MiLB Recap May 4 2017

[King]

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Manchester, NH - The Fisher Cats started their five-game homestand with a 9-4 loss to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies on Thursday night at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.

 

The Fisher Cats walked 10 batters and hit two, narrowly missing the team-record of 13 free passes. Those 12 baserunners accounted for five of Binghamton's nine runs.

 

The first four Binghamton batters reached base to start the game, and all came in to score against Sean Reid-Foley (L, 1-3). Raffy Lopez cut into the 4-0 deficit with a solo homer in the second inning, but Binghamton rallied again in the fifth inning to extend the lead to 6-1.

Richard Urena drew a bases-loaded walk in the fourth to make it 6-2 before two more Binghamton runs came home in the top of the fifth. Trailing 9-2 in the seventh, New Hampshire got a lift from Derrick Loveless, who laced a two-run double to left center.

 

The Fisher Cats loaded the bases in the third, fourth and sixth innings, but could only score on the walk to Urena. Lopez and Loveless each finished with multiple hits, while Tim Lopes drew three walks in the losing effort.

 

The series continues with a doubleheader on Friday, starting at 5:35 p.m. Friday is WMUR's Play Ball for CHaD Night, with half of all single-game ticket sales benefitting the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock.

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For eight and two-thirds innings, the Dunedin Blue Jays offense was unable to get anything going against the Tampa Yankees on Thursday night at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. That all changed with two outs in the ninth inning when 1B Juan Kelly stepped to the plate with a runner on first. Kelly, staring down a two-run deficit and two outs on the scoreboard, launched a fastball from Yankees reliever Hobie Harris far past the wall in right field and high on to the roof of the office building behind the field to tie the game.

 

"I was thinking positively when I went up bat," Kelly said after the game about his game-tying home run. "I wanted to do my job."

 

With the score tied 2-2, Dunedin reliever Andrew Case threw a scoreless top of the tenth inning, striking out a pair of Yankees batters and setting the scene for more heroics in the bottom of the inning.

 

RF Connor Panas took it from there, sending a walk-off home run into the Blue Jays bullpen in right field with one out.

 

"I was in the outfield the inning before thinking 'I'm going to do this, I'm going to walk-off,'" Panas said about his mindset coming to the plate in extra innings. Seeing his teammates waiting at home plate to congratulate him while he rounded third base after hitting the home run is a memory he is unlikely to forget. "I couldn't help but smile, I couldn't hold it in. It's a special moment. Walk-off home runs don't happen too often. It was a really fun experience coming back and winning that game."

 

The Blue Jays almost never had the opportunity to come back so dramatically. The game seemed over with two outs in the ninth inning when C Danny Jansen hit a short pop-up to second base that could have ended the game. Yankees 2B Nick Solak was unable to make the catch, the ball popping out of his glove, allowing Jansen to reach and bringing Kelly to the plate for his game-tying shot.

 

Andrew Case was credited with the win after his scoreless tenth, capping an impressive day by both teams' pitching staffs. RHP Jordan Romano threw 6.0 strong innings for the Jays, allowing just an unearned run on four hits and striking out nine batters. For the Yankees, starter Erik Swanson put up a nearly identical line, throwing six innings and allowing no earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts.

 

The Blue Jays offense finished the game with six hits, including a pair by LF D.J. Davis and a single by DH Max Pentecost that extended his ongoing hitting streak to 18 games.

 

"A game like that boosts our morale going forward," Panas said. "This is my third year of pro ball, and this is probably the strongest team chemistry I've seen. We all love coming to the park and all have fun together. It's fun showing up every day and competing."

 

The Blue Jays (16-12) will look to build off of tonight's momentum tomorrow on the road against the Bradenton Marauders in Bradenton. LHP Angel Perdomo (2-1, 3.86 ERA) will be on the mound for Jays for the 6:30 PM start.

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Kings 3 Stars of the Night

 

1) Jordan Romano

 

2) Raffy Lopez

 

3) Connor Panas

 

 

Kings Platinum Arencibia

 

1) Sean Reid-Foley

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Mike Reeves Savours Baseball Opportunities

https://www.canadianbaseballnetwork.com/canadian-baseball-network-articles/newly-married-reeves-savours-baseball-opportunities

 

 

 

By Alexis Brudnicki

Canadian Baseball Network

 

DUNEDIN, Florida – The off-season was good to Mike Reeves.

