2014 Blue Jays Draft | Signings, Bonuses and Rumors Thread

[43211234]

Law said Bickford declined a bit this year and Stroman is contributing in a major league rotation, albeit small sample. I'd much rather have Stroman and Pentecost than Bickford and Beede.

[NorthOf49]

Law said Bickford declined a bit this year and Stroman is contributing in a major league rotation, albeit small sample. I'd much rather have Stroman and Pentecost than Bickford and Beede.

Without a doubt, yes. Lots of (less serious) fans seem to think we missed out on a lot of stuff by not signing two first round picks in recent years and that it's a big blemish on AA's record. Couldn't be further from the truth.

 

It's probably fair to say that Stroman is in the Majors and contributing earlier than Beede would have, had he signed with us. And I actually didn't want Bickford to sign last year (some people think the Blue Jays didn't want to sign him either), he didn't seem like a premium prospect.

[GeorgiaPeach]

Great draft by the Jays. Might end up being the best team to come out of this class.

And it really does look like they do target more or less injured pitchers to sign them at discounted deals banking on the advancement of medicine and saving up change from other picks to go after bigger risks/higher reward type players.

And I didn't mean to s*** on you Gibbers. I was just curious. My bad if you felt that way.

 

Did you crap on me after I responded about my job and why I had zero interest in pursuing a career in baseball?

 

(I was going to say s***, but felt it was too harsh a word to use seeing as we may have some new fresh baseball fans and they've never heard such bad talk in their entire life)

[Pulk_Pull]

It's probably fair to say that Stroman is in the Majors and contributing earlier than Beede would have, had he signed with us. And I actually didn't want Bickford to sign last year (some people think the Blue Jays didn't want to sign him either), he didn't seem like a premium prospect.

 

I'm not sure the Jays didn't want him to sign, but moreso they didn't want to sign him for significantly over-slot and were comfortable if he didn't.

 

I highly doubt a major league team punts a top 10 pick. The Jays wanted him, not at his price but at theirs.

[dineke]

Happ, Estrada and Volquez also are in a MLB rotation.

 

Are you done with the dick sucking of Tyler "The Rocket" Beede yet? It's getting kinda gross.

[Smedley Butler]

So much jealousy being displayed in this thread toward Chris Cotillo. Get a life.

[Angrioter]

Nick Wells will sign with the Toronto Blue Jays

 

After Battlefield left-hander Nick Wells talked with his family and adviser Jeff Randazzo, he decided he’s ready to begin the next stage of his baseball career in the professional ranks. The Toronto Blue Jays’ third-round pick (No. 83 overall) decided a couple of days ago that he would join the organization. Tuesday, he called College of Charleston Coach Monte Lee to tell him the news.

 

The 6-foot-5 Wells was rated as the No. 119 draft prospect in the country by Baseball America, and he has a fastball that has touched 93 mph and consistently sits in the lower 90s. His curveball has a good break and movement and at times is a plus pitch for him.

 

“It’s crazy that I am going to play pro ball, it’s a dream come true, ” Wells said. “Last year I was trying to find a college and in a week I sign, that’s crazy.”

 

Wells will head to Dunedin, Fla., next week for his physical and upon passing the exam he would sign his pro contract for the slot value of $661,800. He would then suit up for the Blue Jays’ rookie-level minor league affiliate in the Gulf Coast League.

 

The 17-year-old said he felt from his conversations with Lee that the coach knew he would sign, and the skipper wished him well as he embarked on the next phase of baseball.

 

“He was great about it,” Wells said of Lee. “He said, ‘you got the money you wanted and I wish you the best of luck,’ he told me I can always come work out for them and I’m always welcome at the school.”

 

Wells said he needs to improve his changeup while in the minor league ranks and add muscle and strength to his 185-pound frame that will in turn add velocity to his fastball.

 

He is the second Bobcats player to be drafted directly out of high school. Right-hander Evan Scott was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in 2008 in the 37th round.

