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Minor League Roundup – August 28th

The Good

Kenny Wilson – New Hampshire (Double A)

2/5 – 1 2B,

Wilson had another strong game on Wednesday, its been announced that he’s heading to the Arizona Fall League in September, because the Jays need to figure out if they need to protect Wilson from the Rule 5 draft this upcoming season.  It’s a borderline play, because he looked like a complete bust coming into the year, but has really emerged with a  respectable performance in Double A at just 23 years old.

Dalton Pompey – Lansing (Low Single A)

3/5 – 1 HR, 2 2B,

Coming off a 2 home run game yesterday, Pompey followed it up with another multi-extra base hit game, with yet another home run.  He tied his career high in home runs with 5, and also has crushed his career high with 37 steals.  The Canadian is an exciting guy to watch.

Matt Dean – Bluefield (High Rookie)

2/4 – 1 3B, 1 SB, 1 K

In Matt Dean’s first 24 games of the season he hit a pitiful .238/.312/.333, with just 1 HR.  In the following 35 games he’s hit .402/.433/.623, and has redeemed the Jays faith in him for giving him a massively overslot contract in 2011. 

Rowdy Tellez – GCL (Low Rookie)

2/3 – 2 BB

Rowdy Tellez has just the three best game of his career the past three days.  Monday he hit his first home run, Tuesday he was 3/3 with a triple, and Wednesday he had 2 walks and 2 hits.  Considering he came into Monday hitting .185/.276/.250, this is just the spark you want to see.

Jacob Brentz – GCL (Low Rookie)

1 IP – 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

The sushi-raw Brentz had the first clean inning of his career.  For a player who is converting to pitching full time, you have to take your time in his development, so even an achievement as small as this is a huge positive.

The Bad

Clinton Hollon – Bluefield (High Rookie)

1 IP – 2 H, 3 R (2 Earned), 1 BB, 0 K

The Jays 2^nd round pick hasn’t pitched quite as well since getting promoted to the Bluefield roster.  Still, even with these negative results, unless we hear news of Hollon’s elbow flaring up, I’m not going to worry too much.

The Other

Santiago Nessy – Lansing (Low Single A)

1/5 -

Despite just going 1 for 5, the notable part of Wednesday’s game is that Nessy was back on the field in Lansing after sitting out 3 games.  While I’d been worried that this hiatus was due to his lingering concussion issues, it turns out it was because he hadn’t run out a ground ball over the weekend.  That lack of effort is certainly not a good thing, however considering that I’d feared the issue was concussion related, I’ll view this as a positive.

Minor League Roundup- August 27

By: Isaac Boloten

The Good

Matt Dean (Bluefield, high rookie)
2/4 - 1 K

Dean got right back on track Monday, after going 1-6 on the weekend, with 4 Ks. A definite surprise bright-spot of late. He appears to have taken the move to 1st base in stride. Yesterday's game raised his slash line to .332/.383/.495. Expect Dean to raise in Jays top prospect lists in the near future. 

Rowdy Tellez (GCL, low rookie)
3/3 - 1 3B

A BlueJaysPlus favourite, he appears to have found his stroke in the GCL, going 3-3 a day after hitting his first professional home run. Rowdy, a larger guy, is not particularly quick, but from what I have heard, the triple was no fluke, and the footspeed isn't as horrendous as one may think.

Franklin Barreto (Bluefield, high rookie)
1/3 - 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K

The struggling Barreto had a nice night, and the double was certainly a good sign. The walk is also something Barreto is rather familiar with, showing good patience in the GCL, with a .360 OBP. Not all that many Jays fans have heard of Barreto, but you will. Expect Barreto to be a top 5 Jays prospect in the very near future. He is just that right now, in my opinion. 

The Bad

Ricky Romero (Buffalo, AAA)
6.1 IP - 5 H, 5 R (4 ER), 6 BB, 5 K

Romero struggled again with the Bisons last night. It seems like there's a new issue every time he takes the mound, and last night, it was his command, walking 6 batters in 6.1 innings. I suppose there's not much else to say about Ricky, you just have to wait things out and hope for the best. 

Matt Boyd
2 IP - 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K

The 2013 6th rounder struggled for Dunedin last night, in a very short outing. It wasn't horrendous, but it was bad enough be put in "the bad" for the roundup. Boyd, out of Oregon State, is a tall lefty. His fastball sits around 88-89, with an inconsistent changeup. His best pitch is probably his curveball, which sits around 71-75 MPH with some sharp bite to it.  It's worth noting that Boyd is already 22, so he's more advanced in development than most of the Jays 2013 draftees. Boyd could be a Buffalo Bison by the end of 2014. 

August 27th Game Preview- New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays

This is me(Gideon) writing a short intro about how the Jays suck and should continue to lose games so they get a good draft pick for next year. Ok, now I can get to the game preview. I always need to have that intro.

Gibby/AA quotes via the great beat reporters that cover this team(and the not so great ones)

• Alex Anthopolous told the media that manager John Gibbons is coming back next year. I trust him, but he has lied before... Let's hope he's telling the truth. #GibbyTheBest
• Gibby said that Ryan Goins will continue to see a lot of playing time down the stretch. Good. 
• AA talked about pitchers, saying that a decision on Josh Johnson's compensation status will come after the season. That means there is no way anybody is paying Josh Johnson $14 Million. Also speculated that Brandon Morrow's injury has to do with his cutter usage. 
• When talking about September call ups, Alex said that just because Marcus Stroman and Sean Nolin are playing in the AFL, doesn't mean they are out of the running for a call up.
• Speaking of the AFL, rosters were announced today, and 7 Jays will be heading out there this fall(subject to change)...The players will be:

Probable Pitchers

Blue Jays                               Yankees

LHP J.A Happ                        LHP Andy Pettitte

vs. R .224/.333/.392                vs. R .318/.365/.465

vs. L .269/.329/.388                vs. L .209/.245/.345

Lineups

Blue Jays                            

Reyes-SS                             Davis-CF Encarnacion-DH Lawrie-3B DeRosa-1B Arencibia-C Sierra-RF Goins-2B Pillar-LF

Yankees

Gardner CF

Jeter SS

Cano 2B

Soriano LF

Rodriguez 3B,

Granderson RF

Wells DH

Reynolds 1B

Stewart C

Park Factors

PARK FACTORS (LHB / RHB)
K:	107	102		nB:	102	102
gbH:	103	108		ofH:	99	98
1B:	93	98		GB:	97	97
2/3B:	134	122		FB:	97	98
HR:	113	118		LD:	103	105
Runs:	101	111		IF:	102	108

Minor League Roundup – August 26th

The Good

John Stilson – Buffalo (Triple A)

1.2 IP – 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Stilson continues to mow batters down.  He has the stuff to be a quality 7^th or 8^th inning guy, and I don’t think it will be long before we get a chance to see him, because I expect him to get a September call up.

Blake Gailen – Buffalo (Triple A)

2/5 – 1 HR, 1 SB, 1 K

Due to the Blue Jays calling up the entire Bisons outfield over the past couple weeks they signed the 28 year old Gailen out of the independent leagues.  In his 3 games he’s looked good, hitting .412/.412/.667.  Since he’s 28, he’s almost certainly a nothing, but its cool to see him get a combo meal at the AAA level.

Dalton Pompey – Lansing (High Single A)

3/4 – 2 HR, 2 BB, 1 K

The speedy outfielder from Mississauga hasn’t been playing especially well lately, hitting just .203/.354/.219 in the month of August, but boy did he bounce back on Monday with a killer game.  Prior to Monday, he’d only hit 9 HRs in his 200 minor league games, but he hit TWO on Monday alone.  He’s a fun player, with a good deal of potential.

Emilio Guerrero – Lansing (High Single A)

3/6 – 1 2B, 1 HR

Guerrero, the young 20 year old shortstop in Lansing, has really jumped up onto my radar the past month.  He’s gone from a guy just barely holding his own at a young age at a full season league, into a full-fledged beast hitting .385/.421/.550 in the month of August.  The 6’4 shortstop hit his 8^th home run of the year, showing that there is certainly power in that bat of his.

Rowdy Tellez – GCL (Low Rookie)

2/5 – 1 HR

Hot Rod Tellez finally hit his first home run.  The late round draft pick who the Jays paid 800k this last June, has wowed some scouts with his displays in batting practice, but none of that has translated to the game.  Lets hope this HR, is the first of many more to come.

The Bad

Alberto Tirado – Bluefield (High Rookie)

3 IP – 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K

This is hardly a disaster start for Tirado, but it’s the worst that the Jays had going today.  He did tie his career high in walks, and tied a career low with just one strikeout.  Despite that he only gave up two hits, and I still have tonnes of hope for him in the future.

The Other

Santiago Nessy – Lansing (High Single A)

Didn’t Play

Nessy hasn’t played in the past 3 games.  I’ve reached out to the PR representative from the Lansing organization but have yet to hear anything back.  I’m worrying that perhaps the concussion issues that plagued him earlier in the season have flared back up.  I hope that’s not the case, but I’m worried it is.

Minor League Roundup – Weekend Report! August 23rd-25th

Gideon Turk contributed to this post

The Good

Kenny Wilson – New Hampshire (Double A)

3/12 – 1 HR, 1 2B, 2 SB, 1 BB, 1 K

***Three Games***

The 3/12 doesn't look to good, but the power showed with the double and homer is nice to see from somebody who doesn't possess all that much of it. Kenny obviously has a ton of speed, and 2 stolen bases over the weekend is great to see. He might not be more than organizational depth at this point, but he's only 23, so you never know what he might turn into with his speed.

Deck McGuire – New Hampshire (Double A)

7 IP – 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K

No hitter through 6 

Just when it seemed like McGuire wouldn't be protected by the Jays this off-season from the Rule 5 Draft, he has put together a nice month of August making everybody second guess themselves. If he can continue to build on his recent performance in what is likely going to be his final start of 2013 this week, he just might get his contract purchased. The scouts still aren't in love with him, but Mort said on BP today that he'd be interesting out of the bullpen, so maybe the Jays try that next year.

Emilio Guerrero – Lansing (Low Single A)

1/6 - 3 BB, 1 K, 1 CS

***Two Games***

Guerrero showed some nice discipline over the weekend drawing 3 walks to only 1 strikeout, but other than that, not much to write about here. 

L.B. Dantzler – Vancouver (Short Season Single A)

3/7 – 2 2B, 1 K, 1 CS

***Two Games***

Dantzler continues to rip apart pitching in Vancouver, and although I know nothing about this 14th round 2013 draftee, he has gotten himself off to a great start,and I'm sure the organization will reward him with full season ball come 2014. Oh, and by the way, I didn't know who this guy was either until I wrote this paragraph.

Mitch Nay – Bluefield (Low Rookie)

5/9 – 1 Error

***Two Games***

One of the backbone's of Bluefield's lineup had himself an incredible weekend at the plate, showing once again why he was picked so high last year. 

Daniel Norris – Lansing (Low Single A)

4 IP – 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K

Another start, more domination for the red hot Norris. He has been fantastic since mid-May when he started throwing pitches that weren't fastballs, which is what the club made him do in April. Daniel has skyrocketed back up the prospect lists with the year he's had, and there's no better story in the Jays system right now than this young gun.

Matthew Smoral – GCL (Low Rookie)

4 IP – 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K

Best start as a professional, NO WALKS!!! 
This is so good to see because when Smoral was drafted he was such a risk pick coming from back from injury, and the rough start he had gotten off to this season was scary, but to see him nail a start like he just did, that's awesome. Now 2 good starts in a row for Smoral, whom the sky is the limit for.

The Bad

Kyle Drabek – Buffalo (Triple A)

3.1 IP – 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Drabek had his worst start of his season on Sunday, giving up as many hits as he had in his previous 4 starts.  Despite having this minor setback, he still only walked 1 batter, and that’s the key thing to look at, because of Drabek’s struggles in that regard during his time in the majors.

Aaron Sanchez – Dunedin (High Single A)

2.2 IP – 5 H, 6 R (3 Earned), 4 BB, 3 K

After a strong bounce back start after struggling with blisters, he had potentially the worst start of his season.  He struggled with his control (which could be an indication that the blisters were still an issue), and while 3 of his runs were unearned that was only because of a single error.  For the player who is the Jays top prospect, I still have major question marks about him going into next season.

Dawel Lugo – Vancouver (Short Season Single A)

2/8 – 1 2B, 3 Errors, 1 K

***Two Games***

Lugo has really struggled since his promotion to Vancouver.  He’s still yet to draw a walk, and has just hit 3 extra base hits (one of them on the weekend).  The biggest issue has been his deficiencies at shortstop.  He’s now committed 6 errors in just 10 games, and given the depth the team has at that position I suspect this next week could be the last time he sees at shortstop.

Matt Dean – Bluefield (Low Rookie)

1/6 – 4 K, 1 HBP

***Two Games***

Coming off an 11 game hitting streak (in which he hit .410/.452/.662) he didn’t have a great weekend with 4 strikeouts.  Considering how well he’s been hitting of late, this isn’t anything to worry about.

Jairo Labourt – Bluefield (High Rookie)

4.2 IP – 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K

In the first 10 starts of his season, Labourt only gave up more than 4 hits once.  In his last two starts he’s given up a combined 12 hits.  I’m thinking that he’s probably tiring down the stretch a little bit, and given how great his season has been (1.92 ERA, 21.0 K%, & 6.5 BB%), its not something I’m stressing about.

August 26th Game Preview- New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays

Remember that time the Jays could have been the 5th worst team in baseball, but then they decided to mount a comeback in the 9th inning? Yeah, it was yesterday. Let's hope the Jays play just as solid as a game tonight as they did yesterday, but this time, come out on the losing end of the thing. So, game preview. Let's do it.

Injury News/ Suspension News/ Roster Move
(Or you can just read Brendan Kennedy's twitter feed)

• Jays AAA catcher Sean Ochinko has been suspended 50 games for the use of amphetamine's. No word yet on if he plans to make a fake website to cover it up.
• Earlier today Chien-Ming Wang was DFA'd to make room for Aaron Loup who was on the paternity list.
• Steve Delabar will get into rehab action on Wednesday, while Dustin McGowan is scheduled for a side on Wednesday and a rehab game on Friday(assuming his arm doesn't fall off by then).
• Colby Rasmus suffered a "minor" setback in rehab. Gibby says he should still be back this season, so a 2015 comeback is likely.
• Oh, and because we thought this season couldn't get any worse, Gibby says that Brett Cecil is dealing with shoulder soreness and will rest a few days. 2013 everybody!
• And this, which I'm too lazy to write out.

Redmond will start Wednesday's game vs #yankees, Gibby said, followed by Buehrle, Dickey, Happ after Thursday's off day. #bluejays
— Brendan Kennedy (@BKennedyStar) August 26, 2013

Probable Pitchers
Blue Jays                                          Yankees
RHP R.A. Dickey                             RHP Phil Hughes
vs. R .239/.305/.392                          vs. R .273/.312/.471
vs. L .251/.321/.462                          vs. L .291/.348/.502

Lineups
Blue Jays

#Bluejays line-up vs. #yankees Reyes6, Goins4, Encarnacion0, Lind3, Lawrie5, Sierra9, Thole2, Pillar7, Gose8; DickeyvHughes #Jays
— Mike Wilner (@Wilnerness590) August 26, 2013

Yankees

#Yankees line-up vs. #Bluejays Gardner8, Jeter6, Cano4, Soriano7, Granderson0, Rodriguez5, Overbay3, Suzuki9, Romine2; HughesvDickey #Jays
— Mike Wilner (@Wilnerness590) August 26, 2013

Blue Jays Plus Podcast - Episode 22

After a week without a podcast (my apologies), Chris and I are back this week.

In this week's show we discuss how crappy the team is, and how we're heading for a top 5 pick, a bunch of injury updates and roster moves, then spend a good deal of time breaking down the Free Agent pitching market.

Then after that we bring in Drunk Jays Fans Andrew Stoeten to discuss John Farrell's comments about the Jays problems developing players.

This week's music was a bunch of depressing country tinged covers, including (in order); Teddy Thompson's cover of Tonight We'll be Fine by Leonard Cohen, Annie Lennox's cover of Neil Young's Dont Let It Bring You Down, Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails' Hurt, and my personal favourite this week of Dolly Parton's Jolene, but slowed to 75% of the original speed.  Its haunting and great.

Here's the article we discuss with Mr. Stoeten, its really great like everything you find over at DJF.

Drunk Jays Fans - Lets Talk About Player Development

Download - Episode 22

August 25th Game Preview-Toronto Blue Jays @ Houston Astros

With a loss today and a Brewers win, the Blue Jays could move down to 5th worst record in Major League Baseball, which would(if the season ended today) land them the 5th pick in next year's draft. Being swept by the Astros is embarrassing, but 2 protected picks is amazing, so please Blue Jays, keep on playing horribly and lose out the remaining games on the schedule. Thanks.









Park Factors (via statcorner.com)

PARK FACTORS (LHB / RHB)
K:	101	112		nB:	109	102
gbH:	104	104		ofH:	97	99
1B:	99	99		GB:	100	96
2/3B:	99	109		FB:	97	103
HR:	110	117		LD:	94	95
Runs:	102	103		IF:	108	88

*100 is league average. Higher than 100 means it is at a higher rate than average, lower is the opposite. 

Probable Pitchers
Blue Jays                                Astros
LHP Mark Buehrle                   LHP Dallas Keuchel
vs. R .288/.335/.442                vs. R .300/.356/.477
vs. L .222/.278/.371                 vs. L .297/.347/.486

Line Ups

Today's @BlueJays lineup:(2:10pmET) Reyes-SS Davis-CF Encarnacion-1B Lawrie-3B DeRosa-DH Arencibia-C Sierra-RF Pillar-LF Goins-2B Buehrle-P
— Blue Jays-Official (@BlueJays) August 25, 2013

#Astros line-up vs. #Bluejays Grossman9, Hoes7, Altuve0, Carter3, Dominguez5, Barnes8, Villar6, Elmore4, Clark2; KeuchelvBuehrle #Jays
— Mike Wilner (@Wilnerness590) August 25, 2013

Minor League Roundup – August 23rd

The Good

A.J. Jimenez – Buffalo (Triple A)

2/4 – 1/3 throwing out runners

Jimenez has impressed early into his AAA debut.  He’s carried over his hitting streak from AA into a modest 6 gamer, and has also thrown out 3 of the 9 stolen base attempts, which isn’t a great rate for someone with an arm the caliber of his, but still shows some promise.

John Stilson – Buffalo (Triple A)

1 IP – 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Stilson has really turned his season around the past month.  While his ERA and K% have stayed relatively consistent, his BB% has dropped from 11.2 all the way down to 3.3.  If he has corrected his shaky command, that’s the last hurdle he’ll need to get over before earning a promotion to the big leagues.  With news that Brad Lincoln was demoted after today’s game, I could easily see Stilson being the one promoted to fill that gap.(Editors Note: This didn't happen. It might soon, though.)

Dwight Smith Jr. – Lansing (Low Single A)

3/5 – 1 2B

Yet another strong game from Dwight Smith.  His 7^th multi-hit game in the month of August, which has powered him to a .302/.375/.430 slash line during that period.  Hopefully Smith can salvage what looks to be a very weak draft class in 2011.

Chase DeJong – Bluefield (High Rookie)

4 IP – 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K

Chase DeJong had the best start of his professional career Friday night, striking out 2 more than his previous career high.  In his past 7 starts, he’s struck out 42 batters, and walked only 5, a very impressive achievement for a pitcher who was drafted out of high school only one year ago.

Miguel Castro – GCL (Low Rookie)

7 IP – 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K

Amazingly, DeJong’s 9 strikeout performance wasn’t the best by a Jays prospect last night.  In just his 3^rd start on American soil, Castro went 7 full innings, and didn’t walk a single batter.  Even though he did have excellent control, his command was fairly shaky, which led to him being up in the zone.  Based on a live report from Jared McDonald (@Jared_McDonald on Twitter) he got lucky with a bunch of his 9 fly ball outs, since they were very deep.  While that is mildly concerning, its still a hugely positive early start for a young Dominican starter.

The Bad

Santiago Nessy – Lansing (Low Single A)

0/5 – 2 K, 0/1 throwing out runners

Nessy’s season has largely been derailed after sustaining a concussion in the month of April.  However, in the month of August that has turned things around.  During that month he’s hit .315/.345/.407.  Friday wasn’t a good example of that though. 

Franklin Barreto – Bluefield (High Rookie)

0/4 – 2 K

Barreto started his career in Bluefield going 5 for 11, but since then he’s not had quite the same success going 1 for 18.  This is just a 5 game blip, and considering that he’s just 17 years old its definitely not something to get worried about.

Minor League Roundup – August 22nd

The Good

Marcus Stroman – New Hampshire (Double A)

5.2 IP – 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 8 K, 1 HR

This is almost exactly Stroman’s typical stat line from his season at AA.  Coming into this start he was averaging 5.2 IP, 6.5 Ks, 1.3 BB, 5 Hits, & .75 HR, he had a couple extra strikeouts, but aside from that, steady as she goes.

Emilio Guerrero – Lansing (High Single A)

3/4 – 1 SB

Guerrero continues to absolutely rake.  The light has gone on for the 20 year old in the month of August hitting .369/.396/.536, and is setting himself up to succeed next year at the next level.

L.B. Dantzler – Vancouver (Short Season Single A)

1/4 – 1 HR, 2 K

Dantzler hit his Northwest League leading 9^th home run on Thursday night.  Even though he is 22 years old, and seemingly doesn’t have much upside, having a guy hitting .318/.403/.523 at any level is somewhat pleasing.

Dawel Lugo – Vancouver (Short Season Single A)

2/4 – 2 2B, 1 K

In his first 6 games in Vancouver he had hit .241/.241/.241, which means he hadn’t drawn a walk, nor had he gotten an extra base hit.  He still hasn’t drawn a walk, but he remedied that extra base hit issue ripping two doubles Thursday night.  Still isn’t the start you’d like to see for a player debuting at a new level, but considering he’s just 18 any sign is a positive one.

The Bad

Ricky Romero – Buffalo (Triple A)

5.1 IP – 9 H, 5 R//4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 HR

Romero stinks.  He cant even get AAA batters out on a regular basis, and I hate that by doing this article daily I get a constant reminder of that every 5 days.  Ugh.

Franklin Barreto – Bluefield (High Rookie)

0/4 – 2 K, 1 Error

A poor day at the plate is one thing, but committing your 3^rd error at shortstop in just 6 games is the most concerning aspect.  While I have zero doubt that Barreto will need to move off shortstop long term, leaving him there is worthwhile, because he’ll get more reps, and perhaps allow him to stay at 2^nd base rather than moving to the outfield.

Richard Urena – GCL (Low Rookie)

0/5 – 2 K, 1 Error

One day after an exciting debut in the GCL, Urena was pretty crappy.  2 strikeouts, and an error for his second consecutive day.  That being said, given that Dunedin was rained out for 3 straight days, I have to assume that the field conditions were relatively poor.  I’m not panicking based on the 2 errors, especially based on the reputation he’s coming to America with.

The Other
A.J. Jimenez - Buffalo (Triple A)
A.J didn't play last night in Buffalo, which is only strange because it was the game after a day off.It might just be some end of the season soreness, but an actual injury is possible. Whatever the case may be, we'll keep an eye on it via twitter. Hopefully it's nothing serious.

August 22nd Game Preview-Toronto Blue Jays @ New York Yankees

The Jays are trying to get swept today as they face the Yankees for the 4th and final game of this series.  Toronto is now only 15.5 games in front of Houston for last in Major League Baseball, currently sitting 11th worst in baseball. So, yeah, let's hope for some well played baseball and a whole lot of losses!

Roster Moves

• Ryan Goins was called up this morning from AAA Buffalo. This spot was made available because Maicer Izturis was placed on the 15-day DL.

PARK FACTORS (LHB / RHB)
K:	98	106		nB:	105	103
gbH:	106	104		ofH:	98	95
1B:	107	100		GB:	100	99
2/3B:	90	95		FB:	108	102
HR:	126	111		LD:	93	95
Runs:	108	104		IF:	97	89

*100 is league average. Higher than 100 means it is at a higher rate than average, lower is the opposite.

Probable Pitchers Game 1
Blue Jays                                  Yankees
LHP J.A. Happ                          LHP Andy Pettitte

vs. RHB: .237/.340/.420            vs. RHB .326/.370/.472

vs. LHB: .267/.313/.333             vs. LHB .204/.241/.343

Line-Ups Game 1
Blue Jays                                  Yankees
SS Jose Reyes                          RF Ichiro
CF Rajai Davis                           DH Vernon Wells
1B Edwin Encarnacion            2B Robinson Cano
DH Mark DeRosa                      LF Alfonso Soriano 
3B Brett Lawrie                         3B Alex Rodriguez
C J.P Arencibia                          CF Curtis Granderson
LF Kevin Pillar                          1B Mark Reynolds
SS Munenori Kawasaki           SS Eduardo Nunez
LF Kevin Pillar                            C Chris Stewart 

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.