Good results are rewarded in the Blue Jays' organization, and quickly. As first noted by R Billie in the Advance Scout thread, the club has promoted the following players, with more to follow:
- Dustin McGowan from High-A Dunedin to AA New Haven
- Simon Pond, Chris Baker and Scott Wiggins from AA New Haven to AAA Syracuse
Baker and Wiggins look like pen filler for the Chiefs, but McGowan and Pond are moving up on their merits. Tim Young was released from the Skychiefs, which makes some room at Triple-A. The big questions are: who joins McGowan at New Haven? The most likely answer is fellow flamethrower David Bush. But note: the Jays also signed former Red Sox prospect Juan Pena, recovering from arm surgery, and sent him to New Haven. And: who replaces these guys at Dunedin? Brandon League could be coming up from Low-A Charleston, but maybe someone's coming down from AA. Stay tuned for developments.
Here's some more info on two of the guys who moved up:
Dustin McGowan, RHP, 21
Dunedin 2003
5-6, 2.85 14 G, 14 GS, 76 IP, 62 H, 25 B, 66 K, 21% KBF
Charleston 2002
11-10, 4.19, 28 G, 28 GS, 148 IP, 143 H, 10 HR, 59 BB, 163 K, 25% KBF
McGowan has struck out fewer batters this year, but also has allowed fewer baserunners, a sure sign of a maturing pitcher learning his craft. He's really turned it up a notch his last few starts.
Simon Pond
New Haven 2003
228 AB, 44 R, .338/.440/.513, 17 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 39 BB, 33 K
Dunedin 2002
401 AB, 58 R, .284/.357/.479, 25 2B, 7 3B, 13 HR, 46 BB, 73 K
Pond's OPS on April 30 was 1.138; on May 31, it was 1.030; today, it's .953. We should be quite satisfied if he posts solid if unspectacular numbers at Syracuse.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20030613054649999