 27, will have much trouble at the plate.
"He didn't have the year he wanted, but look at the numbers he put
up— 23-72. So it wasn't like he had what I would consider a bad year,"
Murphy says.
Drabek has the stuff to be a big league starter. He throws five pitches,
although he didn't use his change-up against right-handed batters in
his three September 2010 starts for the Blue Jays.
With the
exception of the Jays, each AL East team figures to have at least four
left-handed and switch-hitting batters in their lineup most days. Even
with the righty-heavy Jays included, the AL East is tied for the highest
rate of switch- and left-handed hitters with the NL East. On the other
end of the spectrum is the NL Central—coincidentally Dotel’s home for
most of the 2010 season—with more than 70 percent of the expected
starters batting right-handed.
I found this article particularly insightful. Take a second and check it out.
Spring training and the 2011 regular season are just around the corner,
which means it's time to take stock of the top potential future stars in
the minor leagues.
Below are the Top 100 prospects in baseball right now, based upon my
years of experience in the industry as a scout and talent evaluator.
In order to be eligible for the list, the player must be part of a major
league organization and still considered a rookie (fewer than 130
at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the major leagues and fewer than 45
days on an active roster, excluding September call-ups).
Your Toronto Blue Jays had 5 of the top 100 on this list.
As spring approaches, baseball fans' minds turn to the possibilities of
the season to come. Which teams will emerge victorious? Which players
will rise above the rest? And which rookies will capture our fancies?
As much as baseball fans appreciate the game's history, they also look forward to the future stars.
My list of baseball's top 50 prospects was compiled based on my
personal scouting of the players along with input from all 30 teams
including GMs, scouting directors and other evaluators in the game.
With that, let's take a look at the top players of the future going into the 2011 season.
And we had 4 of the top 50 on this one. Kyle Drabek at number 5 overall!
Jimenez hit .305/.347/.435 last year in 70 games for Low-A
Lansing, with 17 steals in 21 attempts, 18 walks, and 56 strikeouts.
He's got impatience issues but Midwest League sources seemed to think he
has a good chance to keep hitting at higher levels. His defense is also
intriguing: he caught 51% of runners and didn't give up an excessive
number of passed balls or errors. I gave him a Grade C in the book, but
with the notation that he could take a big step forward in 2011. Looking
at him again right now, you can make a really good case for a Grade C+
and that is how I would rate him today, though of course it is too late
to change the book grade. He was drafted in the ninth round in 2008 from
high school in Puerto Rico.
Don't sleep on A.J. when discussing our depth at the catcher position. Cannon of an arm, great wheels and he can hit.Look for him to start at High A and push d'Arnaud all year.
Lind, Hill and Rivera all performed below their career norms in 2010 —
just as Wells did in 2009. As long as one of them reverts to the mean —
like Wells last year — Bautista should be suitably protected. If that
doesn’t happen, Bautista might lead the majors in walks, not home runs.
Either way, Bautista acknowledges that he won’t see the same (hittable)
pitches that he did in 2010. By now, opposing managers and pitchers are
well aware of the data, at Baseball-Reference.com and elsewhere, that
says 52 of Bautista’s 54 home runs were to left or left-center.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” Bautista said. “I don’t expect them to
try to get me out the same way they did last year. I can’t try to hit
home runs to left field if they throw it down-and-away.
“The good thing is that the changes I made (before last year) weren’t
about hitting the ball out to left. I was just trying to get ready
earlier, so my swing was on time. It was all about driving the ball
more. If 85 percent of the pitches I see are outside, hopefully I can
hit a lot of hard balls to right.”
I know what you’re thinking: He’s going to overswing. Actually, I don’t think he will. The guy drew 100 walks last year, second-most in the American League.
“The most impressive thing about Jose’s season was the pitches he didn’t
swing at; he had an unbelievable eye,” Hill said. “I think Jose will
have another big year. He’s obviously going to have big expectations,
but he’s been very good at just focusing on the task at hand.”
Man I can't wait for baseball season! It's going to be a lot of fun watching pitchers not let Bautista beat them this year. Somebody, anybody, needs to get hot early in order to give our opponent something else to think about.
Is it hyperbole? Probably, but it might be fitting that Scioscia invoked
baseball history, because last year’s Angels outfield was historically
awful. It became a sore subject for fans, pitchers, coaches and,
especially, one keenly interested observer.
