Prospects To Watch

Thursday, October 09 2008 @ 08:30 AM EDT

Contributed by: Pistol

These players didn't crack the Batter's Box Top 30 Prospect List but are interesting players to keep an eye on nonetheless.

Adam Amar, 1B/DH
Born: November 30, 1985. Signed as an undrafted free agent

Year Age Level AB 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG
2006
 20
 NCAA
 210
 17 3 10
 31
 26
 2
 1
 .395
 .472
 .648
2007
 21
 NCAA
 240
 12
 2
 9
 21
 25
 4
 0
 .358
 .415
 .538
2007
 21
 IND 96
 11 0 5 10
 12 1
 0
 .354
 .423
 .625
2008
 22
 A-
 252
 17
 0
 9
 22 28
 0
 0 .302
 .359
 .476

Amar's an interesting story. After being bypassed in the 2007 amateur draft, he seriously considered quitting baseball altogether. WIth his Romanian parents understanding very little about the sport, Amar discussed options with his former high-school coach, Frank Viola who encouraged him to play Independant ball and wait for someone to notice him. After receiving workout invites from both Philadelphia and Toronto, Amar decided to sign with the Jays.

As evidenced by the stat lines above, Amar has hit virtually everwhere he's played. The bonus comes in the fact that he also rarely strikes out while also showing a fairly keen eye. While he's obviously going to have to progress fairly quickly to ascend any prospect lists, Amar does seem to have the potential to continue to surprise people.


Bobby Bell, RHP
Born August 25, 1986. Selected in the 18th round of the 2008 amateur draft.

Year Age Level G GS IP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 ERA
2006 20 NCAA 18
 11
 73.1
 9.45
 0.74
 2.58
 7.49
 4.17
2007 21 NCAA 1
 0
 0.2
 40.50
 0.00
 0.00
 13.50
 13.50
2008 22
 NCAA 14
 0
 20.2
 4.35
 0.87
 3.48
 12.19
 1.31
2008 22
 A- 19
 0
 27.2
 4.88
 0.00
 0.00
 12.69
 0.98
2008 22
 A
 2
 0
 3.0
 0.00
 0.00
 0.00
 12.00
 0.00

The R. Howard Webster Award winner as the Jays top minor leaguer in Auburn, the Jays may have come up with a sleeper in the 2008 draft. The 6-4, 200 pound righty from Rice rebounded from Tommy John surgery that wiped out most of his 2007 season. He switched back and forth from the rotation to the bullpen for the first two years of his college career but he remained in the bullpen this past season where he proved to be an anchor in the Owls bullpen. He racked up three saves - just two behind club leader and Dodgers draft pick Cole St. Clair. Before his injury, Bell received freshman All-American honours and was an All-Conference USA second team selection during his sophomore season in 2006. He compiled a record of 13-1 over his four-year college career with his only loss coming in his lone appearance in 2007.

Coached by former major leaguer Cecil Espy during his high school days in Fort Worth, Texas - Bell throws a fastball at 89-91 MPH but his low 80's changeup has been his go-to pitch. He also throws a curveball but that is a work in progress as he needs to improve the command of his breaking pitch. Bell is said to have a good wind-up, is fearless on the mound and displays good control. Actually, good is an understatement if you go by his 43-0 K/BB total in his first professional season and he has yet to give up a home run or a walk. Turning 23 next August, the Jays may decide to send Bell to Lansing next season or they may challenge him with a promotion to Dunedin.


Johermyn Chavez, OF
Born January 26, 1989. Signed as an amateur free agent in 2005.

Year Age Level AB 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG
2006 17 R+ 105 9 0 0 9 23 1 2 .276 .371 .362
2007
 18
 R
 176
 12
 2
 6
 20
 50
 7
 2
 .301
 .389
 .494
2008
 19
 A
 402
 20
 2
 7
 25
 128
 9
 5
 .211
 .272
 .323

The Jays sent an impressive group of hitters to Lansing this spring. While you would expect them to struggle jumping up to a full season league you wouldn't expect to see such a drop as Chavez experienced following a strong GCL performance in 2007 that vaulted him to the #6 spot on last year's Top 30 list. The struggles can be seen here - strikeouts in 32% of his ABs, a deterioration in strike zone judgment and a big drop in batting average. Chavez still managed 29 extra base hits so he didn't completely lose it, but he'll have to pick up the pace considerably to jump back into the prospect mix. He'll likely repeat his summer in the Midwest League next season.


