Batter's Box Interactive Magazine

Clinton Hollon was the star of the day with seven innings of one hit ball. He retired the last 19 hitters he saw to lead Lansing to a 2-1 win. Justin Maese also pitched very well in the GCL to lead that Jays team to the win. All other teams lost with Vancouver in the all-star break.

Buffalo 3 Charlotte 8

Todd Redmond was hit around the park in the first inning and ended up allowing five runs. Redmond left after three innings. Greg Burke, one run in two innings, Ben Rowen, two shutout innings and Gregory Infante, two runs in two innings, pitched after Redmond.

The Bisons got on the board in the fifth, Roemen Fields singled in Andy Burns. Luke Scott doubled to lead off the sixth and immediately scored when Ty Kelly singled. The third run came in the seventh, Dalton Pompey and Fields walked and executed a double steal. Pompey then scored on a ground out. Pompey was 2-3 with two walks.

New Hampshire 2 Richmond 3

Blake McFarland has been strong this year but the fates were against him on Wednesday. Two ground ball singles put runners at first and third. A line drive single plated the winning run. Austin Bibens-Dirkx gave up the other two runs in 5.1 innings.

New Hampshire's first run came in the first inning, Kevin Nolan and Ryan Schimpf doubled. In the sixth Schimpf walked and Emilio Guerrero singled. Matt Newman singled to drive in Schimpf and put Guerrero on third. Guerrero was then thrown out at home in what turned out to be a big play. Nolan wa the only hitter with two hits.

Dunedin 1 Daytona 3

Shane Dawson started and took the loss. Dawson walked the first hitter in each of the first two innings. He escaped damage in the first but gave up a run in the second. In the fourth he was taken deep for a two run home run. In all, Dawson went 5.2 innings, 6 hits, 3 walks, 6 K's.

Matt Dean's home run was the only Jays run and he had two of their five hits. Anthony Alford, who is scuffling a bit recently, had a hit. I wonder if Alford would be a candidate for the Arizona Fall League, or seeing how he played in Australia last winter would he need a break?

Wisconsin 1 Lansing 2

Clinton Hollon seemed to be a bit nervous in the first inning, a lead off single was picked off and two walks were left on base. Hollon then retired 19 in a row pitching a one hitter through seven innings. Hollon had 10 ground ball outs to 4 fly balls. Colton Turner lost the shutout in the ninth and Carlos Ramirez had to come in for the save.

Both Lugnut runs scored on sac flies. In the second DJ Davis tripled and scored on a fly ball by Dawel Lugo. Juan Kelly doubled to lead off the third and later scored when Chris Carlson flew out to right. Davis had two hits.

Vancouver - All-Star break

Games resume Thursday.

Greeneville 5 Bluefield 1 - 5 innings

Juliandry Higuera had a rough start. He loaded the bases in the first inning but escaped. He gave up a lead off single in the second but escaped. Greeneville got to him in the third inning for 4 runs. Miguel Burgos relieved Higuera and gave up a run in the fourth. He gave way to Zak Wasilewski who retired all four batters he faced.

Bluefield also loaded the bases in the first inning and they scored on a run on a hit batter. Gabriel Clark had a single in that inning, their only hit. The game was called after five innings due to rain.

GCL Astros 2 GCL Blue Jays 3

The star of this game pitcher Justin Maese who pitched five hitless, shutout innings with just one walk. He recorded four strikeouts and had 8 ground balls to 2 fly balls. Chris King from BPro was there and said this on twitter "Very impressive outing from Justin Maese. Solid 3 pitch mix and strike throwing ability. Repeats well and attacks hitters". Maese was the Jays third round selection in the 2015 draft. The starter was Hansel Rodriguez who went four innings and was charged with both runs.

Jake Thomas had three hits and was in the middle of two of the runs scored. He singled in the third inning, after Lance Jones singled. Nash Knight drove in the first run with a sac fly and then homered in the sixth to tie the game at two. In the seventh Thomas singled and scored on a double by Levi Scott. It was a good win but all of the guys who contributed to the scoring are 22 year olds in the GCL.