 

Well, life is pretty great if you ask the 26-year-old catcher.

 

The native of Peterborough, Ont., may not be living the ultimate dream yet, where he could enjoy a spot in the major leagues with his home country squad, and the same Toronto Blue Jays that selected him in the 21st round of the 2013 draft out of Florida Gulf Coast University, but baseball is still paying at least a portion of the bills, giving him a chance to travel, and allowing him to embrace life to the fullest.

 

“My attitude’s definitely changed,” Reeves said. “I’m just older now, I’m more mature, and I know more of what to expect. When I came out of college, I really needed to know what was going on and all that stuff, but professional sports aren’t like that at all.

 

“I could be on a plane somewhere tomorrow and not know that I’ve got to move out. It’s just part of it, and I like it. I’m starting to enjoy that part of it, the not knowing where I’m going to go next, or tomorrow. It’s fun. Wherever I go I just try to enjoy the people I’m around and have fun with it.”

 

Just over a month ago, Reeves was coming to the end of his fourth spring training with the Blue Jays. After a career .230/.336/.291 slash line in 255 games primarily as a backup backstop, splitting time mostly between Class-A Lansing and Class-A Advanced Dunedin since spending his first professional experience with the short-season Vancouver Canadians, he figured he would either be moving up to Double-A New Hampshire or he would be released this year.

 

Neither happened, and Reeves returned to the place he spent all of last year, the Dunedin Blue Jays roster. He’s two years older than the eldest of his teammates, a fact not lost on him, and one of three catchers with organizational prospects Max Pentecost and Danny Jansen, but he brings a whole lot more to the table than perhaps even he knows.

 

“He brings great experience, great leadership, and a great work ethic,” Dunedin manager John Schneider said. “I don’t even know if he knows it but he helps out the other catchers almost as much or more than I do, which is huge with what we’re trying to preach about being teammates, but it takes a lot off my plate.

 

“Sometimes it means more coming from your teammate than your manager or your coach. So he brings tremendous leadership qualities, especially when he’s catching. He has a very good presence behind the plate and the pitchers really trust him.”

 

The left-handed hitting Canadian catcher began his latest off-season with a wedding – his own, tying the knot with Hailey Goetz on the first of October – before he and his bride honeymooned in the Dominican while he played some instructional league baseball in order to get ready for the Australian Baseball League, where he played for the Canberra Cavalry for three months.

 

“For me it was like my honeymoon,” Reeves said. “In Australia, we stayed on every road trip for an extra day and toured around, so we saw the whole country basically. We didn’t get to go to the Great Barrier Reef, but I’m a big baby getting into the ocean because I’m afraid of sharks, so we didn’t do that.

 

“We did everything else. The only time that they went in the river I didn’t go in because there are snakes, and I don’t like snakes either. But I’m not scared of spiders. There were some big boys in my apartment, but they don’t scare me. Just snakes and sharks.”

 

Away from the water and on the field in Australia’s capital city, Reeves enjoyed the ABL and its emphasis on winning, with a team-first mentality. After getting into 53 games last year with the Dunedin Blue Jays, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound backstop was down under to get some playing time under his belt – matching his career total with five home runs in 30 games – and spent some time at different corners of the diamond than he’s been used to.

 

“I went out there just to work on getting some more at-bats and playing a little bit of the infield, so I did that,” he said. “It was fun. Playing third and first has made me a better catcher. There’s a different view of the game. And the little things, like working on my hands over there and taking ground balls, I worked on a lot. I’ve been so drilled to do one thing, so it was improvisation and I was basically teaching myself how to do it. But it’s made my catching game become real tight…

 

“It was weird because I’ve played baseball my whole life, but never at third base, and then you see it from there and it’s a whole new ballgame. I took a lot of ground balls every day so I got pretty good over there. I did it here last year a little bit. I played three innings at third and three innings at first. I’m trying to make myself more versatile.”

 

Returning from Australia in time for another wedding, Reeves followed that celebration by quickly getting back out on the field in Florida. While at Blue Jays camp, he was added to Canada’s senior national team roster just before the World Baseball Classic began in Miami when an injury sidelined Yankees farmhand Kellin Deglan. Wearing the red-and-white jersey for the first time in his career, Reeves couldn’t have had a much better introduction to the international game.

 

“It was just an unbelievable experience,” he said. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Well hopefully not, actually. Hopefully I get to go next time too. I hope I get to do that again and get in there. But Team Canada was very tight knit. It’s like a family. Seeing how cool those guys are to one another, and the respect that is shown between each other, and how being on that team has formed a friendship with a lot of guys, that’s nice to see.”

 

 

Even though the event was shortlived – Canada leaving without a win in three games and failing to advance out of the first round for the fourth consecutive WBC tournament – the former Ontario Blue Jays catcher feels like he gained a lot from the experience.

 

“It was short, but it’s a maturity thing,” Reeves said. “Being around guys like [Justin] Morneau and guys who have played in the big leagues, they treated me like one of the guys. So you just pass that on, how to act, and how to be professional and do things like that, so it was a good learning experience…

 

“And it was so fun. This team [in Dunedin] is really fun because we’ve got five Canucks here [with Andrew Case, Connor Panas, Tom Robson and Jordan Romano], and when you’ve got a whole team of 28 of them, it’s a blast because you know they’re all pretty much you, but you finally get to play together. It’s cool.”

 

After the tournament came to an end for Canada in Miami, Reeves returned to spring training in Dunedin and got to finish exhibition play at Olympic Stadium in Montreal with the big-league Blue Jays before he learned of his fate for the season and made his temporary home at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium.

 

Hailey was with him every step of the way, until his season began in Dunedin. She stayed in Peterborough while her husband slept on an air mattress in a living room with Canadian teammates and roommates Romano and Case, but Reeves found a much more suitable living arrangement before she arrived.

 

“We’re kind of like gypsies,” Reeves said. “We’re everywhere. She’s been posting up with my parents and she’s starting a wedding business up there in Peterborough. We don’t have a house or anything. It’s hard, but it’s not just me who goes through it. She grinds too, so that part’s a little difficult…

 

“She wouldn’t be my wife right now if she knew what the minor league life was like when we met [at FGCU]. It’s difficult, and everybody calls it a grind, but just this off-season I got to go to the Dominican, I got to go to Australia, I got to go to Miami with Team Canada, and I went to Montreal with the big league team. It has its perks. A couple of mornings ago I woke up and played some golf and then came to the baseball field and worked on my swing. How much of a grind is this really?”

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An Assortment of Bradley Jones Content

 

http://jaysjournal.com/2017/04/27/blue-jays-interview-with-bradley-jones-the-fastest-rising-prospect-every-fan-must-know/

 

Bradley Jones was the Blue Jays’ 18th Round Draft Pick in 2016. While his draft position may not excite fans, Jones’ start to his professional career (.310/.357/.614 batting line in 79 games) has put him on the radar of scouts and fans alike as one of the fastest rising prospects in the Blue Jays’ farm system.

 

I had the honor and privilege of interviewing Bradley Jones to share his insights, stories, and other exciting information for the readers at Jays Journal.

 

 

Jason– I’d like to start by saying a pretty late congratulations on being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays. Can you possibly recount the big announcement?

 

Bradley– “Yeah, for sure. I was with my girlfriend, my parents, and my parents’ friends on a day we were all out riding dirt bikes. You know, I got a call saying that I was drafted by the Blue Jays and it was pretty exciting. I wasn’t really stressing it too much and I didn’t want to overthink it as far as the process was going so I was trying to kill some time but when I got the call, it was pretty exciting.”

 

 

Jason– Wow, that’s really amazing. Bradley, you had good numbers in college at Charleston but you really turned a lot of heads last year with your amazing professional debut with Bluefield. The next question I would like to ask you is, how was your transition from college baseball to professional baseball? Are there any similarities or mostly differences between the two?

 

Bradley– “I think there’s both similarities and differences. You know, it’s still the same game. But as far as pro ball, there’s a lot of coaching yourself. You have coaches but when you go on slumps, it’s about finding who you really are and how you can get out of those slumps because a lot of it is about teaching yourself how to do things. It was a learning experience in that aspect but as far as playing the game, it’s still baseball.”

 

 

Jason– That’s really great insight for aspiring high school and college baseball players. As I hinted before, starting with last year’s unbelievable debut and this year’s continued success, the name Bradley Jones is really starting to get known by Jays fans, writers, and analysts. What do you attribute to your development into a top Blue Jays prospect?

 

Bradley– “You know, I think the biggest thing is just finding my rhythm. Having a good approach at the plate, less than two strikes and with two strikes, we worked a lot on that in Spring Training this year and it’s just about buying into the things that they teach you so I really give a lot of credit to the coaches in the organization. Finding rhythm, finding timing, and just playing the game that you’ve always played.”

 

 

Jason– I noticed in your player summary, a lot of websites list you as a corner infielder but I’ve heard you’ve been playing a lot of 2nd base recently. What has your development been like on the defensive side of the game and what do you consider your strongest position?

 

Bradley– “The Blue Jays put a lot of emphasis on defense and I take a lot of pride in trying to learn new positions. I didn’t even start playing first base until my junior year at college. My best position, just based on comfort, would probably be third base right now but it’s a process through which I’m trying to get better at all three [1st, 2nd, 3rd] and it’s going in the right direction. I get early work in before the games and I worked a lot in Spring Training and Instructionals so it’s all starting to get more comfortable and better.”

 

 

Jason– To expand from that, describe yourself as a player. Who did you look up to as a kid and what player do you most resemble from the MLB today?

 

Bradley– “That’s a tough question. Growing up, I didn’t really look up to any player but A-Rod was my favorite player. Other than that, I looked up to my dad a lot. He taught me how to play the game the right way, competitiveness and how to compete, and stuff like that. And as far as who my game models similar to in the MLB today, I don’t really have a good answer for that.”

 

 

Jason– So you don’t pay attention to the MLB. Rather, it’s about the process getting to the big leagues that is on your mind most of the time?

 

Bradley– “Absolutely. And you know, I love to sit and watch some games every now and then, but I don’t keep up with it too much. It’s just about playing the game that I’m playing and getting my work in and moving up in the organization.”

 

 

Jason– Obviously, the Blue Jays have created quite a stir recently in the MLB from their postseason runs. When you got drafted by Toronto, did you know anything about the Jays and did you pay attention to any of their success?

 

Bradley– “A little bit. Obviously, you know Bautista, Donaldson, Tulowitzki and guys like that. But as far as watching, I’ve never really been a big guy that sits around and watches baseball. I’m more of a basketball guy, to be honest with you.”

 

 

Jason– Bradley, I want to bring up the topic of strikeouts and walks. So far in your professional career, albeit in a small sample, I saw that you’ve struck out 90 times in 80 games, and only walked 23 times. Is plate discipline something you’ve had in the back of your mind, and something you might want to improve on for the future or are you a player that finds success with being aggressive?

 

Bradley– “I think it’s a little bit of both. I like to be aggressive early in the counts but when I get to two strikes, it’s been a process for me. It’s still a learning game for me right now so it’s just about finding a good two-strike approach that works for you. It’s not that I’m not trying but it’s just a work in progress.”

 

 

Jason– To continue from that, what are your goals this season other than to keep tearing the cover off of baseballs?

 

Bradley– “The main goal right now is for the Lugnuts to win the Midwest League Championship. That’s the only thing on my mind right now as far as helping the team win and if I get called up, that’s great. And like I was telling you earlier, working on both sides of the game, both offensive and defensive wise.”

 

 

Jason– What is it like to play with the guys who are coming out of high schools like Vladdy Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette? As an older player at that level, are you a mentor to those guys?

 

Bradley– “Yeah, in a way and you know, I think they’re a mentor to me. We can learn from everybody. It’s fun to get to play alongside those two guys, and they obviously have some very good talent and are very special players so it’s good to wake up every day and get to play with guys like Guerrero, Bichette, and Woodman. We have a lot of talent up here [in Lansing] so it’s fun and it’s a good learning experience for all of us.”

 

 

Jason– Bradley, who has been the biggest influence in your baseball career and would you like to thank them through this interview?

 

Bradley– “Of course. It’s back to what I said earlier about my dad. I give a lot of credit to him because he was there with me through it all; from the time I was four or five when I started playing and until now. Also, a lot of credit to all my coaches that I’ve had throughout the years.”

 

 

Jason– Bradley, to close off this interview, can you share any advice for aspiring young baseball players?

 

Bradley– “The biggest thing would be to just keep grabbing and if you’re going to play professional baseball, it’s not out of reach and keep pursuing your dreams. Don’t give up until your career is over and just keep grinding!”

 

 

 

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/blue-jays-prospect-report-bradley-jones-turning-heads/

 

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TORONTO – Lacking the hype surrounding some of his more heralded teammates on the low-A Lansing Lugnuts, Bradley Jones is quickly slugging his way to notice in the Toronto Blue Jays system.

 

An 18th-round pick in the 2016 draft from the College of Charleston, the 21-year-old is off to a sizzling .365/.414/.712 start with five homers through his first 14 games.

 

Small sample size caveats certainly apply at this time of year, but the corner infielder primarily seeing duty at second base right now is picking right up from his strong pro debut last year at rookie-league Bluefield, where he slashed .291/.336/.578 with 16 homers and 18 doubles in 256 plate appearances.

 

"He’s got a very good professional track record, a decent amateur track record," says Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins. "It’s hard to decipher what to make out of college performers and guys like that, but what I can tell you is our area scout (Chris Kline) loved him, he had really good role grades on him, really good character and makeup. He liked the overall player, good athlete."

 

Jones played all around the diamond in college but was drafted as a third baseman, a position that belongs to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., on the Lugnuts. With first baseman Nash Knight and Christian Williams also on the roster, Jones has found himself playing lots of second base alongside shortstop Bo Bichette, with Yeltsin Gudino, another middle infielder, working his way into the mix.

 

"The only reason we’re doing that early is because of having multiple guys in similar situations and as opposed to just zeroing in, let’s just have them play," explains Atkins. "There are other pieces to the equation and feeling like versatility will be best for them early and as we assess where they are, make adjustments from there."

 

The Blue Jays are planning to take a similar approach with the versatile Cuban Lourdes Gurriel Jr., although a hamstring issue delayed the start of his year, and he exited his season debut at single-A Dunedin after re-aggravating the injury. The Blue Jays plan to take a conservative approach in getting him back to action.

 

The end goal isn’t to try and develop a Ben Zobrist-type player, but rather to give the organization a chance to "see what becomes more natural and adjust from there," says Atkins. "It’s not going to be something we do for their entire career, I’d imagine."

 

Guerrero will be exempt from the bouncing around at Lansing as the Blue Jays want to give him a chance to develop at third base.

 

"For Vladdy, it will be all about how he gets the most out of his body and to make sure he’s a strong physical individual," says Atkins. "If he can maintain all his athleticism and get everything out of his strength and power, he’ll be able to (to stay at third) because he has the hands and arm."

 

Jones, meanwhile, can keep hitting his way onto the radar.

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[King]

Brad Jones doesn't even like baseball! The next Adam Lind, it was right in front of us the whole time.

[Slade]

What's happening with Harold Ramirez I thought he might be a guy we see at some point this year but he's hit a brick wall so far.

[Drumcliff]

Anthony Alford has fallen off a cliff. Four for his last 40 with 13 Ks, two walks, no steals.... Yikes.

[Ray]

What's happening with Harold Ramirez I thought he might be a guy we see at some point this year but he's hit a brick wall so far.

 

Coming off a litany of injuries.

 

Not giving up on him, but he was a fringe top-100 and lottery ticket anyways.

[Brownie19]

Who gives a f*** about Harold Ramirez...what the F is wrong with SRF?

[z3r0s]

Does Buffalo play games? Seems like they're rained out every second day!

[43211234]

What's happening with Harold Ramirez I thought he might be a guy we see at some point this year but he's hit a brick wall so far.

 

Fat corner outfielder with little power. He sucks!

[THANOS]

Alford struggling mightily and SRF just hasn't shown up. Not sure what's going on with him?