Joel Collins, C
Born April 26, 1984. Selected in the 10th round of the 2007 amateur draft.

Year Age Level AB 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG
2007
 21
 R
 70
 4
 0
 7
 9
 17
 0
 0
 .257
 .376
 .614
2007
 21
 A+
 1
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0
 0
 0
 .000
 .500
 .000
2008
 22
 A-
 141
 13
 3
 3
 7
 17
 0
 1
 .326
 .415
 .525
2008
 22
 A
 24
 0
 0
 1
 2
 7
 0
 0
 .083
 .154
 .208
2008
 22
 A+
 4
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 .500
 .500
 .500

Originally a 50th round pick of the Montreal Expos in 2004, the Richmond Hill native earned some notoriety by Baseball America as a member of its "31st Team" as he just missed making the Jays top 30 prospects in this year's Handbook. The minor league correspondents on this site also gave Collins some love this time last year as he was ranked #11 among our 2007 top 30 prospects - ranking ahead of J.P. Arencibia and Brian Jeroloman. That .614 slugging percentage looked real good to us, a figure that would've ranked Collins second in the Gulf Coast League had he had enough plate appearances. What a difference a year makes, Arencibia and Jeroloman easily made our top 30 list while Collins was nowhere to be found. Also, he's not even the top player named Collins in the system as Lugnuts reliever Tim Collins made our list.

Big things were expected of the 6-1, 195 pound Collins as he started his first full season of pro ball in Lansing but he started the year 0-for-14 before connecting for his first home run. However, Collins wasn't cutting the mustard in the Midwest League and with Matt Liuzza and Jonathan Jaspe battling for playing time behind the dish, Collins eventually resurfaced with Auburn. That's when his right-handed power bat really shone as he slugged .600 in July and hit nearly .400 with an OBP approaching .500 in August. Defensively, Collins threw out 40 percent of base stealers who tested him and he's said to have to receive the ball well, has an average arm and good makeup. However, scouting reports indicate he's a poor runner, lacks athleticism and doesn't project to hit for average as he moves up. Collins will probably try his luck again in Lansing to start 2009 and may go to Dunedin if he gets off to a better start. On an interesting note, his father has been a Jays season ticket holder since 1977.


Alan Farina, RHP
Born: August 9, 1986. Selected in the 3rd round of the 2007 draft.

Year Age Level G GS IP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 ERA
2007
 20
 A-
 6
 3
 11
 8.18
 0.82
 8.18
 11.45
 4.91
2008
 21
 A
 15
 0
 29.1
 5.83
 0.61
 4.30
 11.35
 3.07

Alan Farina started 2008 slowly, pitched like an all-star in May then was injured for most of the rest of the season. Farina had difficulty with his delivery in April, he walked 8 in 10 innings and had a 6.30 ERA. However he did strikeout 14 in those ten innings. In May Farina was excellent, eight hits allowed in 17.1 innings. He lowered his walks to 5 and struckout 23 in 17 innings. Farina looked to be set for a promotion but he hurt his arm and was out until late August.

Farina is still only 22 so he has time to recover. Farina features a low 90's fastball, with a good slider and a developing curveball. The Jays might look to give Farina a shot at the rotation at Dunedin in 2009 to give him regular innings but if not he should be in the Dunedin pen.


Danny Farquhar, RHP
Born February 17, 1987. Selected in the 10th round of the 2008 amateur draft.

Year Age Level G GS IP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 ERA
2006
 19
 NCAA
 20
 6
 62.1
 8.09
 0.29
 2.89
 7.94
 2.17
2007
 20
 NCAA
 30
 6
 87.2
 8.11
 0.21
 2.26
 11.81
 3.08
2008
 21
 NCAA
 14
 11
 76.1
 9.08
 1.31
 2.83
 9.79
 4.35
2008
 21
 A-
 12
 0
 26.1
 6.84
 0.34
 2.05
 9.23
 2.39
2008
 21
 A
 3
 0
 6.0
 0.00
 0.00
 3.00
 6.00
 0.00

Like the other prospects in this feature, Danny Farquhar was one of the 18 players named on one or several individual ballots who didn’t make the top 30 list. However, Farquhar may have benefited the most if the voting was conducted two weeks later. A little while after our list was finalized Baseball America came out with their top 20 prospect lists for each of the minor leagues and Farquhar was named the 20th best prospect in the NY-Penn League. He was the only Doubleday on the list aside from David Cooper at number 2 and this might have resulted in him being named on a few more lists.

