King

http://i.imgur.com/3yGUcjN.png

Hell of an at bat for Thole.

You too.

@ West Texas Forever

Just how he drew it up.

Ump is on drugs.

I did say it was a mammoth bomb.

Dickey will give up 2 mammoth bombs to Steven Souza Jr. One off the Tropicana sign.

Alright fellas I'm tuning in.

You shouldn't

Has anyone else not missed Carrera at all.

Go Jays Go!

http://www.fangraphs.com/library/pitching/linear-weights/ Smoak 3rd worst at hitting the curveball this year. http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=100&type=7&season=2016&month=0&season1=2016&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=6,a

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=100&type=7&season=2016&month=0&season1=2016&ind=0&team=14&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=5,a

I would just leave him as a reliever at this point.

I'm actually pretty excited for this. This is DCs time to show he's an MLB guy.

Too small of a sample to judge. Wait and see http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=9954&position=OF#fieldingadvanced

Yes this might be good. Ceciliani hitting .277/.358/.503 vs RHP this season as opposed to 255/286/347 vs LHP. Play Ceciliani vs RHP and Upton vs LHP would be ideal. But I'm expecting Upton to play everyday. #GibbyLogic

The kid in the amber alert I think you guys were discussing is dead. RIP Neighbours and community members who searched this weekend for 12-year-old Finnigan Danne are awaiting word Monday from Hamilton police about how the boy died. Danne, who had limited mobility, went missing from his home on Saturday. The urgency of the search was heightened Sunday afternoon when police issued an Amber Alert, a special bulletin used to alert the public about a child abduction. Police did not say what led them to suspect the child may have been abducted. Danne's body was found shortly after the alert was issued. Police said an autopsy has been scheduled and their investigation will continue. The road to the family's home was blocked Monday morning, but police tape was cleared shortly after noon. Neighbours near Danne's home said his body was found in a culvert in the area. Susan Jervis, one of the neighbours who searched, said she was surprised to hear about Danne's whereabouts. "I think if you live in this area, that was going to be the first place that you looked," she said. "It is pretty surprising that he's in a place where it looks like he would've been seen. So it doesn't make a lot of sense." Ilene O'Connor and her husband Michael live in the house next to where Danne was found. They didn't know the boy personally but said the neighbourhood rallied around the family in the search. "There were hundreds of people out here," she said. "Every neighbour in the area was here." Police never told them explicitly that they'd found Danne's body, but it was evident, O'Connor said. She said they removed the body around 10 p.m. Sunday. "They waited until after dark," O'Connor said. "[Police] came to the door and asked us if we wouldn't mind staying in the house. He said, 'You don't want to see this.'" Monday, neighbours and people who helped in the search continued to come to the area, some to add condolences, other just looking to understand. One woman said the suggestion of an abduction through the Amber Alert led her to keep her child inside. "Until I know for sure what happened, I'm not letting him outside by himself. He's not happy with me," said Melanie Morton. "It's kind of disconcerting. I'm scared. Until everybody knows for sure what happened, I don't know what to think." Neighbour Gordana Stevanovic said she came back to the street "because we wanted closure." She and Wendy Duque said that where the body was found doesn't make sense. They believe the area had been searched repeatedly. "We were on that street an hour before the Amber Alert came out, which is very distressing. I couldn't sleep," said Duque. "We really felt we needed to come back." Danne had a neuromuscular disorder and used a wheelchair, police said in the Amber Alert. He had last been seen on Saturday, barefoot and wearing a Special Olympics shirt. Police conducted a ground search for Danne through much of the weekend. The effort included the mounted unit, ATVs and the canine unit, along with about 200 residents who volunteered to help. Hamilton police said in a news release around suppertime Sunday they were "deeply saddened to confirm" that Danne's body had been located.

Ceciliani hitting .300/.373/.567 over the past calendar month, 170 wRC+. Pompey will be up in September.

