Thirty-six guys come to camp fighting for approximately thirty spots throughout the organization. Where will they all go? I hope you don't expect me to know.
One of the first things you notice when looking at the list of outfielders in camp this year is the lack of quality prospects at most of the minor league levels. Now that Adam Lind and Travis Snider have graduated to the majors, there isn't really any intriguing talent outside of a couple of really low level guys. Don't think it's that bad? Let's take a look.
(All assignments are my assumptions)
Majors: Alex Rios, Vernon Wells, Adam Lind, Travis Snider
The first three are locks. And from the looks of things, it seems Snider is pretty safe as well. Now that is an impressive group of players. While each has their own question marks (Wells staying healthy, and Rios putting all five tools into play at the same time), if things break right, this could quite easily become one of the most productive outfields in baseball.
AAA (Las Vegas): Jason Lane, Ryan Patterson, Eric Nielsen, Aaron Mathews, Nick Gorneault, Cody Haether
Obviously the Jays don't need six guys in the Vegas outfield. But this is the type of situation that will likely work itself out fairly easily. Lane is a non-roster invitee who can also play first base. Patterson once looked like a decent prospect but has fallen on some tough times recently. About to turn 26, time's running out for him. Nielsen's one of those guys who isn't likely to ever make it past this level. He'll likely be able to hold his own at AAA but could find himself in another organization at some point. Mathews, Gorneault, and Haether.....whatever. Somebody needs to play. In any event, this group: Yikes.
AA (New Hampshire): Jacob Butler, Adam Calderone, Chris Emanuele, Cory Patton, Todd Donovan
Man, it's not much better down here. Butler's been decent the past two years, and could end up in Vegas at some point. Calderone showed some power in A+ last season but is still far from a prospect. Emanuele is entirely uninteresting and will likely end up here by default. Same goes for Patton who has been in the FSL for three years now and posted an 854 OPS last year as a 26 year-old. Might as well move him up. Finally, Donovan is the definition of organizational fodder. He could be here, Vegas, or gone. Nobody will care.
A+ (Dunedin): Adam Loewen, Sean Shoffit, Jon Baksh, Darin Mastroianni
It gets slightly more interesting in Florida. Loewen hopes to begin the Rick Ankiel path and I assume the FSL is where he'll spend a good chunk of time. Shoffit spent his age 23 season in Dunedin and put up a 734 OPS. He'll likely start here again and then perhaps make the move to New Hampshire if he shows some promise. Baksh may well be in Lansing but he'll be 24, so Dunedin it is. Finally, Mastroianni played all of last season in Lansing, putting up an unimpressive 613 OPS. He'll either be back in Michigan, or here. Either way, it's likely to matter very little.
A (Lansing): Johermyn Chavez, Eric Eiland, Moises Sierra, Eric Thames
Finally, some promise. The first three all spent their 2008 seasons here in the Midwest League. Chavez and Eiland are both highly thought of and should arrive in Dunedin at some point. It's possible they could even start there, but given their struggles in A-ball last year, some extra time here is likely. Same can be said for Sierra, actually, though defence is his calling card. Finally, Thames is an intriguing draft pick from 2008 who was last seen putting up a 1.282 OPS in the NCAA. He's 22, so Dunedin will be his ultimate destination.
A- (Auburn) and Gulf Coast League: Markus Brisker, Michael Crouse, Chris Demons, Chris Hopkins, Brad McElroy, Bartolo Nicolas, Yensy Perez, Welinton Ramirez, Brian Van Kirk, Kenny Wilson
Most of these guys are interchangeable so I'm not going to try to suss it all out. The two names that mean the most bookend this list. Markus Brisker and Kenny Wilson join the Lansing crew as the only real outfield prospects in the system. They're still 18 and 19 respectively so another year in shortseason ball is likely in their future.
Well, that about covers it. I left out NRI Wayne Lydon and the immortal Russ Adams. It's possible they'll fit in Las Vegas somewhere but I can't imagine anyone getting too worked up about it. Thankfully, the Jays have an abundance of quality at the Major League level because after them, there's very little talent above low-A ball.
All that said, if I've made any glaring mistakes feel free to let me have it in the comments.
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