The Shuttle Shuffle

Looks like we'll get a new rider on the Vegas Shuttle this week, and and another rider who'd probably going to have his flight delayed.

LHSP Brad Mills, who was came into the 2009 camp with a lot of buzz but spent half of last year on the DL, is likely to start Wednesday for the Blue Jays against Baltimore. Mills has been largely off the radar this year but not for lack of effort. Other than an inexplicable loss of control in the month of May, Mills has quietly been very effective in 2010 in a league that is god's gift to hitters.

Hopefully he'll have a better go this time than he did during a brief recall in 2009 during which he got severely pounded in two appearances.

The reason he's up is because Friday's rain out pushed Shaun Marcum's next scheduled start, which would have been that Wednesday game, back a day (two actually since the Jays are off Thursday). By all accounts, this is a one and out spot start (unless the Jays decide to drop someone from the pen or a trade intervenes) which will precipitate a series of moves over the course of three days. After Tuesday's game, Mike McCoy (almost certainly) will be optioned to Vegas for Mills, then on Thursday Mills (almost certainly) will go back and the Jays will recall Travis Snider (this could happen Friday if the Jays want Snider to play in NH Thursday night but I don't see why they would bother with that). Snider, you might recall, had to stay in AA for 10 days which would have made him eligible for recall on Tuesday, but he's going to be a couple of games late now.

It's going to be tough for Mills to get back here as a starter, albeit through no fault of his own, barring more than one injury. The Blue Jays are watching the inning count on Brandon Morrow and to a lesser extent Brett Cecil, but should they need another pitcher there's Marc Rzepczyinski who's nominally ahead of Mills on the depth chart, and there's a goodly number of off days on the remaining schedule. In fact, between tomorrow and August 24, Jays starter project to pitch with at least one extra day's rest in 21 of 26 games.

Then after rosters expand, reports suggest they will go with a six man rotation, and the smart money is assuming that sixth man is Zep. No one will go on 4 days rest after that point. If Mills comes up as a long reliever/depth starter in September, he might get to pitch the last game of the year (which projects right now to be Marcum's last turn) depending on what's at stake.

It's a tough spot for him to be in.

A couple of other pitcher related notes:

• Don't look for Drabek in September - the Jays want to hold him to about 160 IP which he'll almost certainly reach (barring injury) before the end of August.
• Injured RHP Shawn Hill* (a seldom remembered free agent signing) has now dominated the GCL (as a pitcher his age should) 4 times and one would think he'd be pitching for Dunedin soon, since he has about three more turns before his rehab stint has to end. It's not inconceivable the Jays could bump him up through the system in August (assuming continued success) and maybe even give him a September look in Toronto.
• I haven't seen a specific report on what the Jays are targeting as an inning limit on Zach Stewart (who's found his form of late) but he has almost matched his total from last season and if they follow the generally accepted standards, one would assume he has no more than 5 or 6 more starts before they shut him down. Unless they get crafty and shift him to relief.

finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't chime in on potential trades as the deadline approaches. Here's my take on the most discussed names:

Kevin Gregg - the Rockies have shown considerable interest and I hope the Jays make a deal - it's well known I'm no Gregg fan. Expect AA to hold out all the way through Saturday unless the Rox or someone else caves to his demands early;

Scott Downs - the most popular target, I've no idea who ends up with him but it's hard to imagine they will all risk losing him to others. expect the renting team to overpay here (albeit, Downs is perhaps the safest buy on the market). Also, don't be stunned if the stars align properly for the Jays to bring Downs back as a free agent given Downs' strong desire to remain with the team.

On the other hand, if no team pays up Alex knows there are two draft picks waiting for him if Downs signs elsewhere - though it shouldn't be overlooked that as much as Downs likes Toronto, he might just confound predictions and accept arbitration.

Jason Frasor - I'd love to see the Jays get the Mets or some other poorly run organization to bite on Frasor but I've got a bit of a hunch he doesn't get moved.

John Buck - it hurts to move a guy who did everything he was asked to do, but the Jays HAVE to get Arencibia up this year, IMO. He should be a quite valuable comodity as he hasn't slacked up much with the bat yet.

Lyle Overbay - My guess is that he won't get dealt until late August.

Edwin Encarnacion - I know what you are thinking - no one would claim him on waivers so who would trade for him? Well, for one thing, things change (i.e. Detroit's losing two important hitters this weekend) and for another, the Jays can eat salary if need be. Furthermore, Encarnacion is having a better offensive year than you might think. since he came back from the minors he's hitting for an OPS of .816 (which, by the way, parallels his OPS since early April) and he's playing better defense by all reports.
Beyond that, if you go old school and look at his counting stats, they pro-rate to the best totals of his career. He's not going to carry a team on his back for long, but could a team like, well, Detroit, use him to compliment the offense they have? Heck yeah. all that said, his contract does ensure the Jays will likely have the liberty to deal him in August if no team steps up this week.

Any other guy going from the major league squad would be a mild surprise.

Last but not least - is it too late to remind you one more time about the book?




*Edited per correction in the comments. I knew the right spelling on his name - just was an autopilot or something there. but for some reason I'd gotten it into my head he was left-handed. I should have known better but managed to mix it up somehow. corrections are always appreciated.

you may be asking . . .

. . . what the heck is going on?

At least if you are following Bastian and Lott on Twitter, or listening to Mike Wilner. if not, here's the news:

Travis Snider was activated from the DL - and assigned to AA New Hampshire, and this means that he'll have to stay there at least 10 more days (I'm not sure how the injury exception would work on that end - it's possible that if someone in Toronto were injured he could come up sooner).

Shaun Marcum was activated from the DL and Nick green was designated for assignment. For now the jays will go with 13 pitchers.

Marc Rzepczynski will start the third game in KC which will serve to let the Blue Jays skip Brandon Morrow's next start. the Jays are apparently instituting some rotation maneuvering designed to hold down the innings of certain pitchers in order to get them through the end of the season. Morrow is the most innings-challenged pitcher on the roster by a wide margin. So the rotation through the end of the month looks like this:

7/18 - @ Baltimore - Marcum
7/19 - @ K.C. - Cecil
7/20 - @ K.C. - Litsch
7/21 - @ K.C. - Rzepczynski
7/22 - @ Detroit - Romero
7/23 - @ Detroit - Marcum
7/24 - @ Detroit - Cecil
7/25 - @ Detroit - Listch
7/26 - Baltimore - Morrow
7/27 - Baltimore - Romero
7/28 - Baltimore - Marcum
7/29 -
7/30 - Cleveland - Cecil
7/31 - Cleveland - Litsch or Rzepczynski

(notice how neatly that breaks up the LH starters as well? not perfectly but never 3 in a row)

So - what's the implication of all this?