Dang!

http://i.imgur.com/39KpkFs.png http://i.imgur.com/eCdEME7.png http://i.imgur.com/IC1U3LT.png The Buffalo Bisons came away with a split in Sunday's doubleheader at McCoy Stadium, rebounding from a morning shutout with a pair of home runs and some solid pitching for the back-nine win in the afternoon. Game One: Sunday morning's contest was dominated by Pawtucket starter Justin Haley as the RedSox rolled to a 6-0 victory. The big right-hander went the distance in the shortened game, punching out four Bisons as he spread five hits around seven innings for the complete game shutout, his first at the Triple-A level. Taking the mound for the first time in 12 days, Mike Bolsinger was on a pitch count and worked quickly and efficiently in his organizational debut. The 6-foot-1 Texan was in control for 2.2 innings, striking out a pair without issuing a walk. But that's when the 28-year-old clipped Ryan LaMarre on the finger to extend the home half of the third. Marco Hernandez then tucked a ball just inside of the first-base bag and into the corner for a triple, scoring LaMarre while bringing an end to Bolsinger's day. Jason Berken also made his Bisons debut as he took over from Bolsinger. Making his 12th minor-league start of the year, the veteran righty showed some inconsistency but kept Buffalo's bullpen rested as he took the ball the rest of the way. Berken allowed four runs on five hits, striking out three Sox while walking a trio as well. http://i.imgur.com/a7i9qZB.png http://i.imgur.com/makjVgB.png http://i.imgur.com/ZCo2Ji1.png http://i.imgur.com/Yaq2bJ9.png Game Two: After getting dunked by putting up a donut in the first half of Sunday's double dip, the Bisons got their offense going in game two, eventually doubling up the Red Sox with a 6-3 win. The Herd jumped out in front 1-0 in the second inning, as Darrell Ceciliani crushed his ninth home run of the year well beyond the right field fence. Buffalo tacked on a few more in the third as Jio Mier led off the inning with a double, then scampered around the bases on Dalton Pompey's single into shallow center field, before sliding in just under the tag at home. Andy Burns followed up with a ground-rule double, bouncing a ball off of the track in the left-field corner and over the wall. A wild pitch then plated Pompey. Burns trotted home a batter later as Matt Dominguez cashed him in with a deep sacrifice fly, pushing the Bisons' lead to four. In his 10th start while up with the Herd this season, Casey Lawrence cruised through three frames before running into some trouble in the fourth. After the first four batters all reached base, the lean righty limited the damage to three runs with a strikeout, a lineout and a fielder's choice grounder. Lawrence then worked his way through another inning, finishing with six strikeouts and a walk to earn his third victory of the season. Chris Colabello added an insurance marker in the top of the sixth when he took a 1-0 pitch and pounded it onto the picnic deck in right-center field. Tasked with a holding the 6-3 lead, Dustin Antolin made quick work of the Red Sox in sixth, fanning two of three batters. Ryan Tepera followed up with a pair of punch outs in a perfect seventh, nailing down the win and his 17th save. BISONS NOTES: Mike Bolsinger was activated by the Bisons Saturday after being optioned by the Blue Jays…Also prior to Saturday's rainout, Jason Berken was called up from Double-A New Hamshire to replace Pat Venditte who had been traded by Toronto to Seattle…David Adams was placed on the disabled list as the additional corresponding move…With a first-inning single in game two, Matt Dominguez extended his hitting streak to five games…Buffalo is now 5-9 in doubleheader action this season. http://i.imgur.com/8OrSn7s.png http://i.imgur.com/HUcxvVP.png http://i.imgur.com/EsUc0wh.png Manchester, NH - Rowdy Tellez ripped two home runs, driving in four runs, as the Fisher Cats finished up a 5-1 homestand with a 7-4 win over Erie on Sunday afternoon at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. Jeremy Gabryszwski (7-8) picked up his second win of the homestand, matching a seasons-best with seven innings. He allowed three runs, all unearned, on six hits. He walked four and struck out four. Tellez hit his first two-run homer in the third inning to