Blue Jays Minor League Register - Pitchers, L-Z

Sunday, January 25 2004 @ 03:19 AM EST

Here's Part II of the Jays' minor league pitching register. Enjoy!

Luis Leal
Buzz Factor: 6
People have forgotten about this guy, but he took his turn every day in the Jays' rotation for nearly 3 1/2 years. When you look at his stats, the first thing that strikes you is the workload: Leal pitched nearly 250 innings at age 25. The second thing you see is his low K/IP ratio. While the general opinion at the time was that Leal didn't train hard enough to stay in the majors, my belief now is that he had marginal stuff. And when he lost a little of his stuff after throwing so many innings, he was doomed. I still miss the days when the Jays' rotation was so stable that you could buy tickets for a game two months away and have a good idea who was going to pitch that day. Nearly became a Red Sox: according to the 1985 media guide, he went to Boston's rookie camp in 1977 but decided to return home. He also didn't start playing baseball until he was 15; he was originally a soccer player.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
23	1980	Syracuse-AAA	6	5	3.27	16	16	110	102	3	31	76	on shuttle: up twice, down twice

Al Leiter
Buzz Factor: 7
Blister Boy wasn't really a Jays prospect, but he did spend some time in Syracuse. Jays fans have always blasted Leiter for bailing out on the Jays after they spent years nurturing him - but, hey, if you want loyalty, get a dog.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
21	1990	Syracuse-AAA	3	8	4.62	15	14	78	59	4	68	69	aim for the 5-sided white thing
23	1992	Syracuse-AAA	8	9	3.86	27	27	163.1	159	9	64	108	missed 1991 with elbow pain

Doug Linton
Buzz Factor: 4
Not considered a top-ranked prospect when coming up through the Jays' chain. Did well in Knoxville, but stalled out in Syracuse. Wound up being a so-called quadruple-A pitcher: his K/IP ratio in AAA suggests that he didn't have major league stuff. Born in the same city as Dave Stieb (Santa Ana, California).

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
23	1989	Knoxville-AA	5	4	2.60	14	13	90	68	2	23	93
24	1990	Syracuse-AAA	10	10	3.40	26	26	177.1	174	14	67	113
25	1991	Syracuse-AAA	10	12	5.01	30	26	161.2	181	21	56	93	10 HB
26	1992	Syracuse-AAA	12	10	3.69	25	25	170.2	176	17	70	126	12 WP

Brandon Lyon
Buzz Factor: 5
Like one of those suborbital rockets they used to test in the 1960's: he ascended quickly into the stratosphere, and then just as quickly came down. Reduced pitching to its essence: throw it over the plate, and hope they don't hit it. In retrospect, the Jays may have been deluding themselves a bit: his numbers in AA and AAA weren't that good. In particular, the home run totals are a warning sign.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
21	2001	Tennessee-AA	5	0	3.68	9	9	58.2	57	7	9	45
21	2001	Syracuse-AAA	5	3	3.69	11	11	68.1	68	7	10	53	also 11 starts in Tor

Bob MacDonald
Buzz Factor: 3
Was briefly a minor-league closer - which, as you should know by now, is usually the kiss of death for a career. By the time Ol' MacDonald reached Syracuse, he wasn't even closing - he was just picking up garbage innings here and there. He got good enough at it that the Jays let him do it in Toronto for a while. A career that was as dull as ditchwater, but, hey, lots of people don't make it to the major leagues, and he did. From his numbers, it's obvious that he was a ground-ball pitcher.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
24	1989	Knoxville-AA	3	5	3.29	43	0	63	52	0	23	58	9 SV
24	1989	Syracuse-AAA	2	0	5.63	12	0	16	10	0	6	12
25	1990	Knoxville-AA	1	2	1.89	36	0	57	37	2	29	54	15 SV
25	1990	Syracuse-AAA	0	2	5.40	9	0	8.1	4	1	9	6	2 saves, 2 losses in 9 G
27	1992	Syracuse-AAA	2	3	4.63	17	0	23.1	25	2	12	14

