So what do you do when it’s May 1 and your favourite major-league team looks like it’s lost a fight with a cement mixer? You go look at the minor-leaguers, of course, especially since they’re the ones upon whom this franchise is really being constructed. The Blue Jays are rebuilding at every level of the system, and despite the sorry recent results in Toronto, there’s reason for solid optimism for the future.
This is the first in what I hope will be a series of monthly updates on the progress (or lack thereof) of key Blue Jays prospects and other denizens of the organization’s minor-league system. Not all prospects are accounted for, just the ones with notable performances thus far. All stats are current through April 29. Here we go.
AAA Syracuse Skychiefs
International League
The good
Jimmy Alvarez, 2B
46 AB, 6 R, .304/.340/.457, 3 BB, 7 K, 0 HR, 0 SB
Holding his own pretty well so far, Jimmy gives reason to think he could actually improve on this line: he drew 79 walks at AA last year, cracked 8 HRs and stole 20 bases (though granted, he was caught 11 times and struck out in 121 trips to the plate). He still projects as just a utility infielder, but it’s not like the incumbent at second base in Toronto ran away and hid with the job.
Reed Johnson, RF
46 AB, 8 R, .348/.396/.565, 1 BB, 6 K
That must sting, huh? Finally promoted to the big leagues, you play solid baseball for your 20 minutes in a Toronto uniform, and you get sent right back down again. Johnson is scrapping hard to return to the majors: his OBP results from four HBPs (against a solitary walk). He’s a perfect fourth OF and is probably better than about a dozen guys currently starting in the majors, and he’ll get his chance. That average will drop, though.
Josh Towers, RHP
5 G, 5 GS, 3.38, 29 IP, 29 H, 7 BB, 16 K
And to think, we all supposed that Syracuse would mop up the International League this year. Josh Towers has been by far the Skychiefs’ best pitcher so far. And frankly, his supporting stats are mediocre: that ERA is going to get launched soon. It’s been an ugly start for the Skychiefs, losing 6 consecutive games to rain and snow at one point. They should all improve, but AA is the hot spot in the farm system right now.
The bad
Corey Thurman, RHP
4 G, 4 GS, 4.50, 20 IP, 21 H, 9 BB, 16 K
Exhibit A in the “They’re Better Than This” case. Thurman got beaten up pretty good in two starts, but otherwise has been very effective, hurling a one-hitter over 6 innings his last time out. He’ll improve that line in a hurry as the weather warms up, and should probably be in Toronto before September.
Vinny Chulk, RHP
4 G, 4 GS, 5.95, 19 IP, 20 H, 11 BB, 11 K
Vinny, meet the Finesse-Pitcher-Destroying AAA Wall. Wall, meet Vinny.
Mike Smith, RHP
4 G, 3 GS, 8.15, 17 IP, 21 H, 10 BB, 8 K
Mike, meet the Six-Year-Free-Agent List. List, meet Mike.
The otherwise notable
Kevin Cash, C
60 AB, 3 R, .250/.297/.317, 3 BB, 11 K, 4 2B, 0 HR
Cash has shown both better power and more patience than this. He should come around, so long as Ken Huckaby’s down there teaching him about catching, not hitting.
Brian Bowles, RHP
11 G, 0 GS, 0.63, 6 Saves, 14 IP, 10 H, 10 BB, 10 K
See, bad organizations, they stop reading after the first four stats. The last four paint a truer picture of one of last season’s Toronto bullpen punching bags.
DeWayne Wise, CF
75 AB, 9 R, .213/.250/.387, 4 BB, 17 K, 4 2B, 3 HR
The window of opportunity is closed, locked, and had the curtains drawn over.
AA New Haven Ravens
Eastern League
The good
Gabe Gross, RF
72 AB, 13 R, .347/.460/.514, 13 BB, 10 K, 2 HR
Now that’s more like it. Gross, who started off his last AA campaign 7-for-71 and struggled to recover his form, is making sure that doesn’t happen again. Through 18 games, his OPS is a sterling 974. The power is coming slowly – 6 doubles and 2 HR – but with his smooth batting stroke, it will indeed come. Gabe recently fouled a ball hard off his foot – the same one he injured last year – but he was okay. Gross is back on track, and should be in Syracuse by July.
Simon Pond, 3B
74 AB, 19 R, .378/.516/.622, 18 BB, 7 K, 7 2B, 3 HR
Wow. The guy’s not a true prospect, not at 26, but a 1.138 OPS is near-impossible to ignore at any level, especially AA. Pond has spent April locked in: twice as many walks as strikeouts in the early going, with solid power. Now keep in mind, he went .284/.357/.479 at Single-A Dunedin last year, so this is out of character, to say the least. If he can keep it up, maybe he could be a throw-in to a July Kelvim Escobar deal. Though at this point, Escobar would be the throw-in to a Simon Pond deal.