In my opinion, it means that the Jays anticipate some deals being made. A trade could relieve the "extra pitcher" imbalance, open a spot on the roster for Snider, and make room in the bullpen for Zep if the jays want to keep Litsch in the major league rotation. More than one trade (quite possible) provides even more manuvering.

That's not to say that managing Morrow's innings isn't a legitimate concern, it is, but it is smart roster management to take advantage of the current opportunity to make a payment on that account.
As for Snider, he's on a 2/26 streak right now, which shouldn't be the case against AA pitching. either his wrist is really affecting his swing, or, more likely given the eyewitness descriptions of his recent work, he's let the circumstances get into his head some again and he's pressing mightily. Hopefully he'll take a breath and realize what's really going on here.

there's two weeks until the deadline, and there are almost certainly going to be multiple Blue Jays leaving town in that time. Maintaining maximum flexibility right now is well advised. It would be a fascinating fortnight.

The price is indeed right.

Well alrighty then!

Alex Anthopoulos opened the trading season this afternoon with a bang, by completing a deal with the Atlanta Braves which you all know the details of by now. Let me give you my take on it, because I know you are just dying to know, am I right?

Alex Gonzalez: Of course we know he's a really good defender, albeit past his prime, but he's 33, he will get hot for a little stretch of 2 or 3 weeks and then disappear for 5 or 6 weeks. He's very streaky on a team with no offensive margin for error and he's hitting the very best he ever will (over the course of the whole season so far). If he had stayed here it was a virtual certainty he'd have dropped off tremendously with the bat over the rest of the season. Most of all, he was never going to be part of the Contending Team of the Future (CTF) and thus, as I've written before here and in the book, he's the very definition of a guy you can move.

Yunel Escobar: (whom I hearby dub "Y-Es") is, of course, the prize for the Jays.
First, he's six years younger than Gonzo.
Second, he has three more years of control after this year.
Third, coming into this season he was considered one of the most valuable guys who might conceivably be available.
Fourth, he is emotional, cocky, flamboyant - a lot of the things this "plain" teams needs.
Fifth, guys with "underachieving" labels often go to the next level after a trade (see Rios, Alex)
Sixth, AA reminds us that they said a lot of the same things about Jose Bautista in Pittsburgh as was said about Escobar in Atlanta.
Seventh, he has demonstrated defensive excellence and a history of quite good hitting particularly in the realm of OBP - he could lead off (despite not being a speed burner) and he could certainly hit second. He HAS been awful at making contact this year, but so have Aaron Hill and Adam Lind and none of us entertain much illusion that they suddenly lost their talent.
Eighth, Cito, for all his faults, does have something of a reputation for unlocking the star potential inside a difficult player (the eventual bailing on Rios notwithstanding).
Ninth, there are a ton of mitigating factors concerning the personality issues around him. Every clubhouse has a "culture" that starts with the manager and if you don't fit you don't fit. AA implies in an interview on the Fan590 that Bautista may well act as a mentor to Escobar which is something he didn't have in Atlanta. The complaints about him do not, in my view, say "head case" or "space cadet" so much as a guy who was simply caught up in a culture clash.

All in all, there are plenty of reasons to like the risk of switching from Gonzo to Esco. All that said, if you listen to Keith Law on the Fan, he's not really impressed with Esco at all. I don't mean to try to say I know better than Law, but he did say his bat was "all batting average" which is objectively not true (his OBP argues against that claim) so I'll take law with a grain of salt on this.

Jo-Jo Reyes: Big lefty, 25 years old, so-so control, had good K rates until 2009. He's gone backwards and unless they think they could turn him into a quality reliever, he'll likely not be much of a factor.

Tim Collins: We all know what we love about Collins. we're almost all convinced he's gonna make it to the majors and be at least ok. But, as with the League deal - if you can improve your team and the cost is giving up a reliever, even a good reliever, you do it.

Tyler Pastornicky: A lot of Jays fans love Pastornicky even to the point of calling him potentially our best SS prospect. He's NOT. He's a bigger, though not necessarily more talented, David Eckstien. At best. Keith Law said what you'd really like to have is TP's passion and baseball smarts and Esco's physical tools in one guy and you'd have a really good player. But he doesn't have that physical talent. That said, if he has a future it's almost certainly in the NL. For me, he's a Ryan Freel type, though with an Orlando Hudson ceiling. Given the fact that our farm system still has Hechaverria, Jackson, Goins, Pierre and Thon in the system at SS, he was entirely expendable.

So the sum total is you trade a rental player a reliever and a likely future utility infielder (and that probably 4 years from now) for a guy who MIGHT be one of the better shortstops in the majors. that's a deal you have to make.

Also during the law interview, fill-in host Jeff Blair asked about the Jays international free agent signings and the overall effort to restock the system (and law brings up the draft strategy as well). There's a ton of meaty stuff there.

• He called Adonis Cardonas an upper first round potential guy;
• Repeated his reporting that Dicky Joe Thon will sign and also said talented lefty Griffin Murphy will sign at the deadline. He also said Aaron Sanchez was a first round talent.
• He never got around to commenting on the other international signing.

One final note on the fallout from this trade - look for either Ryan Goins or Justin jackson to be promoted to Dunedin to fill Pastornicky's spot. while I still love J-Jack - i've a hunch it will be the older and more stable Goins.

Looking out at the next few weeks, expect several more deals. there's a lot of buzz around the available relievers and pretty much everyone assumes the Jays HAVE to find a way to get JPA into the major league line-up.

Oh . . . and buy the book!


EDIT: Click here for a great read about Adeiny Hechavarria and his best friend by Morgan Campbell. it's what baseball journalism is all about.

So, here we go

You might notice the photograph at the right of this page - that's a signal the the Trade Deadline Primer is ready for purchase. I confess that this sort of marketing is all new too me so if i sound like an amateur, that's to be expected. I don't have the salesman's flair to sit here and tell you why you should buy this book - I'm still in a bit of shock that I was selected to participate (and the peanut gallery agrees!) but that said, I'm not ashamed of the results that were produced. Beyond the natural hazards of intervening events undermining your speculation (for instance, my mentioning the Rangers as a team that might have an interest in Shaun Marcum) I think that the results were quite satisfying.