Dustin McGowan
Buzz Factor: 8 (and may go up)
He walks among us. From the looks of his 2003 numbers, he's the real thing. Note that he only allowed one home run. Finding his control rapidly: he had 49 walks in 67 innings at Auburn in 2001, and 59 walks in 148.1 innings at Charleston in 2002. H/IP a bit of a concern, but as somebody else pointed out, it's better than average for the Eastern League.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
21	2003	NewHaven-AA	7	0	3.17	14	14	76.2	78	1	19	72

Paul Menhart
Buzz Factor: 5
Odd collection of numbers in his 1992 season: he had 38 walks, but 12 wild pitches and 11 hit batters. How do you do that? He graduated from Robert E. Fitch High School in Groton, Connecticut. That's not especially relevant; I just like writing "Robert E. Fitch." K/IP ratios were good in the low minors, but not so good here - this suggests a pitcher who just isn't quite good enough to make it, and that's what Menhart became. Oh, and by the way, I did a web search on "Robert E. Fitch", and I couldn't find anything that told me who he was.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
23	1992	Knoxville-AA	10	11	3.85	28	28	177.2	181	14	38	104

Jose Mesa
Buzz Factor: 3
You may have forgotten, but Mesa's career started in the Blue Jays organization. He was part of the package that landed Mike Flanagan. 762 games and 249 saves later, he's still around. As a Jay farmhand, he didn't look like much - just another young pitcher with control troubles and a pocket full of dreams. In eight starts in class-AA, he averaged five innings a start - and had a shutout.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
20	1986	Knoxville-AA	2	2	4.35	9	8	41.1	40	6	23	30

Jeff Musselman
Buzz Factor: 5
Looked really good in the minors, but suffered an arm injury in 1988, and never really got his stuff back, if his K/IP is any indication.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
23	1986	Knoxville-AA	5	1	2.83	7	7	41.1	33	0	25	38	3.03 ERA at Ventura, 24 GS
25	1988	Syracuse-AAA	4	1	2.94	10	10	49	42	5	17	31

Jose Nunez
Buzz Factor: 6
A Rule V draftee in 1987, he once fanned 11 Kansas City Royals in a single start. I recall him as being even more of a pure thrower than Escobar - he had a sharp breaking curve and an outstanding fastball. Was on the DL three separate times in 1988. I'm not sure, but I seem to recall his being a head case - that might explain why he was traded for the immortal Paul Kilgus, despite having good minor league numbers in 1989.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
24	1988	Syracuse-AAA	5	4	2.90	12	10	71.1	62	2	16	67
25	1989	Syracuse-AAA	11	11	2.21	40	12	134.1	116	--	55	122	18 unearned runs

Ken Robinson
Buzz Factor: 4
Short, right-handed pitcher, which is a type of player scouts don't like. Picked up on waivers by Kansas City in spring training, 1996, and then reacquired on waivers two months later. Missed all of 1998 due to shoulder surgery, after being waived again by the Jays and signing with Arizona, and died in Tucson in a car accident just as spring training 1999 was about to start.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
24	1994	Syracuse-AAA	4	2	3.74	30	3	55.1	46	4	25	48
25	1995	Syracuse-AAA	5	3	3.22	38	0	50.1	37	6	12	61	21G with Toronto
26	1996	Syracuse-AAA	3	7	4.64	47	0	64	52	14	39	78
27	1997	Syracuse-AAA	7	7	2.56	56	0	81	44	6	36	96	unhittable; 17 SV

Alex Sanchez
Buzz Factor: 8
At one time, Sanchez was considered the best pitching prospect in the Jays' system. He had great stuff, but never could harness it. A first-round draft pick; at the time he was drafted, he held UCLA records for wins and strikeouts in a season. A big winner in his early minor-league years: after three years, his won-lost record was 37-18. Great pitching prospects flame out all the time, of course: remember Mo Sanford? Roger Salkeld? Scott Ruffcorn?

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
22	1988	Knoxville-AA	12	5	2.53	24	24	149.1	100	8	74	166	amazing H/IP ratio; RHW winner
22	1988	Syracuse-AAA	4	3	3.59	10	10	57.2	47	8	43	57
23	1989	Syracuse-AAA	13	7	3.13	28	27	169.2	125	14	74	141	11 WP; 10.03 ERA in Tor
24	1990	Syracuse-AAA	5	9	5.71	22	22	112	111	15	79	65	he has tasted fear!

