Rowdy Tellez

[King]

I'm interested to see what peoples thoughts are on Rowdy Tellez going into this season. I know there have been some people that have been really down on him due to being a chubby 1B with no defensive value.

 

But here are some recent articles on him.

 

https://www.canadianbaseballnetwork.com/canadian-baseball-network-articles/blue-jays-prospect-tellez-moves-to-dunedin-to-get-head-start-on-2017?platform=hootsuite

 

 

Rowdy Tellez figured the time was right for him to leave his native California and move to Florida.

 

So three weeks ago, the highly prized Blue Jays’ prospect moved to the Dunedin-Tampa area so he could be next door to the team’s spring training facility.

 

“I thought it would be best for me that I live here,’’ Tellez said in an interview Wednesday. “I’m working with the major-league training staff and I’m getting ready for spring training. I got a letter telling me to get ready for spring training and what date to report in February but I’m getting a head start.’’

 

The 6-foot-4 first baseman had just spent a short time with his family in Sacramento after a five-week tour of duty in the Dominican Republic winter league with Estrelles Orientales in San Pedro de Macoris before heading to Florida.

 

Tellez wants to show that he can make the switch from Double-A to the big-league roster in one, swell swoop. Even though there has been little mention in the media this season of Tellez’s chances of making the Blue Jays, he’s ready to jump in.

 

“I had a great time down in the Dominican. It was very nice,’’ Tellez said. “I’m ready to go into spring training and open some eyes. I changed my body and I like my weight.

 

“I’m comfortable with my weight and my power. I wanted to get strong and lean and be comfortable and strong. I’m lighter than I was at the end of last season. I’m not a little person.’’

 

No, he isn’t. He weighed something like 245 pounds at the end of the 2016 season, a season in which the left-handed hitter slammed 23 homers, drove in 83 runs and batted .297 in only 124 games for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

 

Tellez is headed into spring training with the intent of forming at least part of a platoon scenario at first base once the regular season starts. At this moment in the off-season, holdover Justin Smoak, a left-handed hitter, and right-handed hitting free-agent acquisition Steve Pearce are pencilled in to split time at first.

 

Tellez is looking to force the Jays to stand up and take notice of him.

 

With Edwin Encarnacion gone, don't discount the notion of Tellez dislodging Smoak in the platoon but the Jays' brass also has to look at the idea of Tellez's development doesn't lie in part-time work at the big-league level. In the end, the Jays might decide to send him to Buffalo Triple-A where he can play full-time.

 

“It’s a dream to make a major-league team,’’ Tellez said. “I don’t know what they have in mind for me but they’re giving me this opportunity at spring training and I’m going to run with it. I’m confident. Everyone wants to be in the big leagues. I think I’m ready and we’ll let the gods decide.’’

 

As for those rumours he’s being thrown into trade talks regarding Pirates outfielder Andrew McCuthen and others, Tellez doesn’t sweat the talk.

 

“I’m not worried about that stuff,’’ he said. “People send me stuff that this is happening, but it’s not the first time I’ve been mentioned in trade talks.

 

 

 

 

http://clutchlings.blogspot.ca/2016/12/its-time-for-rowdy.html

 

One of the joys of writing about baseball prospects takes place when the team you follow lands a player in the late rounds of the June amateur draft that even though he was highly ranked, fell in the draft because of a college commitment.

 

Rowdy Tellez, for me, was perhaps the ultimate late-round choice by the Jays.

 

A batting-practice legend on the Showcase Circuit as a high schooler, Tellez was thought to be headed to USC after his senior season. Taking advantage of new rules regarding slot values in the 2013 draft, GM Alex Anthopoulos and his Amateur Scouting Director Blake Parker found a way around the slots, drafting low-leverage college seniors in rounds 4 through 10 (except for California HS P Conner Greene) , and offering them slim bonuses (Matt Boyd, traded to the Tigers as part of the David Price deal, received a $75 000 bonus as a 6th rounder: Chad Girodo, taken in the 9th round, signed for a $5 000 bonus. The Blue Jays used those savings to sign Tellez, who they took with their 30th round pick, at a bonus of $750 000.

 

The Blue Jays have taken Tellez' development slowly and steadily, giving him two years in short season ball before starting him in full season at Lansing in 2015. The knock against him prior to the draft was that he was a base-clogging, one dimensional slugger, but Tellez has worked hard at many aspects of his game to become more of an all-around player, and his time in short season allowed him to sand off the rough edges.