Alexis Rios, CF
49 AB, 12 R, .449/.481/.653, 2 BB, 6 K
Speaking of wow. Unlike Pond, Rios is a prospect, but he’s obviously not this good, and an injury has reduced his sample size of at-bats. Two walks in 49 ABs is less than even his usual unimpressive rate, but I’m not gonna rag on a guy hitting .449 here. Rios is an extreme contact hitter, with few strikeouts and fewer walks, and with three doubles, two triples and a homer so far, he’s still developing the power that’s expected. Let’s see what range his numbers settle into when the hot streak ends.
Guillermo Quiroz, C
66 AB, 17 R, .333/.389/.712, 6 BB, 16 K, 7 2B, 6 HR
Are we out of wows yet? I spoke rather dismissively of Quiroz in my pre-season evaluation of the Blue Jays’ minor-leaguers, and he clearly printed out my assessment and pinned it to his locker. Q, I regret dissing you so supremely. But you have to admit, after going .260/.330/.421 at High-A ball last year, your first good season with the bat, your performance thus far is unbelievable. And to be honest, I don’t entirely believe it. As great and commendable as this has been, let’s check back in a month to see how he’s doing.
Jason Arnold, RHP
4 G, 4 GS, 0.77, 23 IP, 11 H, 8 BB, 20 K
In terms of advancement, he’s clearly Toronto’s best pitching prospect. Arnold is doing everything right: the H/IP, K/IP and BB/K ratios are all good in the early going (okay, maybe the command could be a little better, but no biggie). Despite the sterling start, I’d like to see him stay in New Haven a few more months, in order to give him one full year at the AA level. Syracuse by July? Without any doubt.
The otherwise notable
John-Ford Griffin, LF
77 AB, 10 R, .234/.326/.481, 11 BB, 22 K, 7 2B, 4 HR
Replace half those Ks with hits and Griffin would be in the section above. The walks and power look just fine; he’ll pull up the average.
Dominic Rich, 2B
26 AB, 5 R, .269/.387/.308, 4 BB, 3 K
Slowed by a groin injury, but the batting eye is still as sharp as ever. No need for concern.
Cameron Reimers, RHP
4 G, 4 GS, 2.92, 24 IP, 17 H, 5 BB, 18 K
Was battered at AA and AAA last year, but he's throwing darts now. Turns 25 this fall, though.
Rich Thompson, OF
77 AB, 19 R, .338/.402/.364, 4 BB, 8 K, 7 SB, 0 CS
My sentimental favourite prospect, hitting and running the way he does best. Serious July trade bait.
High-A Dunedin Blue Jays
Florida State League
The good
Dustin McGowan, RHP
6 G, 6 GS, 1.97, 32 IP, 22 H, 10 BB, 25 K
Continuing his steady climb up the organizational ladder, former supplementary first-round high-schooler McGowan is showing off good command and allowing fewer hits per inning. His Ks are down slightly, which could just be a sign he’s learning to pitch more economically. He’ll likely be here all season, unless the strikeouts really jump. As solid a pitching prospect as you can get at A-Ball.
David Bush, RHP
6 G, 6 GS, 4.61, 27 IP, 24 H, 4 BB, 23 K
In his first pro experience last year in Auburn (in relief, not starting), Bush blew everyone away (39 Ks in 22 IP), with ordinary control (7 BB). This year in High-A, his strikeouts are down (though still around one per inning), but his control has improved markedly. His ERA is high, but I’m not terribly concerned, not with that outstanding BB/K ratio (4/23). All systems go.
Russ Adams, SS
108 AB, 18 R, .283/.369/.358, 12 BB, 11 K, 5 SB, 1 CS
In his first full season of professional ball at the High-A level, Adams is holding his own. The BA and OBP are fine, though the power has yet to emerge (just 7 extra-base hits, no HRs), and these numbers certainly aren’t overwhelming. But considering he hit just .231 in 147 Dunedin at-bats last fall, and that he was finishing exams this time in 2002, this is very good progress, and the power will arrive eventually. If he cranks that OBP to .400, New Haven will be in his near future.
Jordan DeJong, RHP
11 G, 0 GS, 0.00, 12 IP, 6 H, 8 BB, 13 K, 7 Saves
Sure, minor-league closers aren’t usually worth tracking. But DeJong, who was a starter in college, has been drawing raves for his performance. Better command is all he needs to be working on at the moment: he walked 10 in 44 innings in Rookie League last summer, so this is nothing new. If he can sharpen his control, his arrival in Toronto could be sooner than many expect.