Dave Shipanoff
Buzz Factor: 3
Minor league closer, good stuff but no command, yadda yadda yadda. You've heard all this before. From Edmonton, Alberta.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
23	1983	Knoxville-AA	6	3	3.36	61	0	70	53	3	51	73	incoming! RHW winner
23	1983	Syracuse-AAA	0	1	3.27	8	0	11	10	1	8	17	"wild thing"

Mark Sievert
Buzz Factor: 2
Good enough to make the 1997 media guide (and, hence, the 40-man roster), but I have no memory of him whatsoever. Had great control in 1995, but his walks shot up in 1996. Big winner; before getting stomped in Syracuse, his won-lost record was 32-15. Hurt his elbow in 1997, and dropped off the radar screen after that.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
23	1996	Knoxville-AA	9	2	2.58	17	17	101.1	79	6	51	75
23	1996	Syracuse-AAA	2	5	5.93	10	10	54.2	62	6	33	46

Steve Sinclair
Buzz Factor: 3
Generic lefthanded relief pitcher, looked passable in his brief time in a Toronto uniform. 28th round draft pick; born in Victoria, B.C. Started his major league career with 7 1/3 scoreless innings. It took him seven years to get past A-ball; ouch.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
26	1998	Syracuse-AAA	3	1	2.17	43	1	49.2	37	2	23	45

Aaron Small
Buzz Factor: 4
Occasionally mentioned as a possible prospect, but his K/IP ratio suggests otherwise. If a pitcher can't overwhelm minor league batters, major league batters will tee off on his stuff. 22nd round draft pick.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
20	1992	Knoxville-AA	5	12	5.27	27	24	135	152	13	61	79	3.88 ERA at home

Mike Smith
Buzz Factor: 4
Regressed in his second year in Syracuse, and has likely gotten as far as his stuff will take him. Got gonged in 14 appearances with Toronto in 2002, which probably took the wind out of his sails.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
23	2001	Tennessee-AA	6	2	2.42	14	14	93	80	7	26	77	8 HB
24	2002	Syracuse-AAA	8	4	3.48	20	20	121.2	106	10	43	76
25	2003	Syracuse-AAA	8	9	5.00	26	21	131.1	140	13	58	89	11 HB; 16 WP

John Sneed
Buzz Factor: 4
A mountain of a man, at 6'6" and 250, Sneed put up frightening strikeout numbers in the low minors, but had trouble getting over the class-AA hump. I seem to recall that he was traded after the 1999 season, but I don't remember the details.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
23	1999	Knoxville-AA	3	1	5.08	6	6	28.1	33	2	21	28

Paul Spoljaric
Buzz Factor: 6
His minor league numbers suggest a thrower rather than a pitcher: high walk totals, high strikeout totals and, at AAA, high home run totals. Like many prospects, got 95% of the way there, but never did gain control of his arsenal. (Do Canadians feel more pressure when wearing a Toronto uniform? Discuss.) Opened the 1994 season with the big club, but got absolutely stomped in two outings: 10 hits, 9 walks and 3 home runs in 2 1/3 innings. Ouch.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
22	1993	Knoxville-AA	4	1	2.28	7	7	43.1	30	1	22	51	3-0, 1.38 ERA in Dunedin
22	1993	Syracuse-AAA	8	7	5.29	18	18	95.1	97	14	52	88	lots o' big flies
23	1994	Syracuse-AAA	1	5	5.70	8	8	47.1	47	7	28	38	shellshocked
23	1994	Knoxville-AA	6	5	3.62	17	16	102	88	12	48	79
24	1995	Syracuse-AAA	2	10	4.93	43	9	87.2	69	13	54	108	overthrowing?
25	1996	Syracuse-AAA	3	0	3.27	17	0	22	20	2	6	24	one month on DL; 28G in Tor

