Batter's Box Interactive Magazine

There were many very good hitting performances over the weekend. Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Reece McGuire led the way. Among the lesser heralded hitters DJ Davis had a four hit game on Sunday. Connor Panas, Chavez Young and Freddy Rodriguez each had a three hit game. Freddy drove in four runs.

Buffalo

Buffalo won on Friday, Rowdy Tellez had two hits, so did Danny Jansen who hit his first AAA home run. That was it for highlights as the hitters picked up four hits combined over the next two days.

Buffalo's pitching is running on fumes with so many pitchers on the DL and in Toronto. The TJ House call up led to a bullpen game on Friday, their win. New signing Brett Anderson was limited to four innings and 50 pitches on Saturday. He gave up one run on three hits but had just one strikeout. To help out the bullpen Justin Shafer is now in Buffalo.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire rolled out three good pitchers this weekend, Sean Reid-Foley, Conner Greene and Ryan Borucki. SRF went 5.1 innings and had five K's. That's it for the good news. He gave up eleven hits and five walks, leading to six runs. Greene was better, five innings, four hits, two walks and three strikeouts. Borucki went six innings, also five hits and two walks. Borucki struck out five.

The Fisher Cats were hitting well. Reece McGuire led the way, over two games he was 5-9. Emilio Guerrero produced three multi hit games, two hits in each game.

The major prospects each had a multi hit game. Richard Urena, Anthony Alford and Lourdes Gurriel are the prospects in question. Gurriel hit his third AA home run.

Dunedin

Vlad Guerrero Jr. seems to have figured out high A. He homered on Friday and Saturday to make it three games in a row with a home run. Over the weekend he was 6-11 with two walks and two strikeouts. Vlad has just 128 at bats in Dunedin and that doesn't qualify him for the batting title. But if he was eligible he would be leading the league in batting average and in OPS. Bo Bichette hasn't played in a week but also has not been placed on the DL.

The fourth person in OPS in the FSL is Connor Panas. Panas is 24 and in the FSL but he is hitting well. He went 3-4 on Sunday. DJ Davis had just one hit between Friday and Saturday but broke outwith a 4-4 on Sunday. Cavan Biggio hit his eleventh home run on Friday.

Taylor Saucedo and Jordan Romano each produced good pitching performances.

Lansing

Lansing have lost eight straight games. Sundays loss was a bad one, losing a 6-1 lead. Osman Gutierrez started on Friday, conceded five runs, and was traded on Saturday.

A few years ago Tim Locastro was setting Lugnut records for hit by pitches. Locastro was traded to the Dodgers for international bonus slots. Nick Sinay has now surpassed Locastro and on Sunday he tied the Midwest League record for hit by pitches. Its a safe bet Sinay will have the record soon.

Josh Palacios had three two hit games to raise his average to .269.

Vancouver

The C's received some of the best starting pitching among the affiliates. Nate Pearson pitched three perfect innings on Friday. On Saturday Dalton Rodriguez started and recorded five K's in 3.1 innings. Wilfri Aleton had one of his best starts of the season on Sunday, five shutout innings with six K's.

Among the hitters Brock Lundquist hit his first home run on Friday. Samad Taylor homered on Saturday, his second. On Sunday Brandon Polizzi got his first home run in the Northwest League. Reggie Pruitt had another two hit game on Sunday.

Bluefield

The Jays won two of three, the hitters produced double difit hits in each game. Ryan Gold was 2-4 in Friday's and Saturday's games. On Friday he hit his fourth home run. He only caught Fridays game, he Dh'd on Saturday but he had three passed balls in the game. He has eight on the season. Kevin Smith had seven hits through the weekend, five of them were doubles. Ryan Noda and Chavez Young had five hits. Most of the hitters Manager Denis Holmberg threw into the lineup had a multi hit game. Freddy Rodriguez was a double short of the cycle on Sunday, he drove in four runs.

Randy Pondler had the best pitching line, six innings, seven hits, one run. Maximo Castillo and Josh Winckowski were OK but not very good. Marcus Reyes had a weird line on Friday out of the bullpen. He pitched one inning and recorded four strikeouts. He also allowed four runs, none of them earned.

GCL Blue Jays

The Jays won both their games. DJ Neal was 2-5 in each game. One of the hits was his third home run. Otto Lopez had two hits on Saturday, a double and a home run, his first.

The Jays used four pitchers in each game, none in particular stood out.