I would venture this caveat also - most of my readers are pretty well informed folk. I'm not unaware that, no matter how in depth my analysis, a lot of you already know a lot of what I wrote about the Jays. I don't know any way around that dilemma, but I would also point out that even if that's true, you will likely still benefit a good bit from gaining a similar insight into the other 29 teams, as their fans will hopefully gain some insight into the Blue Jays.

In any case, I'm not above a direct plea, both for the income and the visibility, I hope that you do buy a copy of this book, and I hope that you enjoy it. And beyond that, if you do, I hope you will suggest it to others. After all, it's actually been proofread!

Here's the link where you can buy the e-book:

The Southpaw's Blue Jays 2010 Trade Deadline Primer

and here's a link where you can download, for free, a quarterbook sample to give you an idea what's inside:

Quarterbook

I'll be spamming some of my friends in the blogosphere about this - hope you guys can overlook a bit of shameless self promotion.

Behold, ye mighty, and tremble

JP Arencibia demands your respect!

The Toronto Blue Jays closest (of many) catching prospect is lighting up las Vegas and the PCL brighter than any casino lights. Fresh from off-season eye surgery (and kidney surgery, by the way) the University of Tennessee prospect is having a break-out year and since the first of June, the 24 year old right-handed hitter has lost his freakin' mind.

skeptics and pessimists caution against over-exuberance, noting the inflationary effects of the PCL. But even when adjusted for that (see the Minor league Equivalency Calculator) Arencibia's stats adjust to pretty much exactly the same stat line that carried incumbent Jays' catcher to the All-Star game.

consider: Here's Buck's current stats:

223 AB, 60 hits, 13 doubles, 13 homers, 4o RBI, 9 BB, 64 SO, .269/.304/.502/.806

Here's JPA's adjusted line (laying aside whether or not i actually agree with the adjustment - I don't, entirely, when it comes to OBP)

293, 74, 21, 1, 16, 41, 17, 67, .254/..295/.491/.786

Keep in mind, that's what would be Arencibia's rookie season against Buck's career year - yes, buck hasn't exactly had a huge career, but it's good enough this year to be among the AL leaders in most offensive categories.

Just for fun, let's run those equivalencies on JP's stats since June 1. since that's only 121 at bats, lets double them so the counting stats are in the same neighborhood as the above numbers:

250, 80, 22, 0, 20, 46, 16, 50, .321/.363/.651/1.014

that's not the actual Las Vegas totals - that's the major league equivalence of what he's done over the last 5 weeks. With all due respect to Buck, it's time to sell high and get the kid up here to suffer whatever growing pains he might encounter NOW.

Speaking of potential trades, the buzz is starting to heat up and the two names most often mentioned are Scott Downs and Shaun Marcum. Downs is widely regarded to have significant value, reflective both of the thin market for his skill set and the fact that he's projected to be a solid "Type A" free agent this winter. Boston has already been nosing around and the Dodgers are said to be shopping for both starting and relief pitching.

Interestingly, especially concerning Marcum, is the fact that the Dodgers and Rangers are both said to be in the market not just for a veteran starter but also both are said to have very little room to add salary. that should make Marcum perhaps the most attractive potential target for both teams and both have quite good minor league depth from which to tempt the Jays.

Look for the Jays to listen on Gregg, Frasor, and Gonzalez as well - assuming there's anything to listen to which there may well be.

***

On an unrelated, but nevertheless interesting, note - the unconfirmed report today, relayed by Keith Law: the long reported signing of Venezuelan pitching prospect Adonis Cardona. You may not have heard of the 16 year old pitcher, who's already 6'4" and brings a fastball that touches 94, but Baseball America rated him the third most valuable prize in this year's free agent sweepstakes. The signing raises some eyebrows because the official rule is that teams may not begin negotiations with international free agents until July 2, but the rumor held that the jays had an agreement with Cardona as far back as May.

***

A personal update - I've been informed that the MLB Trade Deadline Primer should be available for purchase by Sunday night. more info as it becomes available.

Something's coming . . .

I'm excited to be able to give you a heads up about something that will be coming your way next week. I believe it is going to be the start of something big and I hope you will find it of interest.

Let me start by giving you some background information. Last year the guys at TwinsCentric put together an e-book publication they called the Trade Deadline Primer. What they offered to their readers was an in-depth look at the MLB trade deadline with a particular focus on the home-town Twins. They enjoyed surprising success selling the e-book to hundreds of their readers an that succes prompted them to expand the effort to all 30 teams. Every book would include deadline-specific coverage of all 30 teams, and every fan could buy a book with an even more in-depth look at their favorite team. The TwinsCentric crew selected team-specific bloggers from across the continent, choosing writers who knew "their" team as thoroughly as they knew the Twins.

That book - the 2010 Trade Deadline Primer - will be available for purchase and download next week. The Blue Jays content was written by your humble host and I hope that it well represents the high standards that have come to be expected from the Blue Jay Blogging community.

In the coming days, I'll be providing you with links where you can purchase the book via credit card or PayPal ($9.95 USD) and another link where you can preview a quarter-book (1/4 of the content of the whole) for free by providing an e-mail address.

I'm very flattered and humbled to have been invited to participate in this project and I sincerely hope that my friends and readers will find it worth their time and investment. Lest you think this is some low-rent operation, we have confirmed that Rob Neyer of ESPN will be contributing the forward and some of the content will be featured on ESPN.

Watch this space for more news as it becomes available. Oh, and follow the link above to TwinsCentric - these guys are good at what they do and this ain't their first rodeo so you need not fear you are getting an amateurish effort.

Smell the coffee.

It was all well and good to cling to the illusion of contention while the team was winning an unexpected number of games in the first two months. It's all well and good to dream of a slugging offense lasting all year (illusion) or a young pitching staff coming into their own and demanding respect right through to September (reality, but not enough).

But we all knew the June schedule would be a killer and so it has proven to be. And while, last Sunday, we might still have rationalized that we'd come through "Four Weeks of Hell" 10-14 which wasn't entirely embarrassing and what with four easy games against the hapless Indians coming up the team could regain it's footing and be able to look forward to 16 mostly cushy games out of the break.