Dave Stieb
Buzz Factor: 9
Started only 19 games in the minors, and went 12-2. Only gave up one home run as a minor leaguer. Was only a fifth-round selection in the amateur draft, surprisingly enough. Here's a depressing thought: Stieb's son, Andrew, is now 21. I feel old.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
21	1979	Syracuse-AAA	5	2	2.13	7	7	51	39	0	14	20	4 complete games

Todd Stottlemyre
Buzz Factor: 9
Okay, let's be fair here. Toddles has had a pretty good major league career, when all is said and done. He has pitched in 372 major league games, and has won 138 of them. He has earned roughly $53 million (US) playing baseball. He has appeared in ten postseason series, starting a total of nine games. (Okay, he has only won three of them - but, hey, postseason games are usually close.) Not many pitchers achieve this much in the game. Now that I've finished being fair, it's time to be unfair: at virtually no time in Stottlemyre's long and distinguished career was he actually any good. As I recall, his problem was a fastball that was as straight as a string. Best moment in a Jays' uniform - starting, and pitching well in, the first game of the 1989 showdown series against Baltimore, on the Friday of the final weekend of the season.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
21	1986	Knoxville-AA	8	7	4.18	18	18	99	93	5	49	81
22	1987	Syracuse-AAA	11	13	4.44	34	34	186.2	189	14	87	143	RHW winner
23	1988	Syracuse-AAA	5	0	2.05	7	7	48.1	36	1	8	51
24	1989	Syracuse-AAA	3	2	3.23	10	9	55.2	46	4	15	45

Corey Thurman
Buzz Factor: 5
What happened to him? He got clobbered in a couple of major league starts, and has now dropped straight off the radar screen. Presumably, the Jays saw something they didn't like. His minor league numbers don't suggest stardom, anyway. Perhaps J.P. was giving him one last look just to check on him, as he did with Joe Lawrence.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
24	2003	Syracuse-AAA	6	4	4.27	17	16	86.1	90	8	26	72

Mike Timlin
Buzz Factor: 5
A rarity: a minor-league closer who made good. As a starter, Timlin was homer-prone, surrendering 19 big flies in 151 innings at Myrtle Beach. When he moved into the bullpen, he stopped giving up home runs: he allowed two in 1990, one in 1991, and one in 1992. Zipped through the minors: made it to Toronto after only 17 games in double-A. Had 30 saves in 1990: 22 with Dunedin, and 8 with Knoxville.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
24	1990	Knoxville-AA	1	2	1.73	17	0	26	20	1	7	21

Josh Towers
Buzz Factor: 5
I'd be delighted to be proved wrong, but at this point, Towers looks like the next incarnation of Brandon Lyon: not much stuff, throws strikes, challenges the hitters, boom, repeat. The 2003 media guide lists his hobbies as music and playing cards (hey, those are some of my hobbies too).

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
26	2003	Syracuse-AAA	5	7	3.32	21	20	132.2	133	10	20	76

Ricky Trlicek
Buzz Factor: 4
Converted to the bullpen in 1991, becoming a dreaded Minor League Closer. These guys normally don't do much in the majors, and Trlicek was no exception. When you compare his K/IP ratio in Knoxville to that in Syracuse, you can tell that he didn't have the Right Stuff. In his last year as a starter, in Dunedin in 1990, he had 22 wild pitches.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
22	1991	Knoxville-AA	2	5	2.45	41	0	51.1	36	3	22	55
23	1992	Syracuse-AAA	1	1	4.36	35	0	43.1	37	2	31	35

Duane Ward
Buzz Factor: 7
In the Atlanta system, Ward had no idea where his pitches were going; he started finding his control when he arrived in Toronto. Was given a controversial late-season start in 1986, in the game in which the Jays were eliminated from post-season contention; some people wondered why Jimy Williams was throwing in the towel when there was still a slim chance of making it to the post-season. Nowadays, people think of Ward and Henke as the indestructible duo, but some may have forgotten that Ward tended to struggle in pressure situations until about 1990 or so.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
22	1986	Richmond-AAA	1	1	3.38	6	6	34.2	34	0	23	17	plate is that-a-way
22	1986	Syracuse-AAA	6	4	4.23	14	14	83.0	91	9	29	50
23	1987	Syracuse-AAA	2	2	3.89	46	3	76.1	59	7	42	67

