The 2020 Toronto Blue Jays [OOTP15]

[ryan008 7]

Opening Day is Around the Corner

 

The Jays had another successful spring finishing off Grapefruit League action with a record of 15-11 which was the best in their division with the Tampa Bay Rays finishing second with a record of 13-13. The Boston Red Sox had a really rough spring going just 8-19 and it looks like its going to be a long season in Boston. The Jays had a couple of scares this spring as they had both SP Jamie Cox and newly acquired SS Carlos Correa miss time due to injuries. Neither proved to be serious and both are going to be ready for opening day. 

Spring Training Surprises

The biggest surprise of the Spring was the play of 22 year old rookie LF Don Bergeron the former 2nd round pick out of Washington High School put up some dynamite numbers this spring hitting .347 with 5 HR and 13 RBI and had my scouting and development staffs raving about his ability. We are going to start him out in AA New Hampshire since he has never appeared above A Lansing and I bet he isn't there long with a promotion to AAA Buffalo looming before the end of the 2021 season. The other nice surprise was the play of CL Jim Phillips the 25 year old righty had a great spring tossing 14.1 innings of shut out base ball waking just 3 and striking out 11. He really put himself on the map and will be one of the first arms to be called up from AAA Buffalo. The former 8th round pick 244th overall in 2017 out of Michigan State could be a major contributor to the Jays bullpen as soon as this season. 

Spring Training Disappointments

The biggest dissapointment of the spring was the pitching of veteran MR Aaron Crow. Crow pitched to a 17.74 ERA in 12 innings of work allowing 6 homeruns and 9 walks against just 3 strikeouts. The 34 year old essentially played his way out of a job and found himself headed down to AAA Buffalo. Its not know if he is suffering from a nagging injury and that has caused his drop in performance. Never the less he will start the season in AAA and if he can get it together and find his form from last season he could be back up in the Jays bullpen later this season.

OPENING DAY ROSTERS

SP Jamie Cox
SP Nathan Kirby
SP Marcus Stroman
SP Gerrit Cole
SP Kohl Stewart

MR Tony Boone

Mr Kevin Chapman

MR Jarred Cosart

MR Mark Montgomery

MR Carson Fulmer

MR Chris Richardson

CL Rex Brothers

C Max Pentecost
1B A.J. Reed
2B Kolten Wong
3B Stu Daniels
SS Carlos Correa
LF Justin Williams
CF Albert Almora
RF Oswaldo Arcia
DH Josh Donaldson

C Wyatt Cross
INF Gosuke Katoh
OF Randal Girchuk
OF Andrew Alpin

Pre Season Predictions

The baseball writers have spoken and they have the Jays finishing with a record of 100-62 and taking home the American League East title. In the National League the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers are predicted to have the best record in baseball winning a total of 110 games. The Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers are predicted to have tough seasons both on pace to lose well over 100 games. 

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Financial Information

The Blue Jays are in pretty good shape financially. We have an opening day budget of $178,000,000 and are currently spending $124,480,000 on players. Our budget is ranked #5th highest in the league and our payroll is 7th. Last season we turned a $38,000,000 profit and our owner (Rogers Communication Inc) took $22,500,000. Needless to say our owners should be quite happy with what they are getting from a financial stand point. We do have some players that we will be looking to lock up this season so we are going to eat into some of our available funds that away. We also have $8,000,000 available for the draft but with 3 additional compensation round selections coming our way we are probably going to spend over that amount.

Top Prospects and Farm Systems

Baseball America released their first prospect rankings today and the 10 best prospects in the majors were:

1. SP Sam Hobbs - 20, Colorado Rockies
2. LF Chris Caro - 21, New York Yankees
3. LF Ivan Saldana - 21, Baltimore Orioles
4. SP Vic Johnson - 22, Toronto Blue Jays
5. SP Jose Cerventes - 22, Toronto Blue Jays
6. RF Danny Miller - 22, Seattle Mariners
7. SP Chris Lee - 21, New York Mets
8. LF Jesus Vargas - 21, Kansas City Royals
9. LF Buddy Sims - 22, Milwaukee Brewers
10. SP Alfredo Bernal - 21, Pittsburgh Pirates

The Minnesota Twins have over taken the New York Yankees as having the #1 rated system in the majors. The Twins don't have a lot of talent ranked high on the top prospects list but they have 9 players ranked in the top 100. The Yankees graduated a few of their top prospects to the Majors last season and that dropped them out of the top spot and into second. The Blue Jays on the back of a pair of top rated pitchers (SP Vic Johnson being rated so high is a pleasant surprise) have vaulted into the #3 spot on the list. Rounding out the top 5 are the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers. The Phillies, Cardinals, Rays and Braves all are tied for last in terms of the prospect rankings each not having a single player ranked withing the top 100 prospects in major league baseball. 

Up Next: April Review 

[ryan008 7]

April 2021 has come and gone

 

May 1st, 2021
The Blue Jays kicked off the first month of the season a little slow finishing the month with a 9-8 record and finding themselves tied for 3rd spot n the American League East with the Baltimore Orioles. The New York Yankees surged out to an 11-7 start and have an early hold on the division lead, with a 1/2 game cushion on the second place Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles and Jays are only 1 1/2 games back and the lowly Boston Red Sox find themselves in the basement of the AL East with a 6-10 record. In the AL Wild card races, which are really early at this point the Jays are tied with the Orioles, White Sox and Tigers all sitting 1 game back of the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays. Around the Majors the San Francisco Giants are currently the best team in the league with a record of 12-5 and the San Diego Padres are bringing up the rear with a 4-13 record.

AL East Standings - May 1st
New York Yankees - 11-7

Tampa Bay Rays - 10-7 (1/2 GB)
Baltimore Orioles - 9-8 (1 GB)
Toronto Blue Jays -  9-8 (1 GB)
Boston Red Sox - 6-10 (4 GB)

AL Wild Card Standings
Kansas City Royals - 10-6 

Tampa Bay Rays - 10-7 

Baltimore Orioles - 9-8 (1 GB)

Chicago White Sox - 9-8 (1 GB)

Toronto Blue Jays - 9-8 (1 GB)

Detroit Tigers - 9-8 (1 GB)

April's Hot Players

SP Jamie Cox - 2-0 2.67 ERA

SP Kohl Stewart - 2-1 5.19 ERA

CL Rex Brothers - 1-1 4 SV 2.16 ERA

C Max Pentecost - .463 5 HR 15 RBI

2B Kolten Wong - .310 0 HR 6 RBI

SS Carlos Correa - .358 2 HR 12 RBI

3B Stu Daniels - .391 4 HR 12 RBI

April's Cold Players

SP Jake Godfrey - 0-2 7.43 ERA

MR Jarred Cosart - 0-0 8.68 ERA

LF Justin Williams - .242 1 HR 7 RBI

April News & Notes

Injuries

The Jays were not without their injuries this month as very early on they lost one of the newest Jays RF Oswaldo Arcia for a month with an ankle sprain. The veteran was signed as a free agent in the off season and was hitting .255 with 1 HR and 7 RBI so far this season. He was placed on the 15 day disabled list and CF Colin Bray was recalled from AAA Las Vegas. 

Awards

C Max Pentecost was named the American League Batter of the Month winner for April after he started the season on fire hitting .463 with 5 HR and 15 RBI. 

 

Minor League Contracts

 

GM Ryan Stewart was quite busy in the early weeks of the season looking to add some depth to the Jays AAA team in Buffalo. There were a number of veteran MLB players who were still without contracts as the season started and the Jays managed to snap up a few on minor league deals. The Jays agreed to minor league contracts with C Sandy Leon (.235 1 HR 3 RBI with the Washington nationals in 2020), SP James Paxton (11-11 3.90 ERA with the Kansas City Royals in 2020), MR Jake Barrett (3-2 1 SV 3.42 ERA with Arizona in 2020) and LF Desmond Jennings (.222 6 HR 34 RBI with the Blue Jays last season). 

Up Next: May Update

[ryan008 7]

May is in the Books - Jays Heating Up

 

June 1st, 2021
After starting the season with a 9-8 record the Blue Jays really began to heat up in May and put together a record of 18-10 and have jumped firmly into 2nd place in the American League East behind the surging New York Yankees who put together another good month and have a Major League best record of 31-15 leading the division by 3.5 games over the Jays. The Houston Astros have taken over the bottom spot in the majors with a very poor record of 14-30 and they look to have the inside track on the first overall pick in the 2022 first year player draft. Speaking of the draft the first year player draft is just around the corner and GM Ryan Stewart and the Jays scouting staff have been extra busy this season. With 4 picks between the first round and supplemental first round the Jays have the potential to add a lot of talent to their minor league system. GM Ryan Stewart "We are really looking forward to this draft as the preliminary reports are saying it is particularly deep at starting pitching and that is an area that I always like to load up on. We still have a few more days before the draft is held and a lot of scouting reports to go over".

AL East Standings - May 1st
New York Yankees - 31-15

Toronto Blue Jays -  27-18 (3 1/2 GB)

Tampa Bay Rays - 22-22 (8 GB)

Baltimore Orioles - 20-23 (9 1/2 GB)
Boston Red Sox - 18-25 (11 1/2 GB)

AL Wild Card Standings

Detroit Tigers - 27-18 

Toronto Blue Jays - 27-18

Chicago White Sox - 24-22 (3 1/2 GB)

Tampa Bay Rays - 22-22 (4 1/2 GB)

Oakland Athletics - 21-23 (5 1/2 GB)

May's Hot Players
SP Jamie Cox - 5-0 0.43 ERA

SP Jake Godfrey - 3-1 4.23 ERA

SP Nathan Kirby - 3-1 3.86 ERA

CL Rex Brothers - 0-1 3 SV 1.80 ERA

MR Chris Richardson - 1-0 1.26 ERA

1B A.J. Reed - .307 6 HR 24 RBI

C Max Pentecost - .284 0 HR 9 RBI

May's Cold Players

SP kohl Stewart - 0-2 4.67 ERA

MR Jarred cosart - 1-1 4.05 ERA

3B Stu Daniels - .222 0 HR 7 RBI

2B Kolten Wong - .241 1 HR 12 RBI 

May News & Notes

Injuries

May was not a good month to be a Blue Jays outfielder as they suffered a pair of injuries and have had to rely on their depth on AAA (which is way thinner then GM Ryan Stewart would like) to fill in. First it was LF Randal Girchuk who is off to a fantastic start with the Jays hitting .387 with 1 HR and 4 RBI. He has been a great addition as a 4th outfielder and has contributed with the bat when needed. He suffered a lacerated hand and is going to miss the next 4 weeks. He was placed on the 15 day disabled list and CF Colin Bray (.364 3 HR 11 RBI) was recalled from AAA Buffalo. The very next day the Blue Jays would lose CF Albert Almora with a bruised wrist. He was hitting .263 with 6 HR and 21 RBI and is expected to be out 3-4 weeks. He was also placed on the 15 day disabled list and the Jays were forced to recall veteran LF Desmond Jennings from AAA Buffalo. Jennings sat out the entire spring before signing a minor league deal with the Jays in April. So far he is hitting .281 with 1 HR and 9 RBI for the Bisons.

Awards

SP Jamie Cox was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for May after posting a fantastic line of 5-0 with a 0.43 ERA.

C Luis Lopez (International Free Agent Signing in 2016 out of Venezuela) hit .394 with 6 HR and 19 RBI and was named the Batter of the Month in the AA Eastern League for the Fishercats.

SP Daniel Rodriguez (International Free Agent Signing in 2012 out of Mexico) was named the Pitcher of the Month for May after going 4-1 with a 2.04 ERA for the Low A Lansing Lugnuts in the Midwestern league.

 

Around the Majors

 

SP Matt Harvey of the New York Mets signed a 1 year $7,000,000 extension with the club for the 2023 season. The 32 year old righty is 2-4 with a 4.47 ERA so far this season and in his career boasts a record of 87-79 with a 3.03 ERA.

 

SP James Taillon of the Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to a 2 year $34,000,000 extension with the Club. The 29 year old is 2-4 with a 3.56 ERA in 2021 and owns a career record of 90-59 with a 2.94 ERA in 7 seasons with the Pirates.

 

SP Felix Hernandez of the Oakland Athletics earned career victory number 200 in a 7-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The 35 year old hurler is 2-4 with a 4.06 ERA this season with the Athletics. A 7 time All Star, Hernandez has a career record of 200-174 and boasts a 3.27 ERA with 3011 strikeouts.

Up Next: 2021 First Year Player Draft Preview

*Note I plan on converting to OOTP16 at the conclusion of the 2021 season. I'm really excited to see what 16 has to offer and have read a lot of great things.

[ryan008 7]

2021 MLB First Year Player Draft Preview

 

June 5th, 2021

The 2021 First Year Player Draft will be held tomorrow and GM Ryan Stewart and the Toronto Blue Jays will be quite busy as they own 4 selections in the first and supplemental first round. The Jays were awarded compensations selections for the loss of MR Paco Rodriguez, 1B Anthony Rizzo and SS Xander Boegaerts who all left as free agents and signed on with other teams this off season. The end result for the Jays is that they will have a great chance to infuse a number of talented young players into a farm system that is already one of the best in baseball. The Jays will make their first selection at #24th overall and then again at 25, 27th and 30th. GM Ryan Stewart "Our Director of Scouting Brian Parker has identified a number of good prospects that we think will be available when we step to the podium to make our selections tomorrow. The consensus is that this draft is loaded with pitching and that a number of very good arms will be taken with the first few selections in the draft".

The First overall selection in the 2021 First Year Player Draft will be used by the Kansas City Royals and they will be followed up by the Miami Marlins, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees. The Yankees have drafted and developed very well over the last few seasons and they are starting to get dividends at the major league level as they currently have the best record in baseball. They graduated a number of top prospects to the majors this season and they have helped them to top spot in the American League East. 

Baseball America's Pre Draft Top 10

According to Baseball America the top rated players for the 2021 First Year Player Draft are as follows:

1. SP Kurt Stewart 22, RHP - Florida State University, NCAA
7-1 1.36 ERA 12 BB 113 K
Stewart was the 3rd overall pick in last years draft by the Chicago Cubs but he failed to sign and returned to Florida State where he put together a dominating season. He is a two time NCAA All Star and finished second in the Roger Clemens Award Voting in each of the past two seasons as the NCAA's top pitcher. He features a 94-96 MPH cut fastball as well as a hard slider and  a changeup that has made great strides this season. He is rumored to be a tough sign and is asking for a bonus i the $8,000,000 range. 

2. SP Chris Flynn 21, LHP - UCLA, NCAA
8-1 1.69 ERA 18 BB 113 K
Flynn was a 2021 NCAA All Star and had a tremendous season in UCLA. He features a 94-96 MPH fastball as well as a cutter and changeup. He has tremendous control and great movement on his pitches. Most scouts seem to think that he would be the #1 pick in the draft but he may fall due to signability concerns. He is rumored to be asking for a $8,000,000 signing bonus and is said to be a hard sign. He has top of the rotation stuff and is very polished already, he is an arm that could fly through the minors and could see the majors as early as this season.

3. RF Tim Montgomery 19, LHB - Aurora High School, USHSBA
.336 2 HR 27 RBI 17 SB
Montgomery is a prototypical leadoff hitter in the making. He has the ability to put the ball in play in all fields and has tremendous speed. He could steal 40 plus bases at the MLB level. For a high school player he has a very patient approach at the plate and is not afraid to take a walk. Defensively he can play all 3 out field positions and it would not be out of the question for him to take home a gold glove in the future. The one knock against him is his lack of power but that is not a necessary took for a player with his skill set.

4. LF Esteban Canseco 19, LHB - Cleveland High School, USHSBA
.400 17 HR 51 RBI
Canseco is the opposite of Montgomery, another highly toughted prep bat he is just that a big bat. He has very good power from the left side swatting at least 16 homeruns in each of his last three seasons. He is a bit of a free swinger and is not the most patient guy at the plate and that can lead to a few too many strikeouts. Defensively he is passable, he won't be a gold glover but doesn't embarrass himself either. He should go early on draft day as he is one of the best bats in the class.

5. SP Adrian Pereira 19, LHP - Austin High School, USHSBA
5-2 1.79 ERA 11 BB 65 K
Pereira has three very good pitches, a sinker, curve and circle change that all have the potential to be plus pitches some day. He features the 91-93 MPH sinker and tends to get a lot of ground balls. His control is pretty good for a high school kid and he doesn't walk many. The knock against him is that he doesn't have great stamina and it may limit his ability to go deep into games. A lot of scouts are torn if he is a viable option as a starter or if his future is better served in the bullpen. 

6. SP Tony Anderson 19, LHP - Lincoln High School, USHSBA
4-1 1.59 ERA 8 BB 62 K
Anderson is a tall lefty at 6'7" and weighs in at 200 lbs. Right now he features an 89-91 MPH fastball that he compliments with a very good slider and a fantastic changeup. He has pinpoint control which is rare for a young kid of this size. He isn't a hard thrower right now but there is a good chance he adds some velocity as he matures. He is a project but could be worth the risk as he has top of the rotation arm written all over him. He also has a great work ethic which should really help him as a pro.

7. CF Dal Dickerson 19, LHB - Glendale High School, USHSBA
.298 2 HR 17 RBI
Dickerson is an all around solid talent. He doesn't so anything extremely well but he has no serious flaws in his game. He can hit for average and power and sprays the ball to all fields. He has a patient approach at the plate and has above average speed on the basepaths. He projects to have the power to hit 15-20 homers at the mlb level and his defense is very strong. He isn't the 'sexy' prospect but he is a hard worker and has the tools to be an everyday major leaguer. 

