Official MiLB/Prospects Thread

[Jimcanuck]

Moreno needs to move to 3B not only because it's a current need, but because his bat is too good to be compromised by the wear and tear of being a catcher. He can still be a secondary catcher.

 

He may have been moved from the INF to C due to strong arm and build, before his bat exploded.

[John_Havok]

"He may have been moved from the INF to C due to strong arm and build, before his bat exploded."

 

Or he was moved because he couldn't catch a grounder and his range was ass. Hard to say really but even when he was signed at 16 he was already being converted to catcher.

[InsideThePark]

Dominguez was doing better in his start today until he forgot how to throw a strike in the 4th inning for some reason. 3.2 IP, 4 hits, 3 runs, 4 K's. 4 walks which all came almost back to back to back to back in the 4th before getting pulled.

[Spanky__99]

"He may have been moved from the INF to C due to strong arm and build, before his bat exploded."

 

Or he was moved because he couldn't catch a grounder and his range was ass. Hard to say really but even when he was signed at 16 he was already being converted to catcher.

 

And since John??

[Spanky__99]

Does it really matter? heh'

[TwistedLogic]

[John_Havok]

And since John??

 

Dunno. Any of the basic scouting reports from 2016 IFA sheets says pretty much the same thing.. he was a MIF who is transitioning to catcher, has a great arm and athletic build. They never really went into why he was moving positions.

[keggy]

I don't know enough about Moreno's defense. Assuming that he projects as a true catcher, I say keep him there until he kicks down the door from AAA. He has like a month's worth of ABs above A ball.

 

Trade McGuire for peanuts now and go with Jansen/Kirk until Moreno forces our hand.

[Daniel Labude]

Dunno. Any of the basic scouting reports from 2016 IFA sheets says pretty much the same thing.. he was a MIF who is transitioning to catcher, has a great arm and athletic build. They never really went into why he was moving positions.

 

He changed positions because a Jays scout asked him too, thinking he would be amazing at C with his agility and arm. He tried it and it worked...the rest is what we have seen

[Spanky__99]

He changed positions because a Jays scout asked him too, thinking he would be amazing at C with his agility and arm. He tried it and it worked...the rest is what we have seen

 

That was my point on that, he's excelled since. Young IFA defensive grades are quite vague.

[John_Havok]

He changed positions because a Jays scout asked him too, thinking he would be amazing at C with his agility and arm. He tried it and it worked...the rest is what we have seen

 

Makes sense I guess. I just wonder why they’d do that with a SS who didn’t obviously need to move….seems that sentencing a kid to a life of knee problems would be the last thing you want unless it’s the last option. Catchers move slowest through the minors for the most part due the defensive rigors of the position

[Jimcanuck]

Makes sense I guess. I just wonder why they’d do that with a SS who didn’t obviously need to move….seems that sentencing a kid to a life of knee problems would be the last thing you want unless it’s the last option. Catchers move slowest through the minors for the most part due the defensive rigors of the position

 

From https://futurebluejays.com/2021/06/26/gabriel-moreno-catcher-of-the-future/

 

The Blue Jays were doing their groundwork in 2015 with the 15 year olds who were going to be part of the next year’s IFA class. Venezuelan scout Francisco Placencia had multiple looks at a young middle infielder and thought he saw a catcher in the making. He perhaps didn’t have the stocky build of a prototypical backstop, but Placencia saw enough quick twitch reactions and a strong arm that made him think of an agile receiver. Gabriel Moreno was asked to go behind the plate. Initially, he balked. “I was scared, man,” he said later of that time. But when Sandy Rosario, who runs the Blue Jays international ops on a daily basis, made the trip from the Dominican to have a look at the future catcher Placencia raved about, Moreno relented. They were eventually able to get his name on a contract for a $25K bonus.

 

For $25K bonus Moreno was obviously not a projected elite hitter. Jays are trying to maximize his value, and they thought an agile, strong armed catcher was it.