3 Stars

3rd star: Jake Thomas

2nd star: Justin Maese

1st star: Clinton Hollon

Boxes

Posted by Gerry on Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 09:33 AM EDT.

Holler For Hollon | 36 comments | Create New Account

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.

China fan - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 09:42 AM EDT (#307894) #

That's Ben Rowen, not Rowan. His two shutout innings for Buffalo (one hit, one strikeout, no walks) are the continuation of a trend: he's been having success at the AAA level since 2013, yet he's only had 8 innings in the majors so far. It will be interesting to see if the Jays promote him in September when rosters expand. He's already on the 40-man roster, and his unorthodox submarine delivery could add another look to the Jays bullpen in the stretch drive.

China fan - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 09:57 AM EDT (#307898) #

Roemon Fields is not slowing down at all. He has 2 hits, 2 walks and a stolen base in his first 7 ABs at the AAA level, his third level of the season. He had earlier posted a .792 OPS (with 7 stolen bases in 97 ABs) at New Hampshire.

I still think the Jays could drop Colt Hynes from the 40-man roster to make room for Fields as a September call-up. Pompey would presumably also be on the Toronto roster by then, but a 5th outfielder would not be unreasonable and could be valuable as a pinch-runner. (Recall that Mastroianni was used in a similar role during parts of last season.)

John Northey - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 10:40 AM EDT (#307900) #

September is fast approaching so who do the Jays call up? Max of 15 but more realistic is 5.
CA: Thole if not already up
IF: Diaz another super glove no offense
OF: Pompey (obvious), Carrera (cleared waivers)
P: Delabar, Tepera, Jenkins, Francis*, Wolf*, Copeland, Joba Chamberlin are all candidates. Delabar & Tepera are the only locks but I'd bet strongly at least one LHP will be part of the call ups.
If they want a bit more off the bench for hitting, then Hague might get a shot too.

Challenging as the question becomes what do they need. Diaz would be nice as he is basically the same as Goins but a bit weaker bat (so late inning defense, pinch running). You always want a 3rd catcher in September and the other choices are having poor years. Pompey is an obvious call up as is Carrera. The pen is hard to call though outside of Delabar & Tepera (might be the only RHP called up). Joba is probably a near lock. Francis would be high on the list as he has relieved and started in AAA and has a killer sub 1.50 ERA.

jerjapan - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 10:46 AM EDT (#307901) #

China, I know you were talking about Fields on another thread - what makes him a better call-up than Carrera? I know Zeke didn't run much this year, but he swiped 93 bags vs. 26 CS the last two seasons across the majors and minors. Fields has a 71% success rate this season (I figure this is a better representation than his vancouver numbers last year, which were great). Zeke's at 77% for the last three years.

I missed that we re-signed Kottaras to catch at AAA - a nice depth move.

Oceanbound - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 10:48 AM EDT (#307902) #

Diaz was outrighted off the 40 man when they got Torreyes, so he won't be up. You'll see Mune instead.

China fan - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 10:58 AM EDT (#307903) #

That's a fair point about Carrera. I had forgotten that he had cleared waivers. He does deserve to be back in the majors, and with Pompey that would make 5 outfielders, so there's probably no room for more. My main thought about Fields is that the Jays clearly see him as having long-term potential as a prospect (which Carrera does not) and therefore Fields could benefit from getting an early taste of the majors. Fields is only 24 and has been in organized baseball for only two years. His development has been extremely rapid. The Jays showed in the spring that they like him a lot -- they gave him more playing time at the end of spring training than some higher-profile prospects. Perhaps I am over-optimistic, but I'm thinking that his lack of professional training (until recently) suggests he might have a lot more room for growth than the ordinary prospect. And if he's capable of a .790 OPS in AA with hardly any professional experience, maybe he's capable of a lot of further improvement. Carrera, on the other hand, is a finished product. So maybe the Jays go with the prospect who has greater room for growth.