8. SP Stu Clark 19, RHP - North Las Vegas High School, USHSBA
2-2 1.43 ERA 8 BB 84 K
Clark is a power pitcher with a 92-94 MPH fastball and a curve, slider and a developing forkball. All 4 pitches project to be better then MLB average. He has a little trouble with command at times and tends to over throw when he gets into trouble. He is a tough sign for anyone who drafts him as he is supposedly very interested in pursuing the NCAA route and there are no shortage of teams lined up for his services. At the MLB level he is probably a good middle to back end of the rotation arm. 

9. SP Jorge Rodriguez 21, RHP - San Diego State University, NCAA 
5-3 1.52 ERA 15 BB 129 K
Rodriguez has a big arm and he gets his fastball in the 97-99 MPH range. He  compliments that with a slider, changeup and splitter. He is a big durable body at 6'4" and 200 lbs and is an imposing figure out on the mound. He does struggle with command and control of his pitches, especially his fastball and tends to get a little wild when he over throws. He has lots of movement on his stuff and when he is on its nasty. A three time NCAA Division 1 All Star he should hear his name called very early on draft day.

10. LF Orlando Castillo 19, RHB - San Francisco High School - USHSBA
.393 27 HR 55 RBI
This kid is a thumper. He has tremendous power in his bat and is a two time USHSBA batting champion. He has a decent approach at the plate and despite all his power does work the count and is not afraid to take a walk. Defensively he is a mess. Below average in left field with an average arm. His offensive upside more then outweighs any defensive concerns and a move to first base or DH at the MLB level is not out of the question. Most scouts agree that he will be passable in left field and could be an all star with the bat.

Previous Blue Jays Picks

2020 - 20th Overall 

2B Tim Miller 
.359 0 HR 21 RBI (2020 Short Season A Vancouver)

.277 1 HR 15 RBI (2021 Advanced A Dunedin Florida State League)

Miller had a great pro debut in 2020 with the Vancouver Canadiens and was promoted to full season ball in the Florida State League to start the 2021 season. He has had a little trouble adjusting to the better level of pitching in the Florida State League but seems to be heating up. He is on track to be promoted to AA New Hampshire by seasons end and should see AAA at some point next seasons. He is still looked at as the Jays second baseman of the future and could take that role as early as 2023. 

Up Next: 2021 First Year Player Draft

[ryan008 7]

2021 First Year Player Draft

 

June 6th, 2021

The 2021 First Year Player Draft is in the books and the Kansas City Royals held the first overall pick. They made a bit of a surprise selection going out of the Baseball America Top 10 Rankings and selecting 21 year old righty SP Stu Spears out of the University of West Virginia in the NCAA. Spears is a big young man standing 6'5" and weighing in at 215 lbs. He features a 96-98 MPH sinker as well as a slider curveball and forkball. He has very good command of all of his pitches and they all have the potential to be plus pitches at the MLB level. In 2021 he was 8-2 with a 0.82 ERA with 21 walks against 96 strikeouts. He is a shoe in for the Rodger Clemens Award as the best pitcher in the NCAA and is a 3 time NCAA All Star. He is looking for a signing bonus in the $8,000,000 range but could sign and move through the system quickly. He has top of the rotation potential but a questionable work ethic and thats why he was ranked out of the BA Top 10.

Blue Jays Draft

GM Ryan Stewart and the Jays had a tonne of picks in this years draft as they lost a number of compensation eligible free agents in the off season. In all they managed to make 4 picks in the first 30 and GM Ryan Stewart feels that they were able to add a lot of high end talent to an already well ranked minor league system."We know the best way to compete on a consistent basis is to have a farm system that is continually supplying talent to the Major League team. We want to establish a pipeline of young players that we can either use as pieces in trades or who can step in and make an impact on our roster. With the extra selections this year we added a number of very talented players, especially pitchers who we think will be a big part of the future moving forward.The next task will be to get everyone signed and into the hands of our player development people so we can teach them the "Blue Jay Way".

First Round - 24th Overall

With their first selection in the draft the Jays took SP Dave Winters a 21 year old right handed starter out of the University of Virginia in the NCAA. Winters is an imposing figure on the mound standing 6'6" and weighing in at 220 lbs. He has a big arm to match his big frame and can run his cut fastball up in the 95-97 MPH range. He also has a curve ball, slider, changeup and splitter. He has very good command and polish and was 3-3 with a 4.32 ERA with 17 walks and 72 strikeouts in 2021. He scouts as a #2-3 starter at the MLB level and is pretty advanced already so he could move through the system quickly. His rumored bonus demand is in the $1,600,000 range and the #24 pick comes with a slot value of $1,200,000. The Jays may have to spend a little over slot to get him to sign but he is listed as an easy sign for the Jays.

Supplemental First Round 25th Overall - For the loss of MR Paco Rodriguez

With the first of three supplemental first round selections the Jays took 19 year old SP Josh Britton out of Colorado Springs High School in the USHSBA. Britton is a lanky 6'4" 185 lb right handed starter who features a 91-93 MPH fastball and he compliments that with a curve, changeup and splitter. He was 3-1 with a 2.88 ERA with 4 walks and 65 strikeouts as a senior in 2021. His biggest asset is his pin point control. He rarely walked anyone and is able to locate his pitches to both sides of the plate. The Jays scouting staff believe he will add some more velocity as he matures and he could sit in the mid to upper 90's by the time he is done filling out. He was not facing the highest level of competition in high school in Colorado so he may take some time to adjust to pitching in pro ball. He is looking for a slot signing bonus of $1,200,000 but seems eager to get his pro career started with the Jays. 

 

Supplemental First Round 27th Overall - For the loss of SS Xander Boegaerts

The Jays used their second supplemental first round pick to select another pitcher this time heading back to the collage ranks to select 21 year old SP Bernie Cantrell out of the University of Minnesota. Cantrell is a fireballer with a 97-99 MPH cut fastball that he compliments with a slider, curve and forkball. He was 4-4 with a 1.61 ERA walking 20 and striking out 90 in 2021. He isn't the biggest pitcher out there standing just 6'0" and weighing in at 175 lbs but he gets the most out of his frame and he definitely has big league stuff. The biggest knock against him is that he doesn't have the best control and his pitches have a tendency to flatten out when he over throws. He will take some seasoning in the minors but the Jays see him as a middle of the rotation arm who is durable and reliable and can be counted on for 200 innings a season. 

 

Supplemental First Round 30th Overall - For the loss of 1B Anthony Rizzo

With their final supplemental first round pick the Jays took their first position player of the draft selecting 22 year old C Steve Reed out of the University of South Carolina in the NCAA. Reed had a great season for the Gamecocks in 2021 hitting .324 with 7 HR and 24 RBI and was selected to the 2021 NCAA All Star Game. He is a well rounded catching prospect who is good with the bat and the glove. He is an excellent game caller and receiver and has a strong accurate arm behind the plate. Offensively he is more of a gap hitter then a power bat but he does have some pop and will go yard on occasion. He should be an easy sign for the Jays and with his advanced approach at the plate he will most likely start the season in short season A ball with Vancouver. 

Second Round 64th Overall

Int he second round the Blue Jays went right back to the University of South Carolina to select 21 year old SP Steve McKee. McKee is the battery mate of the Jays 30th overall pick C Steve Reed. McKee has drawn a lot of comparisons to former Jays SP Marcus Stroman. McKee stands just 5'9" tall and weighs in at 165 lbs but has a big fastball that sits int he 94-96 MPH range. He also features a curveball and changeup. He was 6-3 with a 2.32 ERA walking 8 and striking out 75 in 2021. He probably isn't going to be a top of the rotation arm but is a guy that the Jays believe will give them solid innings in the middle to back end of the rotation. He is an advanced arm already and very polished so he could move through the system quickly. He is looking for a slot signing bonus of $370,000 and should be an easy sign for the Jays.

Third Round 95th Overall

With the 95th overall pick the Jays selected 21 year old 1B Cesar Garza out of the University of New Mexico in the NCAA. Garza is a pure power hitting and has a power hitters frame standing 6'5" tall and tipping the scale at 220 lbs. He hit .254 with 9 HR and 36 RBI in 2021 but missed a month of the season with a twisted knee. Garza is all bat, he is well below average defensively and many scouts question if he should not be moved to DH immediately. He is a free swinger and really doesn't walk a lot so he will pile up the strikeouts. His best attribute is his ability to hit homeruns and he has perhaps the most power of any prospect in the draft. If he can work on his ability to make contact and to be a little more selective at the plate in the minors he could be a very dangerous MLB hitter. He is looking for a slot bonus of $250,000 and is well worth the risk for the Jays especially in the 3rd round.

Fourth Round 125th Overall

The Jays took a big time filer in the 4th round selecting a 21 year old RF Dave Smith out of the University of Mississippi in the NCAA with the 125th overall selection. Smith had a huge season for the Rebels in 2021 hitting .364 with 21 HR and driving in 44 runs. He is a 3 time NCAA All Star and took home the Batter of the Year Award fir the NCAA's best hitter in 2021. He is a 5 tool prospect who could have gone much higher but wants to finish his senior season in the NCAA and try and win a college world series with Mississippi in 2022. He is looking for a signing bonus in the $5.5 - 6,000,000 range and is not willing to take less to forgo his final year of eligibility. We believed that he was worth the risk and will attempt to get him to sign. He could be a huge steal at this point in the draft if the Jays are able to get him signed.

Fifth Round 155th Overall

With their 5th round selection the Jays took prep C Billy Dunbar out of Chesapeke High School in the USHSBA. Dunbar hit .324 with 6 HR and 32 RBI in his senior season in high school and is a highly recruited NCAA prospect. He is a good all around catcher who doesn't excel in any one area but can do just about everything well.  He is eager to get his pro career started and should be no problem for the Jays to sign. He is asking for a slot signing bonus of $150,000. His future is most likely that of a back up at the LB level but he is just 19 years old so he has some time to mature and could blossom in the minor leagues. 

Blue Jays Picks rounds 6 through 30:

6. SS Sam Waters - 22, RHB - University of Portland, NCAA
7. CL Tim Bauer d - 22, RHP - University of San Francisco, NCAA
8. SP Billy Weidmeyer - 19, RHP - North Las Vegas High School, USHSBA *Impossible sign
9. CL Jeff McGinnis  - 21, RHP San Diego State University, NCAA
10. CL Robinson Espinoza  - 21, RHP - Boise State University, NCAA
11. 2B Pat Sanders  - 22, RHB - Georgia Tech, NCAA
12. SS Mike Day - 21, LHB - UNLV, NCAA
13. C Eddie Lopez  - 21, S - University of Florida, NCAA
14. SP Dan McDowell - 19, RHP - Rockford High School, USHSBA
15. 1B Jim Lewis - 19, LHB - Santa Ana High School, USHSBA
16. SP Chris Titus - 19, LHP - Stockton High School, USHSBA
17. CF Ed Graves  - 21, RHB - University of Texas, NCAA
18. SP Billy Hicks - 19, RHP - Lincoln High School, USHSBA
19. SS Bob Clark - 21, RHB - St. John's University, NCAA *Impossible sign
20. SP Juan Alvarez - 19, RHP - Louisville High School, USHSBA
21. LF Chuck O'Ryan - 21, RHB - University of Miami, NCAA
22. LF Chris Satterley  - 22, RHP - University of Arizona, NCAA
23. CF Eric Olson - 21, RHB - University of San Diego, NCAA
24. CF Tommy Dukes - 21, S - Louisiana Tech University, NCAA
25. RF Juan Estrada - 22, LHB - University of South Florida, NCAA
26. RF Clint Brown - 21, S - New Mexico State University, NCAA
27. SP Phil Paul - 19, RHP - Baton Rouge High School, USHSBA *$1,900,000 bonus demand
28. LF Gary Franklin - 21, LHB  - Baylor University, NCAA
29. MR Micah Black - 22, RHP - University of Hartford, NCAA

30. SP Zach Rogan - 19, LHP - Anchorage High School, USHSBA

Up Next: June Update

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June is a Busy Month for the Jays

 

June 1st, 2021

June was an exceptionally busy month for the Jays as the First Year Player Draft came and went and GM Ryan Stewart and his management team had a lot of negotiations to attend to with the goal of inking every one of their draft picks and getting them into the system. Unfortunately for the Jays they were not able to get everyone under contract but still came away with a very impressive haul. GM Ryan Stewart was also busy working on the MLB roster inking SP Gerrit Cole to a 3 year $37,000,000 contract extension. On the field the Jays would post a record of 20-8 but still find themselves in second place in the American League East Division trailing the Yankees by just 1/2 game. The Yankees continue to be red hot and are currently the best team in baseball. The Blue Jays are the second best team and have a 3 game lead in the American League Wild Card Standings over the Detroit Tigers. The New York Mets have over taken the Boston Red Sox as the worst team in the Majors and they have struggled to a record of 25-46 so far this season.

AL East Standings - June 1st

New York Yankees - 48-26

Toronto Blue Jays -  47-26  (1/2 GB)

Baltimore Orioles - 35-37 (12 GB)

Tampa Bay Rays - 31-40 (15 1/2 GB)

Boston Red Sox - 29-43 (18 GB)

AL Wild Card Standings

 

Toronto Blue Jays - 47-26
Chicago White Sox - 41-32

Detroit Tigers - 38-35 (3 GB)

Baltimore Orioles - 35-37 (5 1/2 GB)

Oakland Athletics - 35-37 (5 1/2 GB)

 

June's Hot Players

 

SP Nathan Kirby - 4-0 3.67 ERA

SP Gerrit Cole - 3-1 3.69 ERA

SP Jamie Cox - 3-1 2.29 ERA

MR Jarred Cosart -  2-0 0.79 ERA

MR Kevin Chapman - 0-0 1.74 ERA

CL Rex brothers - 1-0 11 SV 0.66 ERA

CF Albert Almora - .435 1 HR 10 RBI

C Wyatt Cross - .361 3 HR 10 RBI

LF Justin Williams - .277 6 HR 19 RBI

June's Cold Players

 

1B Josh Donaldson - .191 0 HR 10 RBI

2B Kolten Wong - .216 0 HR 8 RBI

CF Colin Bray - .234 1 HR 7 RBI

June News & Notes

Injuries

The injury bug continued to plague the Blue Jays in the month of June and this month they lost two key starters to long term injuries. The first to go down was RF Oswaldo Arcia who suffered a herniated disk in his back and he is expected to miss the next 5 weeks. Arcia is hitting .265 with 4 HR and 12 RBI and is in the midst of an injury prone first season with the Jays. He was once again placed on the 15 day disabled list and the Jays recalled veteran RF Desmond Jennings who is hitting .281 with 1 HR and 9 RBI for AAA Buffalo.

The Jays then lost C Max Pentecost who suffered a strained groin muscle and is expected to miss 3-4 weeks. Pentecost, the reigning American League MVP is hitting .370 with 10 HR and 29 RBI and was leading the league in batting average at the time of the injury. He was placed on the 15 day disabled list and the Jays recalled veteran C Sandy Leon. Leon was signed to a minor league contract in the off season and was hitting .295 with 4 HR and 17 RBI in AAA Buffalo at the time of his recall.

Awards

CL Mike McNeal (5th round pick 154th overall in 2020) was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Month for June after going 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA with 9 Saves for the FSL Blue Jays.

 

 1B Tim Nelson (17th round pick 506th overall in 2018) was named the Midwestern League Batter of the Month for June after hitting .388 with 11 HR and driving in 25 runs.

 

First Year Player Draft

 

The Blue Jays managed to sign all but four of their picks this year. The only players not to sign were 4th round pick 125th overall RF Dave Smith who elected to return for his senior season at the University of Mississippi. The 2021 NCAA Golden Spikes Award winner as the best hitter in the NCAA turned down a reported $2.5 mil bonus offer from the Jays. He will be eligible for the draft again next season. The Jays also failed to sign 8th round pick 245th overall SP Billy Weidmeyer who elected to attend San Jose State University. He will be draft eligible again in 2024. They also missed out on 19th round pick SS Bob Clark who returned to the St. john's Red Storm for his senior season. He turned down a 6 figure bonus offer in order t play out his last NCAA season. The only other player that the Jays did not sign from their 2021 draft class was 26th round pick SP Phil Paul. Paul's bonus demands were in the $2,000,000 dollar range and the Jays were hoping to sign him away from San Jose State University. GM Ryan Stewart was not able to persuade him to forgo his NCAA commitment and he will join fellow Jays pick SP Billy Weidmeyer with the Spartans in 2022. He will also be eligible for the 2024 first year player draft. 

 

Jays signs:

 

1st Round (24th Overall) SP Dave Winters - $1,600,000 (slot = $1,200,000)

Supplemental 1st Round (25th Overall) - SP Josh Britton - $1,200,000 (Slot)

Supplemental 1st Round (27th Overall) - SP Bernie Cantrell - $1,080,000 (Slot)

Supplemental 1st Round (30th Overall) - C Steve Reed - $930,000 (Slot)

2nd Round (64th Overall) - SP Steve McKee - $550,000 (Slot)

3rd Round (95th Overall) - 1B Cesar Garza - $240,000 (Slot)

5th round (155th Overall) - C Billy Dunbar - $270,000 (Slot = $150,000)

 

Contract Extension

The Blue Jays were happy to announce that the team has come to terms on a 3 year $37,500,000 extension with 30 year oldrighty SP Gerrit Cole. Cole was originally drafted 1st overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2011 and was dealt to the Blue Jays in 2016 in exchange for C Gary Sanchez. In 2021 he has gone 6-5 with a 4.10 ERA walking 23 and striking out 91. The two time American League All Star is a career 114-80 with a 3.59 ERA and 1471 strikeouts and is a two time American League Cy Young Award runner ul.

