Back at it today beginning around 11:30 with the next 44 rounds, or until the Jays get tired and quit.
Yesterday the Jays took only one pitcher, Andrew Liebel, (and liked him more than my man Chris Carpenter who went a few picks later in round 3 and was also a senior) so I'd expect to see a lot of college pitchers being taken today.
Any player that makes the majors from this point on (other than signability players) is a huge success. In the Ricciardi era the best 7th round and later picks have been Tom Mastny (round 13) and Jesse Litsch (round 24).
Round 7: Eric Thames, OF, Pepperdine
6'0", 195 lbs
Bats: Left; Throws: Right
DOB: 11/10/86
Perfect Game: (3/1) Thames is an impressive-looking athlete and led Pepperdine in RBIs a year ago—oddly, while failing to launch a single home run. His lack of raw power played a hand in last year’s draft as he wasn’t selected until the 39th round by the New York Yankees as a draft-eligible sophomore. But he enjoyed a big summer in the Northwoods League, finishing second in RBIs while being selected that league’s top prospect by PG Crosschecker. He hit only three home runs, but the Yankees were impressed enough with his bat speed and other areas of his game that they offered fifth-round money in an effort to sign him just before he returned to Pepperdine. Scouts believed a surge in power was in the offing for Thames this season. He also gets a lot of support for his foot speed (6.5 seconds in the 60). Thames spent most of last season in a DH role for Pepperdine as his play in the outfield was improving, but just adequate. His arm is his one tool that rates below average, which may relegate him to left field but there is a question whether his lack of raw power will play at that position
(5/15) Few position players in the entire draft helped themselves more this season than Thames, and his decision to reject a last-minute offer from the Yankees last summer now appears to be extremely prudent as some clubs have elevated him to potential first-round status. As predicted, Thames had a power surge and was batting a resounding .408-13-57 as Pepperdine completed regular-season play. Not only has Thames gotten stronger and matured, but he had a better approach at the plate this spring and adjusted well to all kinds of pitching. He showed a quick, compact swing with good extension, enabling him to generate excellent bat speed. He made hard, consistent contact, but occasionally chased pitches when he got overly aggressive. His arm strength, below average even by left field standards, is his only negative tool but it showed marginal improvement from the fall.
(6/1) Thames hurt his chances for the draft by tearing a quad muscle late in the season and undergoing surgery. He was expected to be out of action for 3-4 months.
A Project Prospect interview with Thames.
Round 8: Evan Crawford, LHP, Auburn
6'2", 190 lbs
DOB: 9/2/86
MLB.com: Crawford seems to have found the right role, pitching out of Auburn's bullpen after two ineffective years as a starter. He used a strong finish to his Cape season as a springboard and has been used as more of a setup man with Auburn. He's been able to use two good pitches to go right after hitters and should be of interest to teams looking for quality lefty relievers ... which is pretty much every team.
Perfect Game: (3/1) Crawford went 5-6, 5.91 with just 43 strikeouts in 67 innings in a starting role as a sophomore at Auburn, but may have found his calling last summer in the Cape Cod League as a closer for Harwich. He thrived in pressure situations with a game on the line. He started the season in middle relief but soon started finishing games for the Mariners, and went 1-0, 0.67 with five saves to go with 41 strikeouts in 27 innings. Opponents hit just .183 off him. Crawford’s electric stuff and makeup appear better suited for an end-of-game role. He pounded the strike zone with two pitches—an 86-90 mph fastball that peaked at 92-93, and a big-breaking, 73-76 mph curveball—and was able to junk his slider and changeup, which were below-average pitches. Auburn coaches tried for two years to make Crawford a starter but have come to the realization his comfort zone is in the bullpen and used him in that role in 2008.
(5/15) Crawford didn’t build off his impressive Cape Cod League showing last summer. He was dominating early with a fastball in the 92-93 mph range and a power breaking ball, but his velocity backed up later in the spring to 86 mph at times and his command was inconsistent from outing to outing. Though he led Auburn pitchers by a wide margin with a 1.98 ERA while striking out 40 in 41 innings, he was rarely used in a meaningful relief role. His best chance of going inside the first five probably rounds rests with a team that saw him perform at his best last summer on the Cape.