Needless to say, the last three nights have thrown a big bucket of cold water on those notions. Now to be clear, one obviously shouldn't draw huge conclusions from a small sample like three games but the thing about these three games is that this was supposed to be the course correction where they proved to us that the last four weeks was about strength of schedule, not wheels coming off. It begins to appear that the latter may well be the case.

The Blue Jays collective OPS in June is a mind-numbing .667 - Lyle Overbay's mediocre .757 in June is actually third best on the team behind only Wells and Buck. Beside Hill and Lind's continued struggles, Bautista has been just awful in June, as has Gonzalez and Lewis has also come down closer to his more rational talent level. Good young pitching isn't going to overcome that.

And the thing is, while one may expect Lind and Hill to eventually maybe figure things out, and one can hope that Snider will not be a shell of his former self when he comes back - there's not much hope elsewhere. I believe in Wells, and it's reasonable to think an uptick in Overbay (he's been much better since early May) might offset whatever decline you get from Buck. But gonzo has gone back to being pretty much what he always was, and Bautista has likely already turned back into a pumpkin (albeit not as bad as he was before he started that Half-Season of Heaven) - this isn't a group, overall, that's likely to be a feared offense on a sustained basis, hot streaks aside.

Yes, I think, still, that they will have a pretty good July and beat, for the most part, the teams they are supposed to beat. Romero, Marcum, and Morrow will continue to wow us and Cecil will, I think, find his balance (A lot of the prospects will have us buzzing too, which is completely off topic but still). But ultimately, while the Jays might have a lot of folks wishful thinking with 55 or more wins by the trade deadline, that's gonna be the high point of the season.

I think they will still finish with a win total in the low-to-mid 80's but that's not going to be enough by 10 games or more.

To that end, and I think Anthopoulos surely knows this, the Jays should be neck deep in the trade market as SELLERS. On the block:

John Buck - has been all that and a bag of chips on offense - and so has JP Arencibia in Vegas, and JPA has reportedly much better defense. Sell high on Buck and get the future started;

Lyle Overbay - this will be a tough sell as the market has few buyers here and a lot of possibly available options. seek ye out a team who's having defensive woes at 1B;

Alex Gonzalez - A no-brainer, if you can move him, do it. Bring on Mike Mccoy and lets see if he can be the bridge to Adeiny;

Edwin Encarnacion or Jose Bautista - the latter might get more return, the former is of less need here. EE is not going to get any buyers unless the Jays are willing to eat virtually all of the 2.5 or so remaining on his deal, but the team ought to be exploring how he'd work at another defensive position or something at this point. if Overbay were dealt quickly, Lind at 1B and EE at DH would be a sound experiment.
On the other hand, some foolish team might overpay for Bautista in a classic example of "buying high" - if not, keep him for now until you decide what to do with 3B in 2011 (Emaus is my bet but Jeff Blair writes that isn't what the team things - though I refuse to believe it);

Scott Downs - should get a nice return;

Jason Frasor - may have killed all his value;

Kevin Gregg - I still don't believe, but I fear rival GMs don't either;

Brian Tallet - could succeed in some NL parks, but not helping his value;

Shaun Marcum - I've written on this before...do it only if VERY well compensated, but listen;

With the exception of Marcum, I wouldn't be unhappy if ALL those guys were gone by August 1.

Let's get the shop set up and quit chasing rainbows. Any rational person knew is was going to end - HOW it ended really isn't important.

It's all about the future baby, maybe as early as 2011. But the future is NOT now.

Brandon Morrow Demands Your Attention

Last five games:

34 IP
22 H
5 ER
10 BB
27 K

1.32 ERA
0.92 WHIP

You like Apples?
How 'bout THEM apples?

Want more? If we set aside that unfortunate 1 2/3 IP in Boston, his ERA since April 19 would be 2.95 and moreover, since that episode in Boston his BB/9 is a very praiseworthy 2.94 (in 8 starts).

There's been some discussion about based on John Hyman's report that the Jays might trade pitching in July (no surprise) and that among those potentially shopped would be Shaun marcum which has produced consternation in some quarters, even with some suggesting Marcum was more to be extended than to be traded in their opinion. I personally disagree. Unless the Jays seriously think they can seriously contend this year and next, you have to see what the market for Marcum is, as much as we love him. With Rick-Ro pitching like a true ace, and Morrow and Cecil proving they are forces to be reckoned with, we have to seriously consider that Marcum, as good as he is, is not the future Ace of this team.

Don't get me wrong, I'm speaking here of a big payday, not just shoving him aside. But in terms of building for the future, the guy who needs to be hit up for a contract extension this fall is not Marcum, but Morrow.

Midseason Master List

Let's be frank, shall we? EVERY prospect list is highly subjective, fraught with bas and objectivity issues, and if not provided by a deeply staffed professional organization like Baseball America, is hindered by lack of complete data. Even the best of scouts don't see every player all that much and have to rely on the reports of others. The further removed one is from that process the more "hands" an opinion potentially passes through before someone like me gets the filtered out results.

Looking at statistics is very helpful, especially if one has done so over the course of enough time to identify trends and spot anomalies and consider things like splits and so forth. Adjustments in opinions have to be made for things like age and experience, injuries, organizational focus (i.e., for instance, Kevin Aherns being asked to stop switch hitting or Kenny Wilson being ask to start, or pitchers being told to focus on developing a specific secondary pitch) which brings you back around to being dependent on the quality of the info you are getting.

So what follows is simply my personal distillation of the information I pick up from more reliable sources, mixed with my own secret recipe of bias, intuition, and speculation. I'd feel worse about that if I didn't know that 95% of all the other prospect lists you are likely to read are spiced with a similar recipe.

I've broken this list up into tiers - I feel more strongly about who's in what tier than I do about the numerical ranks within the given tiers. the further from #1 you get, the more interchangeable the players within any given tier are. Everyone from yesterday's list will be included except the one or two that were largely factitious, plus one bonus guy who we don't actually have yet just because I want to get him on a list before the fall.

Obviously, no team has ever had 80 legitimate prospects, in fact, in any given farm system at any given time there are ulikely to be even 20 guys who actually have respectable major league careers. the problem is, you never know which 20 they are. I think though, that I've included every player in our system who has even a remote shot at that kind of success, with the disclaimer that I really can't say anything about the great majority of the DSL guys, or the late round draftees.