 

Around the Majors

 

CL Sergio Romo of the Baltimore Orioles earned career save #300 in a 2-1 victory over the Miami Marlins. The 38 year old is 2-1 with 14 saves and has a 3.81 ERA for Baltimore this season. In his career he is 59-49 with 300 saves and has a 2.75 ERA.

Up Next: July Update

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July is in the Books, Jays Make a Deal at the Deadline

 

August 1st, 2021

 

The summer is quickly coming to an end and the Toronto Blue Jays have managed to finally pass the New York Yankees and take the top spot in the American League East Division. The Jays didn't have the best month in July posting a 15-10 record but it was a four game sweep of the Yankees at the Rogers Center that allowed the Jays to move ahead of their AL East counter part. The Jays have a slim 1/2 game lead on the Yankees in the east and will be looking to cushion that lead with the dog days of summer ahead. The good news for Jays fans is that the AL East division has essentially become a two horse race between the Yankees and Blue Jays, with the rest of the division over 12.5 games back at this point. The lowly Boston Red Sox are struggling mightily and are currently sitting with the worst record in baseball at 38-59. July was a busy month for GM Ryan Stewart as the Jays made a splash on the international Amateur Free Agent front inking four players to contracts as well as the trade deadline where the Jays and Rangers hooked up for the only deal the Jays would make on deadline day.

AL East Standings - August 1st

Toronto Blue Jays - 62-36
New York Yankees - 62-37 (1/2 GB)

Tampa Bay Rays - 49-48 (12 1/2 GB)
Baltimore Orioles - 46-51 (15 1/2 GB)
Boston Red Sox - 38-59 (33 1/2 GB)

AL Wild Card Standings

New York Yankees - 62-37

Chicago White Sox - 61-38

Detroit Tigers - 49-48 (11 GB)

Tampa Bay rays - 49-48 (11 GB)

Oakland Athletics - 46-51 (14 GB)

 

July's Hot Players

 

SP Jamie Cox - 3-1 3.58 ERA

SP Gerrit Cole - 3-0 3.34 ERA

MR Kevin Chapman - 1-0 1 SV 0.00 ERA

CL Rex Brothers - 1-1 8 SV 2.38 ERA

C Max Pentecost - .387 3 HR 5 RBI

3B Stu Daniels - .270 4 HR 15 RBI

July's Cold Players

SP Jake Godfrey - 1-3 3.93 ERA

SP Nathan Kirby - 1-1 3.36 ERA

MR Tony Boone - 0-1 1 SV 11.18 ERA

MR Mark Montgomery - 1-1 9.00 ERA

1B A.J. Reed - .185 4 HR 16 RBI

2B Kolten Wong - .250 1 HR 7 RBI

July News & Notes

Injuries

The Jays injury woes continued in July (and that was a major reason for the deal we made at the deadline) as they would lose yet another outfielder this time CF Andrew Alpin went down with a strained forearm and is expected to be on the shelf for the next 5 weeks. Alpin was hitting .275 with 1 HR and 17 RBI for the Jays  and was placed on the 15 day disabled list. The Jays once again recalled veteran LF Desmond Jennings who was hitting .296 with 7 HR and driving in 30 runs in AAA Buffalo.

 

International Amateur Free Agents

 

July 1st is a key date in the baseball calender as a new crop of International Free Agents becomes eligible to be signed by Major League Teams. Each team has $3,500,000 available to them to spend without penalty, anything over that amount is subject to a tax and the loss of the ability to sign players to contracts in the next signing period. This year the Jays managed to ink four players including two of the top 3 available. GM Ryan Stewart and the jays spent a total of $9,200,000 way over spending their allowable amount. By spending so much this season the Jays will not be able to sign anyone for more than $250,000 in the 2022 signing period. The four players the Jays signed were:

 

SP Gavin Bricknell - A 16 year old right hander out of Australia. The 6'0" 170 lb righty features an 89-90 MPH sinking fastball as well as a curveball and forkball. He has very good control and can throw all of his pitches for strikes. The Jays believe he has the ceiling of a #2 starter and that he should gain some velocity on his fastball as he fills out. He was the #2 rated prospect and top rated pitcher in the class this season and was inked to a $3,500,000 signing bonus.

 

SP Manny Diaz - A 17 year old righty who hails from Venezuela. He features an 89-90 MPH fastball as well as a curve, change up, splitter and forkball. He is a pretty big kid standing 6'2" and weighing it at 185 lbs already and is another project-able arm that should add some velocity as he grows and fills out. He is most likely a back end of the rotation type arm or could be a power arm out of the bullpen. He signed for $350,000. 

 

SP Gilberto Cruz - A hard throwing 16 year old out of Venezuela. Cruz stands 6'0" tall and weighs in at 170 lbs. He is a lanky kid that can bring his fastball in the 91-93 MPH range already and he should add more velocity as well. My scouts believe he could end up with plus plus velocity by the time he is finished developing. HE compliments his fastball with a very good slider and change up and is developing a splitter that is well below MLB average at the moment. He projects as a middle of the rotation arm but will have to overcome some wildness issues in order to reach that ceiling. He also inked a $350,000 signing bonus. 

 

SS Alfredo Fernandez - The Jays other big signing this period. Fernandez is a 16 yer old slugger out of the Dominican Republic. He is all about the bat and he has a ton of pop in it even for a 16 year old. He can hit the ball with power to all fields and some scouts believe he is ready to play ball in North America right now. Defensively he is underwhelming at short but has a strong arm. His most likely position would be a move to third or first. He has a tremendous work ethic and could be moved to the Jays affiliate in the Dominican Summer League as a 17 year old as early as 2022. He inked a huge $5,000,000 signing bonus that was eclipsed only by the $10,600,000 that was given to 1B Cesar Duarte by the Boston Red Sox. Duarte was the top ranked international available this period and he turned down an offer from the Jays to sign with the Red Sox. 

 

2021 All Stars

the Jays sent 3 representatives to the 2021 All Star Game. SP Jamie Cox (12-2 2.00 ERA), CL Rex Brothers (3-3 26 SV 1.66 ERA) and C Max Pentecost (.372 11 HR 32 RBI). Of the three only Cox and Pentecost saw any game action. Cox started the game for the American League and went two scoreless innings allowing a single and striking out 4. Pentecost got the nod as the starting catcher and he was 1-3 with an RBI double as the American League routed the National League 14-3. 

 

2021 Trade Deadline

 

GM Ryan Stewart made a single deal at the deadline this year and it was aimed at bringing in some help in the outfield. The Jays have been decimated with injuries to their outfield all season long and have been relying on call ups from AAA Buffalo for long stretches this season. The Jays would up hooking up with the Texas Rangers sending SP Cisco Ramos to the lone star state in exchange for CF Rick Allen.

 

Players to Texas

 

SP Cisco Ramos is a 23 year old lefty who was signed by the Jays as an International Free Agent in 2014 out of Columbia by the Padres and was traded to Toronto in 2018. He spent the entire 2021 season in AAA Buffalo where he was 8-7 with a 3.76 ERA walking 21 and striking out 131. He features a 95-97 MPH fastball as well as a curve, slider and forkball. He can throw all his pitches for strikes but does tend to get a little wild at times. He was the 2019 International League Pitcher of the Year and was out of minor league options.

 

Players to Toronto

 

CF Rick Allen is a 24 year old left handed batter who was selected by the Rangers in the 1st round 22nd overall in 2017 out of Seattle High School in the USHSBA. He is hitting .39 with 19 HR and 62 RBI so far this season and is making the league minimum $500,000. Allen is a very good all around player. He should hit for a decent average although he has struggled to hit consistently this season and he has some good pop in his bat belting 19 homeruns for the Rangers. The plan for Allen is to have him as a 4th outfielder and primary designated hitter as DH Josh Donaldson just isn't contributing enough hitting just .205 with 8 HR to this point. 

Awards

SS Wilmer Flores (Signed as minor league FA in 2021) hit .380 with 5 HR and drove in 25 runs and was named the International League Batter of the Month for AAA Buffalo.

SP Erik Black (1st Round Pick 27th overall in 2017) was named the International League Pitcher of the Month after going 6-0 with a 1.80 ERA for AAA Buffalo.

SP Tim Brown ( 9th round pick 266th overall in 2018) was named the Midwestern League Pitcher of the Month after going 4-0 with a 0.63 ERA for the Lansing Lugnuts.

1B Alex Murphy (17th round pick 514th overall in 2017) was named the Northwestern League Batter of the Month after hitting .333 with 7 HR and driving in 29 runs for the Vancouver Canadiens.

3B Joe Montalvo (9th round pick 273rd overall in 2015) was named the GCL Batter of the Month for the GCL Blue Jays after hitting .416 with 12 HR and driving in 34 rins.

SP Norberto Perez (International Free Agent Signing out of Cuba in 2017) was named the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Month after going 6-0 with a 1.15 ERA for the Bluefield Blue Jays.

SP Jorge Amoras (International Free Agent Signing out of Cuba in 2017) was named the Dominican Summer League Pitcher of the Month after posting a 6-0 record with a 1.69 ERA for the DSL Blue Jays. 

 

Around the Majors

 

SP Dan Mullins a former 1st overall pick of the Kansas City Royals back in 2016 tossed the first no hitter of the season for the New York Mets as they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0. He walked just 1 batter and struck out 6 in the victory. The 26 year old is 8-7 with a 3.52 ERA for the Mets in 2021.

Up Next: August Update

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September is Here, Regular Season is Winding Down

 

September 1st, 2021

 

August has come to a close and with the end of the regular baseball season drawing closer and closer the Blue Jays continue to pad their lead in the American League East with the hopes of winning a birth in the 2021 Playoffs.  The Blue Jays would go 18-10 and were red hot in August, despite their record they only managed to improve their AL East lead over the Yankees to 2.5 games. The Jays have all but assured themselves a spot in the playoffs however as their record is the best in baseball and if they were to be over taken by the Yankees they would still be sitting comfortably in a wild card spot. Having a strangle hold on a playoff spot is a good position for the Jays to be in. GM Ryan Stewart and the Jays development staff have recalled a number of players from AAA Buffalo and they will make sure to utilize them to rest the regulars and to give the starters and bullpen a few extra days rest.

AL East Standings - September 1st

 

Toronto Blue Jays - 80-46
New York Yankees - 77-48 (2 1/2 GB)

Tampa Bay Rays - 64-61 (15 1/2 GB)
Baltimore Orioles - 60-65 (19 1/2 GB)
Boston Red Sox - 50-75 (33 1/2 GB)

AL Wild Card Standings

 

New York Yankees - 77-48

Cleveland Indians - 74-51

Chicago White Sox - 75-51 

Tampa Bay Rays - 64-61 (10 GB)

Texas Rangers - 62-36  (12 GB)

 

August's Hot Players

 

SP Kohl Stewart - 5-0 2.97 ERA

SP Jamie Cox - 4-0 2.28 ERA

SP Gerrit Cole - 3-1 4.50 ERA

MR Tony Boone - 2-1 1.46 ERA

MR Mark Montgomery - 1-0 1.69 ERA

C Max Pentecost - .393 7 HR 17 RBI

SS Carlos Correa - .348 5 HR 20 RBI

CF Albert Almora - .333 4 HR 31 RBI

1B A.J. Reed - .278 11 HR 30 RBI

August's Cold Players

SP Jake Godfrey - 0-3 6.67 ERA

MR Kevin Chapman - 0-2 8.44 ERA

CF Rick Allen - .245 5 HR 16 RBI

LF Justin Williams - .250 5 HR 17 RBI

August News & Notes

Injuries
Another month and more injuries for the Jays, thankfully this time it wasn't to one of their outfielders as their outfield depth has been tasked and tested to the max this season. This time it was 2B Kolten Wong who suffered an injury. He went down with a sprained knee and is expected to be out for the next 5 weeks. He was hitting .255 with 3 HR and 42 RBI att the time of the injury and was placed on the 15 day disabled list. The Jays recalled 3B Jeimer Candelario from AAA Buffalo where he was hitting .253 with 12 HR and 65 RBI.

 

2021 First Year Player Draft Update

 

With the summer leagues winding down its a good time to check on how the 2021 crop of draftees have made out in their first season of pro ball. The Jays managed to ink all but 3 of their picks this season and the highest not to sign was their 4th rounder. The rest of their top 5 picks all signed and all got assigned to minor league teams.

 

1st Round - SP Dave Winters - 5-3 2.45 WERA 17 BB 116 K (S.A. Vancouver)

Supplemental 1st Round - SP Josh Britton - 4-5 6.34 ERA 19 BB 36 K (Bluefield)

Supplemental 1st Round - SP Bernie Cantrell - 2-2 3.88 ERA 23 BB 41 K (GCL Blue Jays)

Supplemental 1st Round - C Steve Reed -  .360 0 HR 9 RBI (GCL Blue Jays) *Missed 4 weeks with back issue

2nd Round - SP Steve McKee - 3-6 5.42 ERA 30 BB 50 K (S.A. Vancouver)

3rd Round - 1B Cesar Garza - .227 12 HR 41 RBI (S.A. Vancouver)

5th Round - C Billy Dunbar - .281 6 HR 28 RBI (Bluefield)

 

Awards

 

C Max Pentecost was named the American League Batter of the Month after hitting .393 with 7 HR and driving in 17.

SP Jamie Cox was named the American League Pitcher of the Month after going 4-0 with a 2.28 ERA

LF Jud Raylor (5th Round Pick 153rd overall in 2015) was named the International League Batter of the Month after hitting .348 with 7 HR and 18 RBI for AAA Buffalo.

3B Shane Martinez (20th round pick 600th overall in 2016) was named the GCL Batter of the Month after hitting .335 with 5 HR and 18 RBI for the GCL Blue Jays.

SP Chandler Eden (8th round pick 240th overall in 2016) was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Month after going 4-0 with a 1.29 ERA for the Dunedin Blue Jays.

SP Sam Kyte (6th Round Pick 180th overall in 2016) was named the Midwestern League Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 with a 1.64 ERA for the Lansing Lugnuts.

 

Up Next: End of the 2021 Season Wrap Up

[ryan008 7]

2021 Regular Season is in the Books, Jays are Baseball's Best During Regular Season

 

October 6th, 2021

 

The 2021 Regular Season is now officially over and the Toronto Blue Jays finished with the best record in baseball at 108-54. They ran away with the American League East in the final month of the season. The Jays started September with a slim 2.5 game lead over the Yankees and by the time the dust settled and the season was over the Jays had opened up an 18 game lead over the second place Yankees. With the victory the Jays have clinched their 4th consecutive AL East Title and 4th consecutive playoff birth. The Jays will have to wait to see who they will face in the American League Division Series as they will play the winner of the AL Wild Card Game between the Cleveland Indians (96-66) and the New York Yankees (90-72). The news was not all good for the Jays in the final month of the season as they were hit with a rash of injuries just as the season was winding down. They would end up losing C Max Pentecost (out 3 weeks with hamstring tendinitis), RF Oswaldo Arcia (out 4 weeks with a separated shoulder) and 3B Stu Daniels (out 7 weeks with a fractured finger). Pentecost and Arcia should only miss the start of the ALDS but Danies is defiantly going to be out for the entire ALDS.

 

Minor League Awards

The 2021 season has wrapped up in the minor leagues as well and the Jays minor league affiliates boasted 11 MVP or Pitcher of the Year Award winners. GM Ryan Stewart "We couldn't be happier with the progress that our development and coaching staffs have made with our minor league system this season. We have put a big emphasis on building a sustainable pipeline of minor league talent that we draft and develop up through the system and that we can use on the MLB roster or as potential trade pieces to help fill gaps in our talent base. I can't praise our coaching and development people enough they did a fantastic job this season and were excited to see what they will be able to accomplish next year"

 

AAA Buffalo

SP Erik Black (1st Round Pick 27th Overall in 2017) was named the International League Pitcher of the Year after going 20-3 with a 2.35 ERA.

SS Wilmer Flores (Signed as a minor league free agent in 2021) was named the International League MVP after hitting .350 with 14 HR and 75 RBI.

 

Advanced A Dunedin

CL Mike McNeal (5th round Pick 154th overall in 2020) was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Year after going 8-3 with 40 Saves and a 1.61 ERA.

 

Low A Lansing

SP Sam Kyte (6th Round Pick 180th Overall in 2016) was named the Midwestern League Pitcher of the Year after going 18-2 with a 2.27 ERA.

1B Tim Nelson (17th round Pick 506th Overall in 2018) was named the Midwestern League MVP after hitting .327 with 33 HR and 103 RBI.

 

Short Season A Vancouver

 

SP Tristan Polley (18th Round Pick 536th Overall in 2018) was named the Northwest League Pitcher of the Year after he went 10-3 with a 3.86 ERA.

1B Alex Murphy (17th round pick 514th overall in 2017) was named the Northwest League MVP after hitting .300 with 23 Hr and 63 RBI.