Jeff Ware
Buzz Factor: 5
At one time, this guy was the highest-rated pitching prospect in the Jays organization. That just shows how empty the farm system was in about 1995 or so. His stuff wasn't bad; he just couldn't harness it, which is the sad story told by thousands of minor leaguers over the years. Originally a first-round draft pick.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
26	1996	Syracuse-AAA	3	7	5.68	13	13	77.2	83	6	32	59

David Wells
Buzz Factor: 7
Missed the 1985 season with a left elbow injury, and was brought along gingerly after that; it's rare to see somebody working as a spot starter in the minors who then makes it in the majors. Here's Wells on Jays fans, from his book: "Honest to God, the Toronto fans suck. If a batter makes an out, he gets booed. If a pitcher walks a batter, he gets booed. If the team loses a game, we all get booed... loudly. Even though this underpaid, understaffed, underloved little team is right in the thick of the hunt, right into the last week of 2000, these mouth-breathers in the stands have no idea what we've accomplished. The wool-hat-wankers just boo... relentlessly." We wuv you too, Boomer.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
21	1984	Knoxville-AA	3	2	2.59	8	8	59	58	3	17	34	4.71 ERA in class A
23	1986	Knoxville-AA	1	3	4.05	10	7	40	42	1	18	32
23	1986	Syracuse-AAA	0	1	9.82	3	0	3.2	6	0	1	2
24	1987	Syracuse-AAA	4	6	3.87	43	12	109.1	102	9	32	106

Matt Williams
Buzz Factor: 5
Not the same guy as the one who played third base for the Giants and D'backs. The Jays' best starting pitching prospect between the arrival of Luis Leal and the arrival of Jimmy Key, which unfortunately isn't saying much. Made a couple of emergency starts for the Jays in 1983, and got royally stomped. Former first-round pick (fifth overall). Minor-league pitchers were worked harder in his day: he had 10 complete games in 1982 and six in 1983. Of course, major-league starting pitchers were worked harder too. (I don't have 1984 stats for him, hence the gap.)

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
22	1982	Knoxville-AA	11	13	4.28	28	28	193.1	173	13	107	151	31 wild pitches!!
23	1983	Syracuse-AAA	7	8	3.54	20	20	140	100	15	64	110
25	1985	Syracuse-AAA	7	2	4.43	22	20	136	124	--	51	100

Woody Williams
Buzz Factor: 5
To be fair to Gord Ash and Dave Stewart: while in Toronto, Williams never looked like he was going to become a quality pitcher. He was, after all, a 28th-round draft pick, and he suffered significant injuries in both 1995 and 1996. The only signs of things to come: occasionally, some of his minor-league stops show him with a good K/BB ratio.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
21	1988	Knoxville-AA	2	2	3.81	6	4	28.1	27	1	12	25
22	1989	Knoxville-AA	3	5	3.55	14	12	71	61	6	33	51
23	1990	Knoxville-AA	7	9	3.14	42	12	126	111	7	39	74
23	1990	Syracuse-AAA	0	1	10.00	3	0	9	15	1	4	8
24	1991	Knoxville-AA	3	2	3.59	18	1	42.2	42	1	14	37
24	1991	Syracuse-AAA	3	4	4.12	31	0	54.2	52	2	27	37
25	1992	Syracuse-AAA	6	8	3.13	25	16	120.2	115	4	41	81
29	1996	Syracuse-AAA	3	1	1.41	7	7	32	22	3	7	33

Joe Young
Buzz Factor: 3
Mighty Joe, the pride of Fort McMurray, Alberta, was briefly on the Jays' radar screen before his lack of control did him in. Played for Tacoma of the Western Hockey League at the age of 16.

Age	Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	HR	BB	SO	Notes
22	1997	Knoxville-AA	5	4	4.42	19	11	59	52	4	40	62
23	1998	Knoxville-AA	2	7	9.68	11	9	40	52	8	32	31	to Dunedin, then oblivion

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