Looks like Urena had cooled off quite a bit before his 4 hit night last night, 1 for his last 19 before last night.

What an eye! My apologies there.

with the draft signing deadline at 5pm tonight, it's a good time to look back on our 2015 draftees.

1st rounder Jonathan Harris is striking out and walking loads of batters in Vancouver.  Lots of players have minimal sample sizes, but of those that have more than a few appearances, 4th rounder Carl Wise isn't hitting much in Vancouver, unheralded 6th round SS JC Cardenas has showed an anemic bat in Vancouver, while equally unheralded Porto Rican HS pick Espada has looked great.  7th rounder Travis Bergen struck out a bunch of guys in his 2 appearances but is on the DL.

Brady Singer, 2nd round pick, is 'at an impasse' with the team according to Jim Callis, but if we do get a comp pick for him, im fine with that - AA has done quite well with these comp picks.  Can someone explain that one to me - i had thought the comp pick was only for 1st rounders, but im hearing otherwise on the box?

11th rounder Marrick Crouse isnt signing and our 13th, 17th, 25th, 29th and 37th are deciding or unlikely, according to the excellent draft tracker at blue jays plus.

other names of interest include, obviously, Reggie Pruitt who is off to a great start with the bat, and 14th round catcher Ryan Hissey, who played well enough to get promoted to Vancouver. 

many of the latter picks are older college players and thus need to hit the ground running to have a chance at the Kevin Pillar path - off to a good start so far are 2b Andrew Guillotte and OFs Kalick May and Lance Jones.  Earl Burl III remains the best name in the draft.

Did i miss anyone you guys are following?  How do you rate the draft overall?  I'd say it's a good draft but not the homerun of some of AAs drafts.  AA continues to focus on pitching (18 picks this year, after 22 the past two) and up the middle talent, with 3 SS, 4 catchers and 3 CFs picked.  

Top picks IMO are Harris, Espada and Pruitt.  Throw Vlad JR. in there and this is an impressive haul of young talent.  If AA keeps building the farm this well, it's getting harder to see him getting fired this season, even if we don't make the playoffs. 

Anyone know what Baseball America ranked the BJs mid season top 10 prospects today?

You get compensation picks in the first 3 rounds for unsigned draft picks. I calculate that the Jays have a little under $500,00 to play with to sign one post round 10 draftees. I suppose that number would increase by $100,000 to sign two post round 10 picks taking into account the $100,000 deductible.

"It seems as though the Jays draft these kids with true plus pitches and strikeout potential, only to strip them of these qualities."

I don't understand this sentiment, can anyone who supports this line of thinking name anyone other than Sanchez and Hoffman who the Jays have supposedly broken in this manner? That is of course assuming that people also want to ignore that Hoffman, all of 56 innings into his return from Tommy John, has 20/4 K/BB in his last 4 starts covering 22 innings. I mean, this nefarious plan to take away plus pitches hasn't seemed to affect players likes Stroman, Osuna, Norris, Hutchison, Reid-Foley, Castro, Smoral, Borucki, Hollon, Wells etc. and their ability to strike people out.

Heyman reporting that Singer not signing. Player has also removed Jays reference from his twitter

"Anyone know what Baseball America ranked the BJs mid season top 10 prospects today?"

Yup, here it is:
1.Norris 2. Pompey 3. Hoffman 4. Castro 5. Urena 6. Alford 7. Boyd 8. Reid-Foley 9. Tellez 10. Pentecost

Alford and Reid-Foley should be higher. As they would say in economic circles, they are using lagging indicators or are just not up to date in their assessments.

Alford is a very interesting subject.  He's doing many things right, but it should be noted that he has a BABIP of about .425 in his A ball career so far.  John Sickels has also adopted a cautious approach to rating him, and that makes sense to me.  Bearing in mind his lack of home run power (so far), you'd like to see the W rate at or near the K rate.  It is good that his K rate is falling, and this is reflective of his studious approach to the game. 

Subjectively, I'd rather have him than Castro but it's a lot like comparing air and fire.

1. Air
2. Water
3. Earth
4. Fire
5. Ether

my ranking for seeing Jays in playoffs.
Glad B.A. still high on Castro.

I prefer Earth, Wind and Fire to Air.  Maybe it's a generational thing.

"I don't understand this sentiment, can anyone who supports this line of thinking name anyone other than Sanchez and Hoffman who the Jays have supposedly broken in this manner?"

moreover can anyone name anyone other than keith law (for sanchez) and kiley mcdaniel (for hoffman) who have made this rather farfetched claim?