give the Fisher Cats a 3-0 lead. He hit another one in the fifth to put the Fisher Cats up 6-3. Both homers came off starter and losing pitcher Cory Riordan (4-7). New Hampshire (52-61) hit the board in the bottom of the third inning. Ian Parmley and Christian Lopes started the inning with singles. After a sacrifice bunt by Richard Urena, Jon Berti's sacrifice fly made it 1-0. Tellez ripped an 0-1 pitch for his 15th homer to make it 3-0. Erie (46-68) tied the game with three unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning. Harold Castro doubled home two runs and scored on a single by Kody Eaves. In the fifth inning, Lopes, who went 4-for-4, doubled and scored on a double by Urena. Tellez then hit his second homer to make it 6-3. New Hampshire added a final run in the seventh. Parmley doubled and moved to third on a single by Lopes. The Fisher Cats then executed a double steal with Parmley's steal of home making it 7-3. Chris Smith allowed a run in the top of the ninth inning. Former Fisher Cats outfielder Anthony Gose walked and would score on a single by Gustavo Nunez. New Hampshire heads out on the road for the next week, beginning the trip with a game in Bowie, Maryland on Tuesday night against the BaySox, the Orioles Double-A. Game time is 7:00 p.m. and LHP Shane Dawson starts the trip opener. 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/zEqxjpd.png http://i.imgur.com/qaFNPJ0.png http://i.imgur.com/QBqOKn8.png http://i.imgur.com/MGmUOuy.png http://i.imgur.com/VU5ARKE.png http://i.imgur.com/ztMBoaL.png http://i.imgur.com/HudtIEp.png LANSING, Mich. - Ryan Hissey delivered an RBI single with two outs in the sixth inning, and the Lansing Lugnuts (21-22, 57-56) bested the Fort Wayne TinCaps (18-25, 54-59) for the second straight day, 1-0, before a Sunday matinee crowd of 5,285 at Cooley Law School Stadium. The Lugnuts expanded their wild card lead to 2.5 games over the Great Lakes Loons and 3.0 games over the TinCaps. The game's only run-scoring rally saw All-Star Juan Kelly start the bottom of the sixth with a first-pitch single off Fort Wayne starter J.C. Cosme (Loss, 8-6). Two outs later, Kelly stole second base, and Hissey followed by grounding a 3-2 pitch from Cosme up the middle, bringing in Kelly. Starter Justin Maese and relievers Dan Lietz and Andrew Case combined on the Lugnuts' 13th shutout of the year. Maese tossed the first five frames, limiting the TinCaps to two hits and two walks, and striking out two. Lietz (Win, 6-1) handled the next 2 1/3 innings, stranding runners at second and third to end the seventh. Case (Save, 4) recorded the final five outs, working around a one-out double in the ninth. Hissey finished the game 2-for-2 with a walk, and Andrew Guillotte chipped in a single and a double in four at-bats. Right-hander Jordan Romano (2-2, 2.25) starts the third game of the four-game series for Lansing, opposed by TinCaps right-hander Jacob Nix (2-5, 4.23) at 7:05 p.m. Monday. For more information or to purchase your tickets, call 517-485-4500 or visit lansinglugnuts.com. http://i.imgur.com/UcKLEaq.png http://i.imgur.com/uatsCHS.png http://i.imgur.com/ue5bNHR.png http://i.imgur.com/S6I3IM9.png http://i.imgur.com/CJibzz6.png http://i.imgur.com/TWqetjF.png http://i.imgur.com/EWYwoxc.png Kings 3 Stars of the Night 1) Cam O'Brien: O'Brien went 4/5 with 2 doubles and a home run. 2) Rowdy Tellez: Tellez went 2/4 with 2 bombs. 3) Christian Lopes: Lopes went 4/4 with a double. Kings Platinum Arencibia 1) Joel Espinal: Espinal got torched for 7 earned runs ( 4 home runs ) in 3 innings pitched. Jonn Lott talks to Gil Kim, Blue Jays director of player development http://bluejaysnation.com/2016/8/8/lott-talking-prospects-with-jays-director-of-player-development-gil-kim Gil Kim had chatted with me for 20 minutes about some of the Blue Jays top prospects. Then I asked him whether, in his first year as the club’s first director of player development, he had come across any pleasant surprises – a player who blossomed after starting the season as roster filler. Kim had to think for a moment. His daily duties involve checking on every player in a minor-league system comprising close to 200 players. It’s in his nature to see potential in every one. “I don’t know if it’s my scouting background, but I tend to believe in these