King

Ah, we are talking about premium "hitters" not "position players" Carry on.

How the f*** has Kevin Pillar not been mentioned yet? Hello?

Wtf?

http://i.imgur.com/91LyTx4.png http://i.imgur.com/jC7VaGX.png http://i.imgur.com/rjfusDg.png http://www.milb.com/assets/images/0/9/8/194856098/cuts/Diamond_Scott_640_eqhvzjru_6mq1vpcr.jpg The Bisons' shutout the Indianapolis Indians 1-0 in the second game of a three-game series on Wednesday, A hot and humid Coca-Cola Field proved to be the sight of a pitcher's duel, with both starters going at least 7.0 innings, and both clubs totaling just four hits apiece. Buffalo also moves back to the .500 mark in the win, at 59-59. A solo-home run by Ryan Goins in the bottom of the first put the Herd up 1-0. Goins has hit well in his latest stint as a Bison, batting .297 in 18 games in Buffalo. "Just a straight fastball," Goins said of the pitch that he deposited into the right field Bully Hill Party Deck. "I put a good swing on it and got it out of the park." Scott Diamond worked masterfully on the mound for Buffalo. The righty retired the first seven hitters to face him, allowing just four hits and no earned runs in an 8.0 inning victory, his eighth of the year. He lowers his ERA at home to 2.21 this season. "The best he's looked all year right there," Bisons' manager Gary Allenson said of Diamond. "He's had some other well pitched games, but that was really good. He had a good curveball tonight, best curveball of the year. He obviously spotted his fastball. If you asked him, he'd probably hand a lot of credit to Erik Kratz behind the plate." "I got to probably give a major shout out to Kratz behind the plate," Diamond said of his outing, caught by veteran catcher Erik Kratz. "He stole so many strikes tonight for me. He just made it so much easier to give me a big target and just throw strikes, as many as possible." Kratz has started seven game behind the plate for the Herd this year, with pitcher's owning a 3.51 ERA with him as the backstop. "I think with the way he was framing outside, and just the game that he was calling, I think maybe a shook him off twice, and those were the ones that probably led to the base hits," Diamond said of Kratz. Indianapolis starter Trevor Williams was nearly as good as Diamond, pitching 7.0 innings, allowing just three other hits after the Goins' home run. He benefitted from 10 groundouts through the first four innings. The Herd had two hitters reach on errors in the bottom of the third, but Williams escaped the jam to keep the score at 1-0. Goins came up with a runner on second in the fifth, but Williams punched him out for his third strikeout of the inning, and fourth of the game. In the bottom of the seventh, Casey Kotchman reached second on a check-swing chopper in front of home plate, which catcher Elias Diaz overthrew on an attempted play at first base. Kotchman was stranded at second, when Erik Kratz popped up and Jio Mier struck out. Dustin Antolin saved his first game since June 27 with a perfect ninth inning, preventing Diamond from becoming the first Bison with a complete game this year. Last night, and tonight, was very warm, sticky, humid, and [Diamond]'s pitch count wasn't that high, he's gone 110 before, but I just figured with what the weather was, it was probably enough," Allenson said of the decision to remove Diamond. The Herd did not take advantage of four errors for Indianapolis, the most a Bisons' opponent has made this season. The final game of the Bisons' three-game set with Indianapolis will take place on Thursday, with first pitch set for 1:05 p.m. Chris Leroux is scheduled to throw for Buffalo, while Kelvin Marte will pitch for the Indians. BISONS NOTES: With Jose Bautista going on the disabled list for Toronto on Wednesday, Junior Lake has been recalled to the Blue Jays… Also before Wednesdays game, Bisons' closer Ryan Tepera was recalled to the Blue Jays. Tepera was 17 for his last 17 in save chances with Buffalo. In his place, Danny Barnes rejoins the Herd after a three-game stint with Toronto… Scott Diamond passed the 140 innings pitched plateau in the game, the first Bisons' starter to reach that total since Justin Germano in 2013… Diamond threw 8.0 innings for the second time this season. Only Diamond and former-Bison Wade LeBlanc have gone that deep into a ballgame for the Herd this season… The Indians have yet to beat Buffalo this year, as the Herd improves to 5-0 this year against them… Matt Dominguez ended his hitting streak at six games, going 0-4. http://i.imgur.com/fx7RW59.png http://i.imgur.com/CZeaG19.png http://i.imgur.com/ULuYTmo.png http://i.imgur.com/yXDDRhh.png Bowie, MD - Richard Urena went 3-for-5 with three triples, establishing a new franchise record, and the Fisher Cats received a strong start from Wilmer Font, in a 7-4 win over the Baysox at Prince George's Stadium Wednesday night. Font (2-0) allowed one run on two hits in his six innings. He walked two and struck out eight, retiring the final fourteen batters he faced for his second win in three starts with New Hampshire (54-61). Urena, the 20-year old, playing as New Hampshire's designated hitter, tripled in the first and scored on a wild pitch. He tripled in the fifth, driving in Roemon Fields, who had singled, scoring on a Dwight Smith Jr. grounder. Urena tripled in the seventh inning, scoring on a double by Smith Jr. It's the first time the Fisher Cats as a team have had three triples in one game, and the mark was accomplished by a single player. Shane Opitz ripped a two-run homer in the top of the second inning to stake the Fisher Cats to a 3-0 lead. Ian Parmley had led off the frame with a single. Bowie (49-67) grabbed a run back in the bottom of the second when Joey Terdoslavich homered off Font. New Hampshire made it 5-1 in the top of the fifth inning. Roemon Fields singled and advanced to third on a stolen base and error. Urena tripled him home and then scored on a fielders choice grounder by Dwight Smith Jr. The lead grew to 7-1 in the top of the seventh. Urena tripled, Smith doubled, and Ryan Lavarnway added an RBI single. Baysox 2B Sharlon Schoop singled in a run in the seventh inning and they added two more runs in the bottom of the ninth before Chris Smith was summoned to close the game out, earning his tenth save with two strikeouts. David Hess (4-11) took the loss for Bowie. New Hampshire, winners of seven of eight games, looks for a sweep at Bowie when the series concludes on Thursday morning at 11:05. RHP Taylor Cole will start the finale. The team then heads to Trenton a weekend series. The Fisher Cats return to Northeast Delta Dental on Monday, August 15 to start a homestand with the Binghamton Mets. Join us as we begin our Back To School Celebration with a Pencil Bag Giveaway to the first 1,000 kids. For tickets, visit www.nhfishercats.com. http://i.imgur.com/w34PgUe.png http://i.imgur.com/UZJFre7.png http://i.imgur.com/1osTdIV.png http://i.imgur.com/3dBvU8I.png http://i.imgur.com/3C2yaV2.png http://i.imgur.com/wgPOcul.png http://i.imgur.com/4gAmES7.png http://i.imgur.com/cfU2hGF.png http://i.imgur.com/IR1eouS.png http://i.imgur.com/2QUr8Q4.png http://i.imgur.com/PupnRjy.png http://i.imgur.com/aKvhT5e.png http://i.imgur.com/kl2xKK6.png http://i.imgur.com/9fTl879.png http://i.imgur.com/BjEXMtK.png http://i.imgur.com/UzKpX1L.png http://i.imgur.com/K7rGv8C.png http://i.imgur.com/6Z9jHX8.png http://i.imgur.com/DCpDeLg.png http://i.imgur.com/TsshKRk.png Kings 3 Stars of the Night 1) Richard Urena: Urena went 3/5 with 3 triples. 