[imsorry4beatinU]

Metzler signing

 

There were numerous professional prospects on the University of South Carolina-Aiken baseball roster this past season. Major League Baseball scouts routinely flocked to the Pacers’ games to evaluate those players for the upcoming draft.

So it was no surprise when head coach Kenny Thomas received a call from Toronto Blue Jays scout Chris Kline one day last spring. Kline was coming to a game and wanted to meet with Thomas beforehand.

“We talked during batting practice and he was asking about five or six guys,” Thomas recalled. “We went through each player one by one. When we got done, (Kline) says to me ‘Well I like Metzler better than all of them.’ So it’s really no surprise that Toronto took Ryan.”

Kline must have put in an awfully good recommendation because Toronto selected Ryan Metzler in the ninth round of the MLB Draft on Friday. The Archbishop Spalding product had two outstanding seasons at South Carolina-Aiken after transferring from Siena.

“In my opinion, Ryan’s strength is his work ethic and dedication,” Thomas said. “He comes to the ballpark early every day to throw, take grounders and do extra hitting. Ryan never cuts anything short. I’m big on player development and I watched that kid just get better and better. He improved an awful lot in two years here.”

Metzler started all 108 games that South Carolina-Aiken played the past two seasons, earning NCAA Division II All-Southeast Region and first team All-Peach Belt Conference honors in 2013. The Glen Burnie resident batted .361 with 37 extra base hits, 88 RBIs and 90 runs scored during his career with the Pacers.

“Transferring to USCA was the best decision I made. Siena just wasn’t the right fit for me,” Metzler said. “I was a lot happier down there and playing for such a strong program and in a really tough conference forced me to raise my game. I just called Coach Thomas and thanked him for everything that he did for me.”

Metzler said on Monday that he intended to sign with the Blue Jays and forego his final year of college eligibility. He is scheduled to attend a mini camp at Toronto’s spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida later this week and will finalize the contract at that time.

“I feel like you only get this chance once and I didn’t want to pass it up. Obviously, Toronto thinks highly of me to take me in the ninth round. I want to seize the opportunity while I have it,” Metzler said.

For Metzler, who began playing baseball with the Greater Glen Burnie organization, the realization that he will soon be a professional is almost too much to comprehend.

“My mom always tells me that I started holding a baseball when I was 2 years old and that when I was a toddler I would sit in front of the television and watch the Orioles game,” Metzler said. “Every kid dreams of one day making it to the majors. As you get older, you understand just how difficult that is to do. I knew if I worked really hard and stayed focused that I might get a chance to play pro ball. To be drafted is just an incredible feeling… very rewarding.”

Metzler was a first team All-County selection by Capital Gazette Communications after batting .515 with 22 RBIs and 15 stolen bases as a senior at Spalding. He led the Cavaliers with 53 hits, 17 of which went for extra bases.

Metzler started 53 games as a freshman at Siena and was third on the team with a .291 batting average. However, he wasn’t happy at the school in upstate New York and asked former Spalding head coach Steve Miller to help facilitate a transfer. Miller, whose son Sean was headed to South Carolina-Aiken, called Coach Thomas on Metzler’s behalf.

“I had no problem recommending Ryan to South Carolina-Aiken because I know the kid’s work ethic is second to none. Ryan is a grinder who has a great approach to the game,” said Miller, who coached Metzler for three seasons at Spalding and also with the Maryland Cavaliers summer squad. “Ryan is intelligent and tough, just a very competitive kid.”

According to both Miller and Thomas, what sets Metzler apart is his fielding. A shortstop throughout his days with GGB, Metzler switched to second base at Spalding and proved a natural at the position.

“All the scouts loved Ryan’s defense. He’s just very, very dependable with the glove,” Thomas said. “Ryan is going to make all the routine plays and a few spectacular ones as well.”

Kline was one scout who marveled at how well Metzler turned the double play. Miller describe the youngster as “extremely rangy with very quick hands.”