guys, you know?” he said. “I believe every single one of them can be very good baseball players.” Then he thought some more, and came up with a name: Nash Knight. If you’re thinking Nash Knight sounds like a movie character, you’re half right. Knight told the Bluefield Daily Telegraph last month that his father picked the name because he liked a good-guy cowboy named Nash in an old Western movie. At the time of that interview, Nash Knight was tearing up the Appalachian League in Bluefield, Va. After batting .402 with a 1.060 OPS in 25 games for Bluefield, the next-to-lowest level in the system, Knight was recently promoted to Vancouver. Undrafted after finishing his college career at Dallas Baptist, Knight signed with the Jays and batted .207 in the Gulf Coast League last season as a utility infielder. In Bluefield this year, he began to turn some heads. “What sticks out to me – and it’s not anything surprising to anybody who knows him – is the attention to detail and the focus he has in his work and the consistent effort,” Kim said. “He approaches every aspect of his pre-game routine with detail and focus. If it’s a 4-3 or a 6-3 or an F-7, he’s running hard out of the box. He gets most out of his abilities. He walks, talks and acts like a true professional. He’s very versatile defensively. He’s one of those players who just puts his head down and gets to work.” Knight is a long way from landing on anybody’s top prospect list. But his character and work ethic exemplify what Kim and his staff look for in a prospect. “Those are the types of guys you look up in five or six years and all the signs were there,” Kim said. “That’s why that mentality and that makeup are so important, and really a foundation to building not just a major-league baseball player but a major-league human being.” The other players we discussed – by no measure a comprehensive list – are generally recognized as legitimate prospects by the folks who make the lists, particularly those at Baseball America (subscription required) and MLB.com's MLBPipeline. Naturally, Kim looks on the bright side with every one. Here’s what he had to say about them. Max Pentecost, 23, C-DH, .314/.375/.490 at low-A Lansing Many Blue Jays fans are familiar with the Pentecost saga: · drafted 11th overall as a top catching prospect in 2014; · three surgeries on his right shoulder in two years; · then, a long, arduous road to build up his arm to throwing strength. He’s still on that road. When I visited Lansing in June to do a story on Pentecost, he was throwing every day and both he and manager John Schneider expected him to be catching by about this time. As it turns out, the Jays had no plans for Pentecost to do more than DH while slowly strengthening his arm this year. “I think there’s been some confusion (about the plans for Pentecost) from what I’ve been reading,” Kim said. “The most important thing was for him to get consistent at-bats at a full-season affiliate. He’s doing very well. We don’t plan on him catching before the end of the season.” Pentecost’s gap-to-gap hitting habit – he tripled in three straight games last week – has advanced as the season wore on, and the Jays are delighted with his hitting approach as well as his results, Kim said. “Hopefully next year he will be built up and ready to go (as a catcher),” Kim said. “We still have confidence in him as a catcher.” Pentecost banged up his left shoulder on an awkward slide into home plate last Wednesday. He’s on the seven-day DL. “He’ll be fine in a few days,” Kim said. Anthony Alford, 22, CF, .239/.339/.375 at high-A Dunedin Before the season, Alford was widely regarded as the Jays’ top prospect. Then, an opening-day knee injury cost him a month and a concussion idled him for almost two weeks. He was slow to regain his can’t-miss form of last season, but recently began to take off. In his past 25 games, Alford has slashed .330/.439/.585. Fourteen of his 31 hits in that stretch went for extra bases. “Anthony is one of the most impressive people that I have ever come across,” Kim said. “His professionalism, positivity, maturity are off the charts, and that’s how he dealt with a couple injuries and maybe not as hot of a start as he would have preferred to get out to. “Through it all, his work ethic never wavered. His commitment and