 

RL Bluefield Blue Jays

SP Norberto Perez (International Free Agent Signing in 2017 out of Cuba) was named the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year after going 10-0 with a 1.16 ERA. 

 

Gulf Coast League

SP Jose DeJesus (3rd Round Pick 94th Overall in 2020) was named the GCL Pitcher of the Year after he went 13-0 with a 2.50 ERA

CF Nate Wells (12th Round Pick 360th Overall in 2016) was named the GCL MVP after he hit .389 with 19 HR and 69 RBI.

 

Dominican Summer League

SP Jorge Amoras (International Free Agent Signing in 2017 out of Venezuela) was named the DSL Pitcher of the Year after he went 9-0 with a 1.47 ERA.

 

Around the Majors

 

RF Carlos Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals belted his 300th career homerun in a 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 35 year old veteran is hitting .236 with 20 HR and 58 RBI for the Nats this season and has a career line of .286 with 300 HR and 1005 RBI in 1656 career games.

 

1B Miguel Cabrerra of the Detroit Tigers joined elite company as he hit his 600th career homerun in a 6-5 loss to the Chicago White Sox. The 38 year old slugger hit .276 with 27 HR and drove in 95 runs for the Tigers this season. He owns a career batting average of .311 with 600 homeruns 2019 RBI and 3428 hits.  He ranks 6th all time in hits and is 9th on the all time homerun list.

 

SP Zach Greinke of the St. Louis Cardinals earned career victory #200 in a 4-1 triumph over the San Diego Padres. The 37 year old is 6-8 with a 4.54 ERA this season and has struggled with a number of injuries that has really limited his playing time. He owns a career record of 200-153 with a 3.55 ERA and 2716 strikeouts.

 

Up Next: 2021 ALDS Recap

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ryan008 7]

Blue Jays Fall to Yankees in 5 in ALDS

 

October 14th, 2021

 

The 2021 season has come to a close for the Toronto Blue Jays. A battered Jays squad was beaten by the New York Yankees in 5 games as they failed to get out of the ALDS for the second consecutive season. The Jays came into the series without three key players: C Max Pentecost, RF Oswaldo Arcia and 3B Stu Daniels. Pentecost and Arcia both returned to game action in time for game #3 but Daniels missed the entire series and still has another 10 days left before he is 100%. GM Ryan Stewart was disappointed in the loss but thinks the Jays are headed in the right direction "We are a very good well rounded baseball club that just ran into a hot Yankees club that was peaking at the right time. Add to that a number of key injuries and we just had nothing left to get us over the hump and into the ALCS. Now that the off-season is here we are going to our evaluations and see what direction were going to head this offseason".

 

ALDS Game #1 - New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays

SP Jake Odorizzi (5-4 3.49 ERA) vx

SP Jamie Cox (20-2 2.14 ERA)

W: SP Jame Cox (1-0) 9.0 IP 9 H 1 BB 4 K

L: SP Jake Odorizzi (0-1) 7.1 IP 8 H 5 R 1 BB 4 K

Recap: SP Jame Cox was lights out going the distance on a complete game shut out. He allowed 8 hits but was never really in trouble and gave the Jays an early 1-0 lead in the best of 5 series. C Wyatt Cross (in for the injured C Max Pentecost) and IB A.J. Reed both had solo home runs and SS Carlos Correa, CF Albert Almora and LF Justin Williams chipped in with RBIs to pace the Jays to the 5-0 victory.

 

ALDS Game #2 - Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees

SP Jake Godfrey (9-14 4.66 ERA) vs

SP Wes Summers (14-7 4.15 ERA)

W: SP Ian Clarkin (1-0) 7.1 IP 2 H 1 R 4 BB 6 K

L: SP Gerrit Cole (0-1) 7.1 IP 5 H 5 R 3 BB 4 K

S: CL Cole Sands (1)

Recap: SP Ian Clarkin was on his game for the Yankees and he tossed a gem. He lasted into the 8th inning allowing just 2 hits and a single run. Jays starter SP Gerrit Cole was also pitching well into the 8th inning before LF Brett Cabrerra belted a 3 run homerun off the young right hander and that ended his night. The Yankees would also get RBI's from RF Brennon Lund, 2B Jud Oliver and SS Cam Sheppard as they tallied 6 runs to take game #2 and tie the series at 1. Offensively there wasn't much to speak of for the Jays as 1B A.J. Reed had a pair of RBIs and CF Albert Almora added the other in a losing effort.

 

ALDS Game #3 - Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees

SP Jake Godfrey (9-14 4.66 ERA) vs

SP Wes Summers (14-7 4.15 ERA)

W: SP Wes Summers (2-0) 7.0 IP 6 H 0 R 1 BB 8 K 

L: SP Jake Godfrey (0-1) 7.1 IP 7 H 4 R 1 BB 5 K

Recap: The Yankees went with their ace in game #3 as Summers started their pivotal wild card game against the Cleveland Indians and would go onto toss a complete game 4 hitter versus the Tribe. He was just about as dominant against the Jays going 7 innings and striking out 8 Jays batters. The Jays got both C Max Pentecost and RD Oswaldo Arcia back for game #3 and despite Pentecost going 2-4 with 2 RBI the Jays couldn't get much going against the Yankees starter. The Yankees jumped on the board early as 3B Louis Ramos belted the first pitch of the game into the left field seats and the Jays played from behind for the rest of the ball game. The Yankees would get 3 RBI's from SS Cam Sheppard as the Yankees pounded the Jays in game #3 and put them on the verge of elimination.

 

ALDS Game #4 - Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees

SP Jamie Cox (1-0 0.00 ERA ERA) vs

SP SP Jake Odorizzi (0-1 6.14 ERA)

W: SP Jamie Cox (2-0) 6.1 IP 3 H 1 R 3 BB 6 K 

L: SP Jake Odorizzi (0-2) 6.2 IP 5 H 5 R 6 BB 5 K

Recap: Toronto handed the ball to their Ace with the season on the line and SP Jamie Cox didn't disappoint lasting into the 7th inning and allowing the Yankees a single run. Offensively the Jays bats beat up on SP Jake Odorizzi touching him for 5 runs and working him for 6 walks. SS Carlos Correa had a pair of RBI's and was 2-2 and C Max Pentecost in his second game back added another two RBIs. DH Rick Allen and 2B Kolten Wong added the other runs as the Jays bounced back with a 6-1 victory and sent the series to a deciding 5th game back in Toronto.

 

ALDS Game #5 - New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays

SP Ian Clarkin (1-0 1.23 ERA ERA) vs

SP SP Gerrit Cole (0-1 6.14 ERA)

W: SP Ian Clarkin (2-0) 7.0 IP 8 H 2 R 1 BB 4 K 

L: SP Gerrit Cole (0-2) 7.1 IP 4 H 3 R 3 BB 7 K

S: CL Cole Sands (2)

Recap: Well game #5 turned out to be a pitchers duel and the Jays ended up with the short end of the stick as SP Ian Clarkin was masterful holding the Jays to just 2 runs through 7 innings of work. The Jays got off to a great start with a 1B A.J. Reed  2 run homerun in the bottom of the first inning but that was all they would get as they were shut out the rest of the game. LF Brett Cabrerra and 3B Luis Ramos both had RBI singles that tied the game at 2 and 2B Jud Oliver had a go ahead RBI double in the top of the 8th inning and that gave the Yankees the lead. CL Cole Sands came on in the bottom of the 9th and got the Jays in order ending the Jays season.

 

Up Next: 2021 World Series Champ Reveled

 

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New York Yankees are Baseball's Best in 2022

November 6th, 2022

The New York Yankees got hot at the right time and rode that momentum all the way to the World Series. New York finished second in the American League East behind the Blue Jays and would take home the 2nd American League Wild Card. The Yankees path to the World Series took them through Cleveland in the AL Wild Card Game, and then a 3-2 series victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS and a 4-1 series win over the Chicago White Sox in the ALCS. In the World Series the Yankees would square off with the National League Champion Arizona Diamondbacks and they would dispatch of them easily in 5 games. This World Series Title is the Yankees 28th all time and their first one since 2009. It also marks the first time that the Yankees have made the Playoffs since the 2014 season. 

New York has built their team up through very good drafting and for years boasted a top ranked farm system. OF the 25 men on their roster 15 are homegrown talents and all have come up through their minor league system. The Yankees are no longer the trade away young players and sign free agents to huge deals (although they still have the budget to be able to do the latter), they have a big time emphasis on player selection and development and it could pay off. The Yankees are still a young team and this could be the beginning of a new dynasty in the Bronx.

Up Next: 2022 Award Winners and Minor League POTY's

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2021 Awards & Blue Jays Minor League POTY's

Major League Baseball announced its winners for the Gold Gloves, Rookie of the Year, Cy Young Award and the MVP today and there were a couple of Jays that took home some hardware. The Jays also announced their R. Howard Webster Award Winners for the Best Player at each level of the Jays minor leagues.

2021 AL Gold Gloves

P Madison Bumgarner (Chicago White Sox)
C Austin Hedges (New York Yankees)
1B Wil Benson (New York Yankees)
2B Riley Unroe (Tampa Bay)
3B Mason Templet (Detroit Tigers)
SS Andrelton Simmons (Boston Red Sox)
LF Ron Mitchell (Chocago White Sox)
CF Albert Almora (Toronto Blue Jays)
RF Bryce Harper (Cleveland Indians)

2021 NL Gold Gloves

P Alex Wood (Cincinnati Reds)
C Reese McGuire (Pittsburgh Pirates)
1B Justin Bellanger (Chicago Cubs)
2B Shane Mardirosian (Milwaukee Brewers) 
3B Brett Lawrie (Los Angeles Dodgers)
SS Parker Kelly (Chicago Cubs)
LF Monte Harrison (Pittsburgh Pirates)
CF Austin Meadows (Pittsburgh Pirates)
RF Stephen Piscotty (Pittsburgh Pirates)

2021 American League Rookie of the Year
1B Daniel Perez (21 yrs old) (Seattle Mariners)
Signed as an International Free Agent in 2016 out of the Dominican Republic for $2,160,000
.300 22 HR 80 RBI

2021 National League Rookie of the Year
1B Chris Daniel (23 yrs old) (Cincinnati Reds)Laredo High School, USHSBA)
.272 27 HR 86 RBI

2021 American League Cy Young Award
SP Jamie Cox (Toronto Blue Jays)
1st Round Pick 9th Overall by Toronto in 2014 (Michigan State, NCAA)
20-2 2.14 ERA 60 BB 298 K

2021 National League Cy Young Award
SP Brady Aiken (Pittsburgh Pirates)
1st Round Pick 26th Overall in 2014
18-8 2.37 ERA 31 BB 263 K

2021 American League MVP Award
C Max Pentecost (Toronto Blue Jays)
1st Round Pick 11th Overall in 2014
.375 22 HR 89 RBI

2021 National League MVP Award
LF Dazmon Cameron (San Diego Padres)
1st ROund Pick 14th Overall in 2015 by St. Louis (Eagles Landing Christian Academy)
.318 27 HR 91 RBI

2021 Blue Jays Minor League Players of the Year

AAA Buffalo Bisons - 88-56 1st in North Division
SP Erik Balck
26, LHP, V:96-98 MPH
Acquired: 1st Round Pick 27th Overall in 2017 by Toronto (University of Hawaii, NCA)
2021 Stats: 20-3 2.35 ERA 43 BB 207 K
GM's Comments: A former 1st round pick who has moves slowly up through the Jays minor league system and who really found a great deal of success in AAA this season. He was a 2021 International League All Star and the 2021 International League Pitcher of the Year.
Outlook/ETA: Black has nothing left to prove in the minors and he will compete for a spot in the Jays starting rotation in 2022. 

AA New Hampshire Fishercats - 65-77 Last in Northern Division
C Jesus Lopez
23, RHB
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent in 2016 out of Venezuela.
2021 Stats: .300 22 HR 83 RBI
GM's Comments: An International Free Agent signing back in 2016 he has risen steadily through the ranks of the minor league system. He is our #1 catching prospect and is on the cusp of making his MLB debut. He has a decent bat with a little bit of power but his real strength is catching. He has a cannon for an arm and is a great game caller. An All Star in the Eastern League in 2021 he was easily the best player on a disappointing New Hampshire squad. 
Outlook/ETA: He is probably not going to be an everyday catcher at the MLB level and will likely find his niche as a backup who can come off the bench as a defensive replacement late in the game or who your not afraid to give your #1 a day off here and there. He will start the season in AAA but could see time in the majors with injuries this season or for sure as a September call up.

High A Dunedin Blue Jays - 91-49 1st in North Division
SP John Wesley Ray
26, RHP, V:94-96 MPH
Acquired: 4th Round Pick 120th Overall in 2016 by Toronto (Wake Forest, NCAA)
2021 Stats: 16-6 3.43 ERA 52 BB 156 K
GM's Comments: Ray was a guy that we weren't really expecting much out of. He was a 4th round pick way back in 2016 but had never pitched about Short Season A. The 26 year old was assigned to the Florida State League in a make or break year for him and he was very good leading the team in just about every pitching category. He made his first All Star game in 2021 and would end up being the #1 starter in Dunedin. 
Outlook/ETA: At 26 years old Ray is not really considered much of a prospect and he really doesn't project to be much more than an emergency starter/bullpen guy at this point. He is headed to AAA Buffalo and depending on what happens this season he could be an option if the Jays run into injury troubles.

Low A Lansing Lugnuts - 95-45 1st in Eastern Division & Mid Western League Champs
1B Tim Nelson
24, LHB
Acquired: 17th Round Pick 506th Overall in 2018 by Toronto (Wake Forest, NCAA)
2021 Stats: .327 33 HR 103 RBI
GM's Comments: Nelson has done nothing but hit at every level that he has been placed at since being taken with the 506th overall pick in 2018. He was a Midwestern League All Star and took home the MVP award in 2021. 
Outlook/ETA: A huge surprise taken so late in the draft he continues to turn heads. He is going to get a bit of a tougher test this season however as he is ticketed for AA New Hampshire to start the season. If the 24 year old can hit there he could see AAA by the end of the 2022 season and could even be on the radar for a call up this September.

Short Season A Vancouver Canadians - 44-32 1st in West Division & Northwest League Champs
SP Dave Winters
21, LHP, V:95-97 MPH
Acquired: 1st Round Pick 24th Overall in 2021 (University of Virginia, NCAA)
2021 Stats: 6-3 2.27 ERA 18 BB 125 K
GM's Comments:The Jays first round pick this past season stepped right into pro ball and didn't miss a beat. He lead the team in wins, ERA, strikeouts and innings pitched and gave the Jays everything they expected when they took him with the 24th overall pick this year. 
Outlook/ETA: Our development people do not want to rush Winters as they believe he is something special. 2022 will be a big year for the soon to be 22 year old as he will get his first taste of full season professional ball. He will be a non roster invitee to Spring Training this year and will then be assigned to either Dunedin or Lansing. He has advanced stuff and a great feel for pitching so there is a chance he could see AA by seasons end. In terms of breaking the Major League roster a realistic time table is sometime in 2024.

Bluefield Blue Jays - 47-21 1st in East Division
SP Norberto Perez
21, LHP, V:91-93
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent in 2017 out of Cuba for $122,000.
2021 Stats: 10-0 1.16 ERA 21 BB 82 K
GM's Comments: Perez might have had the best season of any Jays minor league pitchers and he made huge strides after 2 seasons in the Dominican Summer League. He showed no issues adjusting to baseball in North America and would take home the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year Award. 
Outlook/ETA: The Jays think they could have something special with this 21 year old and they have no intentions on rushing him. His next big challenge will be a full season of pro ball and he will likely get that chance with Lansing next season. A MLB ETA is hard to predict as he is still quite a ways away but 2025 is a realistic target.

GCL Blue Jays - 54-6 1st in North West Division & 2020 GCL Champs
3B Shane Martinez
23, RHB
Acquired:20th Round Pick 600th Overall in 2016 (Smith Falls High School, USHSBA)
2021 Stats: .425 19 HR 48 RBI
GM's Comments: Another late round pick that had a huge season. Martinez has spent the last 3 years in the GCL and 2021 was his breakout season. He was an All Star and if you can believe it was 2nd in MVP voting. At 23 years old he was playing against much younger competition and my scouts don't really think he will amount to much more then minor league filler.
Outlook/ETA: He is probably never going to make it to the MLB but he could be a valuable minor league piece if he can continue to hit the way he did this year. He is ticketed for the Dunedin Blue Jays as we want to challenge him a little to see if this season was a fluke or if he is a late bloomer and might have some value.

Dominican Summer League Blue Jays - 45-20 1st in San Pedro De Marcois Division
SP Jorge Amoras
20, RHP, V:95-97 MPH
Acquired: Signed as an International Amateur in 2017 out of Venezuela for $900,000
2021 Stats: 9-0 1.47 ERA 22 BB 72 K
GM's Comments: A highly touted signing back in 2017 the Jays spent $900,000 to bring the then 16 year old into the fold. His first season in the DSL he was dynamite and would end up being the teams #1 starter. He took home the DSL Pitcher of the Year Award as well. He still scouts as a middle of the rotation arm and with some refinement of his control could even better that projection.
Outlook/ETA: The 20 year old is still very raw and has yet to make his pro debut in North America. His next step will be to start the season in extended spring training before being assigned to one of the Jays rookie league teams in either Bluefield or the GCL. Its hard to predict when a player this young could debut in the majors and we have no intentions on rushing him. Our current timetable would have him make his MLB debut in September of 2027.