Three Stars

Third Star - Vlad Guerrero Jr.

Second Star - DJ Davis

First Star - Freddy Rodriguez

Boxes

Posted by Gerry on Monday, August 21 2017 @ 08:56 AM EDT.

Hitters Gotta Hit | 65 comments | Create New Account

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

Mike Green - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 09:41 AM EDT (#347389) #

Vancouver was the first half division winner and will be going to the playoffs. Bluefield is almost assured of getting in. Dunedin has a 3.5 game lead over Clearwater for the playoff spot. Buffalo, New Hampshire and Lansing are out.

jester00 - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 12:29 PM EDT (#347397) #

Couple of nice write ups about Tellez today:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/blue-jays-prospect-tellez-puts-slow-start-behind-strong-finish/

https://www.milb.com/milb/news/toronto-blue-jays-rowdy-tellez-eyes-strong-finish/c-249732650/t-185364810

Renew the debate to add him to the 40 or not?

I don't see how they don't.

Nigel - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 12:53 PM EDT (#347398) #

Schneider with 2 more BB's in the GCL this morning. That gives him 31/31 BB/K in approx. 155 plate appearances. There haven't been many high school draftees for the Jays who have put up a 20% BB rate in their draft year in the GCL. Definitely an interesting guy to follow.

PeterG - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 01:01 PM EDT (#347399) #

Jester, I am not sure still there is room for him on the 40 but would prefer not to renew the debate now but rather wait till after the season when these decisions are at hand. I would be extremely surprised if he was added early and called up in September as I expect will be the case with Carlos Ramirez.

As for who will be added after the season , let's wait till then. Who knows, I may change my mind or trades may bring more clarity to the situation.

uglyone - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 01:01 PM EDT (#347400) #

yeah Nigel i agree schneider's numbers jump off the page so far.

hypobole - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 01:46 PM EDT (#347402) #

Don't want rain on the Schneider parade, but here's KATOH's Chris Mitchell.

"I think the biggest takeaway here is that walk rate doesn�t matter very much at the lower levels of the minors. In fact, it�s not predictive at all for players in rookie ball or Low-A."

"To be clear, this isn�t to say that a high-walk prospect is no more likely to make it than a low-walk prospect. Walk rate generally correlates with future success, but only because it�s collinear with ISO. Simply put, players who hit for power also tend to walk a lot, but it�s the power�rather than the walks�that predicts big league performance."

The silver lining for Schneider is his .170 ISO, just outside top 10 in the GCL.

Mike Green - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 01:59 PM EDT (#347403) #

Right, hypobole. It would be a lot better, by the way, if Schneider was hitting .270 with 20 walks and 20 Ks and the same power.

Nigel - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 02:22 PM EDT (#347404) #

Fwiw, I have think you look for signs of strike zone control along with ISO as a good sign. Whether that's a high BB rate, low K% or low swing rate at Balls. All are good signs. Something that indicates the player can tell a strike from a ball, along with power is a good sign.

uglyone - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 02:23 PM EDT (#347405) #

well I don't think you need a silver lining for him, though. He's got a 131wrc+, even with a subpar babip, and unlike some others down there he's only 18, so there's no age distortion to worry about.

I'd contrast him with Abbaddessa - who has a 137wrc+, but needs a .373babip to get there, and is 19 already.

uglyone - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 02:25 PM EDT (#347406) #

And I remember back when everyone had written off Alford as a football guy, his tiny rookie ball samples kept him on my radar beause in addition to all of his tools, they showed an instant natural feel for the strikezone. And that natural eye and approach has carried right through to now, even while other skills like contact and power have ebbed and flowed.

Nigel - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 02:26 PM EDT (#347407) #

I should add a high Bb% isn't good in and of itself because the batter also might have a very high K% or be Jeroloman.

Mike Green - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 02:42 PM EDT (#347408) #

Statistically, a low K rate in the low minors is much more important predictive of success than a high W rate.

hypobole - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 02:45 PM EDT (#347409) #

Jaff Decker is another guy who always had huge walk rates but it was mostly passiveness (like Jereloman). Those guys never become decent major leaguers.