positivity didn’t waver. Sometimes we forget his development path and the fact that last year was his first full season. He’s had some ups and downs, but he’s started to pick it up and we fully expect him to continue to improve.” Richard Ureña, 20, SS, .311/.354/.458 at high-A Dunedin and Double-A New Hampshire Ureña, a 2012 international signee from the Dominican Republic, is enjoying a breakthrough year, thanks in part to the help of a fellow player at Dunedin. Kim credits Dunedin manager Ken Huckaby and roving infield instructor Danny Solano with helping Ureña polish his approach. But he also says seldom-used reserve infielder Andy Fermin, the son of a former big-leaguer, assumed a “big-brother role.” “Andy is an experienced, mature, calm presence with a lot of knowledge for the game,” Kim said. “As a player, he’s taken a leadership role with Richard.” After Ureña averaged 22 errors over the last four seasons, a priority entering the season was to sharpen his concentration and throwing mechanics on defence. “(The coaching staff has) really made a lot of positive strides with him in terms of his footwork to and through ground balls,” Kim said. “That focus and concentration extended to the batter’s box. That was the biggest area of focus and subsequent improvement. We can’t give enough credit to Richard himself, first of all, for taking on these challenges and running with them, and Huck, Danny and Andy. It was a big group effort, and Richard has really taken his game to the next level.” Sean Reid-Foley, 20, RHP, 10-4, 2.46 ERA, 0.953 WHIP between Lansing and Dunedin There never has been any question about Reid-Foley’s stuff. But last year his strikeout/walk ratio was 1.87; this year it’s 4.63. Last year he averaged 3.84 innings per start; this year, 5.67. He was not keen on returning to Lansing to start this season, but it paid off. “Our pitching co-ordinator, Sal Fasano, did a very good job of outlining certain goals for Sean coming into spring training,” Kim said. “He came in in very good shape, determined to work hard. He left on that trip to Lansing on a mission.” Kim said the Lansing staff reported that Reid-Foley accepted every assignment, from conditioning to sharpening his command, with a vengeance. “It’s been great to see him stay committed to a consistent delivery and emphasizing fastball command,” Kim said. “Obviously, he’s taken off.” Conner Greene, 21, RHP, 7-8, 4.71 ERA, 1.440 WHIP between Dunedin and New Hampshire After Greene ascended three levels last year, Baseball America ranked him No. 2 on the Blue Jays’ pre-season prospect list. He was not pleased when the Jays bumped him back to Dunedin to start this season, but his 2.90 ERA in 15 starts earned him another shot at Double-A. So far, the results there have been mixed: two sketchy starts, then three excellent ones, then two that were unremarkable. High pitch counts have been consistent. His strikeout/walk ratio is 1.45. “No, there aren’t any concerns with Conner,” Kim insisted. “He’s a confident, athletic pitcher with a naturally gifted arm. He began the year in Dunedin and was one of the better performers, went to an all-star game. We concentrated with him on his focus and he improved greatly and earned the promotion to New Hampshire. He’s very young for that level of competition and he’s doing well. He’s doing what he and the organization had agreed that he would work on.” Bo Bichette, 18, SS, .421/.440/.724 in the low rookie-level Gulf Coast League The son of former big-league outfielder Dante Bichette was the Blue Jays’ second-round pick out of a Florida high school in the June draft. Now on the DL, he got off to a torrid start with 32 hits in 20 games, including 10 multi-hit games. On July 21, he felt ill and left the game. “It was an appendix issue, although he has not had it removed,” Kim said. “He’s shut down for now. We’re closely monitoring him and he’ll be followed up with doctors here shortly.” Given that the GCL schedule ends Sept. 1, it’s questionable whether Bichette will play again this season. “Bo probably had one of the more impressive starts to a professional career, which was great to see,” Kim said. “He obviously comes from a baseball family. He’s handling this with a lot of maturity. He’ll be fine.”

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! cf