Thursday, August 22, 2013

Minor League Roundup – August 21st

It’s a very light day in the world of Jays minor leaguers, because Bluefield & Buffalo had the day off, and Dunedin’s double header was rained out after 1 inning.  So today’s edition of the Roundup is very light.

The Good
Richard Urena – GCL (Low Rookie)
3/5 – 1 2B, 1 Error
I’d suspected that Urena would be called up, because he’d been sitting out the past few games in the DSL.  In his stateside debut he picked up right where he left off, with a multihit game, including an extra base hit.  Also, while he made an error in the field, the reports I saw were that he made a couple of very spectacular plays, which his defensive reputation would lead you to believe.

Marcus Walden – New Hampshire (Double A)
7.2 IP – 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 HBP, 11 Ground Ball Outs
On most days I doubt that Walden would’ve cracked the “good” side of the Roundup, but with a lessened pool of players he gets featured.  Even though Walden gave up 3 runs, he did what he does best, and generated a truck load of ground balls.  His strikeout rate of 12.5% isn’t going to get him to the majors, but its quite possible that his GB rate near 60% just might.

The Bad
Luis Perez – Dunedin (High Single A)
1 IP – 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP
Perez had a very short outing, because Dunedin was rained out after just 1 inning.  That one inning was about as poor as one can be without giving up a run.  He walked the first batter of the game, he hit the next batter, then after inducing a double play, the third out of the inning came when the runner was thrown out at home after a wild pitch. 
Perez come back from Tommy John surgery has been a lot rockier than the rehab of Hutchison and Drabek, and we’ll have to see how it continues.

Chris Hawkins – Lansing (Low Single A)
0/3 – 2 K
This time 2 years ago, Chris Hawkins was one of the top prospects in the Blue Jays system.  Going into the 2012 season he was the Jays #11 ranked prospect by Kevin Goldstein, and the #8 by Jonathan Mayo.  At this point however, all that optimism is basically gone.  In 2012 he struggled in his debut in Lansing, hitting just .269/.331/.332.  This year however, while repeating at the Low A level, not only has he not advanced, but he’s actively taken a step back hitting just .224/.277/.313. 

Basically every element of his game has gone backwards this season.  He’s walking less, he’s striking out more, he’s stealing less bases and he’s also gone from right field to left field.  Write him off, Hawkins is done as a prospect.

The Other
Ryan Goins - Buffalo (Triple A)
Did Not Play

While Buffalo didnt play, Wednesday was probably the best day of his baseballing life, since he's on his way to Toronto to replace the injured Maicer Izturis.  While I'm mildly excited to see if Goins can capably fill a utility role with the big club next year, it might not be the best timing, because he's mired the worst slump of his career.  Not only has he not had a hit in 5 games, but in the month of August in total he's hitting just .169/.234/.168.  Perhaps not the best timing, but I'd much rather give him a chance to play than Munenori Kawasaki.

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