I didn't think Ether was a hot track. Must be a generational thing.

Pompey in the 2 hole for Buffalo tonight.

Where there's Smoak there's fire. I'll let myself out.

In the DSL, the Jays beat the Reds 8-0 today, regaining a share of first place in their six-team division as they enter the brief all-star break.  Their record now is 25-17.  Two pitchers, Jose Nova and Juan Nunez, held the Reds to just 6 hits and 1 walk over 9 innings.  The big hitters were 3B Sterling Guzman (4 hits) and catcher Manuel Herazo (3 hits).

I was in attendance and was mostly watching the two 17-year-old bonus babies, Kevin Vicuna and Jesus Navarro, as they continue their rookie seasons.  In yesterday's game, Vicuna was at SS and Navarro was at 2B, but today they switched positions, so I may have been wrong yesterday when I suggested that Vicuna is seen as a stronger prospect than Navarro.  After his two errors yesterday, Navarro recovered nicely today -- he was flawless in the field and added a triple from the plate.  Vicuna made one error: he bobbled an easy flip from Navarro on a potential double-play ball, but it seemed an error of over-eagerness as he was prematurely transferring the ball from his glove to his throwing hand.  Vicuna was highly impressive on one defensive play, which began when a Red hitter slammed a deep fly into the remotest corner of right field.  The RF took a long time to come up with the ball, and everyone assumed it was a triple. But on the relay, Vicuna fired a bullet to the 3B and the runner was out by a full step.  At the plate, Vicuna had two hits, but neither was particularly well-hit -- he just found holes.  He seems like a contact hitter and a free swinger. Scouts have questioned how much power he has.  He's still very skinny (listed as 6 feet and 140 pounds) so we'll see if he gains power as he develops.  In the meantime, he seems fearless at the plate, but will need to develop some patience.  (None of the DSL Jays walked today, so it's probably a chronic league-wide thing.)

As for others on the team:  Guzman is just 17 and seemed fine defensively, to go along with his 4 hits today.  He might be worth a closer watch.  (He played well on that relay from Vicuna to get the runner at 3B.)  Herazo is having a good season, looks to have a strong arm, and nobody dared to run on him today, but he is already 20 and perhaps too old to be a prospect.

One oddity:  I noticed a pale blond kid who was hitting 9th for the Jays and couldn't figure out who he was.  Looked him up later and realized it was the organization's Belgian acquisition, 19-year-old CF Sam Buelens, born in Antwerp. He is a speedy kid with 13 stolen bases but not much power: only one extra-base hit in 61 plate appearances this season.  Not sure if he speaks Spanish, but he looked rather ill-at-ease with the Latino teammates.

It seems the old saying "you can't walk off the Island" is still hanging around the DR.

Thanks for the updates CF, I speak a little spanish so would absolutely love to do what you're doing. Is this a purely vacation trip? Or work related? How are you getting around?

JB21, good questions, I'm hoping the Box's "Roster" cabel will allow me to offer a pinch-hit post on how to watch DSL games.  If they approve the idea, I'll cover all the details of the experience, plus some impressions about the Blue Jays training complex in the DR.

But just to give a brief answer now:  I'm on a short vacation in the DR and am hiring a taxi for the 30-minute drive from Santo Domingo to the Boca Chica "baseball city" complex where the DSL Jays are playing.  The location was a little confusing to find at first, since it's on an unmarked road, but we found it with a little help from the locals.  There are security guards at the gates, but they are friendly and allowed me to attend without any problems.  There aren't any formal bleachers or stands -- you just sit in a shaded area under a tin roof behind the home-plate screen.  You're mostly sitting with younger non-roster players from the Jays organization, plus some family members and kids. It's a great experience.

That sounds the best. Good for you!

ya that's awesome.

Alford is a very interesting subject. He's doing many things right, but it should be noted that he has a BABIP of about .425 in his A ball career so far.

But that's a good thing. A great thing. At Dunedin, he now has an 18 K%, which is a very nice improvement from his 26% in Lansing, and his slugging numbers are also impressive -- a .170 ISO (vs .100 in Lansing). Those three stats -- BABIP, ISO, and K% -- are the most important numbers (predictors) for someone at A+ ball. Well, those plus age, which is also very good, especially in light of his limited experience. The only cautionary note is that this still only covers 91 PA, but if he can keep that up, he's a terrific prospect. I wasn't so impressed with his Lansing numbers but I'm impressed now.

Looked him up later and realized it was the organization's Belgian acquisition, 19-year-old CF Sam Buelens, born in Antwerp. He is a speedy kid with 13 stolen bases but not much power: only one extra-base hit in 61 plate appearances this season.