“I’m not trying to be disrespectful to any players, but we really
had a lot of problems in right field and left field last year,” Angels
owner Arte Moreno said recently. “There were balls
falling short, over their heads, in the gaps … Torii [Hunter] was
running everywhere and, to be a good hitter, you’ve got to have your
legs.”
The ultimate zone rating data -- which seems to be as good as any defensive measure -- suggest that Juan Rivera (minus 4.9) was well below average as a left fielder, Hunter (minus 3.8) was well below average as a center fielder and Bobby Abreu (minus 6.2) was a borderline disaster in right.
Juan Rivera can't play LF - let alone RF - according to his old teams OWNER. Consider yourself warned.
A pair of Canadians who less than two years ago looked to be on the path to the big leagues will not be among them.
In 2009, the Toronto Blue Jays selected University of Kentucky pitcher
James Paxton of Ladner, B.C., 37th overall in baseball’s June amateur
draft.
It was the highest the Blue Jays had ever taken a homegrown prospect since Canadian players were included in the draft in 1985.
Just 31 picks later, Toronto selected Newmarket high school pitcher Jake Eliopoulos with a second-round choice.
No general manager, scouting director or player would suggest 20
months is any kind of time frame to evaluate a baseball draft pick given
development often takes four to six years.
But nearly two years later, both Paxton and Eliopoulos are unsigned and waiting to take the next step in their baseball careers.
Each pitcher took a different path to their current place in a kind of baseball purgatory.
Yet another update on The Paxton Affair. Shoulda just signed the fucking contract James.
In that 2010 draft last June, the Mariners picked Paxton -- who is
from Ladner, British Columbia -- in the fourth round (132nd overall).
Many scouting analysts felt it was a shrewd sleeper pick by Seattle, and
that the Mariners had stolen a potential first-round talent. Yet here
it is Jan. 31, and Paxton still hasn't signed. Because he is no longer
in college, Paxton was not subject to the Aug. 16 signing deadline. The
Mariners thus own his rights until the week before the 2011 draft in
June -- but Zduriencik is hoping it doesn't get that far.
"There has been a conversation or two over the course of the
winter,'' he said. "It will be an interesting one, because here's a guy
who lives just an hour and a half up the road, and there's a point in
time he needs to get his career moving. You know, he's missed time in
pro ball. I couldn't think of a better scenario for him and his family
(than) to drive right down the road and play for the Seattle Mariners.
"As we move forward and we get closer, we'll see what happens. I
would hope there's a motivating factor on his part to try to get
something moving. Scott (Boras) and I have had a few discussions here
and there over the winter, but we haven't had any lately."
This one is from the Seattle perspective. Total waste of a perfectly good 4th rounder right there guys.
Not every team buys into this type of program. Teams such as the
Nationals, Orioles and Mets have had below average results for the
studied period. (There are no accurate records of injuries before 1997.)
Some teams, like the Blue Jays, show solid results, but have had
difficulty over the past three years keeping pitchers healthy. In 2009,
the Jays were a bit better than average overall, but broken down by
pitchers and position players, there was a huge divide. The team
couldn't seem to keep pitchers healthy at any level. There was no
pattern. The injuries happened to different body parts. They happened at
different levels. They happened to starters and relievers. They
happened to American and Latin players. There was no pattern, just
flukish results. The Jays stabilized to a more normal level with pitcher
injuries in 2010, but while teams like the Mets improved over a
horrendous '09 campaign that reached historic injury levels, they only
made it back to below-average. How bad can it be? The Orioles lost over
$30 million more than average over the last 10 years. The Nationals were
worse, but they had that whole Montreal situation in there that I can't
fairly adjust for.
At the time, manager Cito Gaston was burdened with most of the blame.
The 66-year-old was set to retire at the end of the season, and he was
accused of sacrificing the long-term benefit of the club in order to
finish his career with the best possible team on the field.
Anthopoulos said while he understands the criticism the organization
received, the move was made because of the promise that was given to
Buck.
"When we give our word to someone ... that's part of our brand,"
Anthopoulos said. "When I'm negotiating with an agent or I'm trying to
recruit a player, and we have to tell them something, whether it's good
or bad news, they know that we're going to honour our word and we're
going to be straight shooters.
"People in the game are starting to realize that the way the Toronto
Blue Jays operate, they're men of their word and they keep to their
commitment."