The Louisiana-Lafayette product struggled in 2008 when he was moved to the rotation, so the Jays signed him and left him in the bullpen, where he spent his first two years at college. Farquhar uses a couple of different arm angles, both three-quarters and below sidearm. However, something sets him apart from the garden-variety pitcher with a unique delivery who succeeds in the low minors.

As an NL scout told Baseball America, “He was scary good. I don't know what he's going to be, but any manager in the country would love to have that guy. I've never seen anyone throw that hard from that low. You can't throw hard from down there —it's impossible. But he's not just a raw arm speed guy. He's got pitchability.” Farquhar throws a 93-mph fastball and an average curveball from his higher arm slot, but his fastball still hits 90 with life from sidearm. He also throws a slider in the low 80’s from below sidearm that is very tough on right-handers and can show a passable changeup from either slot. His combination of deception and raw stuff could see Farquhar on a Top 30 list in the future and he’s a prospect that shouldn’t be dismissed because he’s not starting in the low minors.

Frank Gailey, LHP
Born: November 18, 1985. Selected in the 23rd round of the 2007 draft.

Year Age Level G GS IP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 ERA
2007
 21 R
 18
 0 33.0 8.18 0.55 1.64 7.64
 2.45
2008
 22 A
 20 0
 35.2 4.79
 0.50 2.02
 10.09
 1.26

Sure, Gailey's a little old for his league, and he's not a fireballer but any lefty with a WHIP of 0.76 and a K/9 above 10 needs to be noticed at some point. And now's that point.

Gailey was drafted out of West Chester University in the 23rd round of the 2007 draft. After posting decent numbers in the GCL, Gailey made a very brief stop in Auburn before moving up to Lansing where he absolutely dominated opposition hitting. And he certainly finished the year strong by posting a 0.53 ERA over his final 17 innings with a K/BB ratio of 23/0.

Gailey throws four pitches effectively including an 86-89 MPH fastball. While he's not likely to add much velocity as he matures, scouts do note that he changes speeds quite well. 2009 should bring new challenges to Gailey. A trip to Dunedin at some point is quite likely. Now, minor league graveyards are littered with guys like Gailey. Despite his excellent performance in 2008, the odds are against him carving out a prolonged Major League career. However, if he continues to keep guys off the bases, he could move up the organizational ladder fairly quickly. Plus, I hear lefthanded relievers can be a hot commodity.


Trystan Magnuson, RHP
Born June 6, 1985. Selected in the 1st supplementary round of the 2007 amateur draft.

Year Age Level G GS IP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 ERA
2008
 23
 A
 24
 24
 81.2
 10.03
 0.66
 3.86
 5.40
 5.40

2008 looks like a lost season for Trystan Magnuson, a 5.40 ERA in A ball is nothing to get excited about. However there are some signs of hope for Magnuson. Trystan was drafted in 2007 in the supplemental first round but he didn't pitch in 2007. Magnuson was reliever in college and the Jays immediately remade him into a starter and went to work on expanding and improving his pitching arsenal. It was a rough start for Magnuson, his pre all-star ERA was 5.87. Magnuson is very tall, 6'8", and like many tall players looked to have trouble getting fully coordinated into starting and pitching as the Jays wanted him to. But in mid-season he started to show signs of life and he dropped his post all-star ERA to 3.98, in part by halving his walk rate.

2008 was a learning year for Magnuson, if he can start to put it all together and have more coordination and command he could move up in 2009.


Luis Perez, LHP
Born January 20, 1985. Signed as an amateur free agent in 2003 out of the Dominican Republic.

Year Age Level G GS IP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 ERA
2007
 22 A-
 16
 16
 75.1
 8.72
 0.12
 4.54
 8.48
 3.70
2008
 23
 A
 28
 23
 137.1
 8.91
 0.26
 3.34
 8.98
 3.60


Luis Perez was arguably deserving of being named within the Top 30 prospects, especially considering that he's left-handed, can hit 93 mph and recovered well after a poor start to the season. Pitching in full-season ball for the first time, Perez began the year in A-ball and posted an 8.20 ERA in April. He allowed 30 hits and 17 walks, with just 14 strikeouts, in 18.2 innings. He then went on to finish the year with 136 hits allowed in 137.1 innings, he walked 51 and struck out 137. Perez also allowed just four homers all season and induced three ground ball outs for every fly ball out. Perez, who also features a slider and change-up, does need to improve against right-handed batters, who hit .279 against him (compared to lefties at .229).