Round 9: Antonio Jimenez, C, Discipolous De Cristo HS
6'0", 185 lbs
Bats: Right; Throws: Right
DOB: 5/1/90
BA: The Blue Jays get good value in the ninth round, taking catcher Antonio Jimenez from Puerto Rico. Jimenez, who ranked as Baseball America’s No. 200 draft prospect, had a chance to go much higher were it not for an elbow injury just before the draft that cast doubts in teams’ eyes about how it would affect a player whose value is heavily dependent upon his premium defensive skills.
When healthy, Jimenez shows his athleticism behind the plate in his blocking and receiving skills, while his plus arm was also a standout tool. There are still some questions about the bat—though it’s hard to find a catcher without questions about the bat—but he does have some raw power.
Round 10: Daniel Farquhar, RHP, U Louisiana Lafayette
5'11"
DOB: 2/17/87
Round 11: Dustin Antolin, RHP, Miliani HS (HI)
6'2", 180 lbs
DOB: 8/9/89
Article on Antolin and a nice feature on him as well.
Round 12: Matthew Wright, LHP, Shippensburg U
5'10", 170 lbs
DOB: 5/7/87
Article on Wright.
Round 13: Matthew Daly, RHP, U Hawaii
5'11", 185 lbs
DOB: 8/14/86
Two articles on Daly.
Round 14: Chris Holguin, RHP, Lubbock Christian U
5'11", 185 lbs
DOB: 4/25/86
Round 15: Scott Gracey, RHP, U of New Mexico
6'2", 190 lbs
DOB: 10/15/86
Round 16 Michael Crouse OF Centennial SS, Coquitlam, B.C.
Round 17 Jonathan Valdez C Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, Gurabo, P.R.
Round 18 Bobby Bell RHP Rice
Round 19 Jason Roenicke RHP UC Santa Barbara
Round 20 Ryan Page LHP Liberty
Round 21 Brian Van Kirk OF Oral Roberts
Round 22 Karim Turkamani C Miami-Dade CC
Round 23 Chuck Huggins LHP UC Santa Barbara
Round 24 Chris Hawkins OF Oregon State
Round 25 Brad McElroy OF Charlotte
Round 26 Justin Dalles C St. Petersburg (Fla.) JC
Round 27 Bryan Kervin SS Texas Christian
Round 28 John Anderson LHP Chabot (Calif.) JC
Round 29 Justin Cryer RHP Mississippi
Round 30 Cody Dunbar RHP Texas Christian
Round 31 Justin Betts-Robinson LHP New Mexico JC
Round 32 Ryan Scott C Chaparal HS, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Round 33 Justin McClanahan 2B Louisville
Round 34 Austin Armstrong RHP Palm Beach (Fla.) CC
Round 35 Matthew Moody LHP Louisiana-Lafayette
Round 36 Ryan Koch RHP Florida Southern College
Round 37 Dallas Beeler RHP Jenks (Okla.) HS
Round 38 Quentin Williams OF Pittsburgh Central Catholic HS
Round 39 Jordan Flasher RHP George Mason
Round 40 Nate Nelson 1B Worcester State (Mass.) College
Round 41 Kyle Petter LHP West HS, Torrance, Calif.
Round 42 Andrew Durden OF Indian River (Fla.) CC
Round 43 Tyler Ybarra LHP Wellington (Fla.) HS
Round 44 George Agyapong-Mensah OF Western Texas JC
----------
All Jay picks, including video is available at this link
Yesterday the Jays took only one pitcher, Andrew Liebel, (and liked him more than my man Chris Carpenter who went a few picks later in round 3 and was also a senior) so I'd expect to see a lot of college pitchers being taken today.
Any player that makes the majors from this point on (other than signability players) is a huge success. In the Ricciardi era the best 7th round and later picks have been Tom Mastny (round 13) and Jesse Litsch (round 24).