“Defense has always been my strength. I just take a lot of pride in playing my position the right way and making all the plays that are expected,” said Metzler, who turned 36 double plays in 2014. “I’m still trying to master all the elements of second base. You can never be satisfied.”

 

http://www.capitalgazette.com/sports/college_sports/spalding-product-metzler-selected-by-toronto-in-ninth-round-of/article_fe4bc524-4ae1-5064-884c-adda04f87b97.html

[SpeedyGose]

Rogers Clemens Vs Tom "Flash" Gordon

 

I know you're trolling but I'll respond anyway.

 

Stroman is already showing the arsenal and command of a #3 starter. With the amount of things that can happen and the ridiculously high bust rate pitchers have, I would be shocked if Beede reaches the level Stroman is already at.

[admin]

I know you're trolling but I'll respond anyway.

 

Stroman is already showing the arsenal and command of a #3 starter. With the amount of things that can happen and the ridiculously high bust rate pitchers have, I would be shocked if Beede reaches the level Stroman is already at.

 

I think it was just a height comparison.

[imsorry4beatinU]

Matt Morgan signed for 300 k according to BA

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draftdb/index.php

[Angrioter]

[Ehjays]

Matt Morgan signed for 300 k according to BA

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draftdb/index.php

 

Thats a nice little savings

[Angrioter]

Matt Morgan signed for 300 k according to BA

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draftdb/index.php

 

With Matt Morgan 300K, the Jays saved 158K

[Pulk_Pull]

With Morgan and Wells potentially only netting 150k in savings. It will come down to 6-10 to get the extra cash for Rounds 11+.

[z3r0s]

With Morgan and Wells potentially only netting 150k in savings. It will come down to 6-10 to get the extra cash for Rounds 11+.

 

and we went overslot with Lane by like 400k

[Angrioter]

With Morgan and Wells potentially only netting 150k in savings. It will come down to 6-10 to get the extra cash for Rounds 11+.

 

and we went overslot with Lane by like 400k

 

(343 - 750) = -407

[GoFlamesGo]

The money saved from the throwaway picks from 6-10 + the other savings from Morgan, will cover the costs of signing Lane. Any money saved by signing Pentecost + Hoffman will go towards 11 and on guys.

[Pulk_Pull]

Flames, that is definitely another way to look at it, given rounds 6-10 could net that 400k we need for Lane.

 

Does the fact that 4 of 6-10 are juniors matter when evaluating risk? Will we need to shell out more to get them to bite?

[z3r0s]

(343 - 750) = -407

 

yes I get that... that's what overslot means.

[GoFlamesGo]

honestly, I am not sure if that'll make a difference, but I think you could save 277K between the 5 picks (130 saved from #4 MM)

[TwistedLogic]

The money saved from the throwaway picks from 6-10 + the other savings from Morgan, will cover the costs of signing Lane. Any money saved by signing Pentecost + Hoffman will go towards 11 and on guys.

 

Flames, that is definitely another way to look at it, given rounds 6-10 could net that 400k we need for Lane.

 

Does the fact that 4 of 6-10 are juniors matter when evaluating risk? Will we need to shell out more to get them to bite?

 

Or if the Jays are willing to go 5% over their budget (no penalty other than $ tax), that gives them an additional $472,925 of slot money, and that more than covers Lane completely on its own.

[TwistedLogic]

---

http://www.thenassauguardian.com/sports/47966

 

"It's really a blessing. I just thank God for the opportunity," said Isaacs Jr. "A lot of people were not selected, and even though it was late, I'm just glad that I was chosen. The work is just beginning for me. I'm just glad to be in the system and to have an opportunity to show the world what I'm made of and what The Bahamas is made of. I'm excited to start playing and get this journey started. Right now, I think the hitting is the hardest part of the game, but I'm ready to work and get going."

 

---

Todd Isaacs Jr. is signing.