Castillo Perez, RHP
Born August 20, 1987. Signed as an amateur free agent in 2006 out of the Dominican Republic.

Year Age Level G GS IP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 ERA
2008
 20
 A-
 15
 14
 69
 9.13
 0.52
 2.87
 8.87
 3.39


Castillo Perez, no relation to Luis, is another Dominican pitcher who does an excellent job of keeping the ball on the ground and was the only Latin player to make his North American debut in the New York Penn League after impressing the Jays staff in extended spring training. He held his own during the season and allowed just four homers in 69 innings. He also showed improving command of his three-pitch mix, which features an 88-93 mph fastball, a slider and a change-up. The right-handed pitcher was actually better against lefties (.228 vs .283). Perez does get rattled in tight situations, as he allowed 27 hits in 19 innings with runners in scoring position (.355 average). He should pitch for Lansing in 2009.


David Smith, OF
Born January 12, 1981. Selected in the 15th round of the 2002 amateur draft.

Year Age Level AB 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG
2005
 24
 A+
 391
 24
 2
 14
 35
 73
 4
 2
 .294
 .349
 .473
2006
 25
 AA
 483
 33
 1
 19
 40
 118
 7
 4
 .253
 .317
 .443
2007
 26
 AA
 463
 35
 1
 24
 53
 105
 4
 5
 .276
 .359
 .512
2008
 27
 A
 39
 3
 1
 0
 5
 11
 0
 0
 .231
 .333
 .359
2008
 27
 AA
 279
 26
 1
 12
 39
 81
 1
 1
 .265
 .362
 .495
2008
 27
 AAA
 53
 2
 0
 3
 11
 10
 1
 1
 .302
 .422
 .500


David Smith isn't generally considered when thinking about prospects. He'll be 28 at the beginning of next season and has spent, primarily, the last three years in NH. However, he put up solid numbers across the board for the Fisher Cats for the second straight year with both good power and on-base ability in a hitter's environment. In an abbreviated stint with Syracuse he hit even better. As expected, he hits LH pitching better than RH pitching but he shows more than the typical split (.777 vs RHP in AA versus 1.085 vs LHP). If Kevin Mench can get a shot in Toronto as a lefty masher, why can't Smith? Is there a minimum hat size requirement for that role?


Joe Wice, LHP
Born: September 1, 1985. Selected in the 22nd round of the 2004 draft.

Year Age Level G GS IP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 ERA
2005
 19
 RK
 10
 10
 45.0
 11.00
 3.00
 2.00
 7.00
 5.40
2006
 20
 RK
 20
 1
 36.0
 8.75
 0.50
 2.25
 10.50
 3.75
2006
 20
 A
 1
 0
 2.0
 0.00
 0.00
 0.00
 9.00
 0.00
2007
 21
 A-
 23
 1
 40.1
 9.15
 0.22
 0.67
 11.38
 3.12
2008
 22
 A
 26
 0
 50.2
 5.68
 0.36
 1.60
 9.06
 1.78

Joe Wice was picked in the 22nd round in the 2004 draft, where Baseball America reported that he leapt into prospect status as a freshman after going to undrafted out of high school. Baseball America reported that he “can throw three of his four pitches for strikes, including an 88-89 mph fastball and an above-average curve.” Despite that, Wice has moved slowly, spending two years at Rookie ball and not making it out of A-ball after four seasons of professional baseball. However, he struggled in 2005 with a strained UCL.

Wice has a unique delivery, with a minimal wind-up and an upright delivery. Wice is six-foot-five and 210 pounds, so you won’t confuse him and Tim Collins. His large frame likely makes his delivey more deceptive, as it usually does with left-handers. Wice also reportedly throws a deceptive change-up along with a slider. He changes speeds well, which he’ll likely need to do without any standout pitch or any pitches that sit in the low 90’s. This year Wice didn’t maintain as strong ratios as he did posted in Auburn, except for the dramatic drop in H/9. Whether this illustrates an improvement in his pitches or was mostly a fluke is something that only time will reveal. The Jays might send to Wice to Dunedin, but move him quickly to Double-A if he posts good numbers.

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That concludes the minor league coverage for the 2008 season.  We hope you enjoyed the coverage as much as the Minor League Crew enjoyed bringing it to you.

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