In 2014 Buelens played for the Borgerhout Squirrels and won the championship in the Belgian Division I. He appeared in 34 games and batted .348 (OBP .448/SLG .430) with six extra base hits, 50 runs, 23 RBI and 31 stolen bases (in as many attempts).

.306 .444 .327 in the GCL. That's more or less in line.

I didn't realize non-Dominicans could play in the GCL.

Norberto Obeso: is anyone following his progress. He was another international signing that intrigues me. And what a name!?!

Alford 1 for 2 with 2 BB's last night.

Spud77, do you have any background on Obeso?   I can't find any indication that he was a significant signing for the Jays.  He's certainly having a great year in the DSL (with a .880 OPS and an all-star selection), but he is 20 years old when many of his opponents are 17 or 18 years old.  He does have some experience in the Mexican leagues, where the quality of the opposition can be high. Still, i haven't heard any buzz about hime.  Perhaps I'm missing something.  If you've seen anything interesting on Obeso's potential, please let us know your sources.

A very friendly remainder:

Canadian baseball doubleheader for tomorrow July 19, 2015:

Rays VS Jays on Sunday at 1:07 pm ET - Chris Archer (9-6, 2.74) vs. Marco Estrada (6-5, 3.52)

2015 Pan Am Men`s baseball gold medal match: Canada VS USA at 7:05pm ET -

Is anyone else as worried as I am about Hoffman's absurdly low K/9?

For someone as hyped as he has been, you'd think he would have a K/9 of at least 9..

My thought was they restricted use of his curve coming off TJ. But that's just speculation. Weren't his k rates pretty good in his last four or five starts at A+?

Hoffman is also coming off TJ where command can be slower to return. I think he gets a mulligan until next year.

Hoffman certainly looked solid in his AA debut last night.  6 Ips, 5 hits, no walks and 3 Ks.

I'm literally the opposite of worried about the guy - his recovery seems to be going swimmingly, and I wouldn't rule out an appearance out of the pen in September.  Do September call ups burn an option year?  If not, bring em up! 

Angel Perdomo also looked great yesterday with 9 Ks in 6 IPs.  hard not to get excited about a just-turned 21 year old who stands 6 ft. 6.  I don't know much about the guy except that his control is the issue and has been improving - anyone have a take on him? 

"Do September call ups burn an option year? If not, bring em up!"

No but then you will burn an option next year if he isn't on the 25man.

I think I'd avoid burning unnecessary options on players by bringing them up early, unless you know they're here to stay within the next year or two.

thanks Cruzin, you're right on that - no point in burning an option year for a few september innings.

I assume that some of us are going to feel that way about Castro by the end of the year.  but rushing osuna has paid off bigtime. 

Unless in heat of a pennant race, I would not bring up Hoffman in September and use up a valuable 40 man roster spot. There are other borderline guys we need to look at. Best course seems to be to give him the month off and send him to AFL. Don't want to push too hard on return from TJ.

PeterG, agreed that there's no need for Hoffman in September unless he might be a difference maker for a stretch run, but not sure how valuable 40 man spots are with the likes of Izturis, Colt Hynes, Felix Doubront, Chad Jenkins and sadly, Mune on the 40 man at the moment.

But I guess you are talking about the offseason?   haven't taken the time to look and see if there are going to be valuable guys at risk of being left off this year ... anyone have any idea?

I would like to look at McFarland and Infante in September, again if not in pennant race, and they would require 40 man spots for September at least.. I imagine we will add Labourt and possibly Burns. Taylor Cole is another possibility as his last 3 starts have been outstanding.

I think the AFL would be good for Hoffman.

McFarland might even be up before sept. Can't see infante unless we are out of it, too many walks. Burns fits into that category too, tolleson, mune or even Diaz are ahead of him on the depth chart. I can see the need to protect labourt, but why call him up? The jays typically don't play the kids in sept.

Cole is a fave long shot of mine, nice seeing him rolling, its been a tough year for him in aa

I didn't mean to call up Labourt...just to add to 40 in off season. I think Cole could move very quickly if we made him a reliever.

I like J Anderson in AA. He is finally staying healthy.