2) Scott Diamond: Diamond pitched 8 shutout innings with 6 strikeouts and no walks. 3) Kyle Weatherly: Kyle Weatherly pitched 6 innings with no earned runs allowed and 7 strikeouts. Kings Platinum Arencibia 1) Sean Reid Foley: SRF did not last long in his first outing back from an undisclosed injury (or other reason for absence), going only 2 innings giving up 7 hits and 5 earned runs. Francisco Mejia Update: Did Not Play Hit streak still 48 games! http://jaysprospects.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Cook_0568_wrqtjwbp_5mfob9mp-300x169.jpg http://jaysprospects.com/2016/07/25/ryan-cook-lansing/ Determined is the best way to describe Blue Jays right-handed pitching prospect Ryan Cook. Whether it’s on the diamond, or in his future career in the medical field, Cook is focused on achieving all of his goals no matter how long it takes. While he’s targeting all of the dreams he has set out for himself. The prospect still almost missed out on his chance of playing professional baseball. Remaining on the board after the MLB completed their amateur draft in 2015; Cook didn’t know what his future held in baseball until the Blue Jays called and offered him an undrafted free agent deal. “Draft day was pretty stressful for me as I was one of those guys on the fringe and I didn’t know if I was going to get drafted or not,” stated Cook. “When the Blue Jays called and asked me to play I was ecstatic. It was probably the happiest moment of my life up to this point. It’s just an awesome feeling and I’m so grateful to have this opportunity.” Presented with the convenience of seeing three different levels of the Blue Jays minor league system in his first season really helped Cook understand how to compete in pro ball. Appearing in games with the GCL Blue Jays, Dunedin Blue Jays, and the Vancouver Canadians respectively in 2015 really pushed the prospect in the right direction. “The GCL is a tough league. You have to wake up every day really early and it’s hot so it’s not the best place to play. With that said, it was great just getting down there to get my feet wet,” explained Cook. “Playing in the GCL really helped me get my confidence going in pro ball. Dunedin was a really big eye opener for me just being there with all of the big prospects. It was great seeing if I throw strikes I can get these guys out. They’re good hitters there, but they’re still going to get themselves out 7 times out of 10. Vancouver was a blast. I faced a lot of the same guys I’m facing in the Midwest League. It was a nice first year seeing the lowest team, high-A, and that middle ground which I feel is very similar to playing in Lansing.” Dealing with a little bit of adversity in the first half of the Midwest League season; Cook has come back stronger since the all-star break. Lowering his opponent batting average from .287 in the first half to .227 in the last month shows some promising advances in Cook’s season. While Cook will be looking to lower his numbers a little more in the final six weeks of the season. Fans should be aware that the prospect has been making continual progress throughout the year that his statistics doesn’t necessary show. One of the areas Cook has made the most strides is in his pitch repertoire. These improvements can be seen in the prospects secondary pitches. Competing with a better slider and rediscovering the changeup are noticeable changes for Cook who admits that he tries to build off his sinker and fastball before mixing in his off-speed pitches to keep hitters off-balance. “I’m a pretty fastball dominant pitcher,” explained Cook. “I like to sink the pitch with arm side run. I get ground balls and get ahead with that pitch. After that I’ll try to get a punch out with my breaking ball. My changeup is a bit of a work in progress. I didn’t throw it much last year, so now I’m working it back in. But for me it’s all about working off the fastball. I’m a fastball guy even though I don’t throw too hard. I work sinkers in spots and rely on weak contact.” Seeing some definite advantages in sinking his pitches in professional baseball, Cook discusses what he has liked about his ability to keep baseballs low in the zone this season. “The sinker plays big time in professional baseball. I think more so than velocity,” Cook added. “In college it doesn’t help as much with metal bats as guys can still flick something into the outfield for a hit at times. With the wooden bats they break more often and you get weaker contact. I think it’s huge to have that ability. It’s something I want to get more consistent with so I can play with it and see where it takes me.” Encouraged by the way Cook has developed his pitches throughout the season. Lansing Lugnuts pitching coach Jeff Ware feels the young pitcher is moving in the right direction with his career. “I like the amount of strikes that Ryan Cook throws,” stated Ware. “Ryan pounds the zone and has deception with his fastball which gets a lot of chases. His slider is getting a lot better. His changeup is still a work in progress and he’s going to continue and work on that for the remainder of the season. When he gets that down it’ll really help him along in his career.” But Cook is more than just a reliable arm for the Lugnuts’. He’s also an intelligent young man with big goals for the future. Completing a Pre-Med degree at the University of Richmond prior to becoming a professional baseball player shows the kind of work ethic that Cook brings to the table every day. Hoping to be able to take the next step in his medical education when his playing days are over. The prospect made sure to stay focused on his studies, while conditioning during the winter. “I did a lot of working out during the off-season,” stated Cook. “I did a lot of weight lifting with a guy at the gym. I threw a lot with my little brother. I worked a little bit at a sporting goods store and I did a lot of studying. Hopefully after baseball is done I’ll be able to go to medical school so I studied a lot for that during the off-season. The studying wasn’t always fun, but it’s something I’m focused on doing in the future as I studied Pre-Med at Richmond and medical school will be the next step in the process.” While nobody can predict how far their career will go, it’s obvious that Cook has done an excellent job at preparing himself for success in the near future. Whether Ryan Cook finds that success in professional baseball, or in the medical field, fans of the Toronto Blue Jays will continue to support the righty for years to come.

