Aaron Sanchez touched 3-digits

[Angrioter]

[ElNik2013]

That's cute, but the results are simply underwhelming. One can only hope the performance catches up to his velocity.

[Angrioter]

98 mph constantly and then................. 100Mph

 

fap fap fap

[ElNik2013]

How are his results underwhelming?

 

Lol, I guess I'm a bit frustrated 'cause I expected him to pitch the 2nd half in AA, but the command is still not there despite all the reports of a clean delivery.

 

On a side note, why make him come out of the bullpen? He's their top pitching prospect, I don't get it.

 

Anyway...

[Mikeleelop]

On a side note - is this Dunedin team the worst hitting minor league team? No hitters, one hitters ugh

[ElNik2013]

JA Happ started tonight

 

Oh I know, but f*** him, Sanchez's development should be viewed as more important....too late now.

[ElNik2013]

They suck real bad

 

Lansing sucks too

 

 

F-that, promote Davis there.

[Mikeleelop]

Position players in general suck throughout the jays system. Very weak

[Mikeleelop]

Very questionable draft strategy.

[Angrioter]

[theblujay]

 

 

Now that's better. Does he throw a curve and a slider?

[John_Havok]

Yessir, curve has been plus for a while but he slider is coming along nicely

[Atothe]

Hopefully he kills the rest of the month and august. Imagine four plus pitches my goodness

[Angrioter]

That's great, but he's 21 and should be dominating A+ ball. 7.8 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 is pretty underwhelming.

 

 

Shut up!

He isn't that freak called.............Syndergaard?

[flafson]

I smell the next Verlander.

[theblujay]

 

lol

 

Hahaha hopefully he comes out and attacks from the beginning next start.

[Nox]

I smell the next Verlander.

 

Easy Big Guy.

[ReturnOfTheYeti]

Good read on Sanchez in the Toronto Star today:

http://www.thestar.com/sports/bluejays/2013/07/19/blue_jays_top_prospect_aaron_sanchez_bides_his_time.html?cta=bottom&utm_expid=6682428-0.pmAbpHPsSSS1W5v3cyeVhw.2&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thestar.com%2Fsports.html

[Angrioter]

Next Kimbrel

[Angrioter]

Sanchez is also learning to be more patient. He admits that last year he got a little anxious at times wanting to move up more quickly through the organizational ranks, frustrated that the Jays were perhaps holding him back because of his age.

“Patience is not one of his great virtues,” says Knowles. “But he’s aware that he has to let things play out and he has to prove himself.”

 

competition with Syndergaard. for sure.

[theblujay]

The best part of that article is when he said he's been focusing on improving his off speed stuff in games instead of just blowing his fastball by everyone. That's probably why he doesn't have the sexiest stats.

[G-Snarls]

That's great, but he's 21 and should be dominating A+ ball. 7.8 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 is pretty underwhelming.

 

The walks seemed to come in a bunch during 2-3 really bad starts in a short period. Hoping that was some sort of physical hiccup and numbers improve second half.

[G-Snarls]

And maybe related to trying to work on his off speed stuff, as noted above

[Angrioter]

help

[ace3113]

help

 

Here you go.

 

Blue Jays Bet On Last-Man-Standing Aaron Sanchez

 

DUNEDIN, Fla.—They spent only one season together in the low Class A Midwest League, but lefthander Justin Nicolino and righties Aaron Sanchez and Noah Syndergaard will be forever linked in the minds of prospect watchers as the “Lansing Three.”

 

The trio of Blue Jays prospects fronted one of the most formidable rotations in the minors in 2012, and they had such a strong bond that they lived together year-round, envisioning the day when they would anchor Toronto’s big league pitching staff.

 

Plans for the young pitchers, all selected from the high school ranks in the early rounds of the 2010 draft, abruptly changed last fall when Nicolino and Syndergaard were traded to the Marlins and Mets, respectively, in the span of four weeks.

 

Those trades fortified the big league club—bringing shortstop Jose Reyes and veteran starters Mark Buehrle, R.A. Dickey and Josh Johnson to Toronto—but left the 21-year-old Sanchez alone as the organization’s top pitching prospect.