In keeping with the same train of thought, this helps explain why Boy Wonder dealt Napoli away. I'm guessing he promised E5 full time at bats and Napoli had some trade value.
Check out the size of the bat Bryce Harper
is swinging in the first half this video, which was posted to YouTube
this week. It's a 36-inch, 47-ounce Marucci, custom made for the 2010
No. 1 draft pick.
If you're not familiar with bat sizes, that's like swinging a tree trunk. Most major-leaguers use bats
between 32-34 inches and 30-34 ounces. Many years ago, sluggers would
sometimes use heavy bats, notably Babe Ruth, who reportedly started his
career using a 54-ouncer but in his prime was at about 40. I held one on
the 54-ouncers in a Hall of Fame exhibit, and it's tough to imagine
swinging it with any speed.
Heavier bats hit the ball farther (look here
for more than you ever wanted to know on the subject), but it's a
tradeoff for bat speed. Even though players are bigger than ever now,
most sacrifice bat size for the confidence they can catch up to a
100-mph fastball -- and be assured Harper would look a lot different
taking those hacks against Aroldis Chapman
than in a BP setting. I asssume the monster bat is just for show and
the 34-ounce models shown later in the video are his game bats.
(Also, in case you were curious, the bible verse Harper has engraved on
his bats, Luke 1:37, reads "With God nothing shall be impossible.")
Alright. This may be a blanket statement but I'm just gonna go ahead and say that if you are a fan of any particular MLB organization, then you overvalue their prospects. It's just what we do.
Let's take a look at a Blue Jay specific example: J.P. Arencibia
He was selected in the 1st round, 21st overall, in the 2007 Amateur Draft. Entering the 2010 season, really smart people were writing shit like this about Arencibia. His supporters will quickly point out that he had 2 surgeries - one on his eyes and another on his kidney - which were clearly necessary and allowed him to regain his form.
He will be 25 years old when the 2011 season begins and it now appears like he will get a legit shot at cracking the active roster.
Here are his stats as a pro courtesy of Baseball Reference (notice the dip in 2009, then the resurgence in 2010)
422 AB 53 R 101 H 29 2B 1 3B 23 HR 59 RBI 28 BB 92 SO .240 BA .291 OBP .474 SLG .765 OPS
This tool takes a body of work from a specific level in the Minors and converts it as though that body of work happened in the Majors. How accurate is it? Who knows.
Now, I'm not going to base an entire argument on this conversion but I think it helps to put things into perspective. A monster MVP type year in Las Vegas is not really worth getting all that worked up about.
Don't get me wrong, Arencibia clearly has power. And it looks like his power will play in the big leagues. Anyone who was lucky enough to watch his totally unreal MLB debut will tell you, he is ready.
What those same people won't tell you is he had just 1 hit for the rest of the year. Obviously he wasn't playing regularly and if I remember correctly when he did start, it always seemed to be against pretty good pitchers.
Matsuzaka
Buchholtz
Haren
Gonzalez
Price
Lester
King Felix
CC
Blackburn
So what is it that I'm trying to say? Here goes:
J.P. Arencibia may end up being a serviceable Major League catcher someday. But it will be how he plays behind the dish that will ultimately determine that. And it's probably gonna take a while till we figure that out.
By the time we do a couple of our other prospects, most notably Travis d'Arnaud and Carlos Perez, will likely be ready to take their respective shots. I would put A.J. Jimenez in that conversation as well.
Let's throw those 3 players numbers at their respective levels into the mighty Minor League Equivalency Calculator and see what comes out.
His injury shortened / 2 time All Star 2010 season in the pitcher friendly Florida State League had it happened in the big leagues, would have looked like this:
271 AB 23 R 52 H 15 2B 1 3B 4 HR 24 RBI 2 SB 1 CS 13 BB 70 SO .194 BA .239 OBP .296 SLG .535 OPS
Midwest League to MLB conversation, which ends up being remarkably similar to d'Arnaud:
272 AB 19 R 58 H 14 2B 0 3B 2 HR 29 RBI 11 SB 5 CS 10 BB 66 SO .214 BA .246 OBP .290 SLG .536 OPS.
Unfortunately Carlos Perez only made it as far as the New York Penn League and the Minor League Equivalency calculator doesn't do short seasons.
These 3 young guys are all known as solid defensive catchers. But they all are at least 2 or 3 full seasons away from being seriously considered for the big leagues. Look for d'Arnaud to start in New Hampshire, Jimenez to stay in Dunedin and Perez to get the bulk of the reps in Lansing.