[Angrioter]

[Angrioter]

---

http://www.thenassauguardian.com/sports/47966

 

"It's really a blessing. I just thank God for the opportunity," said Isaacs Jr. "A lot of people were not selected, and even though it was late, I'm just glad that I was chosen. The work is just beginning for me. I'm just glad to be in the system and to have an opportunity to show the world what I'm made of and what The Bahamas is made of. I'm excited to start playing and get this journey started. Right now, I think the hitting is the hardest part of the game, but I'm ready to work and get going."

 

---

Todd Isaacs Jr. is signing.

 

Release candidate in 2 years?

[TwistedLogic]

---

Perseverance lands Autrey in pro baseball

By BRAD KEITH, Posted: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 5:00 am

 

J.T. Autrey always kept his head up, his eyes on the light at the end of the tunnel. Through a pair of shoulder surgeries that took years to overcome, the 2010 Stephenville High School graduate believed in his potential. He believed he was destined to be a professional baseball player. On Saturday, that dream became reality.

 

Autrey was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays as the 954th pick in the 32nd round of Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft Saturday. He will be working out as a pro by noon on Wednesday. "The whole experience has been awesome. I had quite a few teams talking to me throughout the year. The Angels, Indians and Tigers were all on me hard," said Autrey, a right-handed pitcher coming out of Lamar University in Beaumont. "I hadn't really communicated with the Blue Jays, but I got a phone call from them in the 32nd round saying they were about to pick me. It was really exciting."

 

Autrey flies out of Dallas today and by noon Wednesday will be in Dunedin, Florida to begin working out in Blue Jays Minor League system. "I have to take a physical (Wednesday) morning, then I'll get all my gear and start working out right away," said Autrey. "One journey ends and another begins."

 

The journey certainly had its ups and downs. In fact, Stephenville fans may struggle to recall ever seeing Autrey pitch for the Yellow Jackets thanks to the shoulder injuries that could have wrecked his budding career. "I had shoulder surgery in the fall of 2010, then I rehabbed, got the shoulder back near full strength and was throwing up to 93, 94 miles per hour," Autrey said. But only a few weeks passed before familiar feelings of discomfort returned.

 

"I went back to the Texas Rangers doctor who did my first surgery and he sent me to a neurologist," Autrey explained. "It turns out I had nerve damage and had to had to have another surgery to fix that." Autrey could have given up, but instead he went to Navarro College - where older brothers Leighton, a 2004 pick of the Seattle Mariners and currently the head baseball coach at Corsicana High School, and Garrett also played - and ultimately on to Lamar, which competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the Southland Conference.

 

"I'm a competitor. I think you have to have a bulldog mentality to be a successful pitcher, and I definitely have that. It's how I was raised," Autrey said. "If you get knocked down, you always get right back up and keep fighting.

"The rehab was tough," he added. "But I knew I had the potential, and I knew I wasn't a quitter."

 

And this spring, he was finally healthy enough to make serious contributions from the hill. He fired 40 strikeouts over 42.2 innings in 20 appearances for Lamar, five of them starts. He was 6-2 with a 3.59 earned run average, allowing just 31 hits and 17 walks, for a ratio of just 1.35 hits plus walks per inning pitched. Opposing batters hit just .215 against him.

 

"There was nothing better than just getting the chance to play the game again," Autrey said. "And not just play, but to play it to the level I know I'm capable of."

Nothing better. Until being drafted, that is.

 

"I had hopes, and I knew I had put in the hard work that was necessary, but you never know for sure until you get that call," Autrey said. "It really was a dream come true."

 

---

 

JT Autrey is signing.

 

 

[Caper]

---

Perseverance lands Autrey in pro baseball

By BRAD KEITH, Posted: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 5:00 am

 

J.T. Autrey always kept his head up, his eyes on the light at the end of the tunnel. Through a pair of shoulder surgeries that took years to overcome, the 2010 Stephenville High School graduate believed in his potential. He believed he was destined to be a professional baseball player. On Saturday, that dream became reality.