Lower level pitchers often lack command and even control.
A hitter could take almost take everything and have decent walk rates, but not much else.

uglyone - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 02:52 PM EDT (#347410) #

This is too much talk about Schneider in general, because he's just a guy at this point. Not anything to get excited about. But he's putting up a nice overall line and a good walk rate is always nice to see. Alford's rookei ball walk rate meant something, as did Vlad's. Meanwhile guys like Urena continue to be plagued by the same inability to walk as we saw in rookie ball.

but this is not a jeroloman, who was always an old guy for his levels, and had nothing else in his profile. We have a guy like that in Jake Thomas in lansing, who isn't worth talking about.

Mike Green - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 03:03 PM EDT (#347411) #

much more important predictive

One too many adjectives there. I'll blame it on the eclipse interfering with the neurotransmitters.

PeterG - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 03:23 PM EDT (#347413) #

Speaking of GCL prospects, I have heard good things about Otto Lopez, more so than about Schneider who is only slightly younger. What do your stats have to say about him, Ugly?

uglyone - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 03:31 PM EDT (#347414) #

decent stats to. I was wondering about him. Don't love that he's small and already just a 2B.

what ahve you heard about him?

Mike Green - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 03:36 PM EDT (#347416) #

Don't love that he's small

HDMH (all rights protected!). Anyways, 5'10", 160 for a 18 year old second baseman is short, but well-proportioned. Kevin Vicuna is 6', 140 lbs.

PeterG - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 03:41 PM EDT (#347417) #

Just that the Jays were high on him. He is supposed to be slick fielder with above average speed. I don't know much about him either other than that. I think that Marc Hulet (or someone) suggested him as a player to watch as well prior to the season..

uglyone - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 05:10 PM EDT (#347419) #

Minimum 100pa, the best A+ 18yr olds since fangraphs has the stats for them (2006):

* = season in progress

1.V.Guerrero*: 160pa, 180wrc+
2.K.Ruiz*: 124pa, 152wrc+
3.M.Trout: 233pa, 117wrc+
4.W.Flores: 290pa, 112wrc+
5.M.Machado: 260pa, 96wrc+

and 19yr olds:

1.J.Montero: 198pa, 185wrc+
2.G.Stanton: 210pa, 178wrc+
3.W.Myers: 247pa, 172wrc+
4.B.Buxton: 253pa, 155wrc+
5.J.Jones*: 137pa, 153wrc+
6.J.Upton: 150pa, 151wrc+
7.B.Bichette*: 138pa, 148wrc+
8.J.Heyward: 214pa, 145wrc+
9.C.Correa: 293pa, 144wrc+
10.X.Bogaerts: 435pa, 144wrc+

Oh and I just checked and note that all of ruiz/trout/flores/machadao just missed the midseason age cutoff, as all were born in july or august, which means they were closer to 19yrs old than march baby Vladdy.

85bluejay - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 06:47 PM EDT (#347420) #

Is Dalton Pompey in Siberia?

greenfrog - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 07:48 PM EDT (#347421) #

Jansen's incredible season continues apace. 1/1 with a HR so far tonight.

Mike Green - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 08:53 PM EDT (#347422) #

Jansen now has 7 XBH, 7 walks and 1 strikeout in 41 triple A PAs. Normally you look at a video game slash line and you think that there is a fair degree of luck involved. There may be in Jansen's case, but the combination of exquisite plate control and impressive power is tough to beat.

Anthony Alford homered off a rehabbing Matt Harvey tonight also.

Gerry - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 08:54 PM EDT (#347423) #

Anthony Alford homered off Matt Harvey tonight.

Gerry - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 09:06 PM EDT (#347425) #

Jansen has a single, triple and a home run, in the seventh inning. He should get another AB.

Mike Green - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 09:56 PM EDT (#347428) #

No cycle yet. Jansen hit a game-tying homer with one out in the ninth. I guess he really wants a September callup.

rafael - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 10:14 PM EDT (#347429) #

Ryan Noda.
keeps hitting.
in a Bichette-like start to pro career
its not his fault that he's older.
Does he crack the top 30 prospect list if he keeps it up to end of season ?

jerjapan - Monday, August 21 2017 @ 10:35 PM EDT (#347430) #

No way., as much as I love following Noda. He's hitting like a beast, but he's way too old for the level and the org isn't promoting him for a reason. He's Bradley Jones in June, or David Jacob last year. Those type of prospects need to demonstrate their skill set for longer because they have a lesser track record prior to pro ball.

hypobole - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 01:53 AM EDT (#347434) #

As far as the older Appy league guys, I think Kevin Smith is a better prospect than Noda.

Oceanbound - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 03:50 AM EDT (#347435) #

A bit unfortunate that the list of A+ 18 year olds is missing Fernando Tatis Jr., as SD decided to send him directly to AA from A. That kid looks crazy good.

Mike Green - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 08:48 AM EDT (#347438) #

Carlos Ramirez threw 2.1 scoreless innings to get the win for the Herd last night. He has not allowed an earned run this season, and has been basically unhittable with 13 hits, 8 walks and 39 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.

Mike Green - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 09:01 AM EDT (#347440) #

Tatis Jr. is a talent, but like Moncada, he strikes out an awful lot. A promotion to double A for an 18 year old with strikeout issues is risky..

lexomatic - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 09:27 AM EDT (#347441) #

Ocean, it doesn't include Tatis because he hasn't played above A, therefore not meeting the criteria.

I did a quick check of players who qualified as teens in AA (partway through I noticed I had filtered for qualified, so this isn't that useful, but it's tedious so I didn't go back and redo stuff).

J Hayward 41 gp 190 wrc
J Upton 71 158
M Trout 91 156
J Profar 126 127
M Machado 109 120
G Stanton 79 111
S Castro 31 109
F Martinez 86 107
R Tejada 134 106
F Martinez (18!) 60 95
J Tabata 101 93
E Andrus 118 93
F Freeman 41 80
M Dominguez 31 74

Mike Green - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 09:28 AM EDT (#347442) #

Biagini gets the start today for Buffalo. I guess that means either a Tepesch or a Koehler game later this week.

uglyone - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 10:34 AM EDT (#347443) #

Danny's season line now, over all three levels:

390pa, 9.7bb%, 8.7k%, .354babip, .341avg, .175iso, 164wrc+

this is turning into one of the all-time great Jays' milb seasons.

hypobole - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 10:46 AM EDT (#347444) #

If Jansen isn't an offence first catcher, he's the best defensive catching prospect of all time. :)

Mike Green - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 11:00 AM EDT (#347445) #

It may be that a conversion to first base might not be so outlandish for Jansen. The hope would be that he might add some power in the Mattingly/Bagwell way in a year or two.

hypobole - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 11:19 AM EDT (#347447) #

I know Cistulli was dismissive of Jansen's defence in part because of the -7 DRS, but is -7 really that bad? I don't subscribe to BP, but if anyone does, I'd really like to hear where he ranks among other minor league catchers and if there is a breakdown of defensive components.

I read some of the free stuff at BP for major leaguers and the biggest impact by far is framing. And framing is usually a lot better when they catch guys who hit their spots, which doesn't sound like more than a few of the guys he's caught in our system.

Mike Green - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 11:42 AM EDT (#347448) #

Actually, it was -7 FRAA (BP's defensive statistic). The criticisms of Jansen's defence were unspecific; there are so many aspects to catcher defence- throwing, blocking pitches, framing, pitch selection, the play at the plate, range in front of the plate on the weakly hit ground ball/bunt, and the amorphous command/defensive quarterback function. I don't know how Jansen fares under each of the headings, but it is doubtful that his arm is better than average and maybe somewhat below. That's a small part of what a catcher does though.

hypobole - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 11:58 AM EDT (#347449) #

Major league run effects per BP, 2015 season.

Throwing runs - best +2.5, worst -3.8
Blocking runs - best +0.6, worst -0.8
Framing runs - best +22.5, worst -18.4

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=28193

So yeah, there are many aspects to catcher's defense, but framing significantly overshadows them all, at least per BP's statistical analysis.

Mike Green - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 12:33 PM EDT (#347450) #

As far as I know, we do not have Pitch Fx for minor leagues. Maybe I am wrong. If I am right, I don't know how you would "objectively" determine how many strikes a catcher cost his pitcher by poor framing or gained by good framing.

Anyways, if Jansen is -7 for throwing and blocking alone, that would be far worse than any major league catcher relative to league average. I haven't noticed any extraordinary number of WP/PBs in his games, and his SB/CS rate looks to be so-so.

PeterG - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 01:22 PM EDT (#347451) #

"Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is hitting .336/.456/.492 in 36 games as an 18-year-old in High-A. Incredible. Chance to reach MLB next year at 19."

The above is from Ben Badler on Twitter 35 minutes ago.

uglyone - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 01:41 PM EDT (#347452) #

hell, give him a callup this year.

lexomatic - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 01:46 PM EDT (#347453) #

The thing I find weird, is that Jansen never got negative comments on the defense until this year from what I've seen.
I seem to recall some people around here speaking of a difference in the quality of the defensive stats at BP post-Davenport.
And generally, catcher defense is hard to quantify.
The thing that potentially works against him is that he's big - 6'2 220, I think. So maybe the issues are framing related. He seems average with runners and elsewhere.
I really hope he's average defensively, and that the glove will play.

hypobole - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 01:48 PM EDT (#347454) #

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=20928

From 2013 on minor league catcher framing.. At that time, "New PITCHf/x systems are continuously being installed in minor league ballparks,"

Mike Green - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 02:01 PM EDT (#347455) #

Thanks, hypobole. It is not clear to me that BP is using minor league pitch fx.

Perhaps BP is using the method described here. It has a wide error bar, on top of a wide error bar for measuring framing using any method at the minor league level.

hypobole - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 02:24 PM EDT (#347458) #

Cistulli seems totally confused.

Cistulli wrote this just the other day - "Nevertheless, there remain very real concerns about Jansen�s defensive capacities. The reports from lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen are not optimistic."

Today Longenhagen writes this: "Jansen is a solid defensive catcher, an average receiver with an average arm and a good ground game. "

hypobole - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 02:27 PM EDT (#347459) #

Jansen story link

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/instagraphs/daily-prospect-notes-822/

GabrielSyme - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 02:33 PM EDT (#347460) #

Reading between the lines, I think Longenhagen may not have been too happy that Cistulli cited him on Jansen's defence the way he did either because Cistulli mischaracterized him or Longenhagen hadn't done the research to support the judgment (which is why he hadn't published it himself).

I think it's probably fair to guess that Longenhagen made a couple calls on Jansen recently, and his current assessment flows from that.

Mike Green - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 02:37 PM EDT (#347461) #

Well, if he's a solid defensive catcher, he is a great prospect. Damned if I know.

If you wanted to ease Jansen into a major league role next year, you could make Martin a C/3B and Donaldson a 3B/SS. Martin could catch 80 games, and maybe play 40 games at third base. Or, more conventionally, you could get Martin into more games as a DH if Morales is not here next year. I am thinking of a slow transition to a full-time big league catching role similar to the one that occurred with Posada and Girardi in the Yankees of the late 90s.

uglyone - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 02:38 PM EDT (#347462) #

I was wondering if cistulli was talking behind the scenes conversations because I've never actually read Longerhagen saying anything about Jansen's defense one way or the other.

lexomatic - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 02:56 PM EDT (#347464) #

lexomatic - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 02:58 PM EDT (#347466) #

Cistulli seems totally confused.

I would say Fangraphs authors are confused... or at least inconsistent. While I don't subscribe anywhere, the only place I've seen criticizing him is Fangraphs, and the bad framing stats for this year.

This was from Farnsworth http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/evaluating-the-2016-prospects-toronto-blue-jays/

He has improved his catching enough to project as a potential average defender, giving him some backup

There's also this local BP article http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2017/03/25/the-top-players-to-watch-at-each-blue-jays-farm-team/
"he�s an impressive defender who still needs to prove he can hit over a full season. "

A month ago Sickels wrote this "I�m impressed with what Jansen has done this year. Glove has always been strong, bat looks improved and he�s young enough for that to be real especially since he controls the strike zone well. I�d give him a B-/C+ right now (up from C) pending more detailed reports" https://www.minorleagueball.com/2017/7/21/15961488/mid-season-review-toronto-blue-jays-top-20-prospects-for-2017

Law agrees, for whatever that's worth.

Keith Law: Offense-first catcher, adequate behind the plate, enough to stay there. http://meadowparty.com/blog/2017/08/16/klawchat-81617/

Bluebird banter and Clutchlings also mention his defense as positive.
"A year ago, Danny Jansen was well regarded for his work behind the plate, shown solid plate discipline and signs of raw power, and had been moved aggressively. But he hadn't actually hit much at all." https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2017/5/14/15267932/2017-draft-preview-organizational-catcher-depth

"And lest you think Jansen is a bat-first player, it's his skills behind the plate that have won him accolades at every stop in his career. " https://clutchlings.blogspot.ca/2017/05/danny-jansen-blue-jays-catcher-of-future.html

If he's switched his training focus to balance more between hitting and fielding as supposedly he's done this season, then maybe that could account for a difference? But it also seems ridiculous that he'd go from no-hit to silver slugger, and all-glove to stone hands just from training. Or a one-year blip? Or people being fallible?
I dunno. It's confusing as all hell, and makes it all seem unreliable.

GabrielSyme - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 03:01 PM EDT (#347467) #

Two more assessments on Jansen:

Keith Law, on his blog: "Offense-first catcher, adequate behind the plate, enough to stay there."

BP, cited on twitter: "His defensive acumen gets good grades, and he makes enough contact and power to profile on the lighter end as a regular"

The range seems to be below-average (Klaw) to average (Longenhagen) to above-average (BP, Sickels). Cistulli's worries about his defence would appear to be overblown.

I think we can all put aside defensive concerns for the moment, because even if Klaw is right about below-average defence, he still stays at catcher, and that still makes him a great prospect.

hypobole - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 03:38 PM EDT (#347472) #

"he�s an impressive defender who still needs to prove he can hit over a full season. "

This is from BP Toronto's Tammy Rainey AKA DaBox'es TamRa, and I believe prior to that WillRain.

Gerry - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 03:38 PM EDT (#347473) #

Bo Bichette should be back Wednesday or Thursday per Arden Zwelling.

85bluejay - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 03:53 PM EDT (#347474) #

Jansen has played so little since being drafted, mainly due to injuries that I'm not surprised he's not developed as a plus catcher - but he's going to play over a 100 games this year (previous best 57) and I expect his catching skills will improve and maybe take a significant leap forward with increased playing time & hopefully good health

Nigel - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 04:14 PM EDT (#347477) #

Schneider with a HR, 2B and a BB today. No K's. :)

I think the differences in perspectives on Jansen's defence are a reflection that a good assessment of C defence may take 10-12 viewings and that C defensive metrics (particularly minor league ones) are the most subjective. As but one example, the first two times I saw Hernandez catch in Vancouver I thought he was a good athlete but a poor defender. After seeing him more than a dozen times I can guesstimate that he's the only plus defender at C I've ever seen in Vancouver. A bad day with a starting pitcher with no location and bouncing breaking balls can make any C look terrible defensively on any given day. Frankly, I'd average all of these views and say that the reports suggest that he's an average defender whose strengths are in game calling, leadership and blocking balls but who probably needs more work on framing and only has an average arm at best. That's how I'd read all of the contradictory reports. But I wouldn't rely on any of them unless they have seen Jansen play a lot.

hypobole - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 05:27 PM EDT (#347479) #

Emerson Jimenez finished up the GCL game - 2 IP, 1 H,0 R, 2 BB, 5 K.
Will turn 23 in December, but this seems to have been his pitching debut. Was a SS who couldn't hit; signed a month after being released by the Rockies at the end of May.

Nigel, your thoughts on Jansen's D are very similar to mine.

Mike Green - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 09:11 PM EDT (#347484) #

Joe Biagini has gone 7 strong for the Herd who lead 4-2 after 7.

prospect - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 09:17 PM EDT (#347486) #

Actually, that was Emerson Jimenez's sixth game as a pitcher for us at GCL. He now has a line of 10 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 17 K. He has a FB that touches 98 and a swing and miss changeup. He also has a developing slider.

Sickels said this about Jansen during his midseason review in July: "I�m impressed with what Jansen has done this year. Glove has always been strong, bat looks improved and he�s young enough for that to be real especially since he controls the strike zone well. I�d give him a B-/C+ right now (up from C) pending more detailed reports".

Mike Green - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 09:53 PM EDT (#347488) #

For the second night in a row, a Buffalo player needed a double in the ninth for a cycle and hit a second Homer instead. Tosca Hernandez did it tonight.

Mike Green - Tuesday, August 22 2017 @ 09:55 PM EDT (#347489) #

Never ever try to type Teoscar on a smartphone...

PeterG - Wednesday, August 23 2017 @ 04:12 PM EDT (#347550) #

T J Zeuch will report to the AFL in October.

Mike Green - Wednesday, August 23 2017 @ 08:32 PM EDT (#347569) #

Bo Bichette is back in the lineup for Dunedin, leading off and playing shortstop.

Thomas Pannone had his best game since he joined the organization, giving up a run in 6 innings with 1 walk and 6 Ks. He now has an ERA of 2.94 in 17 double A starts (103 innings). He has 100 strikeouts and 29 walks in those 103 innings.

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