1. Kyle Drabek - RHP, will fint nicely between Rick-Ro and Cecil
2. Brett Wallace - 1B, could hit like Lind?
3. Adeiny Hechavarria - SS, great D, potentially impressive bat
4. Henderson Alverez - RHP, all he needs is time and continued health. Give him 2,3 more years.
5. Zach Stewart - RHP, Can start, might fit our team best as powerful closer?
6. Marc Rzepchinski - LHP, when a guy this good may have to fight for a spot, you are doing well.

7. JP Arencibia - C, John Buck, 2.0 - now with defense!
8. Travis d'Arnaud - C, For some reason, i keep thinking "McCann" with this guy.
9. Brad Emaus - 3B/2B . . . could be classic 2 hole hitter. Pedroia skill-set with less power?
10. Moises Sierra - RF, still developing bat, unbelievable RF arm and solid flycatching.
11. Adam Loewen - RF, Yes. He's this good. I can't prove it yet but wait and see.
12. Aaron Sanchez - RHP, no one else is listing him this high, but I think his ceiling is up there
13. Chad Jenkins - RHP, more likely to reach his ceiling, and faster, than Sanchez
14. Deck McGuire* - RHP, Ditto (still unsigned)
15. Carlos Perez - C, was lavished with praise in off-season.
16. Antonio Jimenez - C, has been lavished with praise THIS season, excelling in Lo-A at 20.
17. Gustavo Pierre - SS, get comparisons to very good players, may grow into 3B
18. Tim Collins - LHRP, does the impossible, routinely.
19. Brian Jeroloan - C, always had outstanding D, now the bat is impressing too.
20. Mike McDade, 1B, Cecil Fielder 2.0?

21. Jake Marisnick - CF, we haven't seen him play yet, but a lot of great clippings
22. Eric Thames - LF, if this guy could play CF, and stay healthy, he'd be top 10.
23. Tyler Pastornicky - SS, holding his own in the FSL at 20
24. Justin Jackson - SS, leap of faith that he can get past injuries and develop
25. Josh Roenicke - RHRP, why can't he bring control to the majors? Mental block?

26. Brad Mills - LHP, just too many high ceiling SP about for him to get a real chance here
27. Danny Farquhar - RHRP, marvelously unorthodox and thus intriguing
28. Trystan Magnuson - RHRP, Mr. Dependable
29. Asher Wojciechowski - RHP, considered a bit of a steal, may not get a lot more IP this year
30. Adonis Cardona* - RHP, just based on the bonus they are reportedly paying

31. John Tolisano - 2B/3B, Need longer spell of success before at plate before I buy in completely
32. Griffin Murphy* - LHP, unsigned as yet - got a lot of praise
33. Marcus Kenect - OF, starting a high schooler at Auburn is a big compliment.
34. Devy Estrada - LHP, my pet project . . . I think others will be calling his name soon.
35. Noah Syndergaard - RHP, like 3 above and others, could shoot up the list once established
36. Shawn Bowman - 3B, a bit of an "out of nowhere" story at this point
37. Scott Campbell - 2B, health a serious issue
38. Ryan Goins - SS, among most impressive hitters in Lansing
39. Dicke Joe Thon* - SS, may not sign, AA called him "a first round talent"
40. Darin Mastorianni - CF, i keep thinking "Scott Podsednick"

41. Chris Lubanski - LF, might not have a place to play, needs a chance
42. Mark Sobolewski - 3B, old for previous level, will get better test now
43. Sean Ochinko - 3B/C, versatility will carry him if he hits some
44. Alan Farina - RHP, dominating, needs a higher level of competition now
45. Kevin Aherns - 3B, we'll have to see how the experiment goes
46. Bobby Bell - RHP, there has to be a reason why he's struggling so.
47. K.C. Hobson - 1B/LF, soon well see if he lives up to pretty good clippings
48. David Cooper - 1B, a mystery what's taking him so long to pull it together
49. Kenny Wilson - CF, raw, and learning to switch, needs lots of time
50. Sam Dyson* - RHP, unsigned, bedeviled by injury but great tools

51. Kris Bryant* - SS/3B, hard to sign, highly praised, could shoot up list if he signs
52. Wellinton Ramirez - RF, interesting player but BB/K ratio is UGLY right now.
53. Yan Gomes - C, how does he ever climb such a deep depth chart?
54. Randy Boone - RHP, marginal guy but gets the most out of it
55. Kellen Sweeney* - SS/3B - compared favorably to brother, could rise fast - unsigned
56. Chris Hawkins - SS/3B - Ditto, except the unsigned thing
57. Justin Nicolino* - LHP, based solely on draft position here.
58. Luis Perez - LHP, could be a Brian Tallet sort
59. Chuck Huggins - LHP, my gut is that he'll hit a ceiling before he hits the majors
60. Egan Smith - RHP, could rise fast if he does so well against player his age

61. Jarret Huffpuair - 2B/3B, marginal guy who better savor his 15 minutes
62. Brian Dopirak - 1B, needed to bolt from the gate in AAA and didn't. Next Ruiz?
63. Bobby Ray - RHP, if he could ever get healthy, could help a pen alal Pete Walker
64. Drew Hutchinson - RHP, could shoot up chart if he impresses
65. Daniel Webb - RHP, ditto
66. Dustin Antolin - RHRP, sidelined by TJ
67. Brad McElroy - OF, old for his level
68. Joel Cerrano - RHP, lots of K's, inconsistent elsewhere
69. Marcus Brisker - CF, like Kenny Wilson, only even more raw
70. Balbino Fuenmayor - 1B, still quite young but needs to step up
71. Jon Talley - C/1B - in an thinner organization (at his position) he'd have a better shot
72. Ryan Schempf - 2B, will take a lot of work and dedication, but it's a thin position
73. Santiago Nessy - C, just too soon to say yet for one so young
74. Ronald Uviedo - RHP, under the radar for now.
75. Mike McCoy - SS, if he can convince the Jays, he'll have a couple of years in the sun.
76. Kyle Ginley - RHP, has to get healthy first.
77. Eric Eiland - Cf, clock is ticking louder all the time
78. Evan Crawford - LHP, impressed early, has slumped badly since mid-May
79. Ray Gonzalez - RHP, probably reached his ceiling
80. John Jaspe - fringe MLB guy in a weak organization, at best

HM: Sean Henn, Rommie Lewis, Kenny Rodriguez, Andrew Liebel, Kyle Phillips

Mid-Season Prospectapalooza!