He's injured and hasn't played this season. But before that his raw power just never showed up in games.

You would think if they thought of him as a prospect he would at least be in Bluefield or Vancouver. If he's legit though he'll prove it eventually. Next season Vancouver or Bluefield for sure, and then full season ball when he's 23.

http://i.giphy.com/3oD3YypshPxid2r1Cw.gif http://i.giphy.com/l3UcqcYWgdp8Z3tS0.gif http://i.giphy.com/3oD3YzebirqcogNK3m.gif Start with having less games like this one

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/lets-prevent-the-inevitable-underrating-of-devon-travis/ Let’s peer into the future for a moment. The time: roughly one year from now. I’m hosting my weekly Tuesday chat, and a reader wants to know: who is the most underrated player in baseball? It’s a common question. It’s a question without an answer, but an answer everyone wants to know. Ben Zobrist’s time with the belt has come and gone. It’s no longer Jose Quintana — not after winning last year’s Cy Young Award. Another one of my go-to answers for this question is Mike Trout, and I might still believe that, but I know it’s not what the reader’s looking for. No, they want the star-not-perceived-as-a-star. The guy flying under the radar as one of baseball’s best at his position without the national recognition. They want what Zobrist was in his heyday. What they want is Devon Travis. But they’re not going to get Travis as the answer to that question a year from now, because what I’m here to do now, in the present, is exactly what they don’t want you to do in any movie that involves time travel, like that one with Ashton Kutcher or any one of the dozen Final Destination films. I’m here to do something in the present that changes the future. I’m here to prevent Devon Travis from becoming the most underrated player in baseball, because he deserves to be recognized as one of the best second baseman in baseball already. Travis checks all the boxes of a player doomed to be underrated. The first key of being overlooked as a major leaguer is to be overlooked as a minor leaguer. Check. Travis lasted until the 13th round of the 2012 draft, selected as the 424th pick between Phildrick Llewellyn and Alan Sharkey largely because teams were wary of his 5-foot-9 stature. By 2014, he’d worked his way up to cracking Baseball America’s top-100 prospect list, but even then came in at just 84th, and shortly thereafter was traded from Detroit to Toronto for Anthony Gose, whose own stock was rapidly plummeting. Another key toward being underrated is being around for a little bit before completing a full season. We fall in love with the full-season stat line, even if two half-seasons with 300 plate appearances are the same-sized sample of one season with 600 plate appearances. Though there’s some logic behind the “need to see a full season” line of thinking — a full baseball season is a grind, and in Travis’ case specifically, a major and unorthodox shoulder operation is the reason behind his half seasons and ought not to be ignored — it can seem like sort of a cop-out for discounting a player for arbitrary endpoints. The last key toward being underrated is perhaps the most important. It’s cost guys like Jim Edmonds and Kenny Lofton a fair crack at the Hall of Fame, and it’s probably even cost Mike Trout an MVP award or two. The all-around game is simply not appreciated by the public the way it’s appreciated by our statistical measures of player evaluation. We have a tendency to fall too in love with the eye-popping tools while we overlook the rare players who excel at every facet of the game, if not at an elite level. And Travis fits that mold to a T. I suppose it’s about time we start getting into some numbers. The first question’s easy enough: how good has Devon Travis been? Let’s look at all the second basemen who’ve recorded at least 300 plate appearances since Travis entered the league in 2015 and put them on the same per-plate-appearance scale: Top-Five Second Basemen, 2015-16, Per PA [TABLE=class: sortable fg-table, width: 600] [TR=class: table-header, bgcolor: #505050] [TD=class: d3-th]Name[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]PA[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]AVG[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]OBP[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]SLG[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]ISO[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]BB%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]K%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]wRC+[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]BsR/600[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]Def/600[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]WAR/600[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: table-rows, bgcolor: #FFFFFF] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D, align: left]Devon Travis[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D]487[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D].304[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D].351[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D].499[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D].195[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D]6.6%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D]19.1%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D]130[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D]3.8[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D]10.2[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D]5.8[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: table-rows, bgcolor: #FFFFFF] [TD=class: d3-td, align: left]Jose Altuve[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]1193[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].333[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].384[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].505[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].172[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]6.8%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]9.7%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]140[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]-2.1[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]3.3[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]5.2[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: table-rows, bgcolor: #FFFFFF] [TD=class: d3-td, align: left]Jason Kipnis[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]1117[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].295[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].360[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].468[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].174[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]8.6%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]18.4%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]126[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]2.3[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]6.6[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]4.9[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: table-rows, bgcolor: #FFFFFF] [TD=class: d3-td, align: left]Ian Kinsler[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]1171[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].296[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].345[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].455[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].159[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]6.3%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]14.4%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]117[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]2.7[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]7.3[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]4.4[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: table-rows, bgcolor: #FFFFFF] [TD=class: d3-td, align: left]Daniel Murphy[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]973[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].310[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].350[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].520[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].210[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]5.5%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]8.4%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]132[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]1.4[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]-2.6[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]4.3[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] -Minimum 300 plate appearances Now, of course this isn’t a fair comparison, because Travis has half the plate appearances or fewer than everyone on this list, meaning his numbers have to be regressed far more than the others. But still, we see what Travis has been. He’s been a top-five second baseman, offensively, and a top-five second baseman defensively. The base-running ranks in the top 10, as well. There are no apparent holes in Travis’ game. But again, these numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt, because of the sample. Projections are always better when we’re interested in estimating true-talent level, so let’s turn there. Top-Five Second Basemen by the Projections [TABLE=class: sortable fg-table, width: 600] [TR=class: table-header, bgcolor: #505050] [TD=class: d3-th]Name[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]PA[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]AVG[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]OBP[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]SLG[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]ISO[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]BB%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]K%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]HR[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]SB[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]wRC+[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]BsR[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]Fld[/TD] [TD=class: d3-th]WAR[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: table-rows, bgcolor: #FFFFFF] [TD=class: d3-td, align: left]Jose Altuve[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]600[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].326[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].375[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].478[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].152[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]6.5%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]9.7%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]14[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]34[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]129[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]2.5[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]-1.7[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]4.5[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: table-rows, bgcolor: #FFFFFF] [TD=class: d3-td, align: left]Matt Carpenter[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]600[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].278[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].378[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].474[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].196[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]13.1%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]18.3%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]17[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]3[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]130[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]-1.3[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]-6.7[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]3.7[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: table-rows, bgcolor: #FFFFFF] [TD=class: d3-td, align: left]Ian Kinsler[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]600[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].284[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].333[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].440[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].156[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]6.1%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]13.8%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]15[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]12[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]107[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]0.6[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]6.0[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]3.6[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: table-rows, bgcolor: #FFFFFF] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D, align: left]Devon Travis[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D]600[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D].278[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D].330[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D].459[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D].181[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D]6.6%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D]18.1%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D]20[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D]10[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D]110[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D]0.5[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D]4.5[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td, bgcolor: #FDC60D]3.5[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: table-rows, bgcolor: #FFFFFF] [TD=class: d3-td, align: left]Robinson Cano[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]600[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].293[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].350[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].467[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td].174[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]7.3%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]13.8%[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]20[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]3[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]122[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]-0.9[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]-1.5[/TD] [TD=class: d3-td]3.5[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] SOURCE: ZiPS That’s a bit more like it. Any ranking of second baseman in 2016 without Jose Altuve at the top will raise some eyebrows. After Altuve, though, there’s no clear indication of who’s next. Just missing from this table of five are guys like Kipnis (3.5 projected WAR per 600 PA), Neil Walker (3.4), Dustin Pedroia (3.2) and Zobrist (3.2). But the point is: what relatively little Travis has proven in his career thus far has already done enough to put himself squarely in the mix. Due to his all-around game, you could make the argument for Travis against any second basemen in the game, save for Altuve. He hits the ball to all fields. He doesn’t have a weakness against a particular pitch; he’s one of just 24 batters since the start of last year to have produced at least 1.0 runs above average against fastballs, slider, curveballs and changeups, according to our PITCHf/x pitch type per-100 run values. He makes contact at an above-average rate while hitting for above-average power. While he’s not a prolific base-stealer, he’s been good at taking the extra base and great at avoiding double plays. Each of the three major defensive metrics agree that he’s been an above-average defensive second baseman. If there’s a hole to be found anywhere in Travis’ game, aside from the potential durability concerns, I can’t see it. So let’s not get fooled again. Look past the size — that hasn’t stopped Altuve, Pedroia, or Mookie Betts from turning into stars. Forget the draft pick and prospect list snubbing — that’s all in the past. And don’t worry that Travis doesn’t have an elite tool — his impressively balanced skill set has helped him play like a six-win player since he entered the league and has him already looking like close to a four-win player moving forward. Devon Travis might have all the makings of baseball’s future most-underrated player, but we can keep that from happening by rating him properly from the get-go.

Offense past 2 weeks http://i.imgur.com/kLLmNyd.png

http://i.imgur.com/fqp6l3C.png http://i.imgur.com/IcESctI.png http://i.imgur.com/cj4J5rf.png The Bisons beat the Indianapolis Indians 9-3 on Tuesday, starting a nine-game homestand on the right track. A strong outing for starter Scott Copeland, and big offensive nights for Andy Burns (three-run home run), A.J. Jimenez (2-4 with a home run), Jesus Montero (4-5) and Junior Lake (3-2 with three RBI) led to the Herd's fourth-straight defeat of Indianapolis this season. Burns connected for what may have been the most important hit of the game in the sixth. The Bisons' second baseman broke a tie score, mashing a three-run home run to left against Indians' starter Steven Brault, putting the Herd up 4-1. "It looked like Burns' homer to give us the 4-1 lead kind of helped everybody relax," Bisons' manager Gary Allenson said postgame. "We did a really good job the second half of the game. It was too different games." Tuesday got off to a less-than perfect start for Copeland, as leadoff batter Pedro Florimon took the fourth pitch of the game deep for a solo-home run. "It was really a wakeup call," Copeland said of the quick home run. "It kind of woke me up and got me going." Copeland pitched effectively after Florimon's leadoff shot, retiring 13 in a row at one point. He walked his first two hitters of the game in the sixth, but fanned three in the inning, keeping the game tied at one. Copeland finished with a line of 6.0 innings, three hits, six strikeouts and one earned run, as he wins his first game as a Bison since last Aug. 26. "Before the first two innings, it wasn't very good," Copeland said of his outing. "But after that, I kind of got in a good groove." "Initially he was having a tough time getting the ball down," Allenson said of Copeland. "He gave up the solo-homer leading off the game there. He got away with repeating his fastball and didn't get hurt by it. He settled down and did a pretty good job." The righty starter pitched for Buffalo in 2014 and 2015, before making 13 starts with the LG Twins of the Korean Baseball Organization earlier in 2016. "It was a little different, I learned a lot of stuff, but hopefully I can get back to the show," Copeland said of his stint in Korea. "Strike zones were smaller, fields were smaller, but I definitely got better as a pitcher." Catcher A.J. Jimenez tied-up the score for the Herd in the third, knocking a leadoff homer to even the game at one. After Burns' blast, Goft Ngoepe knocked a RBI single off the glove of a diving Ryan Goins into centerfield in the seventh, cutting the Bisons' lead to 4-2. Aaron Loup, on the mound in relief of Copeland, benefitted from a constant bugaboo for the Bisons' offensively this year, in the form of an inning-ending double play. Brault left following Burns home run in the sixth, giving way to Lithuanian-born Dovydas Neverauskas. In the seventh, the Bisons found themselves with the bases loaded, when Junior Lake tapped a two-run single, forcing Neverauskas from the game. John Kuchno then stranded a pair of runners on base, fanning Andy Burns. Bo Schultz yielded a RBI-single to Indy's Elias Diaz in the eighth, as the Herd's lead held at 6-3 entering the bottom of the eighth. Eight hitters came to the plate in the eighth, as Buffalo scored three times in the bottom of the inning. Dalton Pompey reached on a bunt single, stole second and moved to third on a throwing error, and scored on a single by Matt Dominguez. A batter later, Jesus Montero knocked his fourth hit, bringing home Ryan Goins. Finally, Junior Lake knocked a single to score Buffalo's final run. Chad Girodo pitched a scoreless inning in the ninth to seal the Herd's victory. Tomorrow, Scott Diamond looks to bounce back from a rough outing his last time out, in which he allowed six earned runs in a loss to Syracuse. He will square off against Indianapolis' starter Trevor Williams on Wednesday, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. from Coca-Cola Field. The first 3,000 fans to enter through the Inspire Dental Gate at Swan will receive an Aaron Sanchez bobblehead. BISONS NOTES: Prior to Tuesdays game, infielder Alexi Casilla was activated off the disabled list… A.J. Jimenez third-inning blast was just his third of the year, and first since May 24, which was the last time any Bison catcher connected for a home run… Jesus Montero picks up his fifth multi-hit game in his last nine contests… The Herd clinches its first series win over Indianapolis since the Bisons' championship season of 2004… Burns extends his hitting streak to seven games, and his three-run home run gives him his second three-RBI game this year. http://i.imgur.com/DwHwLwj.png http://i.imgur.com/6glbYhq.png http://i.imgur.com/wWhkmva.png http://i.imgur.com/r4aRiCr.png Bowie, MD - Jon Berti drove in two runs and stole two bases and Rowdy Tellez added two hits and an RBI as the Fisher Cats opened a six-game roadtrip with a 6-2 win at Bowie on Tuesday night. New Hampshire (53-61) scored three times in the top of the fourth inning. Jason Leblebijian singled and Derrick Loveless reached on an error. Christian Lopes singled, his third hit of the game, to drive in Leblebijian. Lopes then stole second and when Bowie made an error on the throw, Loveless scored. Richard Urena then doubled to drive in Lopes to put the Fisher Cats up 3-0. The Baysox (49-66) cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning by taking advantage of the wildness of starter Shane Dawson, who walked the bases loaded before yielding to reliever Brady Dragmire. Dragmire (3-5), who earned the win in relief induced a doubleplay as one run scored. Henry Uuruita beat out an infield single as a second run scored. New Hampshire scored the game's final three runs. Berti walked and stole second, scoring on a double by Rowdy Tellez for a 4-2 lead in the seventh. Berti ripped a two-run single with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth and added another stolen base to give the Fisher Cats some breathing room en route to the win. Dawson worked into the fifth inning, allowing two runs on three hits, but he walked a career high six batters. New Hampshire relievers were strong again. In addition to Dragmire's two scoreless innings, Colton Turner, Wil Browning and Murphy Smith combined to keep the Baysox off the board. The series with Bowie continues on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. RHP Wilmer Font (1-0, 3.60) starts for the Fisher Cats against Baysox RHP David Hess (4-10, 5.55). The Fisher Cats return to Northeast Delta Dental on Monday, August 15 to start a homestand with the Binghamton Mets. Join us as we begin our Back To School Celebration with a Pencil Bag Giveaway to the first 1,000 kids. For tickets, visit www.nhfishercats.com. http://i.imgur.com/s5tY77h.png http://i.imgur.com/AkJcra8.png http://i.imgur.com/c5AU0eS.png http://i.imgur.com/UI5SCG1.png http://www.milb.com/assets/images/9/4/4/175667944/cuts/Wise_1467_ck6ogf47_vxc3d5je.jpg LANSING, Mich. - Carl Wise returned from the Disabled List with a four-hit game capped by a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the 13th inning, and the Lansing Lugnuts (23-22, 59-56) completed a sweep of the Fort Wayne TinCaps (18-27, 54-61), 4-3, in a Tuesday matinee at Cooley Law School Stadium. After losing three in a row to Bowling Green to open the homestand, the Lugnuts won four in a row against the TinCaps to regain momentum and build a 4.0-game playoff lead. With one out in the 13th, Juan Kelly slugged a double to center against TinCaps reliever Corey Kimber (Loss, 2-2). Ryan Hissey was intentionally walked, Justin Atkinson moved both runners up a base, and Connor Panas was intentionally walked to load the bases. That brought up Wise, who stroked a 3-2 pitch to deep left-center, touching off a jubilant celebration. It was Wise's second game-winning hit against Fort Wayne in 2016. The first was on April 19th, an RBI single in the ninth that provided the Lugnuts' first walk-off win of the year. The Lugs grabbed an early 3-0 lead with a three-run 2nd-inning rally against Fort Wayne starter Thomas Dorminy. Carl Wise led off with a single, J.C. Cardenas doubled him home, Andrew Guillotte followed with an RBI single, and John La Prise capped matters with a sacrifice fly. Lansing starter Angel Perdomo made the lead stand up through six scoreless innings, striking out five. Fort Wayne rallied late. Carlos Belen homered off Tom Robson in the eighth, drawing the TinCaps within 3-1. In the ninth, the 'Caps tied the game against Andrew Case (Blown Save, 1) on a fielding error by third baseman Wise and an RBI single by Rod Boykin. Case responded by setting down three of the next four hitters, stranding the bases loaded. The TinCaps went 0-for-12 in extra innings, dispatched in the tenth, eleventh and twelfth innings by Jackson Lowery, and through the thirteenth by Tayler Saucedo (Win, 8-9). Wednesday is a league-wide off day, followed by a four-game series for the Lugnuts at West Michigan stretching from Thursday through Sunday. The next Lugnuts home game is on Monday, August 15th, opening a seven-game homestand. For more information or to purchase your tickets, call 517-485-4500 or visit lansinglugnuts.com. http://i.imgur.com/tBQoxlv.png http://i.imgur.com/snERcw1.png http://i.imgur.com/hKfnZDL.png http://i.imgur.com/VhlZqrt.png http://i.imgur.com/NwMvMwM.png http://i.imgur.com/wSeKF6h.png http://i.imgur.com/ZTU1yNr.png PRINCETON, WV- The Princeton Rays (23-21) dropped the final game of their series against the Bluefield Blue Jays (25-21) by a score of 9-1 on Tuesday at H.P. Hunnicutt Field. The loss meant Princeton and Bluefield tied in the four-game series, but the Rays still hold a 4-3 lead over the Blue Jays in the overall Mercer Cup series standings. Bluefield quickly took a 5-0 lead through three innings on Tuesday, boosted by a grand slam home run off the bat of Blue Jays second baseman Javier Monzon in the third inning. Despite all but one Rays batter recording at least one hit on the night, Princeton notched its sole run of the game in the fourth inning on RBI-single by center fielder Emilio Gustave that scored first baseman Bobby Melley, who got on base with a double. Bluefield went on to rack up three more runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to extend their lead to 9-1. Two of those insurance runs came from solo home runs by Monzon, his second home run of the night, and one from Blue Jays third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., his fifth of the season. On the mound for Princeton, starter Sam Long pitched two and one-third innings, giving up three runs on three hits and striking out three in his first loss of the season. Reliever Eric Diomartich made his Princeton debut after being promoted from the Gulf Coast League Rays on Sunday, surrendering six runs on six hits and stricking out three in three and two-thirds innings of work. Fellow reliever Austin Sweet closed out the game with three scoreless innings and four strikeouts for the Rays in the loss. http://i.imgur.com/ZZ709ox.png http://i.imgur.com/Wg6H3rr.png http://i.imgur.com/bpPo1mP.png http://i.imgur.com/5cIgQSz.png Kings 3 Stars of the Night 1) Javier Monzon: Monzon, the Jays first Cuban signing since Hech, went 3/4 with 2 home runs and a walk for Bluefield. 2) Carl Wise: Wise had a 4 hit day in Lansings long extra inning game, going 4/6 with a walk. 3) Jesus Montero: Montero went 4/5 with one double. Kings Platinum Arencibia 1) Shane Dawson: Dawson pitched 4 innings with 6 walks and 1 strikeout. Francisco Mejia Update http://i.imgur.com/LzQqBDI.png Hit Streak: 48 games Indians catching prospect Francisco Mejia got the drama out of the way early again on Tuesday, stretching his historic hitting streak to 48 consecutive games with a double in his first at-bat in Class A Advanced Lynchburg's 2-1 win at Potomac. The streak is the longest in Minor League Baseball in 62 years. Mejia's streak is the seventh-longest in Minor League history and the longest since Roman Mejias hit in 55 straight for Waco in 1954. Next up on the list are Jack Ness and Harry Chozen, who hit in 50 straight games in 1915 and '45, respectively. Mejia's first-inning double marked the second consecutive game that he extended his streak with a two-bagger in his first at-bat and the fourth time in six games that he notched a base hit in his first at-bat of the game. The Hillcats backstop tacked on two singles in a 3-for-4 effort and has collected three or more hits six times during the 48-game span. Mejia has posted a .389/.415/.601 slash line with 13 doubles, two triples, eight homers and 41 RBIs during his streak, which began more than two months ago on May 27. Two days before the non-waiver Trade Deadline, Mejia, the Indians' No. 4 prospect, was the centerpiece in a proposed deal between the Indians and Brewers that would have sent him and two more of Cleveland's Top 30 Prospects -- shortstop Yu-Cheng Chang and outfielder Greg Allen -- along with reliever Shawn Armstrong to Milwaukee for catcher Jonathan Lucroy. The deal was nixed the day before the Deadline, though, when Lucroy exercised his no-trade clause. The MiLB hit streak record is 69, set by Joe Wilhoit in 1919. Joe DiMaggio, whose big league record hit streak of 56 games is being celebrated for its 75th anniversary this season, had a 61-game Minor League hit streak in 1933, second-longest of all-time. Perhaps most impressive in Mejia's current run is how he's hurdled major obstacles that could've potentially led to a hitless night. Mejia was promoted to Lynchburg 24 games into the streak, and he has had three layoffs of four days or more during his incredible run: four days due to the Midwest League All-Star Game on June 21, in which he fittingly registered a hit; four days due to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on July 10, in which he also recorded a hit; and he was sidelined from July 18-22 while dealing with the stomach flu. He then blocked out the commotion that surrounded him for several days as the Trade Deadline approached. Also adding to the marvel, Mejia has been his team's catcher in 38 of the 48 games, while serving as the designated hitter in the others. Here is a look at how Mejia reached via hit over the past two months to set the longest streak of 2016 in pro baseball: 48 -- Aug. 9: Double in first at-bat (1st inning) at Potomac 47 -- Aug. 5: Double in first at-bat (2nd inning) at Salem 46 -- Aug. 4: Double in fifth at-bat (9th inning) at Salem 45 -- Aug. 3: Single in second at-bat (3rd inning) vs. Potomac 44 -- Aug. 2: Single in first at-bat (1st inning) vs. Potomac 43 -- Aug. 1: Single in first at-bat (1st inning) vs. Potomac 42 -- July 30: Single in second at-bat (5th inning) at Winston-Salem 41 -- July 29: Single in third at-bat (7th inning) at Winston-Salem 40 -- July 28: Single in third at-bat (6th inning) at Winston-Salem 39 -- July 26: Single in first at-bat (2nd inning) vs. Wilmington 38 -- July 25: Single first at-bat (2nd inning) vs. Wilmington 37 -- July 23: Grand slam in first at-bat (1st inning) vs. Carolina 36 -- July 17: Single in first at-bat (1st inning) at Wilmington 35 -- July 16: Single in first at-bat (2nd inning) at Wilmington 34 -- July 13: Single in third at-bat (6th inning) at Carolina 33 -- July 8: Single in fourth at-bat (7th inning) vs. Salem 32 -- July 6: Single in second at-bat (2nd inning) vs. Frederick 31 -- July 5: RBI single in fourth at-bat (7th inning) vs. Frederick 30 -- July 4: Single in second at-bat (2nd inning) vs. Frederick 29 -- July 3: Single in second at-bat (4th inning) vs. Carolina 28 -- July 2: Triple in third and final at-bat (6th inning) of at Carolina 27 -- July 1: Double in first at-bat (2nd inning) at Carolina 26 -- June 30: Double in first at-bat (2nd inning) at Carolina 25 -- June 29: Single in first at-bat (2nd inning) at Wilmington (first game for Lynchburg) 24 -- June 26: Single in first at-bat (3rd inning) vs. Great Lakes 23 -- June 25: Single in first at-bat (3rd inning) vs. Great Lakes 22 -- June 24: Single in first at-bat (2nd inning) vs. Great Lakes 21 -- June 19: Single in third at-bat (7th inning) at South Bend 20 -- June 18: Single in third at-bat (6th inning) at South Bend 19 -- June 17: Single in second at-bat (4th inning) at South Bend 18 -- June 16: Double in third at-bat (6th inning) at South Bend 17 -- June 15: Single in first at-bat (2nd inning) at Bowling Green 16 -- June 15: Double in first at-bat (1st inning) at Bowling Green. 15 -- June 13: Two-run homer in first at-bat (1st inning) at Bowling Green 14 -- June 12: Single in fourth and final at-bat (7th inning) vs. Great Lakes 13 -- June 11: Home run in first at-bat (2nd inning) vs. Great Lakes 12 -- June 10: Home run in first at-bat (2nd inning) vs. Great Lakes 11 -- June 9: Single in first at-bat (1st inning) vs. Lansing 10 -- June 8: Home run in second at-bat (2nd inning) vs. Lansing 9 -- June 7: Home run in first at-bat (1st inning) vs. Lansing 8 -- June 5: Single in fourth at-bat (7th inning) at Great Lakes 7 -- June 4: Single in second at-bat (3rd inning) at Great Lakes 6 -- June 3: Single in first at-bat (2nd inning) at Great Lakes 5 -- June 2: Single in first at-bat (1st inning) vs. Bowling Green 4 -- June 1: Single in third at-bat (6th inning) vs. Bowling Green 3 -- May 29: Single in first and only at-bat (2nd inning) vs. Fort Wayne 2 -- May 28: Triple in first at-bat (1st inning) vs. Fort Wayne 1 -- May 27: Single in third at-bat (6th inning) vs. Fort Wayne Richard Urena http://www.milb.com/assets/images/1/5/0/194538150/cuts/Urena_960_ks3llg33_6j08t0r5.jpg http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20160809&content_id=194531170&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb Richard Urena began his professional career as a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League in 2013, and in each season since, he has earned a promotion. So it should come as no surprise that Toronto's top prospect, who was bumped up from Class A Advanced Dunedin at the beginning of the month, is looking as comfortable as ever since arriving in New Hampshire a week ago. "I was really happy when they told me," said Urena of the latest promotion, through teammate and translator Jorge Saez. "I couldn't wait to get up here." He has made that abundantly clear since joining the Fisher Cats after leaving Dunedin, hitting .305 on the heels of a six-game hitting streak in which he collected 14 hits. Urena hasn't slowed for a second as he has hit safely in his first five games for New Hampshire, including a three-hit debut and three multi-hit efforts. "It's definitely helped me," he said about having dealt with in-season promotions in the past. "I feel like I put myself in a good position because I work very hard at just trying to get better. It's helped me move up." For Urena, the only differences he has noticed thus far at this new level is that the players are more experienced, so his instant success at the Double-A level has simply been a matter of maintaining his routine while staying dedicated to his work ethic. "It's nothing more than working hard in the cage, working hard out here and trusting in my own abilities," Urena said. "I'm just doing the same thing." The 20-year-old is also working hard at shortstop, committing only one error in his first 45 innings at the position for New Hampshire. But it his plate prowess that has drawn the attention of those who hadn't seen him play prior to his arrival in the Eastern League. The tool are starting to all come together, and most importantly it seems the mentality and maturity are in line with everything. The current post-season plan is for Urena to return to his hometown of San Francisco de Macoris in the Dominican Republic to play winter ball with the Gigantes de Cibao, where he played nine games last year. Until that time, he is looking to continue to showcase himself at this new level in hopes of getting that next promotion at some point in the near future. "I just want to continue going good the rest of the year and just keep coming out here and continuing to get better and see what happens at the end of the year," said Urena. Josh Palacios http://wpmedia.theprovince.com/2016/08/new-vancouver-canadian-josh-palacios-shown-with-auburn-unive1.jpeg?quality=60&strip=all&w=840&h=630&crop=1 http://theprovince.com/sports/baseball/canadians-outfielder-palacios-sure-knows-his-baseball You can learn a lot about Josh Palacios in a single sentence. “My favourite player of all time is Roberto Clemente,” the Vancouver Canadians centre fielder explains when asked about his baseball heroes. Palacios, a fourth-round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in June, turned 21 two weeks ago. Clemente, the Pittsburgh Pirates legendary right fielder, died on Dec. 31, 1972. Before you start questioning whether Palacios was playing for the crowd with that answer and merely trying to sound astute, consider that he comes from a baseball family. His uncle, Rey Palacios, was a backup catcher in the bigs with the Kansas City Royals from 1988-90. Dad Richard Palacios was skilled enough as a pitcher that he got a look from the Detroit Tigers, according to his son. Father is also apparently gifted enough as a coach that he’s helping turning out future pros. Along with Josh, there’s his younger brother Richie, 19, who hit .329, with six home runs, 38 runs batted in and 32 steals for Towson University in 54 games this season as a freshman with the Baltimore-area NCAA program. “From what my parents and my uncle and my grandfather told me, and the video that I got to watch, he’s hands-down my favourite player on and off the field,” Josh said of Clemente, who was well known for his charity work and died in a plane crash while en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Growing up in Brooklyn, Palacios also admits an affinity for Derek Jeter, although he contends that “everyone in New York is somewhat of a Jeter guy or girl.” “I was a Yankees fan, so when it was Blue Jays (who drafted him), at first I like ‘All right,’” said the 6-foot-1, 193-pound left-handed hitter. “The longer I am here, though, the more I grow to appreciate the organization and how well we are treated. I’m so grateful for the opportunity and them giving me a fair chance.” Baseball America tagged Palacios in their draft preview as a “potentially above-average bat thanks to his natural rhythm at the plate and his feel for hitting.” He hit .385 in 34 games with Auburn this NCAA season, adding five home runs and 23 runs batted in for the eastern Alabama team. He missed more than a month with a wrist injury. The Blue Jays gave Palacios a signing bonus of $438,100, according to Baseball America, and assigned him to their rookie-level Gulf Coast League team in Florida. He hit .265 in 13 games there before being promoted to Vancouver. Going into Monday, he had hit .294 in 14 games with the C’s. “The family is excited,” he said. “Vancouver is the farthest I’ve been from New York in terms of distance, but everybody is excited because you’re moving up. “My parents know how it goes. It helps. My dad has been through it. My uncle has been through it. They know exactly what is going on.” John La Prise http://jaysprospects.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/laprisecropped-300x199.jpg http://jaysprospects.com/2016/08/08/john-la-prise-lansing/ Changing positions is a common occurrence for many minor leaguers. That’s why it’s important for scouts to discover players that have the ability to move around the diamond as needed for future opportunities in the game. That’s exactly what happened when Blue Jays scouts encouraged the organization to take a flyer on John La Prise during the 2015 draft. Performing primarily as a third baseman and an outfielder at the University of Virginia; the Blue Jays envisioned the prospect playing up the middle as a second baseman when they picked him in the 19th round. Beginning his transformation during extended spring training, La Prise found some of the initial footwork involved with the position challenging as he was recovering from hip surgery from an injury he suffered last summer. “I was working on a lot of defensive specific drills in extended,” explained La Prise. “Coming off of hip surgery, I was trying to get a wider base for my fielding. It really helped me get into the swing of things. It got me into my daily routines so I would be ready for my time in Lansing.” “The footwork is definitely different for the 4-6-3 double play” La Prise added. “It was tough being wide and able to pivot as well. All of those idiosyncrasies in the footwork made it a tough process. I think extended helped me a lot in that area.” The hard work has paid off as La Prise is one of the Lugnuts best defenders. Currently sporting a .966 fielding percentage, while taken part in 25 double plays, and assisting on another 132 is a strong inductor that the young infielder is developing well at his new position. His play doesn’t end in the field though as La Prise has been a steady hitter in the Lugnuts lineup this season. Known for his capability to hit line drives, it makes complete sense why the Blue Jays wanted to move the prospect to the middle of the diamond where there’s less emphasis on hitting for power. “I’m trying to keep my plate approach simple and do whatever the team needs me to do,” stated La Prise. “Sometimes I think I try to be too big and try to hit home runs, so I try to keep it simple hit line drives and help the team win.” Maintaining a .274/.338/.335 slash line in Lansing has been a nice way to kick off his time in low-A ball. Recording 49 hits in 179 at-bats, La Prise has notched 10 extra base hits, which includes: nine doubles, and a triple. Making advances in the batter’s box thanks to the help of Lansing Lugnuts hitting coach Donnie Murphy, La Prise discusses what he has liked about working with the former big leaguer. “I love working with Donnie,” said La Prise. “Donnie played in the big leagues for nine years so he definitely knows his stuff. He gives great advice and keeps you even keel every night.” The admiration goes both ways as Murphy is impressed with the way La Prise has been able to bounce back after a major operation. “I’m impressed with the way John La Prise has been able to step into the lineup after hip surgery a year ago,” stated Murphy. “John has a natural feel for the game. He played for a great college program and it’s shown here. He’s playing great baseball.” Crediting a lot of his success in baseball on the fact that he played numerous sports in high school; La Prise sees some direct correlations between the skills he attained in soccer and basketball to those he uses on the diamond every night. “In soccer and basketball there’s a lot of agility and side movements,” explained La Prise. “I loved playing whatever sport was in season and I definitely feel it helped me in baseball.” His love for baseball has paid huge dividends in his life to date and for the Blue Jays who could’ve potentially found a future major leaguer late in the process. But no matter how long his transition takes at second base, fans of the Toronto Blue Jays will continue to follow John La Prise for years to come.

He had one bad outing out of 3, it happens. He'll be back in September for sure, we'll get to see more then at least.

The ride was fun, but now it is over. Goodnight sweet prince

I never said to call him up. I just said I would rather call him up than Montero. But yes lets call up the guy with a career 92 wRC+ through ~900 MLB PAs. This will solve everything.

lol dumn

I would rather call up Tellez than Montero.

He could very well be worse lol

Montero is pretty clearly not the answer. His walk rate and ISO are atrocious in AAA this year. He projects to be a below average hitter, and has been a below average hitter his entire MLB career.

Yeah because I'm the one baiting here by saying I expect more than 1st place. Eat s*** Grant.

Struggling over the past 2 weeks but I like it going forward with Donaldson, Bautista, EE, Travis, etc. for the rest of the season. Jump off the ledge though, I'm sure you'll be back if we go out and put up 10 tomorrow.

Undefeated record or riot.

There's always MiLB games on.

Nice shutdown inning from Feldman. LETS GO BLUE JAYS!

We caught a break there, gotta take advantage next inning.

Ump throwing us a bone.

Whadya say we get out of this inning and score some runs? Top of the order coming up!