 

“It was tough to see them go because we wanted to climb the system together and get to Toronto together,” Sanchez said. “It was unexpected and seemed to happen so fast, but our ultimate goal is to reach the majors. They will just get there in different uniforms.”

 

The Blue Jays are confident that Sanchez, a supplemental first-rounder from Barstow (Calif.) High, will ascend to the majors wearing a hat adorned with a blue jay and a red maple leaf. Through 19 appearances (17 starts) at high Class A Dunedin this year, he had gone 2-4, 3.64 with 62 strikeouts, 34 walks and just 49 hits allowed (four home runs) in 72 innings.

 

Velocity Without Effort

 

A power pitcher with a 6-foot-4 frame and easy mid-90s heat, Sanchez incorporates a plus power curve and a developing changeup that Blue Jays assistant general manager Tony LaCava believes will become a plus pitch.

 

“Obviously, to get the guys we acquired (in the offseason trades), we knew it would require sending quality prospects the other way,” LaCava said. “Fortunately, our system has depth, and we believe that Aaron is going to develop into a productive major league starting pitcher.

 

“He seems to generate velocity with little effort. We see him as a projectable righthander who will have a mix of three solid pitches.”

 

The Blue Jays have been captivated by Sanchez since his high school days, and when he was drafted 34th overall in 2010, his parents signed his contract because he had not yet turned 18. He signed quickly, opting to begin his pro career rather than attend Oregon.

 

Sanchez accrued just 25 innings after signing, getting his feet wet while averaging fewer than 12 batters per outing. He bumped that average to 17 per game in 2011, which he spent primarily at Rookie-level Bluefield. In 43 innings he struck out 43 but also allowed 45 hits and 18 walks (1.48 WHIP) to Appalachian League batters.

 

“I saw a lot of ups and downs (in 2011),” Sanchez said. “For the first time in baseball, I was hit around, and that was tough. Looking back, though, it helped me recognize the adjustments that were necessary and contributed to becoming a better all-around pitcher.”

 

The electricity in Sanchez’s arm never has been doubted, but prior to this season, control issues plagued him. Even last year at Lansing, when he logged a 2.49 ERA and struck out 97 in 90 innings, he issued 51 walks for an unappealing rate of 5.1 per nine innings.

 

Taking Command

 

This season, Sanchez has shown marked improvement to both his control and command. Opponents have hit .193 against him and he had cut his walk rate to a more manageable 4.3 per nine. Still not great, but much better.

 

“I knew that to pitch deeper into games and minimize runs, I needed to have harness my command and consistently throw strikes with all my pitches,” Sanchez said. “That has been the most significant improvement I’ve made this season.”

 

Dunedin pitching coach Darold Knowles agrees. During a start earlier this season Sanchez breezed through an opposing lineup using exclusively his mid- to high-90s fastball. In the dugout between innings, Knowles and Sanchez had a talk.

 

“I told him that I know he can overpower these hitters all game with his fastball,” Knowles said, “but for the sake of development and reaching his ultimate objective of pitching in the majors, he needed to mix in his curveball and changeup.

 

“Aaron has major league velocity right now. It’s just a matter of improving his command and effectively using his secondary pitches.”

 

Sanchez and the Blue Jays received a scare when he spent a month on the disabled list after experiencing soreness in his right shoulder during a start against Brevard County on May 18.

 

Sanchez returned to the mound on June 21 and tossed three scoreless innings, striking out three and allowing one hit against a Daytona lineup that included Cubs top prospects Jorge Soler and Javier Baez. In that game, his first three fastballs read 97, 96 and 98 mph on the radar gun.

 

“It was really just a precaution when I was shut down,” Sanchez said. “In the game against Brevard County, my shoulder felt a little tight the first two innings and, though my velocity was in the 90s, I didn’t feel much behind my pitches in the third.

 

“It felt reassuring when I made that start at Daytona, hit the high 90s with my fastball and worked in my curve and changeup. You know that every pitch can be your last pitch, so you want to make sure you feel strong and only return when you are fully ready.”