Regarding Labourt: I am not sure but I believe that those Latin young signings get 6 years in the minors before having to be added to the 40 man roster for protection from the Rule 5 draft. And you can only lose a max of 3 players in the Rule 5. Most get returned to their clubs.

what u say is correct bpoz except for Labourt's eligibility. He does require rule 5 protection I believe. It is also 5 years now. See link below. Of course, he could always be part of a trade package making this moot.

http://www.bluebirdbanter.com/pages/rule-5-eligible-players

Today was the all-star game for the Dominican Summer League, and I was fortunate enough to be in attendance.  The game ended in a 2-2 tie after 9 innings.  (No extra innings were played.)  Two of the DSL Blue Jays were on the AL all-star squad, and both got a little playing time, but didn't have a chance to do much.  The 20-year-old Mexican outfielder Norberto Obeso was in the starting lineup, but he whiffed on 4 pitches in his only plate appearance.  He didn't have any defensive opportunities in the outfield. The 19-year-old Venezuelan pitcher Yonardo Herdenez got into the game for two batters in the 8th inning.  He had trouble finding the plate, walked the first batter and fell behind on the second batter but managed to induce a ground-out.  (Between them, the two all-star teams managed to work 30 pitchers into the game!  So there were a lot of delays as new pitchers were constantly inserted into the game mid-inning.)

I watched Herdenez in the bullpen as he warmed up in the 8th inning.  He has a smooth delivery and some nice life on his fastball.  He has a classic pitcher's frame (6-foot-1 and 170 pounds).  Maybe he was nervous when he entered the game, but his fastball kept drifting up and the catcher motioned to him to calm down and keep his pitches down.

It was an interesting atmosphere at today's game in Boca Chica.  Unlike regular DSL games, the all-star game was heavily promoted to the general public, and it was broadcast online and on a local ESPN radio outlet.  The game was held at the beautiful new training facility of the Colorado Rockies, probably because it was one of the few baseball fields in Boca Chica with a seating area (several rows of grassy ampitheatre-style benches).  Several hundred fans attended, and the mood was raucous -- which is apparently reminiscent of what the more professional winter league is like.  There was music, a professional announcer, national anthems, etc.   Lots of cheering and heckling and whistling by the boisterous fans.

Though a few errors were made, the Dominican players in general seem very well-coached and well-trained.  In the 2nd inning today, for example, the NL team had runners on 1B and 3B and attempted a delayed double steal. The AL shortstop sniffed it out immediately.  When the throw came from the catcher, he stepped forward a couple of paces in front of 2B, cut off the throw and hurled it back to home plate fast enough to catch the runner. He had seen the whole thing unfolding and reacted extremely fast.

A couple of oddities today.  First, I was surprised to see that the formalities began (before the national anthems) with a recitation of the Lord's Prayer.  This is still a highly religious country.  Before they took to the field, the all-star teams huddled for their own prayer sessions on the sidelines.  (I even saw one player with a Bible as he watched a game earlier this week.)

My favorite oddity was a translation error.  The bat boy, a hard-working young teenager who hustled out to home plate to collect the stray bats and balls during the game, was given his own All-Star jersey, but it had a translation error on the back of the shirt. Instead of "Bat Boy", his uniform said in large letters:  "Bad Boy."   Nobody seemed to notice the error.  Not sure whether he was allowed to keep the uniform, but it might be my all-time favorite.

Thanks CF. Great reports.

that's hillarious chinafan!  reminds me of the Japanese grannie I saw on the subway in Tokyo happily rocking her 'pucking around' t-shirt.

Bpoz, i looked up John Anderson after your comment - what a story! drafted in 2008,  two tommy Johns and his velocity is now up to 97, but he's still struggling in AA.   i'll be pulling on him going forward!

Thanks jerjapan. I was thinking of a lot of bull pen arms. Boyd, Anderson and Cole for example are starters, so they should have a variety of pitches. For 1-3 innings they can go hard.
In addition to having a variety of pitches they are mid 20s in age so their ceilings have been established sort of. Like Happ & Estrada, except these 2 are doing better than expected as far as my evaluation goes.

The Buffalo/Toronto shuttle has some ready arms.

As a 5th starter they are not in the picture except Boyd. There will always be pitching shortages so a 5th starter opportunity has to be grabbed when it comes because these guys are not going to be given any rope if they struggle.

Thanks again CF! Sounds like a great experience.

Bpoz, for sure cole could end up in the major league pen, although I doubt we protect him on the 40 man again this year.    he seems to be turning a corner, so next year AAA - at least he might be a copeland / jenkins type, a AAAA guy who can pitch long relief for cheap and ride the Buffalo shuffle.  I have tons of respect for the man for giving up his baseball career for a couple of years to pursue his religious mission, so he's another one im pulling for. 

IF Cole has 4/5 more starts like the last 3 , then I think we protect him. IF any one of 29 teams thinks he could pitch in a major league pen, he's taken in rule 5.