Round 7: Eric Thames, OF, Pepperdine
6'0", 195 lbs
Bats: Left; Throws: Right
DOB: 11/10/86
| Year | AB | AVE | OBP | SLG | K/BB | K% |
| 2007 | 200 | 0.320 | 0.381 | 0.415 | 16% | |
| 2008 | 182 | 0.407 | 0.513 | 0.769 | 0.86 | 13% |
Perfect Game: (3/1) Thames is an impressive-looking athlete and led Pepperdine in RBIs a year ago—oddly, while failing to launch a single home run. His lack of raw power played a hand in last year’s draft as he wasn’t selected until the 39th round by the New York Yankees as a draft-eligible sophomore. But he enjoyed a big summer in the Northwoods League, finishing second in RBIs while being selected that league’s top prospect by PG Crosschecker. He hit only three home runs, but the Yankees were impressed enough with his bat speed and other areas of his game that they offered fifth-round money in an effort to sign him just before he returned to Pepperdine. Scouts believed a surge in power was in the offing for Thames this season. He also gets a lot of support for his foot speed (6.5 seconds in the 60). Thames spent most of last season in a DH role for Pepperdine as his play in the outfield was improving, but just adequate. His arm is his one tool that rates below average, which may relegate him to left field but there is a question whether his lack of raw power will play at that position
(5/15) Few position players in the entire draft helped themselves more this season than Thames, and his decision to reject a last-minute offer from the Yankees last summer now appears to be extremely prudent as some clubs have elevated him to potential first-round status. As predicted, Thames had a power surge and was batting a resounding .408-13-57 as Pepperdine completed regular-season play. Not only has Thames gotten stronger and matured, but he had a better approach at the plate this spring and adjusted well to all kinds of pitching. He showed a quick, compact swing with good extension, enabling him to generate excellent bat speed. He made hard, consistent contact, but occasionally chased pitches when he got overly aggressive. His arm strength, below average even by left field standards, is his only negative tool but it showed marginal improvement from the fall.
(6/1) Thames hurt his chances for the draft by tearing a quad muscle late in the season and undergoing surgery. He was expected to be out of action for 3-4 months.
A Project Prospect interview with Thames.
Round 8: Evan Crawford, LHP, Auburn
6'2", 190 lbs
DOB: 9/2/86
| Year | Innings | ERA | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | H/9 |
| 2006 | 78.2 | 4.35 | 6.3 | 4.6 | 0.3 | 10.0 |
| 2007 | 67 | 5.91 | 5.8 | 4.4 | 0.7 | 11.3 |
| 2008 | 44.2 | 2.42 | 8.6 | 5.1 | 0.6 | 8.3 |
MLB.com: Crawford seems to have found the right role, pitching out of Auburn's bullpen after two ineffective years as a starter. He used a strong finish to his Cape season as a springboard and has been used as more of a setup man with Auburn. He's been able to use two good pitches to go right after hitters and should be of interest to teams looking for quality lefty relievers ... which is pretty much every team.
Perfect Game: (3/1) Crawford went 5-6, 5.91 with just 43 strikeouts in 67 innings in a starting role as a sophomore at Auburn, but may have found his calling last summer in the Cape Cod League as a closer for Harwich. He thrived in pressure situations with a game on the line. He started the season in middle relief but soon started finishing games for the Mariners, and went 1-0, 0.67 with five saves to go with 41 strikeouts in 27 innings. Opponents hit just .183 off him. Crawford’s electric stuff and makeup appear better suited for an end-of-game role. He pounded the strike zone with two pitches—an 86-90 mph fastball that peaked at 92-93, and a big-breaking, 73-76 mph curveball—and was able to junk his slider and changeup, which were below-average pitches. Auburn coaches tried for two years to make Crawford a starter but have come to the realization his comfort zone is in the bullpen and used him in that role in 2008.
(5/15) Crawford didn’t build off his impressive Cape Cod League showing last summer. He was dominating early with a fastball in the 92-93 mph range and a power breaking ball, but his velocity backed up later in the spring to 86 mph at times and his command was inconsistent from outing to outing. Though he led Auburn pitchers by a wide margin with a 1.98 ERA while striking out 40 in 41 innings, he was rarely used in a meaningful relief role. His best chance of going inside the first five probably rounds rests with a team that saw him perform at his best last summer on the Cape.