Up Next: Salary Arbitration

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The Hall of Fame has opened its doors and two new players will be joining its ranks in 2022. New York Yankees legendary SS Derek Jeter and long time Seattle Mariner Ichiro Suzuki have both been unanimously voted into the hall and both on their first ballot. 

SS Derek Jeter was initially drafted with the 6th overall pick in the 1992 First Year Player Draft by the Yankees and he would debut with the team in 1996 taking home the American League Rookie of the Year Award. His career would span 21 seasons all with the Yankees. He last played in the Majors in 2014 and would retire from Baseball in 2017. Jeter owns a career .311 batting average with 3407 hits 264 HR 1304 RBI in 2701 games with the Yankees. He was a 13 time All Star and a 5 time gold glove award winner. He ranks 8th on the All Time hits list.

SS Ichiro Suzuki originally signed with the Seattle Mariners as an International Free Agent in 2001 and would go on to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award and the American League MVP award that season. He spent 14 seasons in the Majors and would rack up a career .317 batting average with 2774 hits 114 HR and 1278 runs scored with the Mariners and Yankees. He is a 10 time gold glove award winner and a 10 time American League All Star. 

Up Next: Salary Arbitration, Rule V draft and 2021 Off Season

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2021 Salary Arbitration Cases & Possible Free Agents

GM Ryan Stewart is going to be quite busy this salary arbitration season as the Jays have 13 players who are up for arbitration. The list includes some big name players as well: C Max Pentecost, SP Jamie Cox and 1B A.J. Reed are all entering their final year of arbitration. GM Ryan Stewart "One of our primary goals this season will be to get all three of those players to sign long term deals to stay here in Toronto. We have a great working relationship with all of them and we think they all want to stay in Toronto".

Free Agents

There were a few players who were not offered salary arbitration or whom were unwilling to sign minor league contracts with the Jays so they will be free agents and will be free to sign with other teams come July first. This list includes MR Kevin Chapman, MR Jarred Cosart, LF Desmond Jennings, C Sandy Leon, MR Aaron Crow and SS Wilmer Flores. Of all of these players I tried to resign Flores the most. He had a really good season in AAA taking home the International League MVP Award and provided great depth and leadership in Buffalo. He is looking to get back into the Majors and a minor league deal was not something that he was willing to accept.

Salary Arbitration Cases

The Jays 13 Salary Arbitration Cases went as follows:

C Max Pentecost - $13,781,250
RF Justin Williams - $12,500,000
SP Kohl Stewart - $9,000,000
LF Randal Girchuk - $1,500,000
MR Chris Richardson - $900,000
2B Gotsuke Katoh - $900,000
SP Jamie Cox - $13,781,250
MR Tony Boone - $1,690,000
1B A.J. Reed - $13,781,250
2B Gotsuke Katoh - $800,000
SP Nathan Kirby - $5,785,000
CF Andrew Alpin - $900,000
CF Colin Bray - $840,000
SP Carson Fulmer - $1,250,000

2022 Operating Budget

The Blue Jays announced that their Operating Budget for the 2022 season is $196,000,000. This is up from $178,000,000 from last season. Our $196,000,000 budget is second only to the Los Angeles Dodgers who have eclipsed the $200,000,000 mark. We have $136,689,750 committed to salaries at the start of the 2022 season and when including our player development costs ($18,000,000), scouting budget ($18,000,000) and First Year Player Draft Budget ($7,500,000) we have a little more then $11,000,000 of free payroll space that could come in handy down the line. We also have a number of players that we want to get under long term contract so that's going to eat into what we are able to do down the road.

GM Ryan Stewart's Off Season Wish List

The off season is just about upon us and my wish list for the off season includes:

1. Full time Designated Hitter
We have tried a number of different options here over the past few seasons and this position really hasn't been settles since 1B Anthony Rizzo departed following the 2020 season. Last year we brought in 3B Josh Donaldson and he was abysmal in the role and was replaced at the deadline with CF Rick Allen. I'd like to utilize Allen in the outfield much more this season and this creates an opening at the DH position. We will evaluate the free agent market as well as possible trades to see what we can do to bring up out offence a little more.

2. Make room in the starting rotation for SP Erik Black
SP Erik Black is ready down in AAA and I would like to get him into the majors full time this season. It will mean trading one of my current starters. Moving one of my starters should help us in acquiring a piece that we can use elsewhere and should save us some money. The most likely trade candidates are SP Nathan Kirby, SP Kohl Stewart or SP Jake Godfrey.

Resign Scouting Director Brian Parker
This one is a big one for me. Parker has been the Jays Director of Amateur Scouting since 2015 and has been one of the best talent evaluators in baseball. The 51 year old is responsible for draft picks like SP Jamie Cox and C Max Pentecost and has been instrumental in pushing spending on the International Amateur Free Agent Market. We have offered him a 5 year extension and are hoping we can get it signed sooner rather then later.

Up Next: 2021 Off Season Transactions Report

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Blue Jays Off Season Report

The off season was a busy and productive one for GM Ryan Stewart and the Toronto Blue Jays, for the most part they stayed away from many of the big name free agents. There were a number of high profile players available on the market this year including stars like 3B Miguel Sano, SP Julio Tehran, SP Mike Minor and C Reese McGuire. They all fell well out of the Jays price range so GM Ryan Stewart looked to improve the team in other ways. 

Blue Jays Off Season:

Heading into the off season GM Ryan Stewart identified three main goals that he wanted to address prior to the start of Spring Training. "We wanted to make sure that we addressed all of our goals before our players started reporting for spring workouts. We managed to upgrade our team in a number of areas and even managed to make some upgrades in other areas that we weren't expecting. Overall we had a productive off season and we are excited to get everyone into camp and to get ready for the 2022 season".

1. Full Time Designated Hitter

This was the number one priority this off season after getting dismal production out of the DH spot last season. CF Rick Allen and 1B Josh Donaldson manned the position last year and didn't produce the numbers that one would expect out of the DH in an AL East lineup. To address the issue the Jays made a deal with their division rivals the New York Yankees. The Jays agreed to send SP Kohl Stewart to the Bronx in exchange for 1B Casey Gillaspie and minor league MR Steve O'Quinn. 

Players to New York Yankees

SP Kohl Stewart is a 27 year old right hander who was a 1st round pick 4th overall in 2013 by the Minnesota Twins out of St. Pius X High School in the USHSBA. He was dealt to the Blue Jays in 2016 in exchange for SP Gabriel Ynoa. Stewart was 14-6 with a 4.27 ERA walking 60 and striking out 171 in 32 starts for the Jays last season. In 5 seasons with the Jays he was 65-45 with a 4.17 ERA. He earns $9,000,000 salary this season and has one more year of arbitration eligibility.

Players to Toronto 

1B Casey Gillaspie was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the second round 38th overall in 2014 out of Wichita State and was traded to the Yankees in 2019. He hit .259 with 26 HR and drove in 80 runs for the Yankees in 2021. Gillaspie is set to earn $3,800,000 this year and still has another year of arbitration eligibility left. 

MR Steve O'Quinn is a 23 year old righty who features a 93-95 MPH fast ball as well as a slider and a changeup. He was 15th round pick of the Washington Nationals 436th overall in 2018 out of High School but chose not to sign and then was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2020 draft 60th overall out of Wake Forest in the NCAA by the Tampa Bay Rays. He was traded to the Yankees in 2021 and spent the entire 2021 season in A Chattanooga where he was 5-7 with a 4.27 ERA walking 32 and striking out 58. 

GM's Comments: This was a good deal for both sides as both us and the Yankees addressed weaknesses. We add a power bat thats a switch hitter and who is defensively sound at first base so we can give 1B A.J. Reed days off here and there. He will be a presence in the middle of the lineup and should take some pressure off some of our other big bats. We also pick up a talented young arm in O'Quinn who has closer type stuff. He struggled as a 23 year old in A ball this season but its only his second season of pro ball. He will get an invitation to Spring Training and his minor league assignment will depend on his performance. It was tough to part with Stewart in this deal he is a dependable young arm who is just coming into his prime but the old saying goes you have to give up something to get something and unfortunately Stewart was the price.

2. Make Room For SP Erik Black

The deal with the Yankees effectively killed two birds with one stone as the Jays had to utilize one of their young rotation arms to bring in a new designated hitter. With the deal the Jays have opened a spot in the starting rotation and we will give Black every opportunity to win that job in Spring Training. Right now he is the front runner and the job is his to lose.

3. Resign Scouting Director Brian Parker

Perhaps the most pressing issue on the off season checklist was to get the Jays Director of Scouting resigned. Brian Parker was in the last season of his contract and it was imperative that GM Ryan Stewart get him locked up long term. The Jays were able to sign Parker to a 5 year extension worth a total of $950,000. The deal will keep Parker heading up the scouting department for the Jays until the end of the 2028 season. 

Other Transactions

Free Agent Signing

GM Ryan Stewart did make a notable free agent signing this off season agreeing to a 1 year deal with former Seattle Mariners C Mike Zunino Zunino was a former 1st round pick 3rd overall in 2012 by the Mariners. He hit .282 with 3 HR and 13 RBI in just 72 games for the Mariners in 2021. He missed the majority of the season after suffering a knee injury in early May. He agreed to a 1 year deal worth a total of $4,490,000 and was signed to be the back up catcher in Toronto. He has a decent bad and is a terrific defensive catcher. He should be a nice addition with C Max Pentecost and will give the Jays some options behind the plate.

Minor League Signing

The Jays inked 23 year old MR Luis Vargas to a minor league contract and have extended him an invitation to Spring training. Vargas is a 6'7" lefty who features a 91-93 MPH fastball and a very good slider. He defected from Cuba and has yet to pitch in pro baseball. My scouts think he has back end of the bullpen potential but is very raw and is still a few years away from making an impact on the MLB roster.

Trade #2

With the addition of C Mike Zunino the Jays had an extra catcher and one who was out of options in C Wyatt Cross. He was out of options and was not likely to clear waivers for an assignment to AAA Buffalo. We shopped him around and Arizona was interested. We managed to work out a deal that sent C Wyatt Cross to the Diamondbacks in exchange for CL Saturnino Santa Cruz.

Players to Arizona

C Wyatt Cross was a 2nd round pick 63rd overall by the Jays back in 2015. He broke onto the major league roster full time in 2021 and hit a respectable .266 with 12 HR and 42 RBI. He hit over .300 in the playoffs for the Jays as well filling in for the injured C Max Pentecost. Cross is 24 years old and was set to earn $950,000 this season.

Players to Toronto

CL Saturnino Santa Cruz is a 25 year old righty who was a Supplemental 1st Round pick 31st overall in 2015 by the Diamondbacks. He was 3-11 with 35 saves and a 2.13 ERA with 14 walks and 54 strikeouts for the Dbacks last season. He is set to earn $2,600,000 this season and is still arbitration eligible. There is a little bit of tension with Santa Cruz ans he expects to be the teams closer but that role is already filled by CL Rex Brothers, the plan is to use him as the 8th inning man during the Spring and see how the rest of the bullpen shakes out. 

2021 Major League Free Agent Signings 

LF Yasmani Tomas - 2 years $6,600,000 (San Francisco Giants)
CF George Springer - 1 year $5,500,000 (Los Angeles Dodgers)
SS Jurickson Profar - 2 years $22,200,000 (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)
1B Dominic Smith - 3 years $41,000,000 (Boston Red Sox)
SP Zach Wheeler - 6 years $108,000,000 (New York Mets)
RF Giancarlo Stanton - 3 years $66,400,000 (Boston Red Sox)
SS Francisco Lindor - 4 years $86,000,000 (New York Yankees)
3B Miguel Sano - 4 years $90,000,000 (Boston Red Sox)
2B Hideto Asamula - 4 years $78,000,000 (San Francisco Giants)
SP Julio Tehran - 2 years $45,600,000 (Chicago Cubs)
SP Jake Odorizzi - 2 years $39,000,000 (Boston Red Sox)
SP Dylan Bundy - 3 years $9,860,000 (New York Yankees)
SP Masahiro Tanaka - 4 years $12,160,000 (Pittsburgh Pirates)
CL Jonathan Papelbon - 1 year $7,200,000 (San Francisco Giants)
SP Mike Minor - 3 years $79,200,000 (Texas Rangers)
2B Colin Moran - 6 years $125,800,000 (Chicago Cubs)
LF Oscar Tavares - 5 eyars $137,900,000 (New York Yankees)
1B Freddi Freeman - 5 years $117,800,000 (Baltimore Orioles)
SP Jordan Zimmerman - 3 years $38,700,000 (Cincinnati Reds)
RF Stephen Piscotty - 2 years $24,200,000 (Tampa Bay Rays)
CL Sergio Romo - 2 years $26,900,000 (Philadelphia Phillies)
SP Zach Greinke - 1 year $5,900,000 (Chicago White Sox)
C Reese McGuire - 3 years $69,750,000 (New York Yankees)

Up Next Spring Training 2022

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Spring Training 2022

The temperatures in Toronto are finally starting to heat up and that means that baseball is just around the corner! The Jays and GM Ryan Stewart just finished another busy off season that saw them make a number of moves aimed at improving the teams chances heading into the 2022 season. The Blue Jays also published their list of players that they have invited to camp this year and GM Ryan Stewart is most excited about the group of younger players that are starting to emerge up through the minor leagues. GM Ryan Stewart "We have a talented group of young arms especially that we are going to take a good long look at this spring, this group includes SP Josh Britton, SP Tim Libby, SP Vic Johnson and CL Mike McNeal. They are all very close to being MLB ready and will get a chance to show their stuff against major league caliber hitters this spring." 

Starting Pitchers

SP Erik Black - 20-3 2.35 ERA 43 BB 207 K (AAA Buffalo)
SP Josh Britton - 4-5 6.34 ERA (GCL Blue Jays) Non Roster Invitee
SP Jose Cerventes - 16-7 2.87 ERA (AAA Buffalo)
SP Gerrit Cole - 17-8 4.46 ERA (Toronto)
SP Jamie Cox - 20-2 2.14 ERA (Toronto)
SP Jake Godfrey - 9-14 4.66 ERA (Toronto)
SP Nathan Kirby - 16-6 4.29 ERA (Toronto)
SP Jose Sandoval - 5-4 1 SV 3.02 ERA (AAA Buffalo)
SP James Paxton - 9-12 3.27 ERA (AAA Buffalo) Non Roster Invitee
SP Tim Libby - 12-12 3.77 ERA (AA New Hampshire) Non Roster Invitee
SP Vic Johnson - 14-6 3.34 ERA (A Dunedin) Non Roster Invitee

GM's Comments
We traded away one of our good young arms in SP Kohl Stewart in the off season and that has opened the door for the International League's Pitcher of the Year in SP Erik Black. Black was a 20 game winner in AAA last season and the Jays really want to see what he can bring to the table. He is penciled in as the Jays 5th starter this season and its his job to lose heading into Spring Training. The rest of the rotation is likely set with Cox, Cole, Godfrey and Kirby rounding out the top 4. There are a couple of kids in camp that could surprise however and some competition is always good. 

Middle Relievers and Closers

MR Tony Boone - 7-6 14 SV 2.81 ER (Toronto)
MR Carson Fulmer - 11-5 3.05 ERA (AAA Buffalo)
MR Phil Jones - 0-2 4 SV 2.70 ERA (Toronto)
MR Jorge Miranda - 7-9 4 SV 4.05 ERA (AAA Buffalo)
MR Mark Montgomery - 4-2 2 SV 2.63 ERA (Toronto)
MR Jim Phillips - 6-3 3 SV 2.97 ERA (AAA Buffalo)
MR Chris Richardson - 4-2 1 SV 4.03 ERA (Toronto)
MR Dave Steele - 3-0 4 SV 1.59 ERA (AAA Buffalo)
MR Jake Barrett - 0-2 4.78 RA (AAA Buffalo) Non Roster Invitee
MR Steve O'Quinn - 5-7 4.27 ERA (A Chattanooga) Non Roster Invitee
CL Mike McNeal - 8-3 40 SV 1.61 ERA (A Dunedin) Non Roster Invitee
CL Rex Brothers - 3-3 26 SV 1.59 ERA (Toronto)
CL Nick Kennedy - 0-3 30 SV 3.93 ERA (AAA Buffalo)
CL Saturino Santa Cruz - 3-11 35 SV 2.13 ERA (Arizona Diamondbacks)

GM's Comments
We lost a couple of veteran arms out of the pen with the departure of MR Jarred Cosart and MR Kevin Chapman who both left as free agents. The Jays have a couple of openings in the bullpen and a number of good arms that will be competing to take those spots. There are minor league vets like MR Jake Barrett and MR Carson Fulmer or there is MR Saturino Santa Cruz who came over in the off season in a trade with Arizona. We also have a couple of very talented young arms who could surprise and force their way onto the opening day 25 man roster. The most likely candidate there is former 5th round pick CL Mike McNeal who was dominant in the Florida State League in 2021. 