It's roughly mid-season for the upper level teams, and the short season teams are just getting started, so as promised, I have a two day binge of prospect porn for your consideration. Rather than pad what will already be massive posts, I'll just tell you what's in store and then get to it.

Tonight, I'm going to re-rank the players by position. Tomorrow night, I'll rank an overall list which will stretch quite possibly to 80 names. Both posts will include 2010 draftees (purely on clippings and speculation and will presume the signing of every unsigned player above the sixth round and one other guy (along with those who are signed from a lower slot already). I ask your understanding that players who haven't played yet this year (or in a few cases, at all) are ranked based on more projection/assumption/P.I.O.O.M.A. than others on the list.

Also, the tendency for prospect geeks is to over-react to a slump or streak and adjust the list too much and too quickly. I tried to avoid that unless there's a larger trend in play.

Catchers:
(The premium position among Jays offensive prospects)

1. JP Arencibia - probably not the highest ceiling, but he's almost arrived and thus has fewer hurdles left to overcome.
2. Travis d'Arnaud - same song in a lesser key, the next two guys are studs but d'Arnaud is more advanced.
3. Carlos Perez - not going to dismiss the off-season praise due to the excellent start of...
4. Antonio Jimenez - really getting a lot of buzz among Jays watchers.
5. Brian Jeroloman - on pure physical talent he goes here, but he might be the most likely of the bunch to reach his ceiling.
6. Yan Gomes - dropped off some lately, edges out here because of reports regarding defense
7. Jon Talley - big guy, may not stay behind the plate, has intriguing bat.
8. Santiago Nessy - very young and very raw.
9. Jon Jaspe - buried on the depth chart but MIGHT be the sort that surfaces in the majors with someone.

First Base:

1. Brett Wallace - lot of over-reaction to recent slump about, including those who "knew all along" he wasn't a big deal, but he's a fairly big deal.
2. Mike McDade - Big Mike has found his stroke this year and is punishing the ball.
3. KC Hobson - pure speculation combined with the continuing struggles of...
4. David Cooper - shows occasional flashes but far more rarely than he should.
5. Brian Dopirak - was removed from the 40 and no other team claimed him. That's a wake up call concerning how professionals view him.
6. Balbino Fuenmayor - Still young but taking a long time to figure it out.
7. John Delgado - I know nothing about him, he's on the DSL team. But how can you not pay attention to a Delgado?!

Second Base:
(tricky to rank because of fluidity among infielders moving among positions)

1. John Tolisano - seems to have figured things out in the last six weeks or so. Still probably won't end up at second if he makes the majors but this is where he has the most experience.
2. Scott Campbell - Hip injury could be career killer, but if he can take the field his bat must be respected.
3. Jarrett Huffpauir - not really a prospect, but tearing up AAA with everything but power and he's close enough to pay some attention to.
4. Ryan Schimpf - Marginal guy, behind not only those above him but a few other guys who are now playing another position. Still, he's the sort who could fight his way to the majors and stick around a few years on determiniation maybe.

Third Base:

1. Brad Emaus - moved up to AAA and took just a game or two to start pounding opposing pitchers. He insists you take hm seriously.
2. Shawn Bowman - waiver claim at first thought by fans (at least by me) to be filler (sort of like Dopirak) but the 25 year old is raking in AA and turning heads.
3. Mark Sobolewski - thouse who have seen him play suggest caution, pointing to his age for his level. But the crop really thins fast at third.
4. Sean Ochinko - versitle guy, could be ranked as a catcher but he fares better in this group. Again, you really won't know what you have until he preforms at a higher level.
5. Kevin Aherns - was sent back to Lansing to adjust to dropping switch-hitting (he was much better from one side than the other) - still too early to tell if that will rescue his career.
6. Kris Bryant - power potential give him very slight edge over two fellow draftees in 2010. Has been called "young Troy Glaus" by some.
7. (tie) Kellen Sweeney & Chris Hawkins - shortstops who project to shift to third, some would rank all three of these ahead of Aherns and possibly Ochinko right now. Some would rank Bryant third in fact.

Shortstops:

1. Adeiny Hechavarria - extended slump may worry some, but too highly regarded to ignore.
2. Gustavo Pierre - all projection and assumption here based on reports - may well shift to 3B if Adeiny thrives.
3. Tyler Pastornicky - health gives him the edge over...
4. Justin Jackson - I still believe, but if Hechevarria works out both of these guys may find themselves groomed at 2B as well.
5. Ryan Goins - older and should be more advanced than the previous two, but stuck behind them on the depth chart. Said to play above his actual talent level.
6. Dicke Joe Thon - might bebetter than Goins right now but since he may not sign...
7. Mike McCoy - lowest ceiling here, perhaps, but very close and Jays think if he can play major league defense he might be the bridge to Adeiny.

Outfield:
(looks deep but covers all three spots)

1. Moises Sierra - has been injured all season, but RF defense and potentially solid bat are still there.
2. Adam Loewen - I'll take some grief for this but he's blossomed over the last couple of months into the player the Jays and others thought he could become. Still unpolished in the outfield but dedicated and you have to assume he has the arm for RF.
3. Jake Marisnick - the CF hasn't played a pro game yet but he gets so much love from those who observe that it must mean something.
4. Eric Thames - has a real solid bat that gets better as he finally has a healthy season (so far). though he's slumped lately he's added power to his game this year. Would rank higher but for defensive questions.
5. Marcus Kenect - 2010 draftee, I base this almost entierly on the fact that the jays thought the HS outfielder was ready to start in Auburn just a week or so after signing.
6. Darin Mastorianni - Reed Johnson style guy, by all reports.
7. Chris Lubanski - may not really have a place to play in Toronto, and still has some bad ratios, but a guy with his pedigree tearing up the PCL deserves at least a nod, because he's in AAA and doing it.
8. Kenny Wilson - learning to switch hit, take batting stats with a lot of salt.
9. Wellinton Ramirez - could arguably rank as high as fifth on this list.
10. Brad McElroy - too old for the level, proceed with caution
11. Marcus Brisker - saw raw he moos when you stick a fork in him. What? Nevermind. Has done nothing yet but has time.
12. Eric Eiland - like Brisker only with less time, he's two years older (though still only 21).