 

Tellez checked in at about 275 lbs when he left high school, but through a dedicated regimen of nutrition and conditioning, he now weighs 245. Tellez admitted that he knew little about how to eat properly, or even prepare his own food until recently, but has come a long way in that regard.

 

As for improving his defence, Tellez has worked on his agility, and infield coordinator Mike Mordecai worked extensively with him on his footwork and positioning around 1st base over the past two seasons. Tellez may not remind anyone of Wes Parker, but he has upgraded his skills tremendously.

 

"Everybody is confident in throwing the ball over to me and pitchers don’t worry about ground balls hit to me," he told Fangraphs' David Laurila. "Defense is what I’ve worked on the most. I’ve worked on it day in, day out."

 

At the plate is where Tellez excels. His strike zone management was what convinced the organization that he could handle the jump to AA this year after only one season of A ball. And he has modelled himself after major leaguers like Adrian Gonzalez and Anthony Rizzo when it comes to his approach with two strikes. He told Laurila:

 

I look at how easy Gonzalez swings and I’ve adopted a little bit of what Rizzo does with two strikes. He takes out his leg kick and works on driving the ball the other way. He knows he can hit home runs to all fields, even with a two-strike approach and not having the leg kick. That’s what I’m doing now. If you can eliminate strikeouts… it’s a huge game-changer.

 

Tellez' spray chart from 2016 would seem to bear that out. Half of his doubles were to the opposite field (while only 1 Home Run was):

 

 

Tellez got off to a rocky start with New Hampshire in 2016, and was hitting only .164 at the end of April. Some of that could be attributed to the fact that he saw very few pitches to hit over that opening month, with ABs like these being fairly typical:

 

 

 

Despite seeing few strikes and even fewer fastballs, Tellez still posted a .345 OBP for April. As the weather heated up, so did Tellez and his Fisher Cats teammates, with his OPS climbing every month, culminating in a 1.046 mark for August. In his first year of AA ball, where he was one of the youngest players in the league, Tellez managed 54 extra-base hits, and posted an impressive 12.4% walk rate.

 

With Edwin Encarnacion gone, and Jose Bautista seemingly set to follow, there may be a looming power shortage in the Blue Jays lineup. Kendrys Morales' approach and swing may be far more suited to the Rogers Centre than many fans would realize, and Steve Pearce's value and versatility can't be understated, but barring a move in the New Year to bolster the starting lineup, it appears that maybe the Blue Jays are leaning toward Tellez earning a 25-man roster spot this spring. The ideal plan would be fore him to receive at least a half season of AAA experience, but it's not unusual for a player to bypass that level once he's proven himself in AA, either.

 

Tellez is what he is: a bat-first player, who will not get any faster or more agile as he ages. But just as Encarnacion worked hard to become at least an adequate 1st Baseman, so has Tellez, and he has shown the work ethic that makes one think that he could continue to improve his defensive skills. He profiles as a put-the-ball-in-play, make the pitcher work (I've been charting his ABs for the first few weeks of the 2016 season, and have him at just over 5 pitches/PA), use the whole field, and change the approach with two strikes kind of hitter that this lineup proved to be sorely lacking down the stretch last year and into the ALCS. There is some thought that the slight hitch in his swing might be exploited by MLB pitchers, but this is a player that has made adjustments throughout his career (despite a 1-37 stretch in 2014 with Bluefield, he still finished with a .293/.358/.424 line), and considering his strike zone judgement, will likely continue to do so. Whether or not it happens this April, at mid-season, or in 2018, Tellez should be a fixture in the middle of the Blue Jays lineup for years to come.

 

----------

 

 

So what do you think? Is Tellez the next Anthony Rizzo/Freddie Freeman? Or is he a Mitch Moreland? Or does he flop completely like Jon Singleton?

[Brownie19]

I don't know - but I enjoyed the read

[Jonn]

I assume he will play the majority if not the entire year in AAA. Be really nice if we could move Smoak. He's useless as is and only blocks Rowdy's progress assuming Rowdy stays healthy and continues to play well.

[Boxcar]

I'm interested to see what peoples thoughts are on Rowdy Tellez going into this season. I know there have been some people that have been really down on him due to being a chubby 1B with no defensive value.

 

But here are some recent articles on him.

 

https://www.canadianbaseballnetwork.com/canadian-baseball-network-articles/blue-jays-prospect-tellez-moves-to-dunedin-to-get-head-start-on-2017?platform=hootsuite

 

 

Rowdy Tellez figured the time was right for him to leave his native California and move to Florida.

 

So three weeks ago, the highly prized Blue Jays’ prospect moved to the Dunedin-Tampa area so he could be next door to the team’s spring training facility.