Position Players

Catchers

C Max Pentecost - .375 22 HR 86 RBI (Toronto)
C Mike Zunino - .212 3 HR 13 RBI (Seattle Mariners)
C Jonathan Lucroy - .276 10 HR 42 RBI (AAA Buffalo) Non Roster Invitee
C Jesus Lopez - .300 22 HR 83 RBI (AA New Hampshire) Non Roster Invitee

GM's Comments
The starting catcher position is still firmly occupied by Penetecost and he is not going anywhere (although I need to get him signed to a long term deal ASAP). The changes have come at the back up spot as C Wyatt Cross was traded to Arizona in the off season after C Mike Zunino was signed by the Jays as a free agent. We felt that Zunino was a better bat and a switch hitter and could contribute more defensively then Cross. We will also be watching C Jesus Lopez who is getting his first chance at Major League pitching. 

First Base Base

1B A.J. Reed - .257 35 HR 117 RBI (Toronto)
1B Casey Gillaspie - .259 26 HR 80 RBI (New York Mets)
1B Joe Armstrong - .301 5 HR 36 RBI (AA New Hampshire) Non Roster Invitee

GM's Comments
1B A.J. Reed will be back at first for the Jays this season and will be looked to as an offensive force once again. He is another player who needs a new contract and its probably not going to be cheep. We also brought in 1B Casey Gillaspie in an off season deal with the New York Yankees and his primary role is going to be as a designated hitter but will also get some starts at first to give Reed a chance to rest ehre and there.

Second Base

2B Goskuke Katoh - .284 0 HR 15 RBI (Toronto)
2B Kolten Wong - .254 3 HR 42 RBI (Toronto)

GM's Comments
There won't be much of a battle at second as its Wong's spot to lose. The veteran missed a coupe of months last season with various injuries and is looking for a bounce back season. The Jays top batting prospect 2B Tim Miller is injured and will miss the entirety of camp this season. He hit well in AA last year and is going to be knocking on the door very soon. 

Third Base

3B Jeimer Candelario - .253 12 HR 65 RBI (AAA Buffalo)
3B Stu Daniels - .276 16 Hr 68 RBI (Toronto)
3B Jeff Hatcher - .251 6 HR 34 RBI 

GM's Comments
Daniels is steadily improving for the Jays and gives them a reliable bat with some pop and steady defense at third. The Jays have a pair of decent options down in AAA in Hatcher and Candelario should Daniels falter.

Short Stop

SS Carlos Correa - .288 26 HR 86 RBI (Toronto Blue Jays)
SS Nicholas Gordon - .299 6 HR 34 RBI (AAA Buffalo)
SS Yeltsin Gudino - .251 6 HR 34 RBI (AA New Hampshire) Non Roster Invitee

GM's Comments
Correa had a big season in his first go around with the Jays and was a leader both on and off the field. The Jays are hopeful that he can continue his development and evolve into a premier short stop in baseball. We are in an interesting situation with SS Nicholas Gordon. The 24 year old is out of minor league options and if he doesn't crack the Jays 25 man roster he would have to clear waivers before being sent to AAA. Gordon is a former 2nd round pick of the Jays and could be on the trade block if we don;t have a home for him here in Toronto.

Outfielders

LF Don Bergeron - .353 19 HR 67 RBI (AA New Hampshire)
LF Randal Girchuk - .345 4 HR 22 RBI (Toronto)
LF Justin Williams - .240 27 HR 85 RBI
CF Richard Allen - .237 11 HR 36 RBI (Toronto)
CF Albert Almora - .314 23 HR 106 RBI (Toronto)
CF Colin Bray - .268 8 HR 31 RBI (AAA Buffalo)
CF D.J. Davis - .299 8 HR 46 RBI (AAA Buffalo) Non Roster Invitee
RF Oswaldo Arcia - .263 14 HR 53 RBI (Toronto)
RF Andrew Alpin - .267 1 HR 6 RBI (AAA Buffalo)

GM's Comments

Our starting outfielders will be the same three that started in the outfiled last season with Williams in left, Almora in center and Arcia in right. Arcia is going to be on a very small leash however as he was injury prone last season and missed significant time. We had a lot of our outfielders go down with injuries last season and our depth was tested. This year we have LF Don Bergeron and CF D.J. Davisin AAA who can step in should we run into the same trouble as last season. 

Up Next: Spring Training Recap and Opening Day Rosters

[ryan008 7]

Blue Jays Ready for the 2022 Season

Toronto wrapped up the spring schedule with a record of 16-10 and would finish second to the Yankees who won a total of 20 games and would continue to roll after capturing the 2021 World Series Title. The Jays came through the Spring injury free and were are all ready for the start of the regular season.

Spring Training Surprises

The biggest surprise of the spring was the play of MR Nick Kennedy. The 24 year old lefty was the Jays best reliever during the spring schedule appearing in 11 games and tossing 12.1 innings allowing just 2 hits no walks and striking out 13. He features a big arm with a 99-101 MPH fast ball and played his way into one of the open bullpen spots. The other bright spot during the spring was 3B Stu Daniels. He is just entering his 3rd full season in the big leagues and he hit the cover off the ball in the Grapefruit League. He put up a .405 batting average with 4 HR and 11 RBI. Our development staff still think he has some room to grow and that he could be an All Star at third one day. Were hoping his early success during Spring Training can translate to the regular season.

Spring Training Disappointments

LF Justin Williams had a very disappointing Spring by his standards hitting just .088 with a Hr and 4 RBI. We aren't sure if he is nursing an injury or if he just had a rough spring. He will be the opening day left fielder and were hoping that he can knock the rust off quickly. 

OPENING DAY ROSTERS

SP Jamie Cox
SP Nathan Kirby
SP Gerrit Cole
SP Jake Godfrey
SP Eric Black

MR Tony Boone
MR Phil Jones
MR Jim Phillips
MR Mark Montgomery
MR Chris Richardson
MR Nick Kennedy
CL Rex Brothers

C Max Pentecost
1B A.J. Reed
2B Kolten Wong
3B Stu Daniels
SS Carlos Correa
LF Justin Williams
CF Albert Almora
RF Oswaldo Arcia
DH Casey Gillaspie

C Mike Zunino
INF Gosuke Katoh
OF Randal Girchuk
OF Rick Allen

Pre Season Predictions

The pre-season predictions are out and for the second straight season the Jays are predicted to be a 95 win team and to finish second in the American League East behind the New York Yankees. The Boston Red Sox who went on a shopping spree in the off season are predicted to finish 3rd. The Los Angeles Dodgers are predicted to be the beast team in baseball and to finish with 105 victories.

Financial Information

The Blue Jays budget for the 2022 season sits at a total of $196,000,000 and they have a current payroll of $142,689,750. With their scouting and development expenditures the Jays have roughly $20,000,000 in free payroll space. That might get eaten up quickly as there are a number of players that are going to require long term contracts (C Max Pentecost, SP Jamie Cox and 1B A.J. Reed to name a few). GM Ryan Stewart is probably going to have to get creative in order to accommodate everyone under their current budget.

Top Prospects and Farm Systems

Baseball America released their first prospect rankings today and the 10 best prospects in the majors were:

1. RF Chris Caro (22, Minnesota Twins)
2. LF Esteban Canseco (20, Miami Marlins)
3. SP Stu Clark (20, Oakland Athletics)
4. SP Chris Lee (21, Pittsburgh Pirates)
5. CF Joe Galloway (23, San Francisco Giants)
6. SP Jose Cerventes (23, Toronto Blue Jays)
7. SP Kurt Stewart (22, Boston Red Sox)
8. 1B Buddy Sims (23, Milwaukee Brewers)
9. SP Tony Anderson (20 Milwaukee Brewers)
10. SP Vic Johnson (23, Toronto Blue Jays)

The Milwaukee Brewers have the best farm system in the majors and have a total of 11 players tanked in the top 100 and 2 of the top 10. They are followed by the Oakland Athletics and then the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto has 2 prospects in the top 10 and 5 of the top 100. The Minnesota Twins and the Washington Nationals round out the top 5 systems. The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies both have no prospects ranked in the top 100 prospects and are tied for last.

Up Next: April Review as Opening Day is here!

[ryan008 7]

Jays Finish April at .500. Tied for 2nd in AL East

May 1st, 2022

The Blue Jays kicked off the regular season schedule with a 3 game set in New York against their hated division rivals the New York Yankees and it did not go well for the Jays. They were swept, losing all three games by a combined score of 27-4. The Jays bats were ice cold to start the season and it showed, on the other hand the Yankees bats were red hot and they torched Jays pitchers over the three game series. The Jays bats would wake up as the month dragged on and they managed to pull to a .500 record at 9-9 by the time the calendar was flipping over to May. They Jays sit in second in the East tied with the Tampa Bay rays at 9-9 trailing the Yankees by 2.5 games. May is going to be an important month for the Jays as they have 15 games against AL East rivals including a 4 game set at home against the Yankees. If the Jays are going to make up some ground in the East this is going to be a critical month for them.

AL East Standings - May 1st

New York Yankees - 11-6
Toronto Blue Jays 9-9 (2.5 GB)
Tampa Bay Rays - 9-9 (2.5 GB)
Baltimore Orioles - 9-10 (3 GB)
Boston Red Sox - 7-11 (4.5 GB)

AL Wild Card Standings

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - 12-6
Oakland Athletics - 12-6
Seattle Mariners - 9-8 (1/2 GB)
Tampa Bay Rays - 9-9 (1 GB)
Toronto Blue Jays - 9-9 (1 GB)
Texas Rangers - 9-9 (1 GB)

April's Hot Players

Sp Jamie Cox - 3-1 4.33 ERA
SP Nathan Kirby - 2-1 3.09 ERA
MR Phil Jones - 0-0 1.13 ERA
CL Rex Brothers - 0-0 7 SV 2.35 ERA
CF Albert Almora - .316 4 HR 10 RBI
C Max Pentecost - .310 4 HR 10 RBI
1B A.J. Reed - .279 3 HR 10 RBI

April's Cold Players

SP Erik Black - 1-2 6.11 ERA
MR Chris Richardson - 0-0 11.81 ERA
DH Casey Gillaspie - .179 1 HR 5 RBI
C Mike Zunino - .167 1 HR 1 RBI

April News & Notes

Injuries

The Jays were bitten by the injury bug early in the season as 2B Kolten Wong suffered a partially torn labrum in his throwing shoulder and is expected to miss 7-8 weeks. He was hitting .294 with 0 HR and an RBI at the time of the injury. The Jays purchased the contract of SS Yeltsin Gudino from AAA Buffalo. He was hitting .222 with 6 RBI at the time of his recall and will make his MLB debut with the Jays. 

Trade

GM Ryan Stewart pulled off a deal with the Chicago Cubs sending long time Jays farm hand SS Nicholas Gordon and minor league SP Jose Barrera to the Cubs in exchange for minor league SS Tyler Halas. Gordon was out of options and would not have cleared wavers should the Jays try and send him down and he was n't going to get a lot of playing time in Toronto this season. The Jays get back a former supplemental 1st round pick in 2015 from the Cubs in Halas who has struggled through out his minor league career and never really managed to live up to his high draft status. He was picked up to be the everyday shortstop in AAA Buffalo and still has two minor league options left.

Players to Chicago Cubs

SS Nicholas Gordon - a 26 year old left handed hitter who was the Jays 2nd round pick 41st overall in 2014. He hit ,299 with 6 HR and 34 RBI for AAA Buffalo last season but has struggled to stay healthy. He was once thought of as the Jays shortstop of the future but injuries have really derailed that from happening.

SP Jose Barrera - a 23 righty who features a 92-94 MPH fastball as well as a curve and change up. He was a 4th round pick 116th overall in 2018 by the Jays out of Detroit High School in the USHSBA. In 2021 he went 8-12 with a 4.16 ERA with 57 walks and 128 strikeouts for AA New Hampshire. He scouts as a back end of the rotation/bullpen long reliever and could be MLB ready shortly.

Players to Toronto

SS Tyler Halas - a 25 year old right handed batter who was a Supplemental 1st round pick 28th overall in 2015 by the Marlins. He didn't sign in Miami and was then drafted in the 1st round 17th overall in 2018 by the New York Mets out of Duke University in the NCAA. He hit .260 with 9 HR and 57 RBI for AA Tennessee in 2021. He much like Gordon has struggled with injuries and is no longer regarded as a highly touted prospect. The Jays brought him in to give them some depth in AAA and some insurance at the MLB level. 

Minor League Signing

The Jays also added another depth piece for AAA Buffalo inking 28 year old C Steve Bean to a minor league contract. Bean is a former 1st round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals 12th overall back in 2012 and he last played in the Majors in 2020 with the Oakland Athletics. He spent 2022 in AAA Rockford where he hit .310 with 2 HR and 13 RBI.

Awards

SP Cristo Bar Mallard of the Dunedin Blue Jays went 4-1 with a 2.56 ERA in April and was awarded the Florida State League Pitcher of the Month Award. He was signed as an International Free Agentt out of the Dominican Republic back in 2017.

Up Next: May Update

[ryan008 7]

Blue Jays 1/2 Game Back in AL East After A Solid May

June 1st, 2022

After a slow start to the year the Blue Jays seemed to wake up in May and managed to reel off a record of 16-11 in May vaulting them into second place in a very competitive American League East division. The Jays currently trail only the Baltimore Orioles by 1/2 game for the division lead. The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles are both hot on the Jays heels however and are just 1.5 and 3.5 games back respectively. The only team that is not in the race in the east are the Boston Red Sox who have already fallen to 12.5 games back and it looks like it could be another long season for Red Sox fans.


AL East Standings - June 1st

Baltimore Orioles - 26-20
Toronto Blue Jays - 25-20 (1/2 GB)
New York Yankees - 23-20 (1 1/2 GB)
Tampa Bay Rays - 22-23 (3 1/2 GB)
Boston Red Sox - 12-31 (12 1/2 GB)

AL Wild Card Standings - June 1st

Oakland Athletics - 26-19
Cleveland Indians - 26-20
Toronto Blue Jays - 25-20 (1/2 GB)
New York Yankees - 23-20 (1 1/2 GB)
Seattle Mariners - 23-22 (2 1/2 GB)
Tampa Bay Rays - 22-23 (3 1/2 GB)

May's Hot Players

SP Erik Black - 5-0 2.68 ERA
SP Nathan Kirby - 4-1 2.45 ERA
MR Nick Kennedy - 0-0 1 SV 2.89 ERA
CL Rex Brothers - 0-0 9 SV 3.65 ERA
CF Albert Almora - .371 3 HR 11 RBI
C Max Pentecost - .361 3 HR 15 RBI
3B Stu Daniels - .343 0 HR 13 RBI
1B A.J. Reed - .301 6 HR 14 RBI

May's Cold Players

SP Jake Godfrey - 2-3 5.83 ERA
MR Chris Richardson -1-1 7.36 ERA
MR Mark Montgomery - 0-2 7.63 ERA
1B Casey Gillaspie - .172 2 HR 10 RBI
RF Oswaldo Arcia - .200 2 HR 9 RBI

May News & Notes

Injuries

The Jays continue to be hampered by the injury bug. This month it was everyone that plays short stop would get injured. The first to go down was SS Carlos Correa who suffered a torn abdominal muscle and is expected to be out for the next 5-6 weeks. Correa was hitting .286 with 3 HR and 11 RBI and was placed on the 15 day disabled list. The Jays recalled newly acquired SS Tyler Halas who was hitting .296 with 2 HR and 10 RBI for AAA Buffalo. Just 3 days after Halas was recalled he suffered a strained Achilles and is going to be out for the next 3-4 weeks. He was placed on the 15 day disabled list and the Jays recalled 3B Jeff Hatcher who was hitting .299 with 5 HR and 15 RBI for AAA Buffalo.

Contract Extensions

GM Ryan Stewart was very busy during the month of May signing C Max Pentecost, SP Jamie Cox and CF Albert Almora to long term contracts.

Pentecost, now 29 years old was the Jays 1st Round Pick 11th overall in 2014 and is a 3 time American League MVP and 5 Time AL All Star for the Jays. He has hit .342 with 94 HR and 378 RBI in 675 career games all with the Blue Jays. He agreed to a 9 year contract worth a total of $156,000,000 that includes team options in years 8 an 9. The deal should effectively keep him with the Blue Jays for the remainder of his career.

SP Jamie Cox was also a first round pick back in 2014 9th overall by the Jays and he has emerged as the best pitcher in baseball over the past 4 seasons. He is a 4 time American League Cy Young Award winner and 4 time AL All Star. He owns a career record of 110-26 with a 2.51 ERA and 1468 strikeouts in 174 games. He agreed to a 6 year deal worth $120,000,000 and he will be a Blue Jay until at least the end of the 2038 season.

Finally, CF Albert Almora was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs 6th overall in 2012 and was traded to the Blue Jays in 2020. The 28 year old has a career line of .302 with 146 HR 581 RBI in 8 seasons with the Jays and Cubs, He is a 6 time gold glove winner in center field, a 3 time All Star and was the 2019 National League MVP. He agreed to a 7 year deal worth a total of $65,000,000.

Around the Majors

3B Pablo Sandoval of the Baltimore Orioles got career hit #2000 in a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners. The 35 year old switch hitter is hitting .333 with 5 HR and 26 RBI this season with the Orioles and is a career .289 hitter with 2029 hits 253 HR and 942 RBI in 1813 career games.

Up Next: First Year Player Draft Preview

[ryan008 7]

2022 MLB First Year Player Draft Preview

June 5th, 2022

The 2022 First Year Player Draft is tomorrow and GM Ryan Stewart and the Blue Jays will make the 25th overall selection. Unlike last year the Jays will only have a single first rounder and no compensation selections to work with. This is the 3rd draft for the Jays General Manager and they are not shifting their focus from taking the best talent available: "Our head scout and I both believe heavily on taking the best player available when its our turn at the podium and we plan to continue that philosophy once its our turn this year. We have narrowed our focus to a handful of players who we believe will be available at the 25 slot and we will make our pick from there. You do have to be flexible however, as players can rise and fall due to injuries and bonus demands so you have to be able to react to situations like that as well".

This year the Houston Astros will be making the first overall selection in the draft and they will be followed by the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox and the Colorado Rockies will round out the top 5 picks. The Jays will pick at 25th overall which is the last selection in the first round due to a number of teams forfeiting their 1st round picks for signing compensation eligible free agents this past off season.

Baseball America's Pre Draft Top 10

According to Baseball America the top rated players for the 2022 First Year Player Draft are as follows:

1. 1B Phil Turner 19, RHB - Colorado Springs High School, USHSBA
.226 13 HR 31 RBI
Turner has huge power potential in a big 6'5" 225 lb frame. He has a smooth swing at the plate and can power the ball to all fields. For a power hitter he doesn't strike out much and is not afraid to take a walk. Defensively he is just above average but he won't embarrass himself at first. His ceiling is that of a 30+ home run hitter at the big league level and he should also easily provide a nice .270 ish batting average. He is not going to be an easy sign as he is looking for a high $8,000,000 signing bonus and has a strong commitment to play college baseball in the NCAA. 

2. SP Eric Thompson 19, LHP - Louisville High School, USHSBA
5-0 1.10 ERA 5 BB 59 K
Thompson is an imposing figure on the mound standing 6'9" and weighing 210 lbs. His fastball doesn't quite match up to his size however as he sits just 89-91 MPh with it right now. He also throws a very good circle changeup and a curveball and both of his secondary pitches grade out as plus. He had a decorated USHSBA career that included a 2020 Outstanding Pitcher Award, 3 All Star Games and was the 2022 USHSBA World Series MVP. He should fill out and add some more velocity as he gets bigger and is one of the most intriguing arms available this draft. He might take a while to develop but he could be a top of the rotation arm.

3. SP Ted Coates 21, RHP - University of Texas, NCAA
5-0 1.78 ERA 19 BB 95 K
Coates is a flamethrower and the top ranked pitcher out of the NCAA ranks. He features a 96-98 MPH fastball as well as a cutter, slider, changup and splitter. He struggles at time with his command and tends to get a little wild. He should go high on draft day but some scouts are concerned about his ability to throw strikes at the next level. Conservatively I would say his future is that of a #3/4 starter but he does have the stuff to stick at the top end of a rotation. Its a matter of sorting out his control.

4. SP Mike Jackson 21, LHP - University of Tennessee, NCAA
4-1 1.83 ERA 12 BB 76 K
Jackson is the best Collage lefty available this draft and he is also a hard thrower featuring a 94-96 MPH fastball as well as a cutter and splitter. He projects as a middle of the rotation workhorse as he is very durable and throws a ton of strikes. He rarely walks anyone and has very good control of all of his pitches. Some scouts believe he should attempt to develop another offspeed pitch like a curveball or changeup and that would really give him a complete arsenal. His work ethic is not the best and that could hamper his development once he is drafted. 

5. SP Steve Allen 21, RHP - University of California, NCAA
4-2 2.45 ERA 9 BB 61 K
Another highly rated college pitcher. Allen also is a hard thrower with a 96-98 MPH fastball as well as a curve, change up and splitter. He is extremely intelligent and is a student of the game. He works very hard and it shows in his abilities on the field. He was a 2nd round pick back in 2020 by the Kansas City Royals 45th overall but failed to sign and then spent three seasons in the NCAA picking up a pair of All Star appearances. He scouts as a mid rotation workhorse and should go pretty early on draft day. He is also very polished and could move up through the minors very fast.

6. SP Jonah Soto 19, RHP - Gilbert High School, USHSBA
4-3 1.88 ERA 14 BB 83 K
Soto might have the most potential of any player in the draft this year. He throws 4 pitches that all have the potential to be plus but right now are all rated below average. He has a decent fastball sitting 92-94 MPH as well as a curve, change up and splitter. He struggles with command at times and when he does his pitches tend to flatten out and he gets hit. He still doesn't walk a lot of batters however and has very good control. He could take a number of seasons in the minors before he is MLB ready but when he is he could be the best player out of this draft with top of the rotation potential.

7. SP Robbie Hill 19, RHB - Baltimore High School, USHSBA
3-2 2.56 ERA 21 BB 64 K
Hill is another solid prep arm that will likely go high on draft day. Much like Soto he has a lot of potential in his 4 pitches but they have a long way to develop before they are able to get MLB hitters out. He is a big strong kid at 6'3" and 175 lbs and should be able to add some velocity to his 94-96 MPH fastball as he matures and fills out. He likely falls into the mid rotation workhorse category as well and he will hear his name called early on draft day.

8. SP Stan Smith 19, LHP - Colorado Springs High School, USHSBA
5-3 4.50 ERA 7 BB 67 K
Smith is a bit on the small side standing just 6'0" and weighing in at 175 lbs. He features an 88-90 MPH fastball with a curve, chaneup and splitter. He is a control pitcher with a very good work ethic. I would characterize him as a project arm that with some development time in the minors and some bulking up as he matures he could round into a very good mid rotation starter. Right now he has to rely on command and control as he doesn't have the stuff to blow hitters away.

9. SP Sam Hicks 19, RHP - Detroit High School, USHSBA 
4-2 2.60 ERA 13 BB 54 K
Hicks is a well rounded pitcher who lacks some of the flash of higher ranked arms in the draft. He doesn't have any single tool that stands out above the others but he also has no glaring weaknesses either. He features a 91-93 MPH fastball with a curveball, changeup and knuckle curve. All of his pitches he can throw for strikes and he will use them at any point in the count. He doesn't walk a lot of batters and also doesn't strike out a lot of hitters either. He is very economical with his pitches and utilizes his defense, especially the infield a lot. He scouts as a mid to back end of the rotation arm.

10. 2B Bob Gibson 19, RHB -Stockton High School - USHSBA
.284 2 HR 16 RBI
Gibson is the only other position player to crack BA's top to rankings. He is a well rounded prospect who will do just about everything but hit for power. He gets on base a lot and has a very good eye at the plate. A spray hitter he moves the ball to all fields and even has a little bit of doubles power. He won't hit many homeruns and his future is most likely at the top of a major league batting order. Defensively he has Gold Glove caliber abilities and could win a few awards when all is said and done. 

Previous Blue Jays Picks

2020 - 20th Overall 
2B Tim Miller 
.322 1 HR 12 RBI (AA New Hampshire)
The 23 year old continues to develop nicely for the Jays making his Eastern League debut this season with the AA New Hampshire Fishercats. He has been the teams best hitter from the lead off position and is faring well against some much tougher AA pitching. He will probably finish the season off in AAA this year with the goal of being a call up in September of next season after a full season of AAA ball under his belt.

2021
SP Dave Winters
6-3 2.27 ERA 18 BB 72 K (2021 with S.A. Vancouver)
8-2 3.83 ERA 20 BB 123 K (2022 with Low A Lansing)
Winters is adapting very well to pro ball and has been the Lugnuts best starter this season. The 22 year old leads the team in wins, ERA and strikeouts and is well on his way to being promoted to at least Dunedin before the end of this year. He was an advanced arm when the Jays drafted him last year and we are hoping that he can develop quickly.

Up Next: 2022 First Year Player Draft

[ryan008 7]

2022 First Year Player Draft

June 6th, 2022

The 2022 First Year Player Draft was conducted today and the Houston Astros made the first overall selection. They used that pick to select 19 year old SP Jonah "Gasoline" Soto out of Gilbert High School in the USHSBA. Soto came into the draft ranked #6 overall by Baseball America. He features a 92-94 MPH fastball as well as a curve, change up and split finger. He was 4-3 with a 1.88 ERA with 14 walks and 83 strikeouts in 55.2 innings of work. He has the highest ceiling of any pitcher in this draft but was also one of the most raw. He has top of the rotation potential but is a long way from reaching it. He will be a costly sign for the Astros as he is looking for an $8,000,000 signing bonus and is linked to several division 1 baseball schools in the NCAA should the Astros not meet his demands. 

Blue Jays Draft

Unlike the 2021 draft that saw the Jays sitting pretty on draft day with three additional supplemental 1st round picks the Jays would have to make due with just their original 1st rounder that they would make at #25 overall. 

First Round - 25th Overall

With the 25th overall pick the Jays selected LF Dan Mueller a 19 year old left handed batter out of Hialeah High School in the USHSBA. The 6'3" 195 lb outfielder was a 2022 USHSBA All Star hitting .279 with 7 HR and driving in 25 runs. He is very sound defensively possessing a cannon for an arm that is also very accurate. Offensively he should hit for a solid average with very good power to all fields. He doesn't strikeout much but he also doesn't walk a lot either. He tends to make contact more often then not and is very good at putting the ball in play. He is looking for a signing bonus in the $1,500,000 range which is slightly over the assigned value of $1,200,000 for the #25 pick.

Second Round 65th Overall

With the 65th overall selection int he draft he Jays took 19 year old prep SP Tony Mitchell out of Concord High School in the USHSBA. Mitchell made just a single start in 2022 lasting 6.2 innings posting a 5.40 ERA with 4 walks and 4 strikeouts before leaving with soreness in his elbow. It would later be revealed that he would require Tommy John surgery. He is going to miss the next 11-12 months and won't make his pro debut with the Jays until at least June of 2023. Mitchell features an 89-91 MPH fastball along with a cutter and curveball. Before the injury he would have been in the conversation as a middle of the first round pick. We are quite happy that he fell to us here even though we know there is going to be some risk involved. The 2021 USHSBA All Star is looking for a signing bonus of $370,000 which is the assigned slot value for the 65th overall pick.

Third Round 97th Overall

With their 3rd round pick the Jays selected another prep arm this time taking 19 year old SP Jonathan Maddox out of Sterling Heights High School in the USHSBA. Maddox is a 6'4" 195 lb righty who features a 91-93 MPH fastball as well as a changeup and splitter. He was 2-0 with a 1.70 ERA with 6 walks and 62 strikeouts in 8 starts in 2022. He scouts as a middle of the rotation work horse who eats a ton of innings. He doesn't possess tremendous swing and miss stuff but he gets a lot of ground balls. He is a two time USHSBA All Star and was the 2019 USHSBA Pitcher of the Year. He is believed to have a strong commitment to play NCAA Baseball and is listed as an "Impossible" sign for the Jays. The slot value for this pick is $250,000 and if the Jays want to sign him away from the NCAA it is going to cost them significantly more than that.

Fourth Round 127th Overall

In the 4th round the Jays once again took a starting pitcher this time dipping into the NCAA ranks to select 21 year old righty SP Charlie Clements out of New Mexico State University. Clements is a 6'5" 195 lb flame thrower who features a 95-97 MPH fastball as well as a curve ball and splitter. Clements was originally drafted in the 16th round 467th overall out of Honolulu High School by the Baltimroe Orioles back in 2020 and elected not so sign. He spent 2 seasons in the NCAA and was very good this year pitching to a 5-2 record with a 2.10 ERA with 20 walks and 66 strikeouts in 64.1 innings of work. Our scouting staff believe he is best suited to a middle or back end of the rotation arm who is durable and able to give you a lot of innings. He is looking for a slot signing bonus of $180,000 and should be an easy sign for the Jays.

Fifth Round 157th Overall

In the 5th round the Jays swung for the fences selecting another very tough sign in prep LF Ron Ortega a 19 year old left handed hitter out of Memphis High School in the USHSBA. Ortega hit just.238 with 1 HR and 13 RBI but appeared in just 11 games due to a rib injury his senor season. In 2021 he was a USHSBA All Star and one of the best players in the USHSBA. He is a 5 tool prospect (his defense is by far his weakest tool) who could move quickly up through the system should the Jays be able to get him signed. He has a strong NCAA commitment and it will take much more then the $150,000 slot value for the Jays to pry him away from the NCAA.

Blue Jays Picks rounds 6 through 30:

6. C Joe Sosa - 19, RHB - Pomona High School, USHSBA
7. 2B Tommy Davis - 21, LHB - Boise State University, NCAA
8. CL Jonathan Tillman - 22, RHP - Seaton Hall University, NCAA
9. CL Bob Fowler - 21, RHP - Georgia Tech, NCAA
10. 1B Steve Bass - 19, RHB - St. Louis High School, USHSBA
11. 3B Artie Allen - 21, RHB - Auburn University, NCAA
12. SS Steve Beckel - 19, Switch - St. Petersburgh High School, USHSBA
13. CF Joe Bunch 0 21, RHB - University of Portland, NCAA
14. LF Hugh Jones - 21, LHB - Binghamton University, NCAA
15. SS Oscar Holder - 21, RHB - University of Pittsburgh, NCAA
16. 2B Chris Hardy - 19, RHB - Newark High School, USHSBA
17. 1B Enrico Lopez - 21, RHB - University of Hartford, NCAA
18. CL joe Camacho - 21, RHP - University of Louisville, NCAA
19. SP Dan Pearson - 19, RHP - Tallahassee High School, USHSBA
20. SP Tony Alexander - 21, RHP - Washington State University, NCAA
21. CF Brad Middleton - 19, Switch - Laredo High School, USHSBA
22. LF Pat Henry - 21, RHB - Binghamton University, NCAA
23. C Tim Driver - 19, RHB - Hialeah High School, USHSBA
24. SP Mike Burns - 21, LHP - South Florida University, NCAA
25. CL Tony Contreras - 19, RHP - Colorado Springs Highschool, USHSBA
26. CL Joe Allison - 22, LHP - University of Washington, NCAA
27. CL Rocky Robinson - 22, LHP - University of North Carolina, NCAA
28. SP Freddie McNeill - 19, RHP - Atlanta High School, USHSBA
29. MR Dave Andrews - 19, LHP - Scotsdale High School, USHSBA
30. MR Ken Clark - 21, LHP - South Florida University, NCAA

Up Next: June Update

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Blue Jays Slip Past Orioles for Top Spot in AL East

July 1st, 2022

The Blue Jays put together a good month on the field record wise at 17-11 and managed to pull ahead of the Baltimore Orioles for top spot in the American League East division. Toronto's lead is very slim however, with just a 1/2 game cushion on the Baltimore Orioles and a 2 game lead on the 3rd place New York Yankees. Even the Tampa Bay Rays at 8 games back are not out of it yet and it looks like there will be a good race shaping up in the American League East this summer. Despite the good performance on the field the Jays had a disastrous month in terms of injuries. They would lose 5 different players all requiring stints on the disabled list. Toronto's depth has been taxed and with the trade deadline coming up quickly there are rumors swirling that GM Ryan Stewart will pull the trigger on a deal to bring in some much needed reinforcements.


AL East Standings - July 1st

Toronto Blue Jays - 43-31 --
Baltimore Orioles - 43-32 (1/2 GB)
New York Yankees - 40-32 (2 GB)
Tampa Bay Rays - 34-38 (8 GB)
Boston Red Sox - 25-48 (17 1/2 GB)

AL Wild Card Standings - July 1st

Baltimore Orioles - 43-32 
Oakland Athletics - 40-31
New York Yankees - 40-32 (1/2 GB)
Seattle Mariners - 38-34 (2 1/2 GB)
Cleveland Indians - 37-35 (3 1/2 GB)
Houston Astros - 38-36 (3 1/2 GB)

June's Hot Players

SP Gerrit Cole - 5-0 1.45 ERA
SP Jamie Cox - 5-1 2.58 ERA
SP Erik Black - 3-1 2,97 ERA
MR Jim Phillips - 0-0 2.08 ERA
C Max Pentecost - .365 3 HR 15 RBI
3B Stu Daniels - .324 3 HR 12 RBI

June's Cold Players

SP Jake Godfrey - 1-1 4.13 ERA
MR Chris Richardson - 0-1 7.56 ERA
MR Nick Kennedy - 0-2 1 SV 7.15 ERA
C Mike Zunino - .172 2 HR 5 RBI
1B A.J. Reed - .216 7 HR 25 RBI

June News & Notes

Injuries

The injury bug hammered the Jays in the month of June with 5 players all suffering injuries that would require time on the disabled list. The first to go down was SP Nathan Kirby who missed 3 weeks after suffering from back stiffness/ Kirby was 6-3 with a 2.74 ERA and was placed on the 15 day disabled list. The Jays recalled SP Jose Cerventes their top pitching prospect from AAA Buffalo. Cerventes was 5-2 with a 2.22 ERA so far this season in AAA and will be making his major league debut.

Next it was CF Rick Allen who is expected to miss the next 3 months after suffering from rotator cuff inflammation. Allen was hitting .227 with 5 HR and 17 RBI and was placed on the 60 day disabled list. The Jays called up another of their top prospects in LF Don Bergeron who was hitting .325 with 3 HR and 36 RBI in AAA Buffalo at the time of his recall. He will also be making his major league debut with the Jays.

The next Jay's player to land in the infirmary was DH Casey Gillaspie. Gillaspie has struggled most of the season hitting just .177 with 5 HR and 20 RBI and is going to miss the next 4 months with a torn meniscus in his knee. He was placed on the 60 day disabled list and the Jays recalled SS Tyler Halas who was hitting .257 wit 1 HR and 7 RBI in AAA.

The Jays were then dealt a serious blow as they lost starting SS Carlos Correa who went down with a torn thumb ligament and is expected to miss the next 4 weeks. He was hitting .298 with 6 HR and 20 RBI and was placed on the 15 day disabled list. The Jays recalled SS Yeltsin Gudino from AAA Buffalo where he was hitting .289 with 1 HR and 7 RBI.

Finally the Jays lost one of their injury replacement call-ups as LF Don Bergeron is suffering from knee tendinitis and is expected to miss 4 weeks, Bergeron was hitting .500 with 2 RBI and was in just his 4th game with the Jays when he suffered the injury. The Jays recalled veteran CF Colin Bray from AAA Buffalo where he was hitting .324 with 3 HR and 18 RBI.

First Year Player Draft Update

GM Ryan Stewart wasted no time in getting the Jays draft picks signed this year with all but 19th rounder SP Dan Pearson left unsigned. The Jays have spent a total of $9,140,000 on their first 5 picks including going over slot on both their 3rd and 5th round picks.

1st Round 25th Overall - LF Dan Mueller - $1,500,000
2nd Round 65th Overall - SP Tony Mitchell - $290,000
3rd Round 97th Overall - SP Jonathan Maddox - $3,750,000
4th Round 127th Overall - SP Charlie Clements - $200,000
5th Round 157th Overall - LF Ron Ortega - $3,400,000

Minor League Contracts

With the Jays depth at AAA Buffalo being taxed due to all the injuries the Jays have had at the MLB level GM Ryan Stewart added a couple of former big leaguers as some insurance and as reinforcements for a very understaffed Buffalo squad. The Jays inked 2B Trea Turner a former 2nd round pick 33rd overall in 2014 by the Chicago White Sox and who last played in the majors with the Cubs in 2021 hitting .239 with 3 HR and 26 RBI. They then added SP Dave Clark a former 2nd round pick 56th overall by the Atlanta Braves in 2021 out of Michigan State, he was released this off season after just 2 games in the Majors and the majority of his work came in 2021 with AAA Gwinnett where he was 2-6 with a 3.76 ERA.

Trade

GM Ryan Stewart did pull the trigger on a deal with the Kansas City Royals sending SP Nathan Kirby to the Royals in exchange for 2B Chris Goodwin. GM Ryan Stewart "This was a tough deal to make but its one we felt we had too. We have had a big hole at second base as 2B Kolten Wong has been injured for the majority of the season and we had a surplus pitcher with SP Jose Cerventescoming up and pitching very well for us we felt we could move Kirby. This deal gives us a little more production out of the second base position and allows us to move Wong if we choose or keep him as his veteran leadership and bat could be very handy in the playoffs"

Players to Kansas City

SP Nathan Kirby is a 28 yer old lefty who was a former 1st round pick 15th overall in 2015 by the Baltimore Orioles and was traded to the Jays in 2016. He was 6-3 with a 2.74 ERA walking 22 and striking out 67 so far this season.

Players to Toronto

2B Chris Goodwin is a 26 year old right handed hitter who was a supplemental 1st round pick 30th overall in 2017 by the New York Mets out of the University of Washington in the NCAA. He has hit .282 with 3 HR and 15 RBI so far for the Royals this season but has split time at second as the Royals like to platoon. He will be the Jays everyday second baseman and will likely hit near the top of the order for the Jays.

Around the Majors

CL Aroldis Chapman of the Baltimore Orioles earned career save #200 in a 9-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox. The 34 year old is 1-1 with 25 saves and a 1.77 ERA with the Orioles this season. For his career he is 57-61 with a 2.91 ERA with 300 career saves.

CF Bryce Harper of the Detroit Tigers belted career homerun #300 in a 7-3 win over the Blue Jays. Harper is hitting .259 with 12 HR and 35 RBI this season and the 29 year old has a career line of .297 with 300 HR and 893 RBI.

1B Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers notched career hit #3500 in a 5-2 loss against the Miami Marlins. Cabrerra is hitting .255 with 8 HR and 33 RBI. The veteran first baseman has an impressive career line of .310 with 3500 hits, 606 home runs and 2049 RBI in 2984 career games.

July Update & Trade Deadline

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Yankees Zoom past Jays and Orioles and Capture Top Spot in the East

August 1st, 2022

The dog days of summer are here and the weather is not the only thing heating up outside. The Toronto Blue Jays have been one of the hottest teams in baseball this year and in the month of July they were very good posting a 17-8 record. The Jays biggest problem has been that the New York Yankees have been even hotter and managed to leap frog both the Jays and the Orioles and have vaulted into a 1 1/2 game lead over the Jays in the AL East. The Orioles who started the month of July as the best team in the American League East have faltered and now find themselves in 3rd place trailing the Yankees by 11 games. So heading into the summer months it looks like the east will come down to a battle between the Jays and the Yankees. Both teams would make the playoffs if the season ended today as the Jays currently hold one of the AL Wild Cards with a sizable lead over the Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles. 


AL East Standings - August 1st

New York Yankees - 61-37 --
Toronto Blue Jays - 60-39 (1 1/2 GB)
Baltimore Orioles - 51-49 (11 GB)
Tampa Bay Rays - 47-50 (13 1/2 GB)
Boston Red Sox - 37-61 (24 GB)

AL Wild Card Standings - August 1st

Toronto Blue Jays - 60-39
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - 52-56
Houston Astros - 52-48 (1/2 GB)
Baltimore Orioles - 51-49 (2 GB)
Cleveland Indians - 49-48 (2 1/2 GB)
Texas Rangers - 49-48 (2 1/2 GB)

August's Hot Players

SP Erik Black - 4-1 3.08 ERA
SP Jamie Cox - 3-0 2.82 ERA
SP Jose Cerventes - 3-1 3.73 ERA
MR Phil Jones - 0-0 1.17 ERA
CL Rex Brothers - 1-0 7 SV 1.32 ERA
C Mike Zunino - .316 3 HR 6 RBI
1B A.J. Reed - .298 4 HR 12 RBI
3B Stu Daniels - .296 2 HR 8 RBI 

August's Cold Players

MR Chris Richardson - 1-0 4.83 ERA
LF Justin Williams - .179 7 HR 12 RBI
SS Carlos Correa - .198 3 HR 4 RBI

August News & Notes

Injuries

The injury bug was kind to the Jays in the month of July when compared to the nightmare that ensued in June. Only injury prone RF Oswaldo Arcia would require a stint on the disabled list. He suffered a torn ankle ligament and is expected to miss the next 4 weeks. He was hitting .237 with 7 HR and 33 RBI at the time of the injury and he was placed on the 15 day disabled list. The Jays purchased the contract of LF Freddie Rodriguez from AAA Buffalo. The 25 year old Rodriguez was originally signed by the Jays as an International Free agent in 2013 out of Venezuela and was hitting .286 with 4 HR and 26 RBI in AAA Buffalo.

First Year Player Draft Update

The Jays signed all of their picks with the exception of 19th round pick SP Dan Pearson. Pearson is a hard throwing righty out of Tallahassee High school who was looking for a very large bonus or was intent on going to College. He will attend the University of Pittsburgh and will be draft eligible again in 2024.

International Amateur Free Agents

GM Ryan Stewart is a big fan of the International Amateur Free Agent market and the Jays were able to land 4 players from this years class. Because the Jays spent over their cap last year inking 2 of the top 3 international players available they were limited this year to spending no more then $250,000 on any single player. GM Ryan Stewart was still able to add an impressive haul of prospects from this years class but was unable to land any of the top 5 players available. This years signees were:

SP Cristian Benavides - A 17 year old righty out of Venezuela. He features an 88-91 MPH fastball as well as a slider and a developing changeup. He signed for $120,000 and he projects as a good middle of the rotation arm. 

SP Gill Laboriz - A 17 year old righty who signed for $250,000 out of Brasil. Laboriz features a 90-92 MPH fastball as well as a sinker and curveball. He is a bit of a project at this point having not faced great competition in his native Brasil. He projects as a middle to back end of the rotation arm but could move to the bullpen down the road.

SP Ernesto Chavez - A 16 year old righty who is an imposing presence on the mound already. He stands 6'4" tall and brings his fastball in the 92-94 MPH range. He also has a change up and curve ball. He can throw all of his pitches for strikes bit does have some control issues. My scouts really like him and think he could be a top of the rotation arm if he can develop his secondary pitches a little more. He signed for $150,000 out of the Dominican Republic.

1B Jose Fernandez - A 16 year old masher who signed a $250,000 contract out of Venezuela. At 6'5" and 215 lbs he is a big kid who can really put a charge into the ball. His downfall however, is his proness to strikeouts and his susceptibility to the breaking ball. He also is not the best defender at first and probably is headed towards a DH role in the Majors. If he can cut down on his strikeouts and make more consistent contact he could hit a lot of homeruns at the MLB level. 

2022 Trade Deadline

GM Ryan Stewart was very busy working the phones at the deadline this season but in the end the Jays only managed to make a single move and it was not one that was aimed at improving the club in the short term. The Jays agreed to a swap with the San Francisco Giants that saw them ship out 2B Kolten Wong and minor league prospect 3B Bryan Lizardo to the Giants in exchange for 22 year old outfield prospect CF Cesar Gutierrez.

Players to San Francisco

2B Kolten Wong is a 31 year old who was originally a 1st round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals 22nd overall back in 2011. He was acquired by the Jays in 2014 in exchange for SP Jordan Zimmerman,SS Franklin Barreto and SP Aaron Sanchez. With the Blue Jays acquiring 2B Chris Goodwin in June Wong had been relegated to a bench role and was hitting .311 with 0 HR and 9 RBI in 15 games for the Jays. 

3B Bryan Lizardo is a 24 year old switch hitter who was signed by the Jays as an International Free Agent in 2013 out of Venezuela. He has spent the entire 2022 season in AA New Hampshire where he was hitting .251 with 13 HR and 33 RBI. He was once rated as high as the #34 prospect in the Majors and still looks like he has the potential to be an every day third baseman at the MLB level. 

Players to Toronto

CF Cesar Gutierrez is a 22 year old right handed batter who was signed by the Giants as an International Free Agent in 2017 out of Venezuela. He is hitting just .214 with 1 HR and 18 RBI in A ball for the Giants so far this season. He is rated as the #22 prospect in baseball and despite being 22 is a bit of a project as he is very raw and will require a few more seasons before you see him at the MLB level.

Awards

GCL - SP Joe Hensely (30th round pick 904th overall in 2020) was named the GCL Pitcher of the Month after going 6-0 with a 1.69 ERA.
GCL - 3B Al Buck (23rd round pick 686th overall in 2018) was named the GCL Batter of the Month after hitting .333 with 10 HR and 33 RBI.
A Dunedin - 1B Tim Nelson (17th round pick 506th overall in 2018) was named the Florida State League Batter of the Month after hitting .333 with 10 HR and 23 RBI.
A Dunedin - SP Bob Townsend (8th round pick 244th overall in 2020) was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Month after he went 5-0 with a 1.71 ERA.
SA Vancouver - SP Bernie Cantrell (1st Round Pick 27th overall in 2021) was named the Northern League after going 6-0 with a 0.72 ERA.
DSL - 2B Luis Hernandez (International Free Agent Signing in 2018 out of the Dominican Republic) was named the DSL Batter of the Month after hitting .417 with 12 HR and 28 RBI.

Around the Majors

2B Starlin Castro of the Arizona Diamondbacks got his 2000th career base hit in a 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants. The 32 year old is hitting .300 with 4 HR and 18 RBI so far this season and owns a career line of .291 with 114 HR and 718 RBI in 1809 games with the Cubs, Red Sox and Diamondbacks. 

Up Next: August Update & Roster Expansion

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Blue Jays Vault Back into Top Spot in AL East

September 1st, 2022

The Blue Jays put together winning streaks of 10 and 5 games during the month of August and were able to pull ahead in the American League East, thanks in large part to an implosion by the New York Yankees who managed to win just 8 games during the month. The Jays took advantage and opened up a commanding 8.5 game lead in the East with just a month left to go in the regular season. The Blue Jays are in a good position heading down the stretch they will be adding a number of callups from AAA Buffalo to give some of the regulars some time off and to give their bullpen some much needed breathing room. 

AL East Standings - September 1st

Toronto Blue Jays - 78-49
New York Yankees - 69-57 (8 1/2 GB)
Baltimore Orioles - 62-64 (15 1/2 GB)
Tampa Bay Rays - 62-64 (15 1/2 GB)
Boston Red Sox - 53-73 (24 1/2 GB)

AL Wild Card Standings - September 1st

New York Yankees - 69-57
Houston Astros - 69-58
Texas Rangers - 65-60 (3 GB)
Cleveland Indians - 63-63 (5 1/2 GB)
Baltimore Orioles - 62-64 (6 1/2 GB)

August's Hot Players

SP Erik Black - 4-1 3.08 ERA
SP Jamie Cox - 3-0 2.82 ERA
SP Jose Cerventes - 3-1 3.73 ERA
MR Phil Jones - 0-0 1.17 ERA
CL Rex Brothers - 1-0 7 SV 1.32 ERA
1B A.J. Reed - .298 4 HR 12 RBI
CF Albert Almora - .271 3 HR 6 RBI
C Max Pentecost - .253 5 HR 15 RBI

August's Cold Players

SP Gerritt Cole - 2-3 4.20 ERA
LF Justin Williams - /179 7 HR 12 RBI
SS Carlos Correa - .189 3 HR 4 RBI

August News & Notes

Injuries

The injury bug continued to be an issue for the Jays as they learned that they will be without 3B Stu Daniels for the remainder of the season and most likely the first round of the playoffs. Daniels who is having the best offensive year of his career hitting .310 with 6 HR and 44 RBI suffered a quad strain and is expected to miss the next 7-8 weeks. The Jays placed him on the 15 day disabled list and recalled 3B Jeff Hatcher from AAA Buffalo. Hatcher was hitting .282 with 14 HR and 48 RBI for the Bisons this season.

First Year Player Draft Update

GM Ryan Stewart and the Jays Scouting and Development staffs were quite pleased with their haul in the 2022 First Year Player Draft. The Jays were able to get all but their 19th round selection signed and all their picks made their professional debuts.

1st Round 25th Overall - LF Dan Mueller - .192 1 HR 20 RBI (Rookie League - Dunedin)
2nd Round 65th Overall - SP Tony Mitchell - Still recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Will not play until 2023
3rd Round 97th Overall - SP Jonathan Maddox - 1-4 10 SV 4.85 ERA (22 G) Rookie League Dunedin
4th Round Pick 127th Overall - SP Charlie Clements - 1-5 9 SV 7.23 ERA (S.A. Vancouver)
5th Round Pick 157th Overall - LF Ron Ortega - .255 1 HR 12 RBI (Rookie League Dunedin)

Contract Extension

GM Ryan Stewart was able to lock up 1B A.J. Reed for the next 6 seasons. The 29 year old agreed to a $66,000,000 contract extension that will keep him in a Jays uniform until the end of the 2029 season. Reed was originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st round 5th overall back in 2014 and was traded to the Blue Jays in 2017. HR is hitting .263 with 23 HR and 74 RBIs to date and owns a career line of .277 with 160 HR and 590 RBI in 842 games all with the Blue Jays. The veteran 1B is a 6 time All Star and a fan favorite here in Toronto.

Minor League Signings

The Blue Jays announced that they have come to terms on a minor elague contract with free agent MR Tim Cherry. Cherry is a former 13th round pick 394th overall in 2021 by the Detroit Tigers out of Louisville High School. He was released by the Tigers in 2022 and has not pitched in pro ball since the end of the 2021 season. The 21 year old features a 91-93 MPH fastball as well as a slider and changeup. He was assigned to the S.A. Vancouver Canadiens in the Northwestern League to finish out the 2022 season.

Up Next: End of the 2022 Regular Season.

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2022 Regular Season Concludes - Jays Caught and Passed in AL East By Surging Yankees

October 6th, 2022

Another regular season is in the books and the last month of the season was very exciting in the American league East. The New York Yankees who trailed the Blue Jays by 8.5 games on September 1st would end up going 29-7 over their last 36 games and raced past the Jays to capture the American League East title with a record of 98-69. The Jays faltered in the last few weeks going just 18-15 and managed a final record of 96-66 two games back of the division leading Yankees. The good news for Jays fans is that they will still be playing playoff baseball. They took home the first wild card spot easily and will play the Cleveland Indians (86-77) who occupy the second wild card spot winning it by a slim 1 game lead over the Oakland Athletics. 

Around the Majors

CL Rex Brothers of the Toronto Blue Jays earned his 300th career save in a 3-1 victory over the New York Yankees. The 34 year old lefty and 8 time All Star was acquired from the Colorado Rockies back in 2014 and has served as the Jays closer since. In 2022 he is 3-4 with 42 saves and has a 2.67 ERA. In a career that spans 9 seasons (8 with Toronto) he is 45-40 with 300 saves and a 2.53 ERA.

CL Craig Kimbrel of the Atlanta Braves earned career save #500 in a 6-5 victory over the Miami Marlins. Kimbrel, a 34 year old veteran is a 9 time All Star and is 5-5 with 41 saves and posted a 3.25 ERA for the Braves this season. In his career with the Braves he is 54-46 with 500 Saves and a 2.01 ERA in 13 seasons all with Atlanta.

Up Next: Wild Card Game. Cleveland @ Toronto