Devonte Brown is on a roll. He hit a game winning home run on Friday and added a walk off shot today. Vancouver were the lone bright spot on the farm, Buffalo and Dunedin lost. New Hampshire were rained out.

One of the best stories in the Jays system this season has been the performance of the Vancouver Canadians. When you look at the reasons why, one of the biggest reasons has to be the depth of the lineup. Many minor league teams have a few hitters in the top half but then have guys in the bottom half hitting just over .200. But not the C's. The number eight hitter Saturday was Kekai Rios, who had three hits and is hitting .300. The number seven hitter, Garrett Spain, is hitting .281 with a .855 OPS. Devonte Brown often hits low in the order, he is hitting .248 but has hit eight home runs. And bear in mind they have already promoted Rainer Nunez and Riley Tirotta to AA.

Vancouver put up 12 runs in their win. Buffalo also won with some good offense. Dunedin lost while New Hampshire's game was suspended due to rain.

The first half of the season was not good for Addison Barger. He spent time on the IL and didn't hit all that well when he was fit. On Friday he had three hits over 100 mph, including his third home run. Davis Schneider also homered as Buffalo won. Damiano Palmegiani homered in New Hampshire's win. Devonte Brown homered to give Vancouver the win. Dunedin lost.

Old friends come back to visit...

So John Northey was lamenting that the GIDPs, among other things, were killing the Jays offense. I looked into the subject, made a few notes, and things got out of hand. Too out of hand to put in a comment...

The draft is over and teams have two weeks to sign their draftees, as well as undrafted players.

I'm not going to write about the All-Star Game. Been there, done that.

The draft wraps up today with rounds 11-20 at Lumen Field in Seattle beginning at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The draft can be seen on MLB Network and MLB.com. You can also follow the draft right here.

The Blue Jays have the 344th pick overall in the 11th round of the draft.

Day 2 of the MLB Draft continues today with rounds 3-10 at Lumen Field in Seattle at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The draft can been seen on MLB Network and MLB.com. You can follow the draft right here.

The Blue Jays first pick of the day will come in the third round with the 89th overall selection. Their fourth-round pick is at 121.

It's the mid season break for the minor leagues too, and I think it comes at a good time. The Jays affiliates are short of pitching, there have been a lot of bullpen games this week. They need to get some of their arms back. And injuries have taken a toll on the hitting side too. Orelvis hasn't been seen in a few days and guys like Josh Kasevich and Peyton Williams are on the IL. In addition to the short term injured, will we see Ricky T and Brandon B soon?

The first half has not been kind to several prospects. With a four day break, can they reset their minds, their approaches to deliver a strong second half? Buffalo were the only winners on Sunday.

The 2023 MLB Draft will begin at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time with the first two rounds and will be held at Lumen Field, the home of the Seattle Seahawks. The draft can be seen on TSN, ESPN, MLB Network and MLB.com. You can also follow the draft right here.

Day 2 of the draft with rounds 3-10 is set for 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday and Day 3 with rounds 11-20 goes on Tuesday, also at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

The Toronto Blue Jays have the 20th overall pick.

Friday on the farm had lots of wins and good performances, Saturday was the opposite. As usual Vancouver won, the only affiliate to do so. Vancouver were tied going to the ninth and won. New Hampshire were up by six in the eighth and lost.

Dunedin's Pat Gallagher threw a 6.1 inning no hitter before he was pulled due to his pitch count. The D Jays lost the no hitter, and the game, in the eighth. Jimmy Robbins for New Hampshire had a no hitter going through 6.1 innings. He lost his no hitter then but the Fisher Cats won the game. Buffalo put up a football score to win. The Vancouver juggernaut kept rolling.

Thought I'd dig into what has happened with past drafts vs the Jays picks this year. Just to help limit expectations of the Jays getting a Mike Trout (inner circle HOF) or John Olerud (immediate help) in it.

Every time I see your face
It reminds me of the places
We used to go.

Happy 83rd, Sir Richard!