 

Autrey was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays as the 954th pick in the 32nd round of Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft Saturday. He will be working out as a pro by noon on Wednesday. "The whole experience has been awesome. I had quite a few teams talking to me throughout the year. The Angels, Indians and Tigers were all on me hard," said Autrey, a right-handed pitcher coming out of Lamar University in Beaumont. "I hadn't really communicated with the Blue Jays, but I got a phone call from them in the 32nd round saying they were about to pick me. It was really exciting."

 

Autrey flies out of Dallas today and by noon Wednesday will be in Dunedin, Florida to begin working out in Blue Jays Minor League system. "I have to take a physical (Wednesday) morning, then I'll get all my gear and start working out right away," said Autrey. "One journey ends and another begins."

 

The journey certainly had its ups and downs. In fact, Stephenville fans may struggle to recall ever seeing Autrey pitch for the Yellow Jackets thanks to the shoulder injuries that could have wrecked his budding career. "I had shoulder surgery in the fall of 2010, then I rehabbed, got the shoulder back near full strength and was throwing up to 93, 94 miles per hour," Autrey said. But only a few weeks passed before familiar feelings of discomfort returned.

 

"I went back to the Texas Rangers doctor who did my first surgery and he sent me to a neurologist," Autrey explained. "It turns out I had nerve damage and had to had to have another surgery to fix that." Autrey could have given up, but instead he went to Navarro College - where older brothers Leighton, a 2004 pick of the Seattle Mariners and currently the head baseball coach at Corsicana High School, and Garrett also played - and ultimately on to Lamar, which competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the Southland Conference.

 

"I'm a competitor. I think you have to have a bulldog mentality to be a successful pitcher, and I definitely have that. It's how I was raised," Autrey said. "If you get knocked down, you always get right back up and keep fighting.

"The rehab was tough," he added. "But I knew I had the potential, and I knew I wasn't a quitter."

 

And this spring, he was finally healthy enough to make serious contributions from the hill. He fired 40 strikeouts over 42.2 innings in 20 appearances for Lamar, five of them starts. He was 6-2 with a 3.59 earned run average, allowing just 31 hits and 17 walks, for a ratio of just 1.35 hits plus walks per inning pitched. Opposing batters hit just .215 against him.

 

"There was nothing better than just getting the chance to play the game again," Autrey said. "And not just play, but to play it to the level I know I'm capable of."

Nothing better. Until being drafted, that is.

 

"I had hopes, and I knew I had put in the hard work that was necessary, but you never know for sure until you get that call," Autrey said. "It really was a dream come true."

 

---

 

JT Autrey is signing.

 

 

 

 

Mr Autrey. Meet Steve Delabar.

[Bluejay 12]

Hi all

 

I am a diehard Blue Jays fan and really surprised I have found this site only just now...

 

Draft signings going better than I expected so far it looks like a great draft class assuming Hoffman and Pentecost will sign...

 

I got some inside info on Bickford from my friend recently the Jays didnt like something on his shoulder what could shorten his career in the future so they offered him the minimum amount needed to get a pick back and let him walk away

[Bluejay 12]

... Edited June 12, 2014 by Bluejay 12
double post

[jays4life19]

Hi all

 

I am a diehard Blue Jays fan and really surprised I have found this site only just now...

 

Draft signings going better than I expected so far it looks like a great draft class assuming Hoffman and Pentecost will sign...

 

I got some inside info on Bickford from my friend recently the Jays didnt like something on his shoulder what could shorten his career in the future so they offered him the minimum amount needed to get a pick back and let him walk away

 

I believe it was Jim Callis who pretty much said the same thing on the fan590 on draft day. Said he never wrote an article about it because he didn't have enough sources to confirm it but heard noise that the Jays didn't like his medicals and thus why they didn't make a real effort to sign him.

 

welcome to the board!