 

Now that the bat is elite, they really need to find him a second position, to get that bat in almost every game and reduce wear and tear on the body.

[metafour]

Can anyone post this BA article on our recent draftee? I'm interested to see what Collazo wrote:

 

 

[Laika]

Best Pure Hitter: The Blue Jays had a pitching heavy 2021 draft, so the winner here is outfielder Jaden Rudd (7), the only position player the team drafted among the top 10 rounds. Toronto scouts liked his contact ability and hit tool in high school and while he hit just .218 in his first taste of pro ball in the Florida Complex League, he showed solid zone control (15.5 BB%, 19.7 K%).

 

Best Power Hitter: Power was Damiano Palmegiani’s calling card out of juco powerhouse JC of Southern Nevada this spring. He hit .389/.521/.867 with 26 home runs in just 203 at-bats prior to getting drafted. In pro ball, the infielder displayed loud exit velocity numbers and hit .333/.458/.997 with two home runs and two doubles as a 21-year-old in the Florida Complex League.

 

Fastest Runner: Third baseman Riley Tirotta (12) went 43-for-52 (82.6%) in stolen base attempts during his four-year career with Dayton in the Atlantic 10 Conference. He wasn’t quite as aggressive during his pro debut, however, going just 4-for-6 (66.6%) in 30 games with Low-A Dunedin.

 

Best Defensive Player: The Blue Jays believe in Tirotta’s athleticism and arm strength at third base, where he spent all of his time with Dunedin (outside of five games as a designated hitter). Tirotta managed a .931 fielding percentage in 207 innings at the position this summer.

 

Best Fastball: This spring, lefthander Ricky Tiedemann (3) threw a fastball in the 89-92 mph range and saw the pitch touch 94 mph out of a difficult slot for hitters, but he made a jump in velocity during instructs where he topped out at 98 mph. He was one of the youngest college players in the class after being draft-eligible out of high school in 2021 and attending Golden West (Calif.) JC for a season, where he added plenty of physicality to his frame.

 

Best Secondary Pitch: Righthander Gunnar Hoglund (1) made an early jump in velocity during the spring which improved his fastball and a slider that should be an above-average offering in the low 80s. Righthander Chad Dallas (4) showed a good slider during instructs that has a case for this category as well.

 

Best Pro Debut: Rightander Hayden Juenger (6) took steps forward with his strikeout and walk rates during his pro debut. In 20 innings out of the bullpen for High-A Vancouver, Yuenger showed an above-average fastball and changeup, a developing slider and struck out 34 batters (45.9 K%) while walking just four (5.4 BB%).

 

Best Athlete: Righthander Connor Cooke (10) stood out for his athleticism and took a step forward with his control for Louisiana Lafayette this spring. Tiedemann is also an impressive athlete. Toronto views both pitchers as above-average in this category.

 

Most Intriguing Background: Catcher Juan Gonzalez (19) was born in Venezuela and played for Spain in the 2019 WBSC 18U World Cup in Korea. That event was the first time Toronto scouts saw Gonzalez play.

 

Closest To The Majors: Juenger was the most successful member of the Blue Jays’ 2021 class this summer, and with his athleticism, fastball quality and control he could move quickly in a bullpen role. He was in his age-20 season this year and posting in High-A. Among relievers who threw 20 or more innings in High-A West, Juenger’s 41.3 K-BB% was best in the league. Among all pitchers with 20 or more innings, he was second behind only Cubs righthander Caleb Kilian (41.3 K-BB%)

 

Best Late-Round Pick (Or NDFA): Righthander Matt Svanson (13) was a senior sign out of Lehigh who inked a $50,000 deal after a breakout spring, where he posted a 2.30 ERA in 70.1 innings while ticking his fastball up to 96 mph late in the year. The pitch is a heavy sinker and was in the mid-90s during his pro debut with Dunedin as well, where he posted a 2.30 ERA over 15.2 relief innings while also notching the best strikeout rate (13.2 K/9) of his career.