Point being catcher is clearly a position of strength for the organization.
Is J.P. Arencibia the most ready? For sure.
Is he the best we have? Maybe.
Will he bring back the greatest return in a trade? Most likely.
Will his value ever be higher? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
That's the real question I want to address. Let's just say that J.P. gets his well deserved shot in the big leagues and he puts up numbers that are similar to what he is projected to do.
A .250 batting average with a .300 OBP and 20 homers with about 60 RBI. That would be if he got the lion's share of work behind the plate.
My question to you is this: Would his trade value increase or decrease after a season like that?
EASTLAKE, OH – The Lansing Lugnuts (34-36; 70-69) finished the 2010 season with an 11-0 romp over the Lake County Captains (33-37; 77-62), led by four hits apiece from Jake Marisnick and Brad Glenn and a seven-inning, two-hit, shutout performance from starting pitcher Casey Lawrence.
Lake County starter Trey Haley (5-11) lasted only two-thirds of an inning, reached for three runs on two hits, two walks, a wild pitch, and a hit batsman.
The Lugnuts scored four more runs in the fourth inning against reliever Mike Rayl before putting the game away on Randy Schwartz's first home run of the season in the sixth inning.
Lawrence (1-1) cruised from there, allowing only a Chase Burnette infield single and one of two Adam Abraham doubles.
Ryan Tepera pitched the eighth inning and Scott Gracey and Matt Wright combined for the ninth, with Wright striking out Ben Carlson and Dwight Childs to end the season.
The Lugnuts offense combined for 16 base hits in the easy win, half of those provided by McElroy and Marisnick. Schwartz and Oliver Dominguez added a pair of hits each, and leadoff Dominguez scored three runs.
Lansing also stole five bases in the game, two by Marisnick and one each from McElroy, Michael Crouse, and Jon Del Campo.
Here is what Jake had to say on Twitter after the game:
Last game of my first season went good.. Flying home tomorrow.. Had a lot of fun this season and learned a lot
Our boy Jesse caught up with Lugnuts manager Sal Fasano a few days ago. Some of the highlights include:
Sal mentioning the organization having All Stars at the catcher position in every level
Doc having the best sinker he had every seen
A shout out to the Italian fanbase in Toronto
Him owning the White Sox during his playing days
Glowing words for both SS Ryan Goins and C A.J. Jimenez
Sal does say "whether I'm here or not" which leads me to believe he may be making a move this offseason. He may get the opportunity to manage at a higher level next year and it wouldn't be a complete shocker if he ended up in the Majors, perhaps as a pitching coach.
Jesse also caught up with Sal before the season started. They discuss how he ended up getting the job as the manager of the Lugnuts and what it was like to be in spring training as a coach and not a player. Gotta love the singing of God Bless America in the background.
Is this the face of your Toronto Blue Jays next manager? There was this story not too far back.....
Adam Lind, OF, Toronto Blue Jays Swanay: Many were predicting superstardom for Lind after his
breakout 2009 season in which he hit .305 with 35 homers and 114 RBI.
Instead, his 2010 OBP (.297) is less than his 2009 AVG, and he’s hitting
just .230 with 17 homers and 54 RBI. His .280 BABIP is only partly to
blame. Lind’s K% has increased from 18.7% to 25.7%, while his HR/FB
ratio has dropped from 19.8% to 13.3%. He’s swinging at a higher
percentage of pitches outside the strike zone (34.6% vs 24.7%) and
making contact less frequently (66.2% vs 70.5%). Expect a .250 AVG with 6
homers and 22 RBI the rest of the season, which makes his value
equivalent to those of J.D. Drew, Rick Ankiel, and Alex Gordon.
Bill (Galloway, New Jersey): Of the top 50
picks in the 2010 draft class that signed contracts, who do you feel has
the potential to be the biggest sleeper and go far beyond expectations?
Jim Callis: Based on lack of hype and not draft
position (because guys slid for financial reasons), I'll say Jays
righthander Asher Wojciechowski. Plus fastball and slider, should move
quickly.
Great news and a great job by Jim Callis covering the draft this and every year.
McGuire,
meanwhile, is a physically imposing power arm with the type of frame
the Blue Jays targeted in the draft. The 21-year-old features a fastball
in the 90-94 m.p.h. range with a good slider, plus a change and a
curve.
Some have compared him to John Lackey.
"I'm a four-pitch guy," said McGuire. "I do my best to run and
sink (the fastball), sometimes it co-operates, sometimes it doesn't.
"I really try and locate, that's kind of my thing, I'm not going
to overpower anybody but I'm going to locate as good as anybody. I mix
in a curveball and a change-up that are more get-ahead pitches. I'll use
them for strikeouts occasionally, but I'd say my strikeout pitch is my
fastball or my slider."
Some details on Deck's repertoire. Look for him to start his pro career in Lansing next year.
Dickie Thon isn't a flashy defender, but makes all the
routine plays. He has good feet, soft hands and an above-average arm.
His bat is a little inconsistent right now, but he profiles as a good
top-of-the-order hitter. He has gap power and could grow into some home
run power as he continues to fill out and drives more balls. Thon is an
average runner out of the box, but is above-average under way. He has
good baseball instincts and projects to steal 20-30 bases a year.
A decent scouting report on Dickie. The question I got is: How long before he gets moved to 2nd base?
BRIAN ROSE ASKS: Hi Buck, in a Red Sox-Jays game last week, I saw a
Boston pitcher lick his fingers while on the mound and in possession of
the ball. Has the rule been changed to allow this?
BUCK: Brian, the rule has changed a bit regarding a pitcher
going to his mouth on the dirt part of the mound. In years past a
pitcher had to step off the dirt before going to his mouth; now he can
go to his mouth while on the dirt but not on the pitching rubber. The
penalty comes if he doesn't wipe his hand on his uniform before touching
the ball. Not wiping off his hand after going to his mouth will force
the umpire to call a "ball" and the at-bat will continue.
Buck takes some questions and this one caught my eye.
Don't look now but Jose Molina is creeping toward Type B free agent status. May explain why cult hero J.P. Arencibia didn't play as much as expected while here was up in the big leagues.
Now those of you who have followed the Blue Jays closely, based upon TV
ratings, not attendance figures, and the dozens of you who I've met
while on the road, so I know there are a bunch of you, know that the
Blue Jays starters have been knocking on the no-hitter door several
times this season. For the casual fan, here's a list:
The bottom line is that it was yet another complete game one-hitter
by a Blue Jay. Maybe because so many Blue Jays are taking no-hitters
deep into games this year, or maybe because Morrow’s game is so fresh in
my mind, it seems like these one-hitters happen quite often in
Toronto’s history.
With a little help (well, a lot of help actually) from retrosheet.org
and baseball-reference.com I was able to put together a list of
everytime a Jays pitcher has thrown a complete game one-hitter. The
feat has happened on 16 occassions:
2 of the 16 one hitters thrown by Blue Jay pitchers happened this year.
LANSING,
Mich. – The Lansing Lugnuts, in conjunction with
the Toronto Blue Jays, announced Thursday
that
catcher A.J. Jimenezhas been
activated from the 7-day Disabled List and catcher Yan Gomes has
been placed on the 7-day Disabled List retroactive to July 6th.
ACTIVATE:
C A.J. Jimenez, activated from the 7-day
Disabled List
DEACTIVATE:
C Yan Gomes, placed on the 7-day Disabled List
retroactive to July 6th.
A quick look at his stat line suggests he is improving with each season. Take a look at those stolen bases:
Year
Age
Tm
Lg
Lev
Aff
G
PA
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
CS
BB
SO
BA
OBP
SLG
OPS
2008
18
Blue Jays
GULF
Rk
TOR
19
52
47
5
9
2
0
0
5
5
2
3
16
.191
.255
.234
.489
2009
19
Lansing
MIDW
A
TOR
80
294
278
30
73
15
1
3
31
5
2
7
72
.263
.280
.356
.636
2010
20
Lansing
MIDW
A
TOR
50
206
182
28
56
15
0
4
39
15
3
14
39
.308
.356
.456
.812
3 Seasons
149
552
507
63
138
32
1
7
75
25
7
24
127
.272
.306
.381
.687
A (2 seasons)
130
500
460
58
129
30
1
7
70
20
5
21
111
.280
.312
.396
.707
Rk (1 season)
19
52
47
5
9
2
0
0
5
5
2
3
16
.191
.255
.234
.489
Our boy Jesse chats with A.J. early on in the 2010 season:
Jesse then tries to open some eyes on Jays Talk. The A.J. stuff starts at 7:26:
