Blue Jays Minor League Recap: Runs Pile Up in the Lower Minors

[Brian Labude]

It was a strong weekend for the teams in the Blue Jays' minor league system, featuring standout performances from Jake Bloss and Arjun Nimmala.

CURRENT W-L Records

• Buffalo Bisons: 10-15
• New Hampshire Fisher Cats: 8-11
• Vancouver Canadians: 10-11
• Dunedin Blue Jays: 12-9

FCL Blue Jays: 0-0 (Season not started)
DSL Blue Jays: 0-0 (Season not started) 

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

• 04/28/25 - Toronto Blue Jays optioned LF Jonatan Clase to Buffalo Bisons
• 04/27/25 - Buffalo Bisons activated LHP Jimmy Burnette
• 04/27/25 - Toronto Blue Jays recalled LF Jonatan Clase from Buffalo Bisons
• 04/27/25 - LHP Jimmy Burnette assigned to Buffalo Bisons from New Hampshire Fisher Cats
• 04/27/25 - New Hampshire Fisher Cats transferred C Nicolas Deschamps to the Development List
• 04/27/25 - LHP Jimmy Burnette assigned to Buffalo Bisons from New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

Buffalo Bisons

Buffalo (4), Rochester (3) - 4/26

Box Score

This game between Buffalo and Rochester was a nail-biter from the beginning to the end. The Bisons would take a first crack at getting on the scoreboard when they loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning. Joey Loperfido singled, Davis Schneider doubled, and Will Robertson was intentionally walked to load them up. Orelvis Martinez would fly out to right field to end the threat.

The Red Wings took charge in the third inning, taking a two-run lead and adding a run in the fifth. In the bottom of the sixth though, the Bisons would flip the script after the starting pitcher for the Red Wings was removed for a reliever. The Bisons again loaded the bases, but this time they cashed in the runs on a walk, a double play ground out, an error, and a Michael Stefanic double. They would plate four runs and take a one-run lead. Tommy Nance would come on in the ninth inning and close the door, notching the save for the Bisons. 

Orelvis Martinez: 2-4, 1 R, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K

Trenton Wallace: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K

Buffalo (2), Rochester (0) - 4/27

Box Score

The Buffalo Bisons took their second straight victory of the weekend with this one. Jake Bloss had probably his most complete game as a Bison. He mixed strikeouts and groundouts to keep Rochester in check. They never really threatened to score with him on the mound. He pitched 4.1 innings, gave up three hits, zero earned runs, walked just one batter, and struck out five. The rest of the Bisons’ relievers matched his performance with a clean 4.2 innings pitched, allowing just five hits and zero earned runs. A throwing error in the fourth inning would plate the decisive run for Buffalo, and Daulton Varsho added an RBI single in the seventh. 

Riley Tirotta: 1-3, 1 R, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 0 K

Jake Bloss: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

New Hampshire Fisher Cats

New Hampshire (1), Binghamton (0) - 4/26

Box Score

New Hampshire sent Ryan Watson to the mound on Saturday to try to stifle the bats of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. He did that and more across his six innings of work. He struck out six, walked none, and only gave up two hits. Unfortunately for New Hampshire, the bats did not properly take advantage of the stellar pitching performance and put up a goose egg themselves against Binghamton's starting pitcher, Jonathan Pintaro.

After a rain delay in the bottom of the seventh inning, New Hampshire got on the board when Yohendrick Pinango doubled home Ryan McCarty. It would be the lone run of the game, as Ryan Jennings and Hunter Gregory would combine to pitch three shutout innings out of the bullpen. New Hampshire would take this game 1-0 and surprisingly not commit an error in doing so. 

Yohendrick Pinango: 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 2B

Pinango just keeps chugging along and continues to shine above the rest of the hitters at Double-A. 

Ryan Watson: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

A fan favorite with three straight quality starts – we want more of that. Watson really worked the fastball up in the zone today and got some swings and misses for strikeouts. He was then able to effectively use the slider away as well to finish a couple of at-bats. He lowers his ERA to 1.64 on the season and has firmly placed himself on the prospect map as someone to keep an eye on. 

New Hampshire (1), Binghamton (2) - 4/27

Box Score

Sunday afternoon saw the final game of the week's long series with Binghamton come to an end. Jonah Tong would be on the mound for the second time this week, and he wouldn't disappoint. In fact, he was masterful in his pure dominance of the New Hampshire lineup. He struck out 10 hitters over the four innings he pitched, only giving up one hit and one walk along the way.

For the Fisher Cats, Michael Dominguez was tasked with matching Tong and did so for most of his outing, although it was under duress. He allowed a runner to reach second base in each of the first two innings but closed them out, stranding the runners there. In the bottom of the third inning, he gave up two doubles, scoring a run and giving the lead to Binghamton, 1-0.

In the fifth inning, a wild pitch moved Ryan McCarty into scoring position, and a single by Jacob Sharp brought him home. In the bottom of the sixth inning, an Omar De Los Santos triple would score a runner and give Binghamton the lead back. New Hampshire mounted a late rally in the top of the eighth inning, when a double steal by Charles McAdoo and Jay Harry put runners on second and third with one out in the inning. Unfortunately, McCarty and Alex De Jesus would strike out to end the threat. In the top of the ninth inning, a balk moved Devonte Brown to second base, where he would be stranded to end the game following strikeouts from Pinango and Jace Bohrofen. The Fisher Cats moved to 8-11 following the 2-1 loss.  

Jay Harry: 1-3, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 SB

Harry has been a bright spark in his first couple of games at Double-A, hitting .400 with an RBI and a couple of stolen bases. 

Connor Larkin: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Vancouver Canadians

Vancouver (10), Everett (1) - 04/26

Box Score

After some lackluster offensive performances from the Canadians in the first four games of the series, they put up double digits on the AquaSox, with big contributions from Arjun Nimmala, Cutter Coffey, Sean Keys and Carter Cunningham. Switch pitcher and Khal Stephen’s former teammate Jurrangelo Cijntje got beat up by the Jays prospects, with Keys hitting a three-run homer in the top of the third, and Coffey hitting his second double of the year.

Cijntje was replaced in the fifth, and Coffey recorded his second extra-base hit of the night, hitting a two-run homer to score Keys. Nimmala hit his second homer in two games to push the lead to seven in the fifth, and Cunningham capped off the homerfest with a two-run homer in the seventh. The pitching was almost as good, with Fernando Perez putting up his best start of the season, Chay Yeager pitching two scoreless innings with four strikeouts, and Nate Garkow earning a save with three innings of scoreless ball.

Sean Keys - 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 0 K, 1 HR

Keys showed some of the pop that got him drafted by the Jays, off of a really talented pitcher in the Mariners' 2024 first-round selection. His batting average is still under the Mendoza line, but Keys has gotten on-base at a reasonable clip (.365), and his walk rate equals his strikeout rate at 17.6%. 

Fernando Perez - 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

Perez had a really nice bounce-back start after not getting a single out in his last appearance. He matched his strikeout total from his past three starts. He still hasn’t pitched up to five innings in a game as of yet, which will need to be the next step.

Vancouver (9), Everett (8) - 04/27

Box Score

This was a high-scoring affair that started off with the Jays' No. 1 prospect going deep in the top of the first. Coffey and Cunningham both drove in a run in the third to give the Canadians an early 3-0 lead, but in the bottom of the third, Grant Rogers finally looked human and gave up a two-run double to Tai Peete.

In the bottom of the fourth, Rogers let in another three runs, struggling with keeping runners off the basepaths. In the half-inning after, the Canadians threatened again, with Nimmala getting on from a throwing error, and the bases were loaded after a Cunningham single and an HBP, which led to a scored run on a sac fly from Alex Stone. The game remained 5-4 for the AquaSox until the bottom of the eighth, when they extended their lead against Bo Bonds, who gave up a homer.

Immediately after, the Canadians came roaring back with Nick Goodwin, Victor Arias, and Nimmala all singling to load the bases again, and a bases-loaded walk from Cunningham and a Brennan Orf bases-clearing double put the Canadians up 8-6. The AquaSox came back again, though, as Peete scored Colt Emerson on a double and Kai Peterson let Peete score off a triple from Lazaro Montes to send the game to extras. Eddie Micheletti Jr. scored the ghost runner on an RBI double, and Peterson shut the door in the 10th to secure the win and the series split. 

Arjun Nimmala - 2-5, 3 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 HR

Nimmala continued to establish himself at only 19 years old, hitting his third homer in three straight days, all while cutting his strikeout rate significantly compared to last season. He’s progressed much faster than people expected and has really taken to the challenge of Vancouver. If all goes well, we could even see him in New Hampshire this season. 

Kai Peterson - 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 K, 0 ER

The lefty reliever continues to be excellent for the Canadians, dropping his ERA to 1.08 on the season. He did blow the save in the ninth but still got the win in extra innings, stranding the ghost runner.

Dunedin Blue Jays 

Dunedin (5), Tampa (1) - 04/26

Box Score

The Tarpons stood no chance against starter Colby Holcombe, who went five innings of shutout ball with six strikeouts, only allowing four hits and a walk. Daniel Guerra pitched well in relief as well, allowing a single run in three innings of work with two strikeouts. Although he lost his starting job to Gilberto Batista, he is still showing some promise as a big-bodied pitcher.

The offense did its thing, with J.R. Freethy scoring on a wild pitch in the top of the first and Edward Duran driving in a run on a fielder’s choice. Sam Shaw homered for the second time in the top of the third to give the Jays a 3-0 lead, and in the fifth, Duran capitalized again with a two-RBI single to give him three on the night. The Jays couldn’t get anything going against the Tarpons' pen, headlined by a rehabbing Jonathan Loáisiga, but nothing was necessary as the Tarpons only scored one all night. 

Sam Shaw - 2-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HR

The 20-year-old Vancouver native pushed his OPS above 1.000 with his second homer of the season, matching his previous career high in homers in just eight games played. The young second baseman has been previously touted for his hit tool, but has displayed some power this season that he wasn't able to get to previously. Shaw is also walking at an absurd rate, nearly 30% of the time, and he’s been getting on-base over 50% of the time at a .514 clip. He’s most likely not going to run that high of a walk rate, or BABIP, or ISO, but these 37 plate appearances have been very promising for the former ninth-round pick. 

Colby Holcombe - 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Holcombe made the third great start for a Dunedin pitcher in a row, allowing no runs in five innings of work. He was reliant on his fastball-cutter combo, allowing only weak contact and generating 11 whiffs. Holcombe showcased his changeup a bit as well, showing a good ability to put it in the zone, but no one chased it when it was out of the zone, and it only led to a pair of whiffs all game. Still, Holcombe won his first game of the season and joined Sam Shaw as another ninth-round pick who greatly contributed to this win. 

Dunedin (8), Tampa (5) - 04/27

Box Score

Khal Stephen did not look his sharpest in this game, walking four batters and allowing five hits and three earned runs in only 3.2 innings of work, while only striking out three. The stuff still looked solid, with his fastball sitting 93 mph with nearly 20 inches of induced vertical break, but he struggled to land the zone with any of his secondaries. Luckily for him, the offense picked him up, with Yhoangel Aponte, Manuel Beltre, and Tucker Toman driving in four runs against the Tarpons starter, 2024 fourth-round pick Gage Ziehl. Brock Tibbitts and Yeuni Munoz joined in on the fun, both with an extra base hit each, a double and a homer, respectively, to make it 6-3 in the seventh.

Eminen Flores made it interesting, allowing the Tarpons to score two runs with a couple of walks and some shaky defense from Tibbitts, but Braden Barry and Beltre scored two insurance runs in the eighth. Javen Coleman and Christian Mracna pitched three scoreless innings to end the game for the Jays and win five out of six against the Yankees' Single-A team. 

Yeuni Munoz - 2-5, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 HR

Munoz again showed off his pop, with two extra base hits on the night after a slower past couple of games, pushing his slugging percentage back over .600. For reference, his OPS was just .599 across two minor league levels last season, showing how big of an improvement both his health and hitting ability have brought about. 

Jevan Coleman - 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 K

FCL Blue Jays

No games

DSL Blue Jays

No games

Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Players of the Period

Pitcher of the Period: RHP Jake Bloss (Buffalo) - 4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Hitter of the Period: SS Arjun Nimmala (Vancouver) - 3-9, 4 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 HR

Prospect Summary (4/26-4/27)

1. Arjun Nimmala (Vancouver) - 3-9, 4 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 HR
2. Trey Yesavage (Dunedin) - DNP
3. Ricky Tiedemann (Buffalo) - DNP
4. Orelvis Martinez (Buffalo) - 3-7, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 2B
5. Jake Bloss (Buffalo) - 4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
6. Alan Roden (Toronto) - 0-5, 1 K
7. Josh Kasevich (Buffalo) - DNP
8. Kendry Rojas (Vancouver) - DNP
9. Khal Stephen (Dunedin) - 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
10. Charles McAdoo (New Hampshire) - 1-8, 4 K
11. Adam Macko (Buffalo) - DNP
12. Landen Maroudis (Dunedin) - DNP
13. Fernando Perez (Vancouver) - 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
14. Will Wagner (Toronto) - Graduated 
15. Johnny King (FCL Blue Jays) - DNP
16. Brandon Barriera (Dunedin) - DNP
17. Emmanuel Bonilla (FCL Blue Jays) - DNP
18. Juaron Watts-Brown (Vancouver) - DNP
19. Eddinson Paulino (New Hampshire) - 0-1
20. Dahian Santos (New Hampshire) - DNP

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[Brownie19]

Nice to see Sam Shaw off to a good start in A ball.

[Terminator]

Orelvis and Bloss both heating up is good to see.

Orelvis has played 14 games at 2B and just 3 at 3B.

He must REALLY suck at 3B if they are barely trying him there anymore.

The plan must be to let Bo walk, move Gimenez over to SS, and if Orelvis is performing he can fit in at 2B.

[Simon Li]

10 minutes ago, Terminator said:

Orelvis and Bloss both heating up is good to see.

Orelvis has played 14 games at 2B and just 3 at 3B.

He must REALLY suck at 3B if they are barely trying him there anymore.

The plan must be to let Bo walk, move Gimenez over to SS, and if Orelvis is performing he can fit in at 2B.

I don't think they believe in his throwing motion. He's adequate at getting to balls and his range isn't completely terrible, but he throws across his body in a weird way that leads to inaccuracy. Being at 2nd lets him set his feet and take his time to throw to first. 

[Spanky99]

2 hours ago, Simon Li said:

I don't think they believe in his throwing motion. He's adequate at getting to balls and his range isn't completely terrible, but he throws across his body in a weird way that leads to inaccuracy. Being at 2nd lets him set his feet and take his time to throw to first. 

I read the same thing on him about that.

[John_Havok]

Man that Aquasox stadium has some f***ed up dimensions. 330 to Right centre and 360 to CF?