[ace3113]

And...

 

Overlooked No More: Kevin Pillar Races To Triple-A

 

ALLENTOWN, Pa.—Kevin Pillar has additional motivation to make it to the major leagues.

 

The 24-year-old outfielder with Triple-A Buffalo promised his fiancée Amanda they would get married when he gets called up to the Blue Jays. The optimistic Pillar made the announcement in spring training despite the fact he was heading for New Hampshire of the Double-A Eastern League.

 

“I told her we would get married this year,” Pillar said. “It was something to make leaving her a little easier. She’s excited about it.

 

“I’m one big step away in my professional and personal life.”

 

Since being promoted to Buffalo on June 21, Pillar has hit a robust .299/.342/.494 with 23 extra-base hits in 44 games. He earned the promotion by hitting .313/.361/.441 with 15 stolen bases in 71 games with New Hampshire.

 

His meteoric rise through the system has come as a surprise to Pillar, a 32nd-round pick in 2011 who attended Cal State Dominguez Hills.

 

“It’s still sinking in,” Pillar said. “I’m not fully surprised of the success. I’m more surprised at how quickly I’ve moved. I definitely thought I would be in New Hampshire all year.

 

“I was a little surprised, knowing where I came from and where I was drafted.”

 

Despite playing in the backyard of college baseball powers UCLA, Southern California and Pepperdine, Pillar didn’t receive a sniff from any NCAA Division I program. Instead, he followed his high school coach to Dominguez Hills, a Division II program that has produced five major leaguers, the most notable being Craig Grebeck.

 

A hitting machine in college, Pillar set a Division II record with a 54-game hitting streak as a junior and finished his career at Dominguez Hills as the school’s all-time batting leader with a .367 average.

 

Then he waited and waited for a call that finally came on the third day of the draft while he was making breakfast at home.

 

“The disappointment started the year before when I wasn’t drafted at all,” Pillar said. “I was more surprised my senior year. I had a great season and a great summer. I wasn’t expecting to be a top-10 rounder, but I didn’t expect to fall to the 32nd round.

 

“That label isn’t going to go away, but at least in my head I think I’m past it now.”

 

So Pillar, out to prove he deserved a better fate, continued his torrid hitting at Rookie-level Bluefield—he hit .347 to win the Appalachian League batting title—low Class A Lansing (.322) and high Class A Dunedin (.323).

 

Pillar’s bat control, short swing and strength for average home run output made him a perfect candidate for hitting in the middle of the order, but he settled in as leadoff man when he reached Buffalo.

 

“At first it was something I had to get used to,” he said. “I had to learn the leadoff mentality of getting on base, whether it’s getting a hit, walking, bunting or any way possible. The biggest job is to see some pitches and give your teammates a look at the pitcher.”

 

His arm and speed have served the Bisons well at all three outfield positions. The 6-foot, 200-pound Pillar had five assists and only one error in his first 44 games. He’s also a smart baserunner, but it’s his bat that garners the most attention.

 

“He takes a short path to the ball,” Buffalo manager Marty Brown said. “He’s a very confident hitter. He can hit just about anywhere, but I keep him at leadoff to get him at-bats.

 

“He’s proved himself at just about every level.”

[theblujay]

Here you go.

 

"the “Lansing Three.”

 

The trio of Blue Jays prospects fronted one of the most formidable rotations in the minors in 2012, and they had such a strong bond that they lived together year-round, envisioning the day when they would anchor Toronto’s big league pitching staff."

 

So sad...

[Arkadium]

And...

 

Pillar's numbers have really dropped off but they are still good enough for a Sept call-up

[G-Snarls]

"the “Lansing Three.”

 

The trio of Blue Jays prospects fronted one of the most formidable rotations in the minors in 2012, and they had such a strong bond that they lived together year-round, envisioning the day when they would anchor Toronto’s big league pitching staff."

 

So sad...

 

Makes we want to cry

 

An AL pennant this year would have helped ease the pain. But because of how crappy Dickey and Johnson have been it's just incredibly painful to think about those three still being in the system.