PeterG - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 11:14 AM EDT (#307904) #

Fields will be called up ahead of Carrera. It does not matter if he hits or fields. He is pure dynamite off the bench as a PR and is likely to be used exclusively for that.

hypobole - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 11:16 AM EDT (#307905) #

Fields can't field..very well. His offensive skill set is redundant with Pompey's. And he doesn't have to be added to the 40 man for a couple of years. Why push it?

JB21 - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 11:58 AM EDT (#307914) #

Not so sure I understand the logic behind this. The Jays have no PR issues right now, especially if Stroman makes it back. If Carerra is the better option, than he'll be called up. Fields is fast, but he's not Terrance Gore efficient at stealing bases.

PeterG - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 01:12 PM EDT (#307919) #

It has already been reported on several fronts that this move (Fields) will be made. There is no problem placing him on 40 man.

uglyone - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 01:20 PM EDT (#307920) #

really encouraging stuff from Hollon. he's suddenly a very important arm on the system.

JB21 - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 01:29 PM EDT (#307922) #

If so, it has nothing to do with PR.

Hodgie - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 01:29 PM EDT (#307923) #

MiLB's writeup on Hollon's performance last night was a good read. Looks like I have a new favourite prospect to root for, a young father with a very grounded and admirable perspective on life.

China fan - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 02:00 PM EDT (#307935) #

Nobody suggested that a Fields promotion would be due to "PR" or marketing or anything like that. At least I don't see anyone in this thread or previous threads who suggested it. I was only saying that a 24-year-old inexperienced prospect who has major-league potential could benefit from a September promotion, because it would help with his development. The Jays have often done this before: give some September playing time to a young prospect to help him adjust to the majors, with a view to his future. Even if it's a few innings and a lot of bench time, it can help.

Now, a separate question is whether Fields is a genuine prospect or whether he's poor defensively and unlikely to hit well enough for a major-league career. I don't know the answer. I can't disagree with someone who has watched him closely and finds him very flawed, because I haven't seen him. My point was that the Jays seem to have a relatively high opinion of him. They gave him a lot of playing time in the late spring-training games, and they promoted him aggressively this year. And he hasn't had much high-level coaching before, so he could still improve. Feel free to disagree about his potential, but I think it's possible that the Jays believe he has potential.

As for putting him on the 40-man roster: that's only a problem if he doesn't make the majors in the next 3 years. He's already at the AAA level. If he doesn't crack the majors in the next three years, by the time he is 27, it probably doesn't matter that he is out of options, because he probably wasn't good enough for the majors.

hypobole - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 02:09 PM EDT (#307937) #

We lost Dyson a couple of years ago because of a 40 man roster crunch, nothing to do with option years.

On the other hand, between upper level prospects traded and free agency, that probably won't be an issue this year.

John Northey - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 02:32 PM EDT (#307940) #

If the Jays are going for just speed wouldn't Jon Berti make more sense? 21-5 for SB-CS vs Roemon Fields 29-12. Berti has played infield and outfield vs Fields OF only. There are advantages to more positions.

uglyone - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 02:33 PM EDT (#307941) #

RP S.Dyson (27): 101.1ip, 101era-, 103fip-, -1.50wpa, -0.1war

I'm amazed that jays fans still think of this guy as a "loss".

Vulg - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 02:37 PM EDT (#307943) #

Nobody suggested that a Fields promotion would be due to "PR" or marketing or anything like that.

I read 'PR' as pinch runner. Either way, I'd like to see Carrera up first personally.

China fan - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 02:50 PM EDT (#307947) #

Whoops, okay, PR is pinch runner. That should have been obvious to me!