 

“I thought it would be best for me that I live here,’’ Tellez said in an interview Wednesday. “I’m working with the major-league training staff and I’m getting ready for spring training. I got a letter telling me to get ready for spring training and what date to report in February but I’m getting a head start.’’

 

The 6-foot-4 first baseman had just spent a short time with his family in Sacramento after a five-week tour of duty in the Dominican Republic winter league with Estrelles Orientales in San Pedro de Macoris before heading to Florida.

 

Tellez wants to show that he can make the switch from Double-A to the big-league roster in one, swell swoop. Even though there has been little mention in the media this season of Tellez’s chances of making the Blue Jays, he’s ready to jump in.

 

“I had a great time down in the Dominican. It was very nice,’’ Tellez said. “I’m ready to go into spring training and open some eyes. I changed my body and I like my weight.

 

“I’m comfortable with my weight and my power. I wanted to get strong and lean and be comfortable and strong. I’m lighter than I was at the end of last season. I’m not a little person.’’

 

No, he isn’t. He weighed something like 245 pounds at the end of the 2016 season, a season in which the left-handed hitter slammed 23 homers, drove in 83 runs and batted .297 in only 124 games for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

 

Tellez is headed into spring training with the intent of forming at least part of a platoon scenario at first base once the regular season starts. At this moment in the off-season, holdover Justin Smoak, a left-handed hitter, and right-handed hitting free-agent acquisition Steve Pearce are pencilled in to split time at first.

 

Tellez is looking to force the Jays to stand up and take notice of him.

 

With Edwin Encarnacion gone, don't discount the notion of Tellez dislodging Smoak in the platoon but the Jays' brass also has to look at the idea of Tellez's development doesn't lie in part-time work at the big-league level. In the end, the Jays might decide to send him to Buffalo Triple-A where he can play full-time.

 

“It’s a dream to make a major-league team,’’ Tellez said. “I don’t know what they have in mind for me but they’re giving me this opportunity at spring training and I’m going to run with it. I’m confident. Everyone wants to be in the big leagues. I think I’m ready and we’ll let the gods decide.’’

 

As for those rumours he’s being thrown into trade talks regarding Pirates outfielder Andrew McCuthen and others, Tellez doesn’t sweat the talk.

 

“I’m not worried about that stuff,’’ he said. “People send me stuff that this is happening, but it’s not the first time I’ve been mentioned in trade talks.

 

 

 

 

http://clutchlings.blogspot.ca/2016/12/its-time-for-rowdy.html

 

One of the joys of writing about baseball prospects takes place when the team you follow lands a player in the late rounds of the June amateur draft that even though he was highly ranked, fell in the draft because of a college commitment.

 

Rowdy Tellez, for me, was perhaps the ultimate late-round choice by the Jays.

 

A batting-practice legend on the Showcase Circuit as a high schooler, Tellez was thought to be headed to USC after his senior season. Taking advantage of new rules regarding slot values in the 2013 draft, GM Alex Anthopoulos and his Amateur Scouting Director Blake Parker found a way around the slots, drafting low-leverage college seniors in rounds 4 through 10 (except for California HS P Conner Greene) , and offering them slim bonuses (Matt Boyd, traded to the Tigers as part of the David Price deal, received a $75 000 bonus as a 6th rounder: Chad Girodo, taken in the 9th round, signed for a $5 000 bonus. The Blue Jays used those savings to sign Tellez, who they took with their 30th round pick, at a bonus of $750 000.

 

The Blue Jays have taken Tellez' development slowly and steadily, giving him two years in short season ball before starting him in full season at Lansing in 2015. The knock against him prior to the draft was that he was a base-clogging, one dimensional slugger, but Tellez has worked hard at many aspects of his game to become more of an all-around player, and his time in short season allowed him to sand off the rough edges.

 

Tellez checked in at about 275 lbs when he left high school, but through a dedicated regimen of nutrition and conditioning, he now weighs 245. Tellez admitted that he knew little about how to eat properly, or even prepare his own food until recently, but has come a long way in that regard.

 

As for improving his defence, Tellez has worked on his agility, and infield coordinator Mike Mordecai worked extensively with him on his footwork and positioning around 1st base over the past two seasons. Tellez may not remind anyone of Wes Parker, but he has upgraded his skills tremendously.

 

"Everybody is confident in throwing the ball over to me and pitchers don’t worry about ground balls hit to me," he told Fangraphs' David Laurila. "Defense is what I’ve worked on the most. I’ve worked on it day in, day out."

 

At the plate is where Tellez excels. His strike zone management was what convinced the organization that he could handle the jump to AA this year after only one season of A ball. And he has modelled himself after major leaguers like Adrian Gonzalez and Anthony Rizzo when it comes to his approach with two strikes. He told Laurila:

 

I look at how easy Gonzalez swings and I’ve adopted a little bit of what Rizzo does with two strikes. He takes out his leg kick and works on driving the ball the other way. He knows he can hit home runs to all fields, even with a two-strike approach and not having the leg kick. That’s what I’m doing now. If you can eliminate strikeouts… it’s a huge game-changer.

 

Tellez' spray chart from 2016 would seem to bear that out. Half of his doubles were to the opposite field (while only 1 Home Run was):

 

 

Tellez got off to a rocky start with New Hampshire in 2016, and was hitting only .164 at the end of April. Some of that could be attributed to the fact that he saw very few pitches to hit over that opening month, with ABs like these being fairly typical:

 

 

 

Despite seeing few strikes and even fewer fastballs, Tellez still posted a .345 OBP for April. As the weather heated up, so did Tellez and his Fisher Cats teammates, with his OPS climbing every month, culminating in a 1.046 mark for August. In his first year of AA ball, where he was one of the youngest players in the league, Tellez managed 54 extra-base hits, and posted an impressive 12.4% walk rate.

 

With Edwin Encarnacion gone, and Jose Bautista seemingly set to follow, there may be a looming power shortage in the Blue Jays lineup. Kendrys Morales' approach and swing may be far more suited to the Rogers Centre than many fans would realize, and Steve Pearce's value and versatility can't be understated, but barring a move in the New Year to bolster the starting lineup, it appears that maybe the Blue Jays are leaning toward Tellez earning a 25-man roster spot this spring. The ideal plan would be fore him to receive at least a half season of AAA experience, but it's not unusual for a player to bypass that level once he's proven himself in AA, either.

 

Tellez is what he is: a bat-first player, who will not get any faster or more agile as he ages. But just as Encarnacion worked hard to become at least an adequate 1st Baseman, so has Tellez, and he has shown the work ethic that makes one think that he could continue to improve his defensive skills. He profiles as a put-the-ball-in-play, make the pitcher work (I've been charting his ABs for the first few weeks of the 2016 season, and have him at just over 5 pitches/PA), use the whole field, and change the approach with two strikes kind of hitter that this lineup proved to be sorely lacking down the stretch last year and into the ALCS. There is some thought that the slight hitch in his swing might be exploited by MLB pitchers, but this is a player that has made adjustments throughout his career (despite a 1-37 stretch in 2014 with Bluefield, he still finished with a .293/.358/.424 line), and considering his strike zone judgement, will likely continue to do so. Whether or not it happens this April, at mid-season, or in 2018, Tellez should be a fixture in the middle of the Blue Jays lineup for years to come.

 

----------

 

 

So what do you think? Is Tellez the next Anthony Rizzo/Freddie Freeman? Or is he a Mitch Moreland? Or does he flop completely like Jon Singleton?

 

I think you need to STFU and post the goddamn hottest Jays ranking you f***ing plug.

[Jimcanuck]

He's succeeded every step of the way, and bypassing A+ ball to have a great AA season is huge. If he can handle AAA offspeed, he'll be with the Jays sometime in 2017.

[burlingtonbandit]

One thing I like the most is that players are moving to the Tampa area to workout in Dunedin under the Jays staff in the offseason. I think thats a huge gamechanger that they haven't had in the past.

[Daniel Labude]

Better than Smoak by far. Should be getting playing time over him...but probably won't

[brianf]

Thanks for the read. Pending injury I'm assuming a September call up but it wouldn't surprise me if he's up earlier in the 2nd half when they can't take Smoak anymore.

[TwistedLogic]

Tellez has moved to the Dunedin area to get a head start on his training.

 

https://www.canadianbaseballnetwork.com/canadian-baseball-network-articles/blue-jays-prospect-tellez-moves-to-dunedin-to-get-head-start-on-2017?platform=hootsuite

[TwistedLogic]

Remember when NJH slammed me for saying Tellez was better than Mitch Nay? I member.

[King]

Tellez has moved to the Dunedin area to get a head start on his training.

 

https://www.canadianbaseballnetwork.com/canadian-baseball-network-articles/blue-jays-prospect-tellez-moves-to-dunedin-to-get-head-start-on-2017?platform=hootsuite

 

didnt read the first post ^

[Ray]

Just reading a couple interviews with him he seems ahead of his age when it comes to hitting. One interview I was reading he did, he said he modelled his swing after Anthony Rizzo and Adrian Gonzales.

 

Tellez: The power is always going to be there for me. But the way I see it, you have to work on being a better hitter to get to your power. I believe that the better hitter you become, the more power you’re going to have over time. You can’t hit home runs if you can’t hit the ball.

 

“I’ve watched a lot of guys over the years. The two I’ve really narrowed it down to watching — dissecting their swings and approaches — are Adrian Gonzalez and Anthony Rizzo. I look at how easy Gonzalez swings and I’ve adopted a little bit of what Rizzo does with two strikes. He takes out his leg kick and works on driving the ball the other way. He knows he can hit home runs to all fields, even with a two-strike approach and not having the leg kick. That’s what I’m doing now. If you can eliminate strikeouts… it’s a huge game-changer.

 

Seems like a smart kid for his age. Obviously he's succeeded at every level. I know some scouts are skeptical that his swing might not be well suited for the majors, but I think he adjusts.

 

By the way, the interview is a real good read: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/rowdy-tellez-a-future-jay-and-the-chip-on-his-shoulder/

 

Very high on the kid. I think we see him in September if not sooner.

 

Edit: I'm dumn. Didn't realize that the same part of the article I quoted was also in the opening post.

[Dr Negative]

5 WAR name.

[wamco]

Hopefully he comes up mid season and pulls a josh phelps debut season.

[JuniorFelix]

Hopefully he comes up mid season and pulls a josh phelps debut season.

 

Sure hope his swing isn't as loooooooong as Phelps' was.

[Boxcar]

Remember when NJH slammed me for saying Tellez was better than Mitch Nay? I member.

 

NJH is dumb tho

[JaysFan4Ever]

I've read a number of articles about him, heard some audio talks about him. Some say he could force the Jays' hand if he has a good spring, and a good start in AAA, and the output at 1B isn't what they're looking/hoping for. That might mean trying to find a taker on Smoak and his salary, or DFA, trying to get him to AAA, so he will either take the assignment, or forfeit his contact, if I'm recalling it correctly.

 

I haven't seen him play defensively, and he's seemed to have had a decent OBP throughout his minor league career, starting to hit for power, and doubles, so if he keeps it up, he might be a September call up, at least, if not, up sooner if there's an injury. I would assume if he reports overweight (if they haven't already) the Jays will tell him to work on losing some weight before any potential call up and work on it in AAA.

 

I agree with many that I see him in AAA for a full season, 1) to have him prove he can play at the higher level, 2) his age, he'll only be 22 and you don't want to expose him unless he's tearing it up, 3) keep the arbitration and FA clock from starting, 4) don't want to have to burn an option if you don't have to, 5) we have basically 3 1B/DH kind of guys right now. If he's putting up a good year, say midway through, his defense is at least average, and the Jays need some help because say the platoon isn't working out, or there is an injury, I could see him coming up. Ultimately, I see him playing a year in AAA, then maybe a Sept call up, or possibly forcing the Jays' to consider him next year depending on the situation.

 

No one can predict how someone will translate into the majors. We've seen guys who've had great numbers in the minors, come up, wind up AAAA players at best. If I'm making the call, I'd say stick in him AAA all year to see how he plays, if he has a good year, debate if he's worthy to get a promotion in September, or come up in the event of an injury. If his defense can be at least average, and his bat continues like it did last year into AAA, and the bigs, he could be a decent option to have either as someone who takes over in a platoon situation against RHP, at least at initially, and maybe full time in a year or two, either when Pearce's contract is up, and/or Smoak's option is declined. Worse case, he puts up a strong ST, makes the Jays' keep an eye on him, and kind of makes someone like Smoak keep an eye over his shoulder, and pick up his game, knowing the Jays might go to someone else.

 

Long story short. As it stands now, I see him in AAA all year, unless there's an injury (probably long term, since they might be able to hold onto both Barney and Goins, either on the 25 man somehow, or Goins clears waivers and winds up in AAA, and either one of them play 1B short term, e.g. someone goes on the 10-day DL), or production from Smoak sucks and they say, let's give Tellez a shot, since, at worse, he's no better than Smoak, and we can at least get a look, and tell him what to work on. Then maybe becomes a September call up. I think with the 3 guys who are at 1B/DH, he'll have to really earn his way on the team this year, and if the questions people, well some people, have brought up about his defense are a concern to the Jays, he'll likely be instructed in ST and/or AAA on how to improve and/or to lose weight if that's a factor. I see him as a dark horse, but if he has a solid year in AAA this year, he could force the Jays' hand more likely next year, than this year, but could force their hand this year if there's a long term injury to Pearce, Smoak, Morales, or one of them (likely Smoak), just isn't being as productive as needed. They'll likely keep him in AAA all year to see how he handles it, since it's as close to the bigs as you can get (still a big jump, even with the best prospects, AAAA players, guys who were in the bigs, but options/outrighted, have experience), and if he forces their hand, or they need him, he gets a shot. But I think full year in AAA, will get some help on defense, since, and this is coming from someone who's played 1B against some tough competition, it's not as easy as they say, and in the bigs, you'll need to be at least average. OK, I'm done. Sorry for being so long in my "long story short." lol

[Jimcanuck]

Gonna go out on a short limb and predict Tellez destroys AAA pitching. A huge jump from A ball to AA with excellent results says he'll have no trouble at AAA.

[GD]

OK, I'm done. Sorry for being so long in my "long story short." lol

 

You need a different medium for an outlet.

[THANOS]

Gonna go out on a short limb and predict Tellez destroys AAA pitching. A huge jump from A ball to AA with excellent results says he'll have no trouble at AAA.

 

Yep, he could be up to replace Smoak real quick! Let's hope that's the case!

[JaysFan4Ever]

You need a different medium for an outlet.

 

I do tend to ramble.

[King]

I've read a number of articles about him, heard some audio talks about him. Some say he could force the Jays' hand if he has a good spring, and a good start in AAA, and the output at 1B isn't what they're looking/hoping for. That might mean trying to find a taker on Smoak and his salary, or DFA, trying to get him to AAA, so he will either take the assignment, or forfeit his contact, if I'm recalling it correctly.

 

I haven't seen him play defensively, and he's seemed to have had a decent OBP throughout his minor league career, starting to hit for power, and doubles, so if he keeps it up, he might be a September call up, at least, if not, up sooner if there's an injury. I would assume if he reports overweight (if they haven't already) the Jays will tell him to work on losing some weight before any potential call up and work on it in AAA.

 

I agree with many that I see him in AAA for a full season, 1) to have him prove he can play at the higher level, 2) his age, he'll only be 22 and you don't want to expose him unless he's tearing it up, 3) keep the arbitration and FA clock from starting, 4) don't want to have to burn an option if you don't have to, 5) we have basically 3 1B/DH kind of guys right now. If he's putting up a good year, say midway through, his defense is at least average, and the Jays need some help because say the platoon isn't working out, or there is an injury, I could see him coming up. Ultimately, I see him playing a year in AAA, then maybe a Sept call up, or possibly forcing the Jays' to consider him next year depending on the situation.

 

No one can predict how someone will translate into the majors. We've seen guys who've had great numbers in the minors, come up, wind up AAAA players at best. If I'm making the call, I'd say stick in him AAA all year to see how he plays, if he has a good year, debate if he's worthy to get a promotion in September, or come up in the event of an injury. If his defense can be at least average, and his bat continues like it did last year into AAA, and the bigs, he could be a decent option to have either as someone who takes over in a platoon situation against RHP, at least at initially, and maybe full time in a year or two, either when Pearce's contract is up, and/or Smoak's option is declined. Worse case, he puts up a strong ST, makes the Jays' keep an eye on him, and kind of makes someone like Smoak keep an eye over his shoulder, and pick up his game, knowing the Jays might go to someone else.

 

Long story short. As it stands now, I see him in AAA all year, unless there's an injury (probably long term, since they might be able to hold onto both Barney and Goins, either on the 25 man somehow, or Goins clears waivers and winds up in AAA, and either one of them play 1B short term, e.g. someone goes on the 10-day DL), or production from Smoak sucks and they say, let's give Tellez a shot, since, at worse, he's no better than Smoak, and we can at least get a look, and tell him what to work on. Then maybe becomes a September call up. I think with the 3 guys who are at 1B/DH, he'll have to really earn his way on the team this year, and if the questions people, well some people, have brought up about his defense are a concern to the Jays, he'll likely be instructed in ST and/or AAA on how to improve and/or to lose weight if that's a factor. I see him as a dark horse, but if he has a solid year in AAA this year, he could force the Jays' hand more likely next year, than this year, but could force their hand this year if there's a long term injury to Pearce, Smoak, Morales, or one of them (likely Smoak), just isn't being as productive as needed. They'll likely keep him in AAA all year to see how he handles it, since it's as close to the bigs as you can get (still a big jump, even with the best prospects, AAAA players, guys who were in the bigs, but options/outrighted, have experience), and if he forces their hand, or they need him, he gets a shot. But I think full year in AAA, will get some help on defense, since, and this is coming from someone who's played 1B against some tough competition, it's not as easy as they say, and in the bigs, you'll need to be at least average. OK, I'm done. Sorry for being so long in my "long story short." lol

 

Wow!

[JaysFan4Ever]

Wow!

 

Yeah, I must have had one too many cups of coffee today.

[Spanky__99]

Yeah, I must have had one too many cups of coffee today.

 

Today? lol

 

http://www.bluejaysmessageboard.com/threads/7066-The-Jose-Bautista-Thread?p=1098657#post1098657

 

http://www.bluejaysmessageboard.com/threads/7115-Locking-up-young-Blue-Jays?p=1103355#post1103355

 

http://www.bluejaysmessageboard.com/threads/7117-Rowdy-Tellez?p=1103571#post1103571

 

Holy Shnikies!

Edited January 1, 2017 by Spanky99

[JaysFan4Ever]

Today? lol

 

lol okay, maybe more like this weekend.

[Sorrow]

I don't mind people doing long posts, it's the people that quote the full post that need to be slapped.

 

Either way I'm excited for the Tellez train.

[TwistedLogic]

didnt read the first post ^

 

Can confirm, didn't read a word.

[Boxcar]

I've read a number of articles about him, heard some audio talks about him. Some say he could force the Jays' hand if he has a good spring, and a good start in AAA, and the output at 1B isn't what they're looking/hoping for. That might mean trying to find a taker on Smoak and his salary, or DFA, trying to get him to AAA, so he will either take the assignment, or forfeit his contact, if I'm recalling it correctly.

 

I haven't seen him play defensively, and he's seemed to have had a decent OBP throughout his minor league career, starting to hit for power, and doubles, so if he keeps it up, he might be a September call up, at least, if not, up sooner if there's an injury. I would assume if he reports overweight (if they haven't already) the Jays will tell him to work on losing some weight before any potential call up and work on it in AAA.

 

I agree with many that I see him in AAA for a full season, 1) to have him prove he can play at the higher level, 2) his age, he'll only be 22 and you don't want to expose him unless he's tearing it up, 3) keep the arbitration and FA clock from starting, 4) don't want to have to burn an option if you don't have to, 5) we have basically 3 1B/DH kind of guys right now. If he's putting up a good year, say midway through, his defense is at least average, and the Jays need some help because say the platoon isn't working out, or there is an injury, I could see him coming up. Ultimately, I see him playing a year in AAA, then maybe a Sept call up, or possibly forcing the Jays' to consider him next year depending on the situation.

 

No one can predict how someone will translate into the majors. We've seen guys who've had great numbers in the minors, come up, wind up AAAA players at best. If I'm making the call, I'd say stick in him AAA all year to see how he plays, if he has a good year, debate if he's worthy to get a promotion in September, or come up in the event of an injury. If his defense can be at least average, and his bat continues like it did last year into AAA, and the bigs, he could be a decent option to have either as someone who takes over in a platoon situation against RHP, at least at initially, and maybe full time in a year or two, either when Pearce's contract is up, and/or Smoak's option is declined. Worse case, he puts up a strong ST, makes the Jays' keep an eye on him, and kind of makes someone like Smoak keep an eye over his shoulder, and pick up his game, knowing the Jays might go to someone else.

 

Long story short. As it stands now, I see him in AAA all year, unless there's an injury (probably long term, since they might be able to hold onto both Barney and Goins, either on the 25 man somehow, or Goins clears waivers and winds up in AAA, and either one of them play 1B short term, e.g. someone goes on the 10-day DL), or production from Smoak sucks and they say, let's give Tellez a shot, since, at worse, he's no better than Smoak, and we can at least get a look, and tell him what to work on. Then maybe becomes a September call up. I think with the 3 guys who are at 1B/DH, he'll have to really earn his way on the team this year, and if the questions people, well some people, have brought up about his defense are a concern to the Jays, he'll likely be instructed in ST and/or AAA on how to improve and/or to lose weight if that's a factor. I see him as a dark horse, but if he has a solid year in AAA this year, he could force the Jays' hand more likely next year, than this year, but could force their hand this year if there's a long term injury to Pearce, Smoak, Morales, or one of them (likely Smoak), just isn't being as productive as needed. They'll likely keep him in AAA all year to see how he handles it, since it's as close to the bigs as you can get (still a big jump, even with the best prospects, AAAA players, guys who were in the bigs, but options/outrighted, have experience), and if he forces their hand, or they need him, he gets a shot. But I think full year in AAA, will get some help on defense, since, and this is coming from someone who's played 1B against some tough competition, it's not as easy as they say, and in the bigs, you'll need to be at least average. OK, I'm done. Sorry for being so long in my "long story short." lol

 

I don't mind people doing long posts, it's the people that quote the full post that need to be slapped.

 

Either way I'm excited for the Tellez train.

 

I think it's important to make sure that the post's author has his message spread since he put in so much effort. Nothing wrong with that imo.

[Sorrow]

I think it's important...

 

A quote like what I just did with yours is much easier to read and makes for less scrolling.

[TwistedLogic]

I've read a number of articles about him, heard some audio talks about him. Some say he could force the Jays' hand if he has a good spring, and a good start in AAA, and the output at 1B isn't what they're looking/hoping for. That might mean trying to find a taker on Smoak and his salary, or DFA, trying to get him to AAA, so he will either take the assignment, or forfeit his contact, if I'm recalling it correctly.

 

I haven't seen him play defensively, and he's seemed to have had a decent OBP throughout his minor league career, starting to hit for power, and doubles, so if he keeps it up, he might be a September call up, at least, if not, up sooner if there's an injury. I would assume if he reports overweight (if they haven't already) the Jays will tell him to work on losing some weight before any potential call up and work on it in AAA.

 

I agree with many that I see him in AAA for a full season, 1) to have him prove he can play at the higher level, 2) his age, he'll only be 22 and you don't want to expose him unless he's tearing it up, 3) keep the arbitration and FA clock from starting, 4) don't want to have to burn an option if you don't have to, 5) we have basically 3 1B/DH kind of guys right now. If he's putting up a good year, say midway through, his defense is at least average, and the Jays need some help because say the platoon isn't working out, or there is an injury, I could see him coming up. Ultimately, I see him playing a year in AAA, then maybe a Sept call up, or possibly forcing the Jays' to consider him next year depending on the situation.

 

No one can predict how someone will translate into the majors. We've seen guys who've had great numbers in the minors, come up, wind up AAAA players at best. If I'm making the call, I'd say stick in him AAA all year to see how he plays, if he has a good year, debate if he's worthy to get a promotion in September, or come up in the event of an injury. If his defense can be at least average, and his bat continues like it did last year into AAA, and the bigs, he could be a decent option to have either as someone who takes over in a platoon situation against RHP, at least at initially, and maybe full time in a year or two, either when Pearce's contract is up, and/or Smoak's option is declined. Worse case, he puts up a strong ST, makes the Jays' keep an eye on him, and kind of makes someone like Smoak keep an eye over his shoulder, and pick up his game, knowing the Jays might go to someone else.

 

Long story short. As it stands now, I see him in AAA all year, unless there's an injury (probably long term, since they might be able to hold onto both Barney and Goins, either on the 25 man somehow, or Goins clears waivers and winds up in AAA, and either one of them play 1B short term, e.g. someone goes on the 10-day DL), or production from Smoak sucks and they say, let's give Tellez a shot, since, at worse, he's no better than Smoak, and we can at least get a look, and tell him what to work on. Then maybe becomes a September call up. I think with the 3 guys who are at 1B/DH, he'll have to really earn his way on the team this year, and if the questions people, well some people, have brought up about his defense are a concern to the Jays, he'll likely be instructed in ST and/or AAA on how to improve and/or to lose weight if that's a factor. I see him as a dark horse, but if he has a solid year in AAA this year, he could force the Jays' hand more likely next year, than this year, but could force their hand this year if there's a long term injury to Pearce, Smoak, Morales, or one of them (likely Smoak), just isn't being as productive as needed. They'll likely keep him in AAA all year to see how he handles it, since it's as close to the bigs as you can get (still a big jump, even with the best prospects, AAAA players, guys who were in the bigs, but options/outrighted, have experience), and if he forces their hand, or they need him, he gets a shot. But I think full year in AAA, will get some help on defense, since, and this is coming from someone who's played 1B against some tough competition, it's not as easy as they say, and in the bigs, you'll need to be at least average. OK, I'm done. Sorry for being so long in my "long story short." lol

 

I don't mind people doing long posts, it's the people that quote the full post that need to be slapped.

 

Either way I'm excited for the Tellez train.

 

I think it's important to make sure that the post's author has his message spread since he put in so much effort. Nothing wrong with that imo.

 

A quote like what I just did with yours is much easier to read and makes for less scrolling.

 

Agreed.