Round 9: Antonio Jimenez, C, Discipolous De Cristo HS
6'0", 185 lbs
Bats: Right; Throws: Right
DOB: 5/1/90
BA: The Blue Jays get good value in the ninth round, taking catcher Antonio Jimenez from Puerto Rico. Jimenez, who ranked as Baseball America’s No. 200 draft prospect, had a chance to go much higher were it not for an elbow injury just before the draft that cast doubts in teams’ eyes about how it would affect a player whose value is heavily dependent upon his premium defensive skills.
When healthy, Jimenez shows his athleticism behind the plate in his blocking and receiving skills, while his plus arm was also a standout tool. There are still some questions about the bat—though it’s hard to find a catcher without questions about the bat—but he does have some raw power.
Round 10: Daniel Farquhar, RHP, U Louisiana Lafayette
5'11"
DOB: 2/17/87
| Year | Innings | ERA | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | H/9 |
| 2006 | 62.1 | 2.17 | 8.0 | 2.9 | 0.3 | 8.1 |
| 2007 | 87.2 | 3.08 | 11.9 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 8.2 |
| 2008 | 76.1 | 4.95 | 9.8 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 9.1 |
Round 11: Dustin Antolin, RHP, Miliani HS (HI)
6'2", 180 lbs
DOB: 8/9/89
Article on Antolin and a nice feature on him as well.
Round 12: Matthew Wright, LHP, Shippensburg U
5'10", 170 lbs
DOB: 5/7/87
| Year | Innings | ERA | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | H/9 |
| 2008 | 98.0 |
2.39 |
13.9 |
4.3 |
0.3 | 5.8 |
Article on Wright.
Round 13: Matthew Daly, RHP, U Hawaii
5'11", 185 lbs
DOB: 8/14/86
| Year | Innings | ERA | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | H/9 |
| 2006 | 52.2 | 3.25 | 9.0 | 4.5 | 0.9 | 7.6 |
| 2007 | 74.2 | 3.38 | 9.7 | 4.0 | 0.2 | 6.4 |
| 2008 | 81.1 | 5.31 | 8.9 | 7.2 | 1.0 | 7.8 |
Two articles on Daly.
Round 14: Chris Holguin, RHP, Lubbock Christian U
5'11", 185 lbs
DOB: 4/25/86
Round 15: Scott Gracey, RHP, U of New Mexico
6'2", 190 lbs
DOB: 10/15/86
| Year | Innings | ERA | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | H/9 |
| 2007 | 10.1 | 10.45 | 8.0 | 4.5 | 0.9 | 18.7 |
| 2008 | 5.2 | 6.35 | 8.7 | 5.2 | 1.7 | 12.1 |
Round 16 Michael Crouse OF Centennial SS, Coquitlam, B.C.
Round 17 Jonathan Valdez C Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, Gurabo, P.R.