The bad
Jason Perry, DH
47 AB, 3 R, .213/.321/.319, 7 BB, 19 K
A cold streak, or a little overmatched? Perry destroyed the Pioneer League as a 22-year-old last summer, and did well enough in a late-season promotion to Dunedin. But he’s off to a rough start this year: 19 Ks in 47 AB is bad. But 7 walks is quite good. He should turn it around pretty soon; if not, I hear Charleston is lovely in May.
Neomar Flores, RHP
9 G, 0 GS, 7.36, 14 IP, 20 H, 12 BB, 7 K
His K/IP ratio at Charleston last year was unimpressive, though his other stats looked great. So you see why we like K/IP.
The otherwise notable
Chad Pleiness, RHP
5 G, 5 GS, 3.91, 25 IP, 24 H, 10 BB, 23 K
Averaging almost a strikeout an inning, but the big guy's allowing too many baserunners so far.
Derrick Nunley, RHP
7 G, 0 GS, 3.00, 12 IP, 10 H, 7 BB, 16 K
Similar ratios here last year resulted in a 4.81 ERA. A breakthrough or a one-month mirage?
Charleston Alley-Cats
South Atlantic League
The good
Vince Perkins, RHP
5 G, 5 GS, 0.92, 29 IP, 10 H, 15 BB, 39 K, 0 HR
Okay, you can take this line seriously. Even in the Sally, nobody can touch this young Canadian’s H/IP and K/IP line. Perkins’ command is improving from his stint in short-season Auburn last year, though at 4.4 walks per 9 IP, it still needs work. But am I complaining here? I am not. Another month to consolidate these impressive gains will probably precede a promotion.
Brandon League, RHP
5 G, 5 GS, 2.22, 28 IP, 25 H, 7 BB, 21 K
The Hawaiian high schooler with the mid-90s fastball is doing quite well, thank you. He’s still pretty raw and working on reliable secondary and thirdary pitches, but this 2002 draft choice is doing all the right things. He’s not ready for a level jump yet – the K/IP is 3/4, and you’d like to see a little more dominance of opposing bats at this level. He’s coming along fine, though.
Sandy Nin, RHP
5 G, 5 GS, 1.82, 29 IP, 25 H, 4 BB, 24 K
This is nice. Nin is improving his K/IP and BB/K numbers in his second go-round the South Atlantic League – the command is particularly impressive. Nin has electric stuff, and it bodes well that he’s able to harness it so early in his career. Again, let’s check in with him in June to see how he’s holding up, but I think he’ll be in Dunedin pretty soon. He’s a sleeper.
The bad
Nom Siriveaw, 1B/3B/OF
52 AB, 4 R, .115/.193/.154, 5 BB, 17 K
The less fortunate Charleston Canuck, Siriveaw started the year in a 2-for-43 spin, which gave him an unreal line of .047/.128/.070. Put differently, he had more walks (4) than total bases (3). Siriveaw’s better than this, and he’s starting to come around, but sometimes slumps can get inside your head and become confidence killers, as Gabe Gross can attest.
Adam Peterson, RHP
5 G, 0 GS, 5.19, 8 IP, 9 H, 10 BB, 2 K, 3 WP
Last year’s fourth-round draft choice is, how you say, struggling. His numbers last year were respectable, low 3.00s ERA and reasonable control; this came out of the blue. There’s no indication of whether he’s hurt, he’s slumping, or if he’s gone Ankiel, but here’s hoping this nightmare ends soon.
The otherwise notable
Rodney Medina, LF
91 AB, 17 R, .286/.330/.516, 6 BB, 16 K, 4 HR, 1 SB
Charleston’s leadoff man had only 3 HRs in 339 AB last season. Nautilus is your friend.
Justin Owens, DH
64 AB, 11 R, 14 BB, 17 K, .297/.423/.438, 1 HR
Last year’s Auburn MVP has started another strong-OBP, low-power season.
D.J. Hanson, RHP
5 G, 5 GS, 4.24, 23 IP, 20 H, 12 BB, 22 K
Coming off a strong performance at Low-A, Hanson’s struggling a little. Good K’s, though, bode well.
So there's your April roundup. No point getting too high or too low on anyone -- one month's results don't tell you a whole lot, especially with the lousy weather hampering games in the regions where three of the four teams play. But there's solid progress to report on a number of key players. This time last year, Gabe Gross was hitting his body temperature and Jason Arnold was property of Billy Beane, so things are inarguably looking up for this system. Comments are welcome, and I can fill you in on any prospects not listed here. Thanks for reading, and we'll do this again June 1.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20030501100004999