 

The One Who Got Away: The Blue Jays tried to add another Canadian to their draft class by taking righthander Micah Bucknam (16) on the final day of the draft, but the No. 129 ranked prospect in the class didn’t agree to a deal with the team. Instead, Bucknam will again be draft-eligible in 2022.

[Jimcanuck]

Jasson is eating his way to a Panda physique?

 

One of the first things evaluators note about Dominguez is the way his body has changed. He has thickened up considerably into a much stockier player, which leads to questions about whether he can stick in center field. He’s already slowed down and now earns grades closer to average than the double-plus times scouts once saw.

[Jimcanuck]

2022 Draft looks pretty good

 

https://www.prospectslive.com/prospects-live/2021/11/1/2022-mlb-draft-top-200-prospects

[jerb]

[Jimcanuck]

Looks like a 3B to me!

[Krylian]

Looks like a 3B to me!

 

That's where he'd be playing then

[Sammy225]

Who is Spencer Horwitz and should I be interested?

[Spanky__99]

Looks like a 3B to me!

 

Still hasn't played yet, where'd you read he was going to rep at 3rd base?

 

Moreno went 1 -2 with a 2B and 2 steaks.

[Spanky__99]

Who is Spencer Horwitz and should I be interested?

 

He looks interesting on paper, he was a late round draft pick in '19.

[Jimcanuck]

Still hasn't played yet, where'd you read he was going to rep at 3rd base?

 

Moreno went 1 -2 with a 2B and 2 steaks.

 

[jerb]

 

MLB Pipeline

@MLBPipeline

 

Gabriel Moreno boosted his AFL slashline to .372/.473/.605 with another solid performance yesterday: https://atmlb.com/3bC9UTK

[max silver]

 

MLB Pipeline

@MLBPipeline

 

Gabriel Moreno boosted his AFL slashline to .372/.473/.605 with another solid performance yesterday: https://atmlb.com/3bC9UTK

 

It's certainly looking like it's a matter of when Moreno joins the MLB squad in 2022, not a matter of if he joins the team. When would he likely be up with the big club? After the super two cutoff date perhaps? The new CBA may factor into this as well with regards to service time manipulation.

[Jimcanuck]

Writeup in BA today:

 

Spencer Horwitz, 1B, Blue Jays — Though the AFL is packed with high-profile prospects, the league's batting leader has flown well under the radar. That would be Horwitz, whose two hits on Wednesday boosted his average to .408. His on-base percentage of .508 sits just eight points behind league leader Elijah Dunham. Horwitz didn't show profile power for first base during the regular season, but he controlled the strike zone with aplomb, drawing more walks (70) than strikeouts (68) between High-A Vancouver and Double-A New Hampshire. That trend has continued in the AFL, where Horwitz has nine walks and just six strikeouts in 12 games.

[Jimcanuck]

It's certainly looking like it's a matter of when Moreno joins the MLB squad in 2022, not a matter of if he joins the team. When would he likely be up with the big club? After the super two cutoff date perhaps? The new CBA may factor into this as well with regards to service time manipulation.

 

Some evaluators opined that Moreno would have debuted last year if not for the injury.

 

After the Super 2 in 2022 is likely (if Super 2 still exists). Hopefully Kirk, Jansen, or McGuire start hot and return a nice asset while making room for Moreno.

[TwistedLogic]

[connorp]

 

“Moreno went 1 -2 with a 2B and 2 steaks.“

 

That’s what Spanky told me. They must’ve forgotten to put the steaks in that line, which is noteworthy

[Spanky__99]

“Moreno went 1 -2 with a 2B and 2 steaks.“

 

That’s what Spanky told me. They must’ve forgotten to put the steaks in that line, which is noteworthy

 

Say what tard', 2 steaks are Ribeyes!