Round 18 Bobby Bell RHP Rice
| Year | Innings | ERA | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | H/9 |
| 2005 | 52 | 2.77 | 8.8 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 6.1 |
| 2006 | 73.1 | 4.17 | 7.5 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 9.5 |
| 2007 | 0.2 | 13.50 | 45.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 135.0 |
| 2008 | 19.2 | 0.92 | 11.7 | 3.8 | 0.5 | 4.2 |
Round 19 Jason Roenicke RHP UC Santa Barbara
| Year | Innings | ERA | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | H/9 |
| 2008 | 14.1 | 5.02 | 10.2 | 5.1 | 0.6 | 10.9 |
Round 20 Ryan Page LHP Liberty
| Year | Innings | ERA | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | H/9 |
| 2005 | 40 | 3.60 | 5.6 | 3.4 | 0.7 | 10.1 |
| 2006 | 72.2 | 3.59 | 4.9 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 9.5 |
| 2007 | 63 | 4.57 | 6.3 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 11.3 |
| 2008 | 81.2 | 2.76 | 7.0 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 9.6 |
Round 21 Brian Van Kirk OF Oral Roberts
| Year | AB | AVE | OBP | SLG | K/BB | K% |
| 2006 | 127 | 0.346 | 0.414 | 0.512 | 16% | |
| 2007 | 201 | 0.299 | 0.391 | 0.498 | 1.46 | 17% |
| 2008 | 237 | 0.414 | 0.505 | 0.734 | 0.84 | 13% |
Round 22 Karim Turkamani C Miami-Dade CC
Round 23 Chuck Huggins LHP UC Santa Barbara
| Year | Innings | ERA | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | H/9 |
| 2007 | 54 | 5.50 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 1.3 | 7.8 |
| 2008 | 86 | 4.40 | 8.1 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 8.5 |
Round 24 Chris Hawkins OF Oregon State
Round 25 Brad McElroy OF Charlotte
| Year | AB | AVE | OBP | SLG | K/BB | K% |
| 2007 | 242 | 0.401 | 0.473 | 0.661 | 11% | |
| 2008 | 189 | 0.381 | 0.485 | 0.577 | 0.51 | 9% |
Round 26 Justin Dalles C St. Petersburg (Fla.) JC
Round 27 Bryan Kervin SS Texas Christian
| Year | AB | AVE | OBP | SLG | K/BB | K% |
| 2005 | 149 | 0.342 | 0.398 | 0.436 | 17% | |
| 2006 | 258 | 0.329 | 0.396 | 0.422 | 1.32 | 13% |
| 2007 | 262 | 0.290 | 0.355 | 0.389 | 13% | |
| 2008 | 250 | 0.288 | 0.350 | 0.372 | 1.46 | 12% |
Round 28 John Anderson LHP Chabot (Calif.) JC
Round 29 Justin Cryer RHP Mississippi
| Year | Innings | ERA | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | H/9 |
| 2008 | 33.1 | 1.35 | 7.3 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 6.5 |
Round 30 Cody Dunbar RHP Texas Christian
| Year | Innings | ERA | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | H/9 |
| 2005 | 5.00 | 12.60 | 3.6 | 12.6 | 0.0 | 10.8 |
| 2007 | 18.2 | 5.79 | 8.4 | 5.9 | 0.5 | 12.9 |
Round 31 Justin Betts-Robinson LHP New Mexico JC
Round 32 Ryan Scott C Chaparal HS, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Round 33 Justin McClanahan 2B Louisville
| Year | AB | AVE | OBP | SLG | K/BB | K% |
| 2007 | 104 | 0.250 | 0.313 | 0.471 | 17% | |
| 2008 | 261 | 0.372 | 0.424 | 0.625 | 2.75 | 15% |
Round 34 Austin Armstrong RHP Palm Beach (Fla.) CC
Round 35 Matthew Moody LHP Louisiana-Lafayette
| Year | Innings | ERA | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | H/9 |
| 2005 | 57.1 | 4.08 | 7.4 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 8.8 |
| 2006 | 113 | 2.63 | 6.8 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 8.0 |
| 2007 | 85 | 4.13 | 7.9 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 10.3 |
| 2008 | 99.1 | 3.26 | 6.9 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 9.3 |
Round 36 Ryan Koch RHP Florida Southern College
Round 37 Dallas Beeler RHP Jenks (Okla.) HS
Round 38 Quentin Williams OF Pittsburgh Central Catholic HS
Round 39 Jordan Flasher RHP George Mason
| Year | Innings | ERA | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | H/9 |
| 2006 | 29 | 4.34 | 8.1 | 3.4 | 0.0 | 8.4 |
| 2007 | 38 | 2.84 | 9.2 | 3.6 | 0.5 | 8.1 |
| 2008 | 1 | 9.00 | 9.0 | 27.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Round 40 Nate Nelson 1B Worcester State (Mass.) College
Round 41 Kyle Petter LHP West HS, Torrance, Calif.
Round 42 Andrew Durden OF Indian River (Fla.) CC
Round 43 Tyler Ybarra LHP Wellington (Fla.) HS
Round 44 George Agyapong-Mensah OF Western Texas JC
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All Jay picks, including video is available at this link
