The Prospect/Minor Leagues Thread

[kgm1]

A lot of the people on this board would fire the Gm yearly

[Abomination]

A lot of the people on this board would fire the Gm yearly

 

More like monthly, and the announcers daily lol

[GD]

I mean we have a financially strapped 83 win team but y'know we have a couple high ceiling prospects, 4 of which may make it to the MLB, so keep AA

[burlingtonbandit]

A lot of the people on this board would fire the Gm yearly

 

A lot of people on this board are also not very smart.. lol

[TheHurl]

Some Guy Left is Charlie Wilson, my former hockey coach from about 15 years ago lol

 

And what's Charlie Wilson's WAR?

[kgm1]

I mean we have a financially strapped 83 win team but y'know we have a couple high ceiling prospects, 4 of which may make it to the MLB, so keep AA

 

You were probably happy with JPR

[GD]

You were probably happy with JPR

 

Lol @ implying that it's possible for a Blue Jays fan to be emotionally satisfied

[kgm1]

Not sure if this was posted

TORONTO—Something happened on June 3, when Dunedin was playing at Jupiter, that accelerated righthander Kendall Graveman’s rise through the system.

Kendall Graveman

 

Kendall Graveman (Photo by Mike Janes)

 

Roving pitching instructor Rick Langford happened to be with the team, and they were talking about how to attack lefthanded hitters.

 

“We were talking about how we need a fastball that stays true into them so the ball doesn’t run back over to the middle,” Graveman said. “So we started throwing some four-seamers, and about the fourth inning I threw one and it cut really good and I felt a little bit of a difference. I threw another one and Chunny (catcher Derrick Chung) actually missed one of the pitches that I threw and he said, ‘Man that’s really good. Why don’t we just start calling it a cutter and we’ll start going with it that way and start pitching with it?’ For the next two or three innings I was getting a lot of weak contact from righties and lefties.”

 

Graveman, Toronto’s eighth-round pick in 2013, allowed five hits and two runs over six innings for the win, but more importantly added an effective pitch.

 

“And with a little bit of a grip change, not very big, and then figuring out how to pitch it to both sides of the plate, it has complemented the sinker very well,” he said. “The velocity has been good with it. I think getting off barrels has been a lot better. They just can’t look for one pitch in one zone. For the most part, I think that is the one thing that has helped me advance so quickly.”

 

The progression led to quick stops at Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo, and then a callup to Toronto.

 

“Kendall’s rise through the organization is amazing,” assistant general manager Tony LaCava said. “He moved level by level this year and exceeded expectations along the way. He signed as a control-style sinkerballer, and the addition of the cutter really set him off. Signing scout Brian Johnston deserves a lot of credit for identifying him.”

[ElNik2013]

So we know Deck McGuire was a bust, but that draft also produced Aaron Sanchez, Noah Syndergaard, Asher Wojciechowski, Justin Nicolino, Sean Nolin and Dalton Pompey. There was also a guy named Kris Bryant, but that's another story.

[burlingtonbandit]

Whats the number of WAR produced for a certain draft to be deemed sucessful?

[TheHurl]

Whats the number of WAR produced for a certain draft to be deemed sucessful?

 

I'm not sure that drafts are quite measurable that way. 1997 and 1989 are the two best drafts for the Jays that I can think of. 89 had two 50 bWAR players (Olerud and Kent) and not much else. 1997 was Wells, Michael Young, Hendrickson and the O-Dogg. I would say most drafts you'd be happy if you get 2 career 10 WAR players...many historic drafts do not even get you that.

[burlingtonbandit]

I'm not sure that drafts are quite measurable that way. 1997 and 1989 are the two best drafts for the Jays that I can think of. 89 had two 50 bWAR players (Olerud and Kent) and not much else. 1997 was Wells, Michael Young, Hendrickson and the O-Dogg. I would say most drafts you'd be happy if you get 2 career 10 WAR players...many historic drafts do not even get you that.

 

Yeah I was going to say how many MLB players a draft produces but that doesn't tell you anything since one elite player is better than 20 below avg mlb players. There's really no definitive answer as development is just as big a reason for success opposed to the actual draft.

[Angrioter]

I'm not sure that drafts are quite measurable that way. 1997 and 1989 are the two best drafts for the Jays that I can think of. 89 had two 50 bWAR players (Olerud and Kent) and not much else. 1997 was Wells, Michael Young, Hendrickson and the O-Dogg. I would say most drafts you'd be happy if you get 2 career 10 WAR players...many historic drafts do not even get you that.

 

Pentecost 40 WAR (ALA Kendall)

Hoffman 35 WAR (ALA Carpenter)

Pimp-Foley 25 WAR (JGuzman)

 

Great draft for sure!!

[GD]

best hydration specialist in the game

[burlingtonbandit]

Anyone have the top 20 NWL prospects from BA? Supposedly lots of Blue Jays.

[Mikeleelop]

Barreto #1, Labourt #3, Castro #4, Pentecost #8, Fields #20

 

no McBroom - who had a very good year at 1b

 

When did Vancouver join the NWL?? No Canadians on prospect list from 5 years ago - is that because franchise wasn't Jays affiliate or was it because Jays prospects were that bad 5 years ago?

Edited October 1, 2014 by Mikeleelop

[Mikeleelop]

They weren't affiliated 5 years ago.

 

thanks King. That makes sense

[Vdubfan]

Anybody have write-ups?

[Mikeleelop]

Sorry for the information dump coming up! there is a lot of prospect information for Jays fans in the NWL. I will post write ups regarding Jays prospects

 

 

 

1. Franklin Barreto, ss, Vancouver (Blue Jays)

 

Franklin Barreto (photo by Mike Janes)

Franklin Barreto (photo by Mike Janes)

 

Age: 18. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 5-9. Wt.: 174. Signed: Venezuela, 2012.

 

Barreto was a top junior in Venezuela before signing with the Blue Jays for $1.45 million in July 2012. He did nothing in his first season in the NWL to suggest that wasn’t money well spent. Barreto was a dominant force, leading the league in hits (90), RBIs (61), runs (65), doubles (23) and total bases (139) while ranking third in stolen bases with 29.

 

“Taking into account he’s playing against 22-, 23-, 24-year-olds, that’s really, really hard,” Tri-City manager Drew Saylor said. “This kid would be a freshman, maybe a sophomore in college. Imagine the hype if he were in the States. He’d be a first-rounder.”

 

Observers struggled to agree on Barreto’s best tool. He uses all fields, hits for power and for average. His bat is ahead of his defense, as he committed 26 errors, but played nearly 600 innings at short, and he’s athletic. “He’s a whole package,” Vancouver hitting coach Dave Pano said.

 

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG

289 65 90 23 4 6 61 27 64 29 5 .311 .384 .481

 

3. Jairo Labourt, lhp, Vancouver (Blue Jays)

 

Age: 20. B-T: L-L. Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 204. Signed: Dominican Republic, 2011.

 

Labourt led the league in ERA (1.77), strikeouts per nine innings (10.45) and opponent average (.188), then after the season he dominated in the playoffs, beating Spokane in a first-round series clincher.

 

The rare Dominican power lefthander, Labourt relied on his mid-90s fastball, which at his best he can locate inside (he also hit eight batters). He pitched aggressively with his fastball, using it to dominate righthanders to the tune of a .171/.286/.202 line.

 

Some NWL observers want to see how Labourt responds to batters who can turn around his fastball, but he did not allow a home run in the NWL. He also has a solid changeup, which he uses to keep batters off-balance, and a clean arm action. His breaking ball remains a work in progress.

 

Labourt had wild streaks and at times showed an unwillingness to back down. “He’s got big leaguer written all over him,” Boise manager Gary Van Tol said.

 

W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG

5 3 1.77 15 15 0 71 47 17 14 0 37 82 .188

 

 

4. Miguel Castro, rhp, Vancouver (Blue Jays)

 

Age: 19. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-5. Wt.: 190. Signed: Dominican Republic, 2012.

 

The Blue Jays hit paydirt with pitcher signings out of the Dominican Republic in back-to-back years with lefty Jairo Labourt and Castro, who signed for $180,000 in January 2012. The pair formed a dominant duo at the top of the Vancouver rotation, with Castro making up for time he lost last year when a visa issue delayed his arrival in the U.S.

 

Castro’s strong start and control earned him two in-season promotions, one to low Class A Lansing and anther to high Class A Dunedin, where he finished the year while still a teenager.

 

Tall and projectable, Castro throws consistent strikes with a downward plane to his pitches, allowing him to work down in the zone. His easy delivery belies his consistent mid-90s fastball (which touched 98 mph), giving him natural deception. He relies more on a slurvy breaking ball than he did his changeup, which has flashed potential.

 

W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG

6 2 2.15 10 10 0 50 36 13 12 2 20 53 .202

 

8. Max Pentecost, c, Vancouver (Blue Jays)

 

Age: 21. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 191. Drafted: Kennesaw State, 2014 (1st round)

 

Pentecost has a track record for hitting from his college days, both in the Cape Cod League and at Kennesaw State. He led Kennesaw to an NCAA super regional then signed for $2,888,300 as the second of the Blue Jays’ two first-round picks in June.

 

Pentecost’s pro debut was interrupted by a nagging wrist injury that limited him to just six games at catcher and 19 overall before he was shut down in early August.

 

NWL managers who saw Pentecost knew his reputation from their amateur scouting departments and were impressed by his athleticism. Some project him as a prototype catch-and-throw receiver, with his offensive development being a bonus.

 

Pentecost showed some skill with the bat in limited time, though his power didn’t show up and he swung and missed more against advanced pitching. Managers agreed that a healthy Pentecost could move quickly.

 

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG

83 15 26 2 3 0 9 2 18 2 1 .313 .322 .410

 

20. Roemon Fields, of, Vancouver (Blue Jays)

 

Age: 23. B-T: L-L. Ht.: 5-11. Wt.: 180. Signed: Bethany (Kan.), 2013 (NDFA).

 

While Fields wasn’t drafted, he was on teams’ radars as a baseball player when he played at Yakima Valley (Wash.) JC. He played baseball and ran track at NAIA Bethany (Kan.) but wasn’t drafted and was working for the post office in Seattle when he played in 2013 World Baseball Challenge, an international tournament that featured an American team comprised of junior-college players in the Pacific Northwest.

 

The Blue Jays saw Fields’ speed in the event and signed him. While he’s older at 23, he profiles as a center fielder with top-of-the-scale speed in the Juan Pierre mold. He led the league in stolen bases (48), has outstanding range in center field and did not hit into a double play this season.

Fields developed at the plate, learning to use the whole field, get in good hitter’s counts and stay through the ball. He must work on his short game, particularly bunting, and make much more consistent contact to take advantage of his wheels. He has enough pop to keep pitchers honest but isn’t expected to hit for home run power.

 

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG

294 64 79 13 4 1 26 27 61 48 9 .269 .338 .350

Edited October 1, 2014 by Mikeleelop

[Mikeleelop]

Fields must have 80 speed tool or something, I'm pretty interested to read that report

 

80 does not get thrown around a lot, but he had an 84% steal success rate which is very encouraging considering what DJ Davis and Gose have shown.

 

His write up said he played baseball and ran track in JC

[Mikeleelop]

From BA chat this afternoon on NWL prospect list...

 

@Jaypers413 (IL): Thanks for the chat, John. Is it a safe assumption that Schwarber would have topped this list had he qualified? In addition, what was the consensus opinion of his skillset during his limited time in Boise?

 

John Manuel: He hit 4 HR in 5 games. One league manager Brian talked to said he was "Mickey Mantle against us," and another said, "You will live with the passed balls if he hits like I think he'll hit." Weighing that against Borreto would have been a fun exercise. I can see arguments for both of them.

[Mikeleelop]

more bluejay prospect questions from BA chat

 

Jon (Florida): Do you have any info on Ryan mcbroom 1b with Vancouver? Is he a prospect for the bluejays?

 

John Manuel: McBroom definitely had his supporters. He has present power, with a pretty aggressive approach that allowed him to succeed in his debut. He hit some long home runs that impressed managers as well as fans. He needs to shorten his swing some, and his bats-right, throws-left profile is worth mentioning because it's fairly rare. He might have had a chance to try third base is he threw righthanded. Some managers knocked him as a below-average defender at first. L.B. Dantzler put up similar numbers in the league last year and wasn't able to follow up this year. McBroom will see if he's up to the challenge.

[Mikeleelop]

Barreto = FAP

 

Brian (Denver): Which #1 league prospect has a higher ceiling as a SS, Northwest league Franklin Barretto or Appalachian league Ozhaino Albies?

 

John Manuel: Albies sounds super exciting and more likely to be a shortstop, but Barretto for me because of the bat. He may not be a shortstop long-term, but that dude can hit. Barretto's defense gets knocked by the managers we talked to, who obviously value reliability and making the routine play, but we have good reports on Barretto's infield actions. He has a shot to stay in the infield if not at shortstop, so I'd go with him. Albies is 5-foot-7 and we have mixed reports on just how much offensive upside he has in terms of how much he'll impact the baseball. No such questions exist for Barretto. Both exciting players though.

 

Feng (New York): Hi, I was wondering if Barreto is a top 100 player? And if he is, would anyone else from this league make it on the top 100 list?

 

John Manuel: I think he probably is, and he's likely the only person from this Top 20 to merit such consideration. The other possibility may be Miguel Castro, who has the big arm and athleticism but whose secondary stuff is probably too raw for top 100 right now. He could have been No. 2 or No. 3. I thought Barretto was a clear No. 1, but 2-3-4 were tough for me and Brian to rank. They could have gone in any order really.

[Mikeleelop]

Pentecost

 

Zach (San Diego): Why did Max Pentecost rank #8 in the paper thin Northwest League Top 20? And if you can tell us what's a reasonable ceiling and/or comp for this kid?

 

John Manuel: Managers and scouts in the league saw Pentecost catch all of six games. We were asking them to weigh in essentially on a DH. So we dinged him a bit for that, ranking him behind two potential starting corner bats who are younger than him. Baez and Cordero are much riskier bets for sure, so we could have ranked him higher. I thought the top 12 guys were a fairly clear top 12; after that, there was not much differentiation.

[Mikeleelop]

Steve (Vancouver): How come Alberto Tirado didn't make the list?

 

John Manuel: He just did not throw enough strikes. Managers knocked both his command and lack of secondary stuff, but he was one of the livelier arms in the league and is just 19. More than likely 2014 will be a bump in the road for him because the arm can be electric. But he's clearly behind Labourt and Castro, who throw more strikes, have big arms and are bigger-bodied guys.

[Mikeleelop]

Roy (Indiana): Why is Labourt ranked ahead of Castro? From what I've seen of both Castro seems more a finished pitcher but with more or less equally high ceilings.

 

John Manuel: Lefty vs. a righty, but I had those guys flipped several times. Just having a lefthander who can dominate often older competition essentially with one pitch, plus the fact that Labourt's arm is pretty clean and works easy enough to believe he'll command the ball better down the line, gave him the edge. Both those guys are exciting for having easy gas as starting pitchers, which separated them from the pack. Looking at the league overall, pitching prospects were probably the weakest spot. I'm not sure how many future big league rotation members will come from the NWL. If someone were taking odds, I would take zero and let you have the field, and I'd like my chances. Castro and Labourt obviously were the exceptions, as the only pitchers in the top 10.

[burlingtonbandit]

Roy (Indiana): Why is Labourt ranked ahead of Castro? From what I've seen of both Castro seems more a finished pitcher but with more or less equally high ceilings.

 

John Manuel: Lefty vs. a righty, but I had those guys flipped several times. Just having a lefthander who can dominate often older competition essentially with one pitch, plus the fact that Labourt's arm is pretty clean and works easy enough to believe he'll command the ball better down the line, gave him the edge. Both those guys are exciting for having easy gas as starting pitchers, which separated them from the pack. Looking at the league overall, pitching prospects were probably the weakest spot. I'm not sure how many future big league rotation members will come from the NWL. If someone were taking odds, I would take zero and let you have the field, and I'd like my chances. Castro and Labourt obviously were the exceptions, as the only pitchers in the top 10.

 

From the sounds of that question it seems Roy from Indiana posts on this Forum

[Atothe]

Labourt has a potential plus slider, guess they must've caught him on an offnight

[burlingtonbandit]

 

Good news

 

Christian Lopes is an interesting name.

[Mikeleelop]

Does anyone know if there are Instructional league reports out there anywhere??

 

My most exciting thing right now as a Jays fan is looking at what is playing in Florida and may reach the majors in 2-4 years