Yeah, I agree that Carrera is a more logical promotion for a team in a playoff drive where every inning could be important. I still find Fields an intriguing prospect.

hypobole - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 03:23 PM EDT (#307954) #

Most of Dyson's negative value was from his 1st year with the Marlins, when he could/should have been in the minors and not on the 40 man. This year and last year combined, he's pitched 90 innings in 79 games with a 132 ERA+.

FIP (and therefore fWAR) underrates him, as it does a lot of extreme ground-ballers.

JB21 - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 03:25 PM EDT (#307956) #

Same, all around. I read PR as PR and not pinch runner, Oops! And I also believe Pompey/Carrera would be better suited than Fields. Although, Another speedster can't hurt I guess.

uglyone - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 03:51 PM EDT (#307960) #

i hate to remove numbers from already tiny samples.

either way, Dyson's numbers this year wouldn't be good enough to crack our bullpen.

China fan - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 05:06 PM EDT (#307981) #

Old friend Adam Loewen is returning to the majors. He's been called up by the Phillies after posting an ERA of 1.88 in the minors this season.

For those of us (like myself) who may have lost track of him: he began as a pitcher, made it to the majors, injured his elbow, attempted a comeback as a hitter in the Jays system, abandoned that idea, returned to pitching, was invited to pitch for Canada at the Pan-Am games this summer, turned down the invitation in order to concentrate on his professional career in the Phillies system, before finally getting the call-up to return to the majors. Good luck to him.

uglyone - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 06:06 PM EDT (#307989) #

that is pretty cool.

JB21 - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 06:30 PM EDT (#307990) #

Wow, that's amazing. Good for him.

73 k's in 58 innings, not too bad. Walks are a little high (5.7 per 9) but only 6 H/9 and 0.3 HR/9.

John Northey - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 06:31 PM EDT (#307991) #

So what is next for Loewen...reached as a starting pitcher, retooled, reached as an outfielder, retools, now up as a reliever. Guess he has to become a catcher next :)

ayjackson - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 08:51 PM EDT (#307999) #

Wolf, Lawrence, Greene...everybody gunning for Hutch's spot tonight.

Gerry - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 08:54 PM EDT (#308000) #

Pompey is 3-3 off Brad Penny tonight.

ayjackson - Thursday, August 06 2015 @ 10:45 PM EDT (#308012) #

Some reports that Connor Greene is throwing his curveball 8mph faster over the past few starts. Paying big dividends.

uglyone - Friday, August 07 2015 @ 01:38 AM EDT (#308019) #

greene hollon perdomo turning it up just when we start to worry about system pitching depth. nice to see.

China fan - Friday, August 07 2015 @ 11:14 AM EDT (#308036) #

Conner Greene is also a professional actor, with 3 credits to his name and an official page on the IMDB film website. (Hat tip to Jays Journal for uncovering this fact.) Here is his IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0338710/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm

finch - Friday, August 07 2015 @ 11:59 AM EDT (#308038) #

Connor Greene seems like an intriguing arm in the system. One thing AA has an A+ on is drafting very good pitchers. Kudos to his scouting staff. Having more eyes, more often on players has paid off!

JB21 - Friday, August 07 2015 @ 12:11 PM EDT (#308040) #

Wonder which all-star we'll get for Greene?

DJRob - Friday, August 07 2015 @ 01:06 PM EDT (#308042) #

Whichever one clears wavers first.

cybercavalier - Sunday, August 09 2015 @ 11:36 AM EDT (#308190) #

So what is next for Loewen

How good is Loewen as a relief pitcher ? Is that he plays again as a Jays' relief pitcher a chance cannot be excluded, likely not this season ? Talking about come-back, Jason Lane the once a MLB right fielder and first baseman is now a left handed starting pitcher for a Triple-A team.

TamRa - Tuesday, August 11 2015 @ 08:23 PM EDT (#308460) #

CF said: "whether Fields is a genuine prospect or whether he's poor defensively and unlikely to hit well enough for a major-league career. I don't know the answer. "

Someone who should know - I THINK it was Tim Raines speaking to JGS said Fields was the best CF in the system.

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