Arizona Fall League/Winter Leagues 2016

[Spanky99]

It's nice to see a scout confirm what I have been saying about Conner Greene all season. He was experimenting a lot with his changeup this season and the numbers weren't as good as they could be at times. Stat scouts miss that kind of thing and had him ranked far too low this season, many on our forum not even top 10.

 

I think he'll surprise those uninformed people as he gets closer to the big leagues. He's got everything you want from a big league pitcher and just needs to make the right adjustments.

Did we do a ranking this year?

[Grant77]

Did we do a ranking this year?

 

We had a bunch of people post their rankings in the prospect thread, but no consolidated board effort.

[Spanky99]

We had a bunch of people post their rankings in the prospect thread, but no consolidated board effort.

 

Do you have any recollection of what time that was, ball park figure?

[P2F]

We had a bunch of people post their rankings in the prospect thread, but no consolidated board effort.

 

We have todd's. It's the only list we need.

[King]

Tirado turned in a pretty good year. Strikeout rate is through the roof. Though he was in Low A for all of it.

[Spanky99]

Tirado turned in a pretty good year. Strikeout rate is through the roof. Though he was in Low A for all of it.

 

How old is he?

[King]

How old is he?

21 so right about age/level, but 3rd (2nd?) year repeating Low A. He was in Low A in 2014 with the Jays and sucked, then in 2015 he started out of the bullpen in Dunedin and sucked and got traded with Jimmy Cordero for Ben Revere. This year they had him start as a reliever in Low A and then he converted to a SP at the end of June, where the strikeouts were very good but the walk rate was still fairly high.

[Grant77]

Do you have any recollection of what time that was, ball park figure?

 

I know I posted mine after the draft in June and a few others did as well, but it was a sporadic thing throughout the season.

[Spanky99]

21 so right about age/level, but 3rd (2nd?) year repeating Low A. He was in Low A in 2014 with the Jays and sucked, then in 2015 he started out of the bullpen in Dunedin and sucked and got traded with Jimmy Cordero for Ben Revere. This year they had him start as a reliever in Low A and then he converted to a SP at the end of June, where the strikeouts were very good but the walk rate was still fairly high.

 

Oh... so he's still very young. That's all good.

[King]

DWL started yesterday, Urena batted 9th and started at SS went 1/4 with a strikeout.

 

 

 

Alford 0/3 with a walk and a K for Mesa. McBroom 1/3 with a double and a K. Mayza and Stilson pitched in relief, Mayza pitched 0.2 innings and gave up a hit. Stilson 1IP 1H 0ER 1K

 

In the Mexican league, Jorge Flores started at SS for Naranjeros de Hermosillo. Went 2/2 with a walk and a double.

 

In the Venezuelan league, Jason Leblebijian went 0/4 and started at 2B for Aguilas del Zulia.

[Orgfiller]

 

That sound is so perfect, I feel all warm and happy inside when I play the video. Opposite field too, good stuff.

[GD]

That echo lol

[King]

As Grant posted in the other thread, DJ Davis/Andrew Case/Jackson Lowery/Josh Almonte/Mike Reeves are heading to the ABL to play for Canberra. I'm surprised Hollon isn't there, I wonder what he's up to. The season for the ABL starts on November 17th. The reason it took awhile to announce was that last year the season started October 23rd. Since MLB cut its funding to the ABL, they shortened the schedule.

 

Here is an article from Clutchlings on the players sent to the ABL -

 

http://clutchlings.blogspot.ca/2016/10/blue-jays-name-prospects-headed-to.html

 

The Blue Jays have (finally) named the prospects that will be headed to the Australian Baseball League to suit up for the Canberra Cavalry when ABL play opens at the end of the month.

 

Relievers Andrew Case, Jackson Lowery, Josh DeGraaf, outfielders DJ Davis and Josh Almonte, and Catcher Mike Reeves will take to the field for Canberra, who have had a successful partnership with the Blue Jays dating back several years. The Blue Jays tend to use the down under experience to help a player make up for lost time due to injury or other issues, or to accelerate their development.

 

Anthony Alford was sent to Australia in 2015 after stepping away from college football, and the crash course he took in pitch recognition helped him break out as a prospect that year when he returned stateside. "It's like they pitch you backward," Alford said of the mostlyveteran-laden Aussie pitching staffs after struggling in the ABL with a heavy diet of breaking balls and fastballs just off the plate. The experience helped him leap onto Baseball America's Top 100 list after the 2015 season.

 

IF Jason Leblebijian was just another utility org guy in the system before hitting .324/.401/.578 for Canberra last season, and he didn't stop hitting when he returned home, slashing .294/.361/.436 between Dunedin and New Hampshire this season, establishing himself as a future MLB prospect.

 

Cavalry Manger Michael Collins called the team's MVP the best SS the ABL has seen since Didi Gregorious (who played for Canberra in their first season):

After you get past Didi, Lebby's provided great defence, he's made a lot of great plays that people have almost come to expect as somewhat routine, which definitely are not [routine] ... plays that most people don't even get close to and he's almost making.

 

RHP Case, a native of Saint John, NB, was signed as a free agent after a dominant performance at the inaugural Roberto Alomar T12 tournament in Toronto, a September showcase of the best amateur players in Canada, in 2013. Case threw a 13-strikeout no-hitter in the semi-final, earning a contract with the Blue Jays. He was suspended by MLB for 50 games in March of this year after failing to take a drug test. Case claimed that he couldn't afford the flight from Alberta, where he was training, to Toronto for the test. In truth, he may have mismanaged his time as well as his money.

 

Case, who was likely headed to Lansing, where he finished 2015, but had his season debut pushed back to July as a result of the suspension. He posted an 0-2 record with a 2.28 ERA and 11 Saves in 22 appearances for Lansing, fanning 19 and helping to fortify the back end of the Lugnuts' bullpen.

 

Case is not a power pitcher, topping out at 93 with his fastball. He relies on command of his fastball to both sides of the plate, and a curveball that has nice shape and depth to it, which he can consistently throw for strikes.

 

Righthander Lowery was another undrafted free agent signed out of Arkansas last season, where one of his teammates was 2016 4th rounder LHP Zach Jackson. Lowery went originally to Central Arkansas as an infielder, but transferred after a year to Meridian (MS) CC in order to pitch. The following year, he realized a dream when he returned home to pitch with the Razorbacks. Even though he became a long relief mainstay for Arkansas that year, his relative pitching inexperience and his size (6'0", 175) caused him to be overlooked in the draft in 2015.

 

After a solid debut season in rookie ball last year, Jackson started the season with Vancouver, but was promoted to Lansing this year after saving 5 games in as many opportunities with the C's. With Lansing, he pitched well in July and the first part of August, but struggled down the stretch, and it didn't sit well with him. "(I) didn't finish like I wanted, and let my team down a few times. It will make me a better person this offseason."

 

Lowery is a sinker/slider pitcher who, like Case, uses sequencing and location to get hitters out. The contact he gives up tends to be of the ground ball variety. He admitted that he was a little hesitant to accept travelling far from home, but sees the bigger picture in terms of his baseball career:

At first it got to me a little, not the distance but the time away, missing things like duck season and my family during the holidays. In order to accomplish the things that I want to accomplish in this game I have to sacrifice things and I'm willing to sacrifice almost anything in order to live out this dream. I have the support of my family so I'll do whatever it takes. It's an honor to be invited to this league and to have the support of the Blue Jays. I owe it all to them. They are the reason I am still playing and it is a privilege to represent the organization. I hope to continue to grow as a pitcher mentally and physically and continue to get stronger for next season.

 

Righthy DeGraaf, a 2015 31st rounder out of NAIA Taylor University, is a finesse pitcher like his Lansing teammates Case and Lowery. He did a little bit of everything for the Lugnuts this year, starting 7 games, pitching in long relief, and saving 3 games over 94 innings. He complements his sinker with a slider and a changeup, his out pitch.

 

One of the things that I have come to really enjoy about writing this blog is researching the background of players like DeGraaf - guys who were not highly touted, but have maximized their ability. DeGraaf's high school coach spoke glowingly about him:

“We knew that Josh would go on to good things,” Kein said. “When he was playing for us, it was evident that he wasn’t as physically mature as he was going to get. He has done a lot of hard work. He is one of the best players I have ever coached. He played shortstop for three years on the varsity level. He was a great program kid and a great leader. He is one of the few players I have ever hadl that was a captain in both his junior and senior years. It was his intelligence that put him head and shoulders above others. He is a very smart player. He knew our system inside and out and the game in general. He was a great teacher to the younger kids.”

Of all the prospects headed to the ABL, none have the pedigree of Davis - and few have underachieved to the extent he has. A 2012 1st rounder from Mississippi HS ball, Davis was one of the youngest players in his draft class, and represented a roll of the dice for the Blue Jays amateur scouting staff. His tools were without question, but The Magnolia State is more known for producing footballers than it is baseball players.

 

In five minor league seasons, Davis has posted a line of .239/.312/.352, which was inflated by a .282/.340/.391 2015 season with Lansing - his second at that level, after striking out a league-high 167 times the year before.

 

Davis missed a month due to injury this year with Dunedin, and hit only .197 for the D-Jays in 97 games. He's headed to the ABL not only to make up for that lost time, but also perhaps to sharpen his pitch recognition skills - he's struck out almost 30% of the time over his minor league career.

He's fallen off the prospect radar, but the tools are no doubt still there, and at 22, there is still time for Davis to turn his career around.

 

Almonte was a 22nd rounder taken out of Long Island, NY high school in 2012, and the club's patience in his gradual development was rewarded with a breakout .307/.343/.398 season with short-season Bluefield in 2014. He had trouble staying healthy with Lansing in 2015, and slipped below the Mendoza line between Lansing and Dunedin this year, hitting .199/.245/.275. The tools are there, but the performance mostly has not.

 

Reeves is from the hockey hotbed of Peterborough, ON, by way of Florida Gulf Coast University in the 2013 draft. In four years in mostly a back up role, he has yet to play above High A. Reeves will provide some depth for Canberra behind the plate.

 

The Blue Jays, for their part, are pleased with the partnership they have with Canberra. The Cavalry draw decent crowds, and are well supported by the community. The level of competition is not elite, but it's reasonably good. The league has a number of AA-type pitchers and indy ball veterans who are hopeful of another shot at affiliated ball, and are putting their beset foot forward.

 

Despite being far from home, it's a good atmosphere for prospects who wouldn't have an opportunity to play elsewhere. The Canberra organization is similarly pleased with the arrangement, according to Cavalry CEO Donn McMichael:

The Canberra Cavalry consider our relationship with The Blue Jays as THE most important of all that we have. The Blue Jays have always been very professional in our dealings with them and have always tried to support any gaps in our roster. They communicate well with us and we are aware early in compiling our roster who they intend on sending to us.

The players that have played with us from the Jays have all been quality men and have been willing to assist us in our community engagement with visits to schools, paediatric wards at the hospital etc

 

It's a unique experience for these players, most of whom have never been so far from home. As Lowery suggested, it's a necessary step to help further their careers. Alford has some words of advice for the prospects the Blue Jays have sent to Australia:

Just be a student of the game. Continue to sharpen their craft. Don't get caught up in the results, because the stats there don't determine who they are as a baseball player. Continue to learn, because you can never learn too much.

 

*******************************************************************************

 

The elephant in the ABL, of course, is the decision by MLB to pull its funding this year after the original five-year commitment they made to Australian baseball ended. Baseball is still a fringe sport in Australia, and the ABL is a crucial part of its development. League rules mandate that at least 5 homegrown players must be in a team's lineup at all time. When MLB stepped in to help revive the ABL in 2010, they agreed to finance the league for 75% of its expenses (most of which went to building playing facilities that were brought up to MLB standards), with the Australian Baseball Federation picking up the rest.

 

The 2015-16 season did not get off to a rousing start when league CEO Peter Wermuth was let go on the eve of the season opener. Fans were frustrated over the league's lack of growth. This season, with the funding cut backs, the regular season was shortened from 55 to 40 games.

 

The league still faces an uncertain future. Some teams, like Canberra, have developed partnerships with the local business community, but other teams in the 6-team loop are struggling at the gate and on their spreadsheets. In some parks around the league, the empty seats and lack of advertising don't suggest a rosy financial picture. MLB has looked at other emerging markets like China in which to grow the game and discover new talent. Still, McMichael is optimistic about the league's future:

I am very confident that the ABL will continue to grow and help develop the talent that we are producing in Australia, and be a destination for both affiliated and independent ball players to play winter ball.

This year is very much a year of consolidation for the ABL after the departure of MLB. It is fair to say that without the assistance of MLB over the past 6 years the ABL would not be in the strong position that it is and we are very grateful for all that they have done is assisting us.

 

*******************************************************************************

 

Only Brisbane has secured sponsorship to stream all of its games on the ABL's website. The other teams will stream one game per series. The ABL does have a YouTube channel, where you can watch highlights and archived games.

The time difference between Canberra and Toronto is 15 hours, so watching the Cavs will often mean getting up in the dark at about 4:30 am to watch.

[King]

For Friday, October 21

Danny Jansen went 0/4 with 2 Ks for Mesa

Conner Greene SP and went 3IP 0H 1ER 2BB 0K 8GO - 0FO

Matt Dermody 1IP 2H 2ER 2BB 0K

 

Richard Urena batted 2nd for Gigantes in the DWL. 1/4 with a K

Moises Sierra 0/3

Jairo Labourt 1IP 0H 0ER 0BB 1K

The touted middle infield Cuban Jose Fernandez is playing for Aguilas 1-4 with a K

Rowdy Tellez 0/2 with a BB and a K. Pinch ran for later in the game

Wil Browning 0.1IP

 

Jorge Flores started at SS and went 0/2 with a BB and a K in the Mexican winter league.

 

In the Venezuelan Winter League, Jason Leblebijian started at 2B but went 0/4 with 2Ks.

Dustin Antolin 1IP 0H 0ER 0BB 0K 1GO 1FO

 

That was all for Friday...

 

 

On Saturday, October 22nd

Anthony Alford went 2/4 with a K for Mesa.

Tim Mayza pitched a clean inning with no Ks or walks

 

Richard Urena batted 2nd and started at SS for Gigantes. Went 1/5 with a triple and a K

Alberto Tirado 1IP 1H 0ER 2BB 3K

Rowdy Tellez 3/4 with 3 singles

Wil Browning 0.2IP 0H 0ER 0BB 0K

 

Jorge Flores 2/4 with 2 singles and a SB in the Mexican Winter League.

 

Wilmer Font started for Leones in the Venezuelan Winter League. 5IP 4H 4ER 1BB 1K

[King]

Afternoon baseball: http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/7617858/v1208894783/live-surprise-saguaros-mesa-solar-sox

[King]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/anthony-alfords-using-afl-needed-repetitions/#1xiBsHWP5dxLtqfG.97

 

MESA, Ariz.—One of the more intriguing stories in the Arizona Fall League involves a former Southeastern Conference college football player now playing outfield in the AFL.

 

No, it’s not that Tebow guy.

 

Anthony Alford, named both Mr. Football and Mr. Baseball for the state of Mississippi in his senior year of high school, was considered as a sure first-round talent in baseball entering the 2012 draft. His insistence that he also wanted to play college football dropped Alford to the third round, where the Blue Jays drafted him and signed him for $750,000 to play baseball in the summers while he played football during the college season.

 

Alford enrolled at Southern Mississippi to play quarterback, beginning a three-year college football career while he also spent part of the next two summers with the Blue Jays’ Rookie-ball affiliate in the Gulf Coast League and a handful of games in 2015 at Rookie-level Bluefield and low Class A Lansing.

 

After starting five games at quarterback at Southern Miss in his freshman year, Alford transferred to Mississippi, where he switched to the defensive backfield. He had to sit out 2013 due to transfer requirements, and after four games in 2014 as a backup safety and punt returner with the Rebels, Alford quit football to concentrate on baseball.

 

“I had just gotten married in July going into the season,” Alford said when asked why he decided to give up football. “I knew I had to make a decision that was best for me, my wife and my family . . . Football was taking a toll on my body. Just going back and forth between baseball and football, I never had an offseason.”

 

After playing winter ball in Australia in 2014, Alford finally got to play a full year in 2015 split between low Class A Lansing and high Class A Dunedin and he was named Toronto’s top prospect. Alford returned to Dunedin for all of 2016, posting a .236/.348/.378 slash line in a year marred by both an early season knee injury and later a concussion, still ranking as the Florida State League’s seventh-best prospect.

 

Alford now brings his collection of plus tools and supreme athleticism to the Arizona Fall League, with the primary goal of getting more at-bats to make up for the lost development time. He’s also seeing action in the outfield corners after primarily playing center field.

 

In addition to the flashy tools, what stands out for Alford is a solid approach at the plate and advanced hitting instincts despite his limited baseball reps. Alford credits a former college player in his native Mississippi, Bernard Williams, as helping him grow during his formative teen years.

 

“I would go to college (games) with him and go to his practices, so I was around it as a kid,” Alford said. “Even though I wasn’t playing much, he was still teaching me a lot about the game . . . He’s like my mentor. I call him my brother.”

 

Mesa hitting coach Larry Day, from the Indians organization, has been working with Alford for only a couple of weeks but has already seen evidence of this solid hitting approach, citing a recent home run on an 0-2 count in a road game against Salt River.

 

“That ball was a rocket,” Day said. “In a disadvantaged count he stayed aggressive and was able to get a good swing off. For him to showcase that he has that ability, now it’s on him and it’s on us as coaches to try and pull it out as consistently as possible.”

 

Alford’s plate appearances are still marked by some extra movement, according to Day, but he continues to work at keeping himself into a good position to hit.

 

“All that extra movement, he’s probably athletic enough to pull those moves off,” Day said. “It’s just a matter of him understanding the timing element as far as an approach . . . He’s going to have to understand that he’s going to have to start on the earlier side of ‘on time’.”

 

Despite the loss of baseball development time, Alford believes he benefited from football, both in the training and athleticism he gained as well as developing the nerves of steel required when playing in front of large crowds like he encountered in the SEC.

 

“I just try to bring my football mentality to the baseball field,” Alford said, “and try to do that every day. When I have my football mentality playing baseball, I feel like I’m at my best.”

 

Now, about that other former SEC football player participating in the AFL this year—Tim Tebow. When their respective teams met at Scottsdale Stadium last week, Alford waited patiently after the game for Tebow to finish signing autographs for the nightly cluster of his fans. He introduced himself to the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and the two chatted for a few minutes.

 

“You never really get the opportunity to meet somebody like that guy who’s humble like he is,” Alford said. “I don’t get excited to meet a whole bunch of people—I’ve been around people like Brett Favre and a bunch of NFL players—but he’s different. It’s not so much what he’s done on the field, but just how he carried himself and what he stands for. We have a lot of the same characteristics as far as what we value . . . not just as an athlete, but as a man. I’m strong in my faith and it makes me smile just to see him take a stand the way he does. It brings something out of me just to see him playing.”

 

Alford then added about Tebow, “He’s the kind of person that this game needs because a lot of people look up to him . . . I looked up to him growing up playing football. I think he’s going to be fine because he has that competitive nature and he’s a heck of an athlete.”

[43211234]

Today Alford was 2-3 with a double, HR, walk and a strikeout.

 

Danny Jansen was 2-4 with a triple.

[King]

Ryan McBrooms AFL season is over as he had Hamate Bone surgery.

[Krylian]

Ryan McBrooms AFL season is over as he had Hamate Bone surgery.

 

Eric Hinske says hi.

[King]

If anyone wants to watch some afternoon baseball today. The Arizona Fall league championship game starts at 3 ET, on MLB.com

 

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/209161606/top-prospects-pack-fall-leagues-championship/

 

Mesa Solar Sox are in it which means Alford will be playing.

 

Mesa Top 100 Prospects

2B Ian Happ, Cubs (No. 21)

OF Eloy Jimenez, Cubs (No. 23)

OF Bradley Zimmer, Indians (No. 25)

SS/2B Franklin Barreto, Athletics (No. 42)

OF Anthony Alford, Blue Jays (No. 86)

 

Mesa Organization Top 30 Prospects

OF Greg Allen (Indians' No. 19)

3B/1B Brian Anderson (Marlins' No. 4)

C/1B Victor Caratini (Cubs' No. 15)

SS Yu-Cheng Chang (Indians' No. 9)

RHP Dylan Covey (A's No. 20)

LHP Jarlin Garcia (Marlins' No. 3)

C Danny Jansen (Blue Jays' No. 30)

RHP Frankie Montas (A's No. 10)

3B Yairo Munoz (A's No. 7)

2B Max Schrock (A's No. 21)

 

Surprise Top 100 Prospects

SS Nick Gordon, Twins (No. 47)

RHP Michael Kopech, Red Sox (No. 67)

LHP Stephen Gonsalves, Twins (No. 85)

 

Surprise Organization Top 30 Prospects

LHP Trey Ball (Red Sox's No. 14)

LHP Jalen Beeks (Red Sox's No. 29)

SS/OF Mauricio Dubon (Red Sox's No. 12)

C Mitch Garver (Twins' No. 24)

2B Andy Ibanez (Rangers' No. 2)

LHP Mason Melotakis (Twins' No. 19)

1B Ryan O'Hearn (Royals' No. 7)

RHP Edgar Santana (Pirates' No. 29)

2B Corey Toups (Royals' No. 30)

C Jose Trevino (Rangers' No. 20)

[King]

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/7617858/v1211132683/live-afl-championship-game

 

Its live

[King]

http://i.imgur.com/CoiGrL2.png

 

Jansen and Kelly are Blue Jays prospects

[Laika]

Danny "Super Tek" Jansen needs to bounce back this year or else he's a buried non-prospect.

 

Someone scout him this game please. Hard. Scout hard.

[King]

Danny "Super Tek" Jansen needs to bounce back this year or else he's a buried non-prospect.

 

Someone scout him this game please. Hard. Scout hard.

 

He's quite the enigma. Scouts have always liked his BP power, and he showed that in game one season, in Bluefield in 2014. But other than that his ISO has always been crap, but his walk/strikeout ratios are very good. Also he hits an absurd amount of flyballs. You have to figure with his plate discipline that if he could just tap into that power next year, his value as a prospect would rocket.

[King]

That was a hell of a catch by Tanner English

[Laika]

He's quite the enigma. Scouts have always liked his BP power, and he showed that in game one season, in Bluefield in 2014. But other than that his ISO has always been crap, but his walk/strikeout ratios are very good. Also he hits an absurd amount of flyballs.

 

I'm mostly interested in the Defense.

 

IF the defensive chops exist, then he could still carve out an MLB role. He has some batting eye and contact skills (stat-scouting) and scouts say he has raw power. He's just 21 so if he matures, then harder contact and more game power could significantly improve his ability to hit for extra bases and hit generally.

 

BUT if he's not a good defender then he has no chance.

[King]

I'm mostly interested in the Defense.

 

IF the defensive chops exist, then he could still carve out an MLB role. He has some batting eye and contact skills (stat-scouting) and scouts say he has raw power. He's just 21 so if he matures, then harder contact and more game power could significantly improve his ability to hit for extra bases and hit generally.

 

BUT if he's not a good defender then he has no chance.

 

It's generally been said that he is a good at defense. Strong throwing arm and good receiver. His knees are terrible though and he's missed so much time with multiple surgeries most years.

[King]

This article is from this past July

 

http://www.postcrescent.com/story/sports/2016/07/12/danny-jansen-hopes-put-injuries-behind/87014564/

 

CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Clarion Suites that sits just a few dozen feet or so off US Hwy. 19 is a nondescript structure with a welcoming lobby and friendly staff at the help counter.

 

Florida weather is notoriously wet. Bursts of showers, sometimes no longer than an hour, are seemingly common occurrences early in the day before clouds clear with warm sunshine.

 

On this June day, however, the weather is a bit more volatile, with storm clouds rolling off the Gulf of Mexico and pelting the area with strong showers throughout most of the afternoon and keeping many folks, including the hotel guests, safely inside and away from the popular beaches just a few miles west.

 

It’s here where former Appleton West baseball standout and current Toronto Blue Jays minor leaguer Danny Jansen was visiting family who had made the trek to see him living the dream of being a professional baseball player.

 

One of the top-rated prospects in the Blue Jays system, Jansen strides into the lobby looking every bit the 6-foot-3, 225 pounds he is listed at on the roster of the Dunedin (Fla.) Blue Jays, the high Class-A minor league affiliate of the Blue Jays.

 

Toronto’s pick in the 16th round of the 2013 draft sits down on a corner couch in the lobby. After exchanging pleasantries, it doesn’t take long to notice a bit of disappointment in the 21-year old Jansen’s voice when talking about his recent injury struggles that have put a delay in his obvious goal of reaching the major leagues.

 

Injuries, something that had not been an issue for most of his younger days playing the game, have cut short his playing time in each of his three seasons in the minors.

 

Jansen had the hook on his Hamate bone removed by surgery on May 10. After a five-inning stint in a rehab assignment, he still felt soreness and pain, which prompted the Blue Jays to put him on the disabled list.

 

“It’s becoming a pretty common injury,” Jansen said, holding up his left hand to pinpoint where the surgery took place. “The Hamate bone in your, there’s a hook that goes over a nerve. I don’t know if it’s the amount of swings or just a certain swing where it happens, but it just breaks.

 

“They call it no-man’s land. There’s no blood in the palms really, so it’s tough for it to heal right. The only thing they can do is to take it out. But it’s a pretty quick recovery, just soft-tissue work. No bone repair.”

 

Jansen was told it would be 4-to-6 weeks recovery time, which helped “ease his mind.” That doesn’t mean he wasn’t discouraged about suffering another injury.

 

“I really wanted a clean season, man,” he said. “This was the year where I really wanted to have that clean season and coming off spring training and getting an opportunity to go to the big league camp and all that stuff.”

 

 

Jansen made his return to the field July 4 in a rehab assignment playing for the Gulf Coast League Bluejays, going 2-for-9. He was elevated back to Dunedin on July 6 and has been in the starting lineup in every game since.

 

 

A top prospect

 

Wes Penick remembers scouting Jansen in the summer of 2012.

 

Penick, the upper Midwest scout for the Blue Jays, scours Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas for Toronto through heat, rain, cold and snow in hopes of finding that diamond in the rough.

 

It was Jansen’s physical presence that first caught Penick’s eye.

 

“I was watching him play for the GRB Rays and I was like, ‘OK, here’s a kid that is big, strong, physical and looks like he can catch,’ ” Penick said.

 

As Jansen entered the spring playing for Appleton West, his talent defensively became undeniable when Penick made several six-hour treks from his home in Iowa to visit the Fox Valley to watch him play.

 

Inclement weather postponed his first opportunity to see Jansen. But David Gassner, the Appleton West coach at the time and a former major league pitcher, put Jansen through batting practice and catcher’s drills in an attempt to showcase his skills for the group of scouts on hand, including Penick.

 

Penick came away impressed and made another visit to watch Jansen play. It was a bit of deja vu for Penick, with the game again mired in inclement weather. Still, Jansen’s defensive prowess shined.

 

“I was more impressed with his ability to receive and block balls. Especially for a kid in the upper Midwest and a high school kid, you don’t see that often,” Penick said. “And then there’s the fact that he had some pop in his bat, too. So we look for catchers that are built around the 6-foot-1 to 6-foot-3 range and about 200-230 pounds. And he kind of fit that mold.”

 

Jansen’s leadership was also apparent, and it’s those kind of intangibles that boost a player’s value.

 

“You could see that. The leadership. He’s a competitor,” Penick said. “And I underestimated that a bit actually. I knew he was competitive, but now that he’s in pro ball, he’s more competitive than what I expected him to be.”

 

Also helping Jansen’s cause was catching teammate Nathan Disch, currently a senior pitcher at Jacksonville University (Fla.), a Division I program.

 

“Upper Midwest catchers, they’re not usually catching guys with quality stuff and he was catching a DI type pitcher (Disch),” Penick said. “When I saw him (his senior year) he blocked a lot of balls, threw some guys out and hit a home run to center field that day.

 

“He ended up getting injured and came back right before the draft in the playoffs against Kimberly.”

 

Injuries a bug-a-boo

 

Injuries have been an issue for Jansen throughout most of his minor league career, something that was tough to watch for his father, Steve.

 

“Actually, all through the youth baseball leagues, he never got hurt,” Steve Jansen said. “He never got hurt until his senior year when he caught a foul tip on his hand and lost about nine games. But he came back at the end.”

 

Steve Jansen added that his son had always appeared to be turning the corner prior to getting injured.

 

“He always started (each season) slow with the bat,” he said. “He never came out and hit .500 right away. And each time (before) he got hurt, the ball was a beach ball. He was getting ready to bust out. As a father it breaks my heart when it happens. Especially this year.”

 

Jansen batted .246 with 18 RBIs while playing for the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays rookie team in 2013.

 

He made the move up the minor league rung to the Blue Jays’ Appalachian League team in 2014 team, where he batted .282 with five home runs, 17 RBIs and 10 doubles before his season ended due to an ACL sprain and meniscus tear in his left knee.

 

Jansen came back healthy and was promoted to the Single-A Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League in 2015, where he played in 46 games and hit four home runs with 27 RBIs and a .206 average.

 

That season was also cut short due to a broken left hand after being hit by a swing while catching. Jansen returned in a rehab assignment for the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays later that season, playing in seven games and batting .238.

 

The Blue Jays thought enough of Jansen, however, to invite him to spring training this February, which caught him by surprise when he received the invite near the Christmas holiday.

 

“My mind was blown,” he said. “Because I didn’t have a super-great season last year. I didn’t know what to expect. I thought maybe it was a false invite, like an accident or something to be completely honest.”

 

Jansen only got a handful of at-bats and spent the majority of the games as the bullpen catcher. But the experience he received from being around the organization’s top players was an important one.

 

“It was unbelievable. Just being around all those guys: Jose Bautista, Troy Tulowitzki and (catcher) Russell Martin,” he said. “I’ve grown up watching (Martin) and he’s always been a premier catcher and one to watch. Getting the opportunity to meet him and do drills and watching him, that was the coolest thing for me.

 

“Catching is a craft and I take it very seriously. And I always want to better my skills. And being able to watch a catcher like that for three-and-a-half weeks was really awesome.”

 

Steve Jansen said that his son only got five at-bats throughout spring training, but that the team was impressed with how the young catcher carried himself.

 

“He doesn’t get riled up,” Steve Jansen said. “And (Toronto manager John Gibbons) apologized about not getting him enough at-bats, so next year when he comes he said, ‘We’ll get you more.’ ”

 

Danny Jansen said he looks forward to being back at the big league camp next February.

 

“Being your first big league camp, you do a lot of catching in bullpens,” he said. “I was at every single game. And just seeing my name on the roster was a cool thing, you know? I met all of the coaching staff and all that stuff. I met a lot of the pitchers and everybody there. So I think it was an awesome step. And, hopefully, I’ll get a chance to go again next year and, hopefully, get into some more games. Whatever it takes.”

 

 

Back in the swing of things

 

Jansen is 2-for-14 with a pair of RBIs since coming back from the DL for Dunedin. His batting average stands at .206 with 15 hits in 72 at-bats for Dunedin.

 

He entered the 2016 season as the 20th-rated prospect in the Blue Jays system, according to MLB.com.

 

“I’ve come back strong,” Jansen said. “I just played my first series this (past) weekend and I feel good just getting the speed of the game back and doing all I can to help the team win.”

 

The key, Jansen says, is staying healthy. His pro career has had a solid start in terms of progression through the minor league system.

 

“I’m actually higher than I thought I’d be,” he said. “To skip a whole level (Short-season Vancouver) and go right to Lansing full-season my third season, I didn’t expect that. My goal was to go a step every year, so to skip Vancouver was like, wow.

 

“I think the organization has a lot invested in me and I’m grateful for that. My biggest goal this year was a clean season. It’s been a pretty smooth recovery so far. I’m just happy to be back. I’m grateful that it happened at this time and that I had two months to get healthy and play.”

[Laika]

Oh, hamate bone this year. Could explain the s***** offensive numbers.

[King]

Ian Happ goes yard