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Spanky99

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Everything posted by Spanky99

  1. f***, indeed. 3rd is his position, dude. And no like,
  2. Roden's getting big hype from where I look, nice.
  3. That should be it. I'd rather pay from the pile than give up anything for him. Hah!
  4. Easily clear 600, he'll end up with 100M in bonuses this time through. His contract will be a cool read, haha!
  5. They aren't going to contend, poor Trout, they should retool at least.
  6. Ohtani's agent is going to do his job, and get him the most until Shohei says so at the end of negotiations to what team he's had in mind the whole time. It'll be sick money.
  7. You're high, lol. He'll have pitching tags to his deal, and will crush 700M with those bonuses. You know, it's been reported that the Cubs were in at 500 +... they've fallen out of the dibs, it seems. Hmmm.......
  8. He's pretty good I believe, weird, he reminded me of a better Cimber.
  9. That's interesting.
  10. The MLBN should do like a top 50 trade target show or something, thur dumn. Are there credible list's from sites? Hmmm...
  11. Agreed, who wants to trade that...
  12. Yeah, those suggestions make no sense.
  13. Baseball America's Top 10 Blue Jays Edition. Some big jumps... Headshot of Ricky Tiedemann 1. Ricky Tiedemann LHP Ht: 6'4" | Wt: 220 | B-T: L-L Age: null BA Grade/Risk:65/Very High. Track Record: Teams likely regret passing on Tiedemann out of Lakewood (Calif.) High in the five-round 2020 draft. In pro ball, the lefthander has quickly developed one of the highest ceilings among pitching prospects. Tiedemann showed progress at Golden West (Calif.) JC in 2021, prompting the Blue Jays to draft him in the third round and sign him for a below-slot $644,800. He debuted with Low-A Dunedin in 2022, showing a jump in velocity and stuff across his arsenal. On the back of his elite stuff and strong performance, he climbed to Double-A that August. Tiedemann entered 2023 spring training with an opportunity to pitch his way to Toronto. He instead was shut down with left shoulder soreness and got a late start to his season. After four dominant but truncated Double-A starts, Tiedemann returned to the injured list with a left biceps sprain on May 5. He did not return to Double-A New Hampshire until Aug. 11. He made seven appearances there and one for Triple-A Buffalo before finishing with four starts in the Arizona Fall League, where he was league pitcher of the year. More critically, Tiedemann exceeded 70 pitches and five innings three times in the AFL, something he had not done since July 1, 2022. Scouting Report: Tiedemann is a tall, strong-bodied lefthander with the build prototypical of workhorse starters. Despite his physical appearance, his health and durability have been major question marks. When healthy, Tiedemann has an outlier combination of velocity, movement and deception, delivering the ball from a low three-quarters slot. His fastball sits 94-97 mph and touches 98 mph. He generates below-average ride but heavy armside run that plays up due to his low slot and ability to hide the ball. While Tiedemann’s best pitch historically has been his changeup, that pitch backed up in 2023 as concerns about the difference in release height and arm slot compared with his fastball became a larger issue. His changeup features heavy tumble and fade as he kills lift and generates a heavy dose of armside run. His slider became his primary secondary in 2023. It’s a low-80s pitch with sweep and ride. Tiedemann shows an uncanny ability to manipulate his slider and land it in the zone. The pitch generated whiffs at a rate of 39% in-zone in 2023 as well as a 49% rate of called-plus-swinging strikes. As the Blue Jays continue to refine Tiedemann’s arsenal it should continue to improve, giving him three plus or better pitches, including one secondary pitch to neutralize hitters of either handedness. Tiedemann’s command can come and go, but it’s reasonable to think a large chunk of the season was impacted by injury. The Future: No one questions that Tiedemann has the tools and attributes to develop into a No. 2 or 3 starter. It’s only a matter of whether his body will cooperate. A strong season at Triple-A in 2024 will land him in Toronto. Scouting Grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 55. Headshot of Orelvis Martinez 2. Orelvis Martinez SS Ht: 5'11" | Wt: 200 | B-T: R-R Age: null BA Grade/Risk:55/High. Track Record: Martinez signed out of the Dominican Republic for $3.51 million in 2018. He skipped the Dominican Summer League and made his pro debut in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2019, hitting .275/.352/.549 in 40 games as a 17-year-old. Martinez moved quickly following the pandemic-lost 2020 season, seeing both levels of Class A in 2021 and spending all of 2022 at Double-A New Hampshire. After an uneven showing as a 20-year-old at Double-A, Martinez returned to the level in 2023. After a slow start, he hit .268/.390/.557 from May 1 through the end of the first half. He was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo on July 18 and spent the winter with Licey of the Dominican League. Scouting Report: Martinez entered 2023 trending toward a power-over-everything hitter with major questions around his bat-to-ball skills and swing decisions. Instead, he showed a more refined and patient approach without sacrificing his aggressiveness. Martinez showed a willingness to make pitchers work and in turn saw better pitches in the zone. He made the most of those opportunities as his simple, powerful swing easily backspins his best contact to his pull side. Martinez has always had strong hands and the ability to get to plus power in games. His improvements in approach and contact have allowed him to project to get to his power against more advanced pitchers. Martinez is a fringe-average runner who will turn in an average run time on occasion. He’s not rangy afield but shows the ability to play multiple infield positions. He has focused on shortstop and third base in pro ball, but his best long-term position is likely second base, where he has enough range and his plus arm would be an asset. The Future: Martinez is a bat-first second baseman with the ability to hit 30-plus home runs at peak. Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 45 | Fielding: 45 | Arm: 60. Headshot of Arjun Nimmala 3. Arjun Nimmala SS Ht: 6'1" | Wt: 170 | B-T: R-R Age: null BA Grade/Risk:55/Extreme. Track Record: Nimmala became the highest drafted first-generation Indian player when the Blue Jays selected him with the 20th overall pick in 2023. They signed him for $3 million, or about 80% of slot value for the pick. As a youth, Nimmala played primarily cricket before converting to the baseball diamond. During his senior season at Strawberry Crest High outside Tampa, Nimmala was selected Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Florida and won the Wade Boggs Award as the best player in Hillsborough County. Nimmala made his pro debut in August in the Florida Complex League, playing in nine games and walking 14 times with eight strikeouts. Scouting Report: Nimmala is a young, projectable infielder with plenty of tools to still develop. He has an average build that projects to add strength in the coming years. He shows at least average bat-to-ball skills with a simple righthanded swing that has a steeper path optimized for power. After often expanding the zone at a high rate as an amateur, Nimmala showed a more refined approach in his brief pro debut. He has natural loft in his swing that allows him to make his best contact in the air consistently. Nimmala possesses plus bat speed and his body should continue to get stronger in the coming years. He’s an average runner, but his quick footwork allows him to cover ground at shortstop, where his hands and actions are above-average. His above-average arm strength should be the final ingredient that allows him to stick at shortstop. The Future: Nimmala has plenty of tools and showed more refinement at the plate in his brief pro time. He projects as a power-hitting shortstop with above-average defensive ability who, if he develops, could hold down the position in Toronto for an extended spell. Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 55. Headshot of Brandon Barriera 4. Brandon Barriera LHP Ht: 6'2" | Wt: 180 | B-T: L-L Age: null BA Grade/Risk:55/Extreme. Track Record: Barriera went 5-0 with a 2.27 ERA in eight starts as a senior for American Heritage High in South Florida before deciding to sit out the remainder of the 2022 season to prepare for the draft. The Blue Jays selected him with the 23rd pick and signed him for just under $3.6 million. He made his pro debut in May 2023 after dealing with a shoulder issue in spring training. Barriera made four starts before heading to the injured list with an elbow sprain. He didn’t return until mid July, then made three starts before biceps soreness returned him to the IL. Scouting Report: Since his time as an amateur, Barriera has added mass at the expense of his athleticism. He returned looking noticeably larger than his listed 180 pounds. The added strength didn’t translate to conditioning, and Barriera dealt with a trio of injuries. His fastball sits 92-94 mph with heavy cut, and he showed the ability to command his fastball at an average level to set up his slider. His slider is a plus bordering on double-plus sweeper that sits 82-84 mph with nearly a foot of horizontal break on average. He generated a high rates of swings-and-misses against the pitch and flashed the ability to dominate with the pitch in the zone. He showed a mid-to-high-80s changeup with parachuting drop. He threw his changeup just 14 times across all of his appearances. He also flashed a curveball with two-plane break in the upper 70s but it was thrown only a few times this season. His command of his slider and fastball are average, and that pair of pitches accounts for a majority of his usage. The Future: Barriera is a risky prospect with a wide range of outcomes. He will need to improve his conditioning, add velocity and develop a third pitch to stay in the rotation. Otherwise he has the signature pitch to make it as a high-leverage reliever. Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50 Headshot of Addison Barger 5. Addison Barger SS Ht: 6'0" | Wt: 210 | B-T: L-R Age: null BA Grade/Risk:50/High. Track Record: Drafted in 2018, Barger spent most of 2019 on the restricted list before emerging with added power from the 2020 pandemic shutdown. He had a strong season in 2021 with Low-A Dunedin before breaking out in 2022 by hitting .308/.378/.555 across three levels and reaching Triple-A. Barger returned to Buffalo in 2023 and struggled initially before an April 28 trip to the injured list with elbow pain. After an examination found no structural damage, Barger returned to Buffalo on June 21 and hit .254/.358/.424 over the final 68 games. He showed improved plate discipline upon his return via rates of 19% strikeouts and nearly 14% walks. Scouting Report: After showing a more aggressive approach and more in-game power in 2021 and 2022, Barger showed more patience in 2023 and a toned-down launch angle. This in turn produced a more consistent bat path, and he showed improvements in contact, in-zone contact and swing decisions. Barger traded some fly balls for line drives and ground balls, but he closed some of the holes in his swing. While he hit for less power in 2023, his underlying exit velocity data improved across the board, with his average exit velocity jumping more than 3 mph and his 90th percentile EV increasing by 2 mph to 106 mph. Barger is a fringe-average runner and not a threat to steal bases. In the field, he is unlikely to stick at shortstop full time, and he saw time in right field and at third base and second base in 2023. He has a plus arm that could work at a variety of positions, but it’s a matter of cleaning up some of his actions and footwork. The Future: Barger is a versatile lefthanded hitter who has improved his hit tool while learning to play right field. He is a super-utility type with above-average hitting ability. Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 45 | Fielding: 45 | Arm: 60. Headshot of Kendry Rojas 6. Kendry Rojas LHP Ht: 6'2" | Wt: 190 | B-T: L-L Age: null BA Grade/Risk:55/Extreme. Track Record: Rojas signed for $215,000 out of Cuba in October 2020 and debuted the following summer in the Florida Complex League. He began 2022 at Low-A Dunedin making eight appearances before a lat injury put him on the injured list for a large chunk of the season. Rojas returned to Dunedin in 2023 and made 15 starts as part of 20 total appearances. He pitched 84 innings in total. Rojas ranked among the Florida State League leaders in several categories as he finished the season with a 3.75 ERA, a 23.4% strikeout rate and a 9.4% walk rate as a 20-year-old. Scouting Report: Rojas has a whippy arm action with good arm speed and delivers the ball from a low three-quarters slot. He mixes a trio of pitches in his four-seam fastball, slider and changeup. Rojas’ fastball sits 92-93 mph and touches 94-95 at peak with above-average ride and cut. He commands the pitch at a fringe-average level, with intermittent bouts of wildness. Rojas’ primary secondary pitch is a mid-80s slider with some cut that he shows advanced feel to throw. It generated whiffs in and out of the zone in 2023. His changeup is a mid-to-high-80s pitch without heavy tumble or fade. Still, it was an effective chase pitch in 2023 and drove whiffs out of the zone. Rojas can frequently get out of sync mechanically, spinning off his plant foot at release. As he refines his mechanics, he should find greater consistency with his strike-throwing. Rojas has a projectable arsenal of pitches with command that should improve with time. The Future: Rojas is a projectable lefthander who projects as a No. 4 starter. He is ready for an assignment to High-A Vancouver in 2024. Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50. Headshot of Leo Jimenez 7. Leo Jimenez SS Ht: 5'10" | Wt: 215 | B-T: R-R Age: null BA Grade/Risk:45/High. Track Record: Jimenez was considered one of the top players to come out of Panama in the last decade when he signed for $825,000 in 2017. He endured two injury-shortened seasons in 2021 and 2022, missing time with shoulder and hand injuries. Jimenez began 2023 with Double-A New Hampshire, making 76 starts for the Fisher Cats primarily at shortstop and hitting .287/.372/.436 with a 15.9% strikeout rate. He earned a promotion to Triple-A Buffalo in late August. Scouting Report: Jimenez does not wow with loud tools or flashy play, but he’s an instinctual, disciplined ballplayer. He employs a simple swing with a direct path and average bat speed. He shows an ability to adjust his hands and make a high rate of contact. Jimenez rarely swings and misses in the strike zone and shows advanced swing decisions. He’s patient but not passive, regularly attacking strikes. Jimenez shows sneaky power, but it’s mostly in the form of line drives. He began to show the ability to pull the ball in the air without forcing it, hinting at untapped power. His underlying exit velocity data is above-average for his age, with a 88.5 mph average and a 90th percentile EV of 104.2. He’s a fringe-average runner capable of clocking an average run time on a hustle play down the line. He’s not a basestealing threat but has a quick first step and good infield instincts. He shows an average arm at shortstop, but his quick release and good internal clock allow him to make a majority of plays. Jimenez may end up at second base due to the limitations of his arm. The Future: Jimenez is a solid all-around player who will likely break-in as a utilityman but should develop into a second-division regular over time. Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 45 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 50. Headshot of Davis Schneider 8. Davis Schneider 2B Ht: 5'9" | Wt: 190 | B-T: R-R Age: null BA Grade/Risk:40/Medium. Track Record: Signed in the 28th round for $50,000 in 2017, Schneider has been one of the best underdog stories in recent memory. The Blue Jays left him exposed to the Rule 5 draft after the 2021 and 2022 seasons despite above-average offensive performances in consecutive seasons. He began 2023 at Triple-A Buffalo, where he hit .275/.416/.553 with 21 home runs in 87 games. He earned a callup to Toronto on Aug. 4 and hit a home run off James Paxton in his first major league at-bat. Schneider hit .276/.404/.603 with eight home runs in 35 games. He made Toronto’s postseason roster but did not appear in a game. Scouting Report: Undersized and somewhat positionless, Schneider is a bat-first player with an advanced plate approach. His bat-to-ball skills are fringy due to a longer swing with a steeper bat path. His advanced approach at the plate and ability to discern balls from strikes limits his exposure to pitches outside the zone. Schneider struggles with offspeed pitches and curveballs but does damage against fastballs and different slider types. He has above-average power potential despite just average exit velocities due to his excellent launch angles that allow him to get the most out of his power. He showed the ability to get to his power consistently in his brief MLB debut. Schneider is a fringe-average runner who isn’t much of a threat to steal a base. In the field, Schneider is a well below-average defender at second base with a below-