Following on from my shortstop and catcher review last week some posters were asking about pitchers. Today we will look at how the top ranked pitchers in the organization have performed so far in 2017. Has it been a down year as some have suggested? On the field Jon Harris, one of those pitchers, threw seven shutout innings. Vlad Guerrero hit a home run. The Bluefield bats were humming and Logan Warmoth played a game. More details on Wednesdays games are at the bottom of this article.

There were plenty of fireworks as the affiliates posted a second straight 7-1 night on the farm. Only the Buffalo Bisons missed out on the party.

The affiliates won seven of eight on the eve of the fourth of July. Only New Hampshire did not hold up their end of the bargain.

It's your abbreviated, long weekend, minor league update. Enjoy the weather and don't pay much attention to the Jays or their farm teams. Not only are the Jays not winning, neither are the top two farm teams. In case you missed it as you enjoyed the weekend, Lane Thomas is no longer a Blue Jay. He was traded to St. Louis for international cap room. It might be a fair trade but it sets back the timetable to help the major league team by four years. The Jays traded a 21 year old for a 16 year old. The Jays replaced Thomas with Eduard Pinto who they picked up for Jason Grilli. Pinto is a year older than Thomas. Thomas has shown flashes of potential this year but probably not enough to have made the Jays top 30 list. However if he continues to improve he could get to the major leagues.

I was at the Canadians game yesterday and have concentrated this MLU on those players who stood out.

Today we look at the depth in the system at the shortstop and catcher positions. On the field Bo Bichette and Vlad Guerrero Jr. went back to back with home runs. Bichette was on the way to a 3-5 night and a batting average over .400. Mike Bolsinger pitched eight shutout innings to give Buffalo a much needed win. Josh Winckowski, a 15th round pick last season, struck out nine hitters in 4.2 innings. It was a three true outcomes start, nine K's, two walks and two solo home runs. Hagen Danner played his first game in the GCL and drove in two runs with a single.

It was a .500 night on the farm Tuesday with the affiliates splitting their eight games.

The Lansing Lugnuts had the only win on the farm Monday night. Dunedin had the night off.

Vancouver was the place to be on Sunday. Danny Jimenez was lights out on the mound while some 2017 draft picks had good days at the plate. The new kids were hitting in Bluefield too. Many of the new kids on the block are off to hot starts.

Couple debuts and early concerns we may have a Pedro Serrano on our hands.

Lourdes Gurriel kept all the spectators awake on Wednesday. He had two hits and three errors, never a dull moment. The D Jays lost, in part due to five unearned runs. The Bisons losing streak continued. New Hampshire lost a close one. Vancouver won and received reinforcements from the recent draft. Lansing had the day off.

The affiliates won four of five on Tuesday night including a victorious home opener for the Vancouver Canadians. Lansing had the night off, except for a trio of them at the Midwest League All-Star Game.

The Vancouver Canadians won the rubber match of their five-game set in Eugene. The other affiliates went 0-3. New Hampshire and Lansing had the night off.

It was a tough weekend on the farm. Buffalo went 0-4, New Hampshire 1-3, Lansing 0-2 and Vancouver 1-2. Dunedin were off.

The Jays have one of the better hitting prospects in the minors in Bo Bichette. He is now hitting an even .400 on the season.