In recent years the Toronto Blue Jays organization has not had a lot of success developing Latin America talent. In recent years, though, the club has returned to its roots and has started to invest heavily in that area once again.

Under former general manager J.P. Ricciardi the Dominican Summer League team was largely ignored. Any player that was lucky enough to receive a visa to come and play in the U.S. was used mostly as an organizational solider or roster-filler. The 2006 DSL team was a little different. A number of players caught the attention of the Player Development Staff and received brief opportunities (Bartolo Nicolas, Yensy Perez, Carlos Vasquez, Jimmy Gonzalez) but two pitchers had eye-opening seasons.

We knew Boston would start to turn things around. Did it have to be against the Jays?

It was a very good night for the Jays' farm system (4-0), and for top prospects in particular. Zach Stewart, Deck McGuire, Eric Thames, Carlos Perez and Travis d'Arnaud all had good games, but none was as good as Mike McCoy.

Today we look at three pitchers, Joel Carreno, Casey Lawrence and Ryan Tepera.  All pictures and video are from my recent trip to spring training.

The 2004 amateur draft did not go as planned for the Toronto Blue Jays. Under the watchful eye of then general manager J.P. Ricciardi, the club followed a college-player-heavy approach (47 of the 52 picks came from a four-year or community college). The club had two first round picks that season, as well as an extra third-round selection. With its first two choices, the organization nabbed two college left-handed starting pitchers: David Purcey out of the University of Oklahoma and Zach Jackson out of Texas A&M University. Purcey was traded today to the Oakland Athletics for former Jays prospect and triple-A reliever Danny Farquhar.

The Jays wrap up the season's first road trip with a morning game against the Bostons, who you knew weren't going to persist in emulating the 1962 Mets...

The Jays affiliates won two games and lost three. The Lansing Lugnuts split a double-header with the Dayton Dragons and the two teams combined for 29 runs.

A pitching exhibition by Mike MacDonald leads the 51s to glory over Fresno, and the Baby Jays’ bats bring it on for Dunedin over cross bay rival Tampa.

The good guys on the farm turned in a 2 win and 2 loss evening.

Interesting game in the Bronx tonight, as the hometowned pinstriped lads dropped another game to the defending AL champion Rangers. [Box Score]  You might recall the Rangers won that AL flag last year partly in New Yankee Stadium.

What was so interesting about the game? Was it Adrian Beltre starting to hit a little bit? Was it Mike Young passing Pudge Rodriguez for most doubles (353) in Rangers' franchise history? Was it Yankee rookie Lance Pendleton making a stunning nine-Rangers-up, nine-Rangers-down MLB debut? Was it the fact that six Ranger hiiters each faced at least 18 pitches, while only one Yankee saw as many as 16?

All those things were nice. But the headline in New York was the pitcher's (3-0 lefty Matty Harrison's) best friend, as ...

Today is Jackie Robinson Day throughout MLB, marking the 64th anniversary of the day baseball's color barrier was broken.

A tip of the Box's cap to Jackie R., not the greatest player in the game's history (though certainly a  great), but  almost inarguably the most important.

MLB is encouraging everyone to visit IAM42.com to watch video tributes from current players and legends as we honor Robinson's barrier-busting legacy.

You are invited to post your tributes to, and  for our  veterans, memories of the great man here,  as well.

Lansing won a squeaker, New Hampshire did too.  Las Vegas went down despite 10 hits, scoring only once.  Dunedin Jays managed 6 hits, but were shut out.

My buddy Eddie Michels in Dunedin, who reports for a number of news services, says that Outfielder Scott Podsednik is recovering from his bout with Plantar Facialis, a painful foot malady.  

There were a few story lines around yesterday's win that I could have featured in the headline.  I went with the Jays win despite the "future of the franchise" riding the pine.  Adam Lind; Aaron Hill and Travis Snider have all been struggling and John Farrell elected to give them some down time.  I could have gone with how the West Coast trip has been the ruin of many a young teams dream but I didn't.  These west coast trips are tough and a 2-4 record shows that.  There is also a redemption angle, after blowing a lead on Monday the Jays capitalize on Seattle blowing a lead yesterday.  Chris Ray, really, in a one run game? 

It was (more than) 20 years ago today ....

(That Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play? No, no, different tune ...)

Two decades plus one year ago, Cal Ripken Jr. started a streak. Not The Streak, mind you -- that was already underway -- but  in April, 1990, Iron Cal began an unprecedented 95-game streak in which he was Errorless Cal. Another  streak,  for  consecutive totalerrorless chances (431) by a shortstop., ran parallell, so it was no fluke.

Bet you didn't know that. Which leads to two related Question(s) of the Day ...