Starting Pitchers:

1. Kyle Drabek - when looking at the stats of Jays top starting prospects this year, keep in mind two things (a) variable defense, particularly when the pitcher induces a lot of grounders; and (b) the Jays have instructed some pitchers to focus on developing certain pitches which they will throw in order to work on the pitch, no matter if it's not their best one. Every report says Drabek is on course. I think they might venture him to AAA in August.
2. Henderson Alvarez - confidence may be the only thing standing in his way. His coaches say if he has a bad inning he tends to fall apart. Otherwise he has a huge future. Probably won't move up since he's so young.
3. Zach Stewart - the Jays' depth is such that despite all protestations, Stewart might end up the closer. But he's shown flashes of why he's so highly praised.
4. Marc Rzepczynski - not actually a prospect in the technical sense, but i don't consider him an established major leaguer. Although that doesn't mean he won't be pretty darn good. He might not have the tools of the first rounders but he's gotten this high so, as with others, there are fewer potential pitfalls between him and his ceiling.
5. Aaron Sanchez - going a bit against the grain here, he's further away than the college guys but has a higher ceiling potentially.
6. Chad Jenkins - doing everything the Jays have asked and building an impressive ratio, albeit a college guy is a bit old for the league. One assumes he'll get promoted at some point.
7. Deck McGuire - said to be quite similar to Jenkins.
8. Brad Mills - lower ceiling than most here, better chance to reach it, particularly if he ends up in the NL.
9. Asher Wojciechowski - has a lot of innings already this year, could rise fast (like McGuire is expected to) starting next year.
10. Griffin Murphy - considered a bit of a steal (as were several of this year's picks) at that position.
11. Devy Estrada - Dominated the DSL at 17, almost no one has heard of him but that might change.
12. Noah Syndergaard - hard to get a read on the late risers but the Jays love him.
13. Bobby Bell - having a rough year, eventually a reliever I expect, especially in THIS organization.
14. Sam Dyson - extensive injury history but highly praised.
15. Randy Boone - no name or reputation but was having a very impressive year until he was hurt.
16. Luis Perez - I'm not a big believer, his AA manager expects him to relieve in the majors if he makes it.
17. Chuck Huggins - probably one of those guys who doesn't translate well to upper levels.
18. Egan Smith - had done well so far, we'll have to see what happens as he moves up.
19. Bobby Ray - can't stay healthy.
20 (tie) - Drew Hutchenson & Daniel Webb - 2009 draftees, got a lot of positive press last year but just starting their pro careers this month.
22. Joel Cerrano - lots of K's, needs to figure a few things out to move up.
23. Evan Crawford - flashes but very little data so far.
24. Ray Gonzalez - AA stuff hasn't translated to AAA
25. Andrew Liebel - hasn't taken step up that he needs to be noticed.

Relief Pitchers:

1. Tim Collins - When are they going to start calling this guy "The Freak"? It's not supposed to be possible to do what he does.
2. Josh Roenicke - if he ever manages to bring his control with him when he comes north, he'll be special.
3. Danny Farquhar - perhaps not a massive physical talent but has a very deep bag of tricks.
4. Trystan Magnuson - the opposite of Collins in everything but success. Tall lanky guy isn't a power pitcher but he went eight weeks (actually pitching) without giving up a single run.
5. Alan Farina - older relievers at lower levels don't often get a lot of regard but he does.
6. Dustin Antolin - sidelined by TJ - has some intriguing tools.
7. Ronald Uviedo - being used as a starter out of necessity, most comments suggest he is best suited to be a reliever.
8. Kyle Ginley - can't stay healthy, might yet start if he could.

That's 81 names! Have any suggestions (besides DSL guys) for players I missed? I'll attempt a ranking tomorrow unless hindered.

Meet Your Auburn Doubledays!

Prospect geeks, assemble!

Finally - on the day that play begins in Auburn for the Jays Rookie league entry in the NY/Penn League, the Auburn Doubledays roster is public - albeit not entirely up to date. Here's the roster from the link above:

20	Zach Anderson	P	R	R	6' 0"	195	10-20-1986	Active	No
31	Scott Gracey	P	R	R	6' 2"	190	10-15-1986	Active	No
18	Shawn Griffith	P	R	R	5' 10"	180	05-24-1987	Active	No
30	Juan Hernandez	P	L	L	6' 0"	180	10-25-1987	Active	No
10	Andrew Hutchison	P	L	R	6' 2"	165	08-22-1990	Active	No
	Casey Lawrence	P	R	R	6' 2"	170	10-28-1987	Active	No
	Dayton Marze	P	R	R	6' 2"	185	01-01-1989	Active	No
39	Leandro Mella	P	L	L	6' 4"	190	05-05-1990	Active	No
9	Zach Outman	P	R	R	6' 2"	180	12-29-1987	Active	No
	Drew Permison	P	R	R	5' 10"	170	02-24-1989	Active	No
8	Egan Smith	P	L	L	6' 5"	200	03-16-1989	Active	No
34	Sam Strickland	P	L	L	6' 5"	210	06-09-1987	Active	No
22	Daniel Webb	P	R	R	6' 3"	210	08-18-1989	Active	No

Catchers (click column headers to sort)
#	Name	Pos	Bat	Thw	Ht	Wt	DOB	Status	MLB 40-man
27	Joseph Bowen	C	S	R	6' 1"	190	09-25-1987	Active	No
44	Jack Murphy	C	S	R	6' 4"	235	04-06-1988	Active	No
3	Carlos Perez	C	R	R	6' 0"	193	10-27-1990	Active	No

Infielders (click column headers to sort)
#	Name	Pos	Bat	Thw	Ht	Wt	DOB	Status	MLB 40-man
23	Lance Durham	1B	L	R	5' 11"	210	02-20-1988	Active	No
24	Yudelmis Hernandez	1B	R	R	6' 4"	205	05-18-1987	Active	No
7	Oliver Dominguez	2B	S	R	5' 9"	156	04-23-1989	Active	No
11	Jonathan Fernandez	2B	S	R	6' 0"	175	09-17-1987	Active	No
6	Matthew Nuzzo	3B	R	R	6' 0"	205	03-18-1987	Active	No
21	Randy Schwartz	3B	R	R	6' 4"	235	01-25-1986	Active	No
25	Matt Johnson	IF	R	R	6' 3"	210	05-26-1988	Active	No
2	Gustavo Pierre	SS	R	R	6' 2"	183	12-28-1991	Active	No

Outfielders (click column headers to sort)
#	Name	Pos	Bat	Thw	Ht	Wt	DOB	Status	MLB 40-man
17	Yeico Aponte	RF	L	L	6' 2"	190	12-17-1988	Active	No
15	Markus Brisker	CF	R	R	6' 3"	210	08-21-1990	Active	No
19	Marcus Knecht	OF	R	R	6' 1"	200	06-21-1990	Active	No
28	Stephen McQuail	OF	R	R	6' 2"	225	06-10-1989	Active	No
14	John Roberts	LF	L	L	6' 1"	215	07-24-1986	Active	No

You can add to that the name of 2010 draft pick Asher Wojciechowski.

My guess is Woj, Smith, Webb and Hutcheson will be starters - I'm uncertain who the fifth guy is.

The hitters to watch here are mainly Perez and Pierre. Beyond that, Kenect, Aponte, Durham, and Brisker are players with interesting potential.

Among highly picked players who haven't been assigned yet which may be assumed to be bound for the GCL team (supposedly to be announced tomorrow) are 1b/OF KC Hobson and CF Jake Marisnick from 2009, and as yet unsigned players from the 2010 draft like Kelin Sweeney, Dicke Joe Thon and others - assuming they sign. Albeit some unsigned college players will be added to the Auburn roster when they sign I'm sure.


On an unrelated note....there's an unconfirmed report about that the Jays have signed Nick Green and that he's expected to join the major league roster which, if true, surely means Mike McCoy is bound for Vegas.

News from the Farm

This is a totally random collection of things having to do with Jays' prospects and draftees gathered from various places around the web, mainly because I'm impatient to save these tidbits until the end of the month minor league report.

Item: According to Marc Hulet at Batter's Box, the Jays will announce the Auburn roster on Wednesday, and the GCL Blue Jays roster on Saturday. I'm sure lots of speculation will be addressed by this revelation;

Item: Trystan Magnuson gave up a run in his last appearance. What makes this newsworthy is that it's the first time in eight weeks in which that has happened;

Item: Tim Collins is back on track. He has a 2.03 ERA over his last 10 appearances after having struggled a bit over the first three weeks of May;

Item: Adam Loewen is getting more and more notice as a legitimate prospect (see an article on that subject here). Remember he's only in his second year as a professional hitter, discount him at your peril;

Item: Kevin Ahrens has gone to Lansing while Mark Sobolewski comes up to take his place in Dunedin and both trips were well earned. Of note here is that the Jays have told Aherns to abandon switch hitting and work from the right side only (he had a .267 BA as a RH hitter which is remarkable given the overall average of .168);

Item: Last year's first pick, Chad Jenkins, has a K/BB rate over 5:1

Item: JP Arencibia is hitting .351 in June with a 1.211 OPS;

Item: inconsistent Zach Stewart has a 2.78 ERA over his last six starts, five of which were solid outings.

Item: John Tolisano has spent the last couple of weeks putting himself back on the prospect map by hitting .432 in June. Sample size cautions apply.

Item: Moises Sierra was almost back from his original injury when he hurt his wrist while rehabbing. he's out indefinitely. Also, Scott Campbell, the Kiwi sensation of 2008 is sidelined by a pretty serious hip injury and the Jays have no clue when he'll be back (it wasn't said "if ever" but that's my gut feeling);

Item: The Jays have signed 4 of their first nine draft picks, and 2 (or 3?) from the lower rounds. The four higher round players are Syndergaard, Murphy, Hawkins and Kenecht. Also, it's reported that second rounder Justin Nicolino and Supplemental round pick Aaron Sanchez are all but locks to sign, and another article expressed confidence that 2nd rounder Kelin Sweeney was an excellent bet to sign. No one seems worried about first rounder Deck McGuire. The first hard sign looks to be fifth rounder Dicke Joe Thon. Eighteenth round steal Kris Bryant (comparisons have been made to a young Troy Glaus) is also said to be expecting a substantial bonus to sign but reports are mixed on whether the Jays are ready to pay the price.

By next weekend we'll be around halfway through the minor league schedule and It's my intention to post a prospect ranking at that point which will include the results of the 2010 draft as players under consideration, with the caveat that anyone who hasn't played this year in the Jays system can only be assigned a rough ranking based on reports I've seen. i don't know yet how long the list will be but it's my intent to be exhaustive.

Uncle Cito drops another "WTF" bomb

I haven't been over the blog-roll this morning so I don't know whether anyone else has picked up on or commented on this but I just can't resist calling attention to it.

On the Blue Jays official site, they have the news notes for the day yesterday and you can find the post here.

The first blurb is about Overbay's adjustment which has led to his recent quality work at the plate (which is good to hear) and the second tell you what you by-now already know about John McDonald's being put on the bereavement list. But it's the third item which fascinates me. I'll quote it here for your consideration and ask the class to identify what's wrong with it:

David Purcey continues to look strong coming out of the bullpen, and he could become the go-to reliver late in games.

In Wednesday's 10-1 loss to the Rays, the 28-year-old left-hander tossed two scoreless innings after pitching a scoreless frame the night before.

"I tell you, he's probably had just one bad outing since he's been up here" Gaston said. "He's probably had one bad outing all year, including Spring Training. He cut his finger during the spring, and that took away the curveball. He had to just throw fastball, changeup -- and that's been big for him, because now he has that changeup to go to."

In three appearances this season, Purcey has allowed just three hits in four innings, while dealing three strikeouts and no walks.

Did you catch that? Everyone with me? I'm tempted to just assume you are but just in case, I'll point it out:

I tell you, he's probably had just one bad outing since he's been up here" Gaston said. "He's probably had one bad outing all year, including Spring Training. He cut his finger during the spring, and that took away the curveball. He had to just throw fastball, changeup -- and that's been big for him, because now he has that changeup to go to."

The Problem? It wasn't Purcey who cut his finger, it was Cecil.

Insert big-ass eye-roll smilie here.

These are the days of our Cito. Still, as long as they keep winning this stuff becomes nothing but eccentricity, but it does make you wonder.

Anywho, as long as I'm talking about Purcey let me just offer up the totally irrational and based on nothing but personal bias opinion that if I got my wish, Purcey would build up enough of a track record over the coming months that by August he'd be given the closing role and would run away from the pack and lock it down for the coming few years. I'm just attached enough to high draft picks that I hate to see any of them fail or even settle for mediocrity. he was a first rounder, damnit, and I want to see him play a key role. Screw using mediocre imports like Kevin Gregg.