GCL Updates...

[IowaJay]

Wasn't Tom House somehow involved in the development of that program?

[flafson]

Wasn't Tom House somehow involved in the development of that program?

 

Looks like it, yes.

[Deadpool]

Matt starts tonight for Vancouver

 

How'd he do?

[Deadpool]

4IP 2H 0R 0BB 3K

 

So far, so good

 

That's a pretty damn good performance. Kudos Matt!

[IowaJay]

Pretty good outing. The thing right now that stands out so far for him is that he has 13 minor league innings now with 0 walks. I was frustrated for 4 years that the Iowa pitching staff did not use his change-up, or help develop it while he was there. He threw more tonight than he did in 4 years at Iowa, and was getting swings and misses. That is big for him. His curve and slider are plus pitches, especially if he can control the change. His relief outing he was hitting 93, so velocity won't be a question with his off-speed stuff - especially if he continues to control it.

 

It will be interesting to see how he develops under good professional coaching. Not that he was poorly coached at other levels, but obviously getting to work with a professional pitching staff will help him.

[Deadpool]

Finished... 5IP 3H 0R 0BB 3K

 

8GO/1FO

 

Good start

 

That right there is a GREAT start. Ideally I'd love a few more Ks, but 0BBs and 3H is a fantastic line.

 

Pretty good outing. The thing right now that stands out so far for him is that he has 13 minor league innings now with 0 walks. I was frustrated for 4 years that the Iowa pitching staff did not use his change-up, or help develop it while he was there. He threw more tonight than he did in 4 years at Iowa, and was getting swings and misses. That is big for him. His curve and slider are plus pitches, especially if he can control the change. His relief outing he was hitting 93, so velocity won't be a question with his off-speed stuff - especially if he continues to control it.

 

It will be interesting to see how he develops under good professional coaching. Not that he was poorly coached at other levels, but obviously getting to work with a professional pitching staff will help him.

 

I hope they push him to expand his repertoire of pitches. To be absolutely frank, he's a long shot to make the majors, but if he works hard and really takes advice from his coaches he could keep having outings like today, and he could keep moving up and who knows. I wish him well (mostly because he's a Jays prospect, but also because it's pretty awesome to have a family member of his that posts here) and I hope he has a lot more outings as fantastic as tonights!

[IowaJay]

Coming out of the 28th round is definitely a long shot. I still think his best chance is as a lefty reliever - no doubt he has the stuff. If he can continue to develop his change-up he has a chance. He can sit around 92-93 in relief, but seems to be more around 89-91 as a starter. Mixing a plus change, and adequate curve and slider, with a 92-93 fastball can get outs at the ML level. However, he in reality has never been coaches by a professional pitching staff. He will need to learn how to get outs with his stuff. In high school, and most of college, his stuff got guys out. Now he will need to learn how to use it to get pro hitters out - different ballgame.

 

I will never be surprised by what he does. He is a tireless worker and has adapted and improved at every level. His freshmen year at Iowa he got rocked early, but made changes and pitched well the last half of the year. He struggled his junior year - imo because of injury. He worked hard to get healthy and develop his curve and slider and had a great senior year.

[flafson]

Coming out of the 28th round is definitely a long shot. I still think his best chance is as a lefty reliever - no doubt he has the stuff. If he can continue to develop his change-up he has a chance. He can sit around 92-93 in relief, but seems to be more around 89-91 as a starter. Mixing a plus change, and adequate curve and slider, with a 92-93 fastball can get outs at the ML level. However, he in reality has never been coaches by a professional pitching staff. He will need to learn how to get outs with his stuff. In high school, and most of college, his stuff got guys out. Now he will need to learn how to use it to get pro hitters out - different ballgame.

 

I will never be surprised by what he does. He is a tireless worker and has adapted and improved at every level. His freshmen year at Iowa he got rocked early, but made changes and pitched well the last half of the year. He struggled his junior year - imo because of injury. He worked hard to get healthy and develop his curve and slider and had a great senior year.

 

Any idea if he's going to do the Delabar program? Steve is an all star thanks to it, same with Cecil.

[Deadpool]

Any idea if he's going to do the Delabar program? Steve is an all star thanks to it, same with Cecil.

 

The Jays own the program now... Hopefully most of the pitchers in the system include it in their regimens. Would be nice if Matt gave it a shot early on!

[flafson]

The Jays own the program now... Hopefully most of the pitchers in the system include it in their regimens. Would be nice if Matt gave it a shot early on!

 

I think (not sure why) that they can only fully utilize it during the offseason and use the program during the regular season just to make the arm more durable.

[Deadpool]

I think (not sure why) that they can only fully utilize it during the offseason and use the program during the regular season just to make the arm more durable.

 

I think the off season program is to improve velocity, and really strengthen the arm... The "during the season" part of the program is likely maintenance.

[IowaJay]

I know some about the program. Honestly, I used a modified version of it that I developed through research with my sons who are 11 and 9. I noticed a pretty significant increase in velocity in both of them this year. It is tough to say how much of that is due to the program, as kids at that age will obviously see natural growth in velocity every year. Matt and I talked about it already. We talk about drills and such that are good, so I am sure I will get information from him. I am guessing any exposure he has to the program will not be until after the season.

 

I was a high school coach before taking a job in administration. I am now coaching my son's select team, so I am constantly looking for ways to help develop kids, but not do things that could be harmful to kids while they are young. It will be nice to have the opportunity to get some drill work and technique drills from a pro organization. I am hoping to hit spring training next year to see some things live.

[8D]

Should introduce the Tim Collins program too. Tiny tim is now a little gorilla.

[John_Havok]

Pretty good outing. The thing right now that stands out so far for him is that he has 13 minor league innings now with 0 walks. I was frustrated for 4 years that the Iowa pitching staff did not use his change-up, or help develop it while he was there. He threw more tonight than he did in 4 years at Iowa, and was getting swings and misses. That is big for him. His curve and slider are plus pitches, especially if he can control the change. His relief outing he was hitting 93, so velocity won't be a question with his off-speed stuff - especially if he continues to control it.

 

It will be interesting to see how he develops under good professional coaching. Not that he was poorly coached at other levels, but obviously getting to work with a professional pitching staff will help him.

 

Let me pose a hypothetical since I don't know how highly regarded Dermoody was out if high school. I know the Pirates drafted him out of high school in 2009 in the 26th round, then again drafted by Colorado in 2011 in the 29th round, then again in 2012 by Arizona in the 23rd round. Arizona didn't sign him because his physical showed a partial UCL tear, so he went back for senior year.

 

Did he ever seriously think about signing out of high school in order to start eating that pro coaching sooner? I know 26 th round in high school is like a 10 k bonus or whatever but still.

Edited July 13, 2013 by John_Havok

[IowaJay]

Actually, the entire process when he was a senior was interesting. He did not get an adviser, so he and my brother handled all the conversations with scouts. In hindsight, they would probably do it differently. He was told by many, including what was out there on Perfect Game, that he would potentially go in rounds 8-12. For whatever reason, he fell into the the 20s. We never really heard why. They were afraid to tell scouts a whole lot in terms of what it would take to sign, in fear that it would hurt his status if they said too much or cause him to fall if they said a lower number. They were just in the dark. There were also some comments that we saw in a couple newspapers by the Iowa coach before the draft that said he probably wouldn't sign because he wanted a lot - not really sure where that came from or if it was actually said by Coach Dahm. That could have potentially hurt his status. Either way, he went to Iowa and loved it there. Our family has been huge Hawkeye fans forever, and the idea of being a Hawkeye was great for him. Coach Dahm is a great guy and class act. Matt liked it there, but in reality was never developed or coached by a real pitching guy.

 

Would he do it differently? Maybe. He loved his time at Iowa, and was treated very well. I would think that the right thing to do as a pitcher would be to sign. You only have so many bullets in your arm, and college coaches run guys out there for 100+ pitches all the time trying to win - that's there job. Had he signed, he would have been coached by pro pitching coaches, and obviously he would not have thrown as many pitches. In terms of reaching his goal of playing major league baseball, signing probably would be the way to go. When it's all over, I am not sure he will regret anything.

[IowaJay]

Yes King. They are rotating between starting and relieving in that 5th spot. Last night wasn't a great outing. Silverstein struggled and didn't get out of the 2nd inning. Matt pitched 3 innings in relief, giving up 2 earned runs. I listened to the game and it didn't seem as though he had his typical command. He walked his first batter since he was signed, but his K's were up last night. It seemed like he was behind in the count a lot though. Not a terrible outing, but not his best. I did like how he worked out of a couple jams with strikeouts.

[theblujay]

Final line, 5IP 4H 0ER 0BB 7K

 

That's damn impressive

 

Doesn't walk many and has a decent number of K's. I say send him to Lansing and see what happens.

[theblujay]

Agreed

He's 23, might as well move him along quickly to at least give him a chance to show what he can do.

[ElNik2013]

Doesn't walk many and has a decent number of K's. I say send him to Lansing and see what happens.

 

 

AA's probably thinks it's better if he keeps him in Vancouver to help them win another NWL championship.

[8D]

AA's probably thinks it's better if he keeps him in Vancouver to help them win another NWL championship.

 

"It's that winning mentality and environment that these young kids need to have and be around that will really make them into the superstars of tomorrow.

One of the main reasons why we draft Matt. To help the Vancouver canadians bring home a championship back to Canada!"

-AA

[IowaJay]

I have no idea what they will do. I am guessing they will limit his innings some, as he threw a lot of innings at Iowa this year.

[IowaJay]

It appears that is the case. It looks like he will work out of the bullpen for the time being. His innings total at Iowa was pretty high, so I am not surprised. Hopefully he can continue to pitch well. Went 2 innings tonight. Gave up 1 hit, 0 runs and K'd the last four he faced. He has only walked 2 batters since he his been drafted - 25/2 SO/BB ratio in over 25 innings with an ERA in the low 2's. He pitched very well as a starter, so hopefully he can demonstrate the ability to pitch effectively out of the pen. It seems like his velocity is up when in relief, and his change continues to come on. Showing versatility, increased FB velocity out of the pen and continued development of the change can't hurt.

[IowaJay]

That would be great to see. Vancouver is full of guys that are pitching well though, so I don't see it happening.

[GD]

So this kid is pretty darn good, wow. Can I just point out his 1.72 FIP in 21 IP at A-? That's kind of absolutely amazing.

 

8.57/0.86 K:BB/9. Has a 2.57 ERA despite a .365 BABIP and a 69.2 % LOB%. Wow.

[Deadpool]

So this kid is pretty darn good, wow. Can I just point out his 1.72 FIP in 21 IP at A-? That's kind of absolutely amazing.

 

8.57/0.86 K:BB/9. Has a 2.57 ERA despite a .365 BABIP and a 69.2 % LOB%. Wow.

 

Yeah, he's having a spectacular season, with all the usual age/level, SSS caveats that typically apply... Definitely move him up and see how he does.

[IowaJay]

I haven't followed the Toronto system long enough, so I am not sure which pitcher in Vancouver are considered better bets to advance to a high level. However, that staff is sure getting great pitching as a whole. Last night three pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts. Statistically the staff is very good.

 

Can anyone give a quick analysis on the Vancouver pitching staff and who the guys are the many expect to advance to a high level?

[John_Havok]

It appears that is the case. It looks like he will work out of the bullpen for the time being. His innings total at Iowa was pretty high, so I am not surprised. Hopefully he can continue to pitch well. Went 2 innings tonight. Gave up 1 hit, 0 runs and K'd the last four he faced. He has only walked 2 batters since he his been drafted - 25/2 SO/BB ratio in over 25 innings with an ERA in the low 2's. He pitched very well as a starter, so hopefully he can demonstrate the ability to pitch effectively out of the pen. It seems like his velocity is up when in relief, and his change continues to come on. Showing versatility, increased FB velocity out of the pen and continued development of the change can't hurt.

 

At this point I still think the Jays will give him a shot at starting, just limiting his innings this year since as you said, he's thrown a lot of innings in college. I would expect a starting job at Dunedin or Lansing in 2014. His low walk totals are encouraging

[IowaJay]

Another good outing last night 2.2 innings - 4 K, 0 BB, 0 runs. K/BB ratio since being drafted now at 35/2. His strikeout numbers have really been impressive since moving to the bullpen. I don't know how much the radio guy knows, but he said last night that Matt would be one of the first to move if they decide to make any moves.

[Angrioter]

Sean Ratcliffe (Pitcher) was promoted to Vancouver today, which means a pitcher from Vancouver could be promoted as well.

 

Matt maybe?

 

Miguel Castro up

http://www.bluejaysmessageboard.com/threads/1176-Miguel-Castro-assigned-to-GCL-Blue-Jays-from-DSL

[IowaJay]

I haven't seen or heard anything. I'm sure he isn't even thinking about it - just keep pitching well and things will work out. He had two decent innings last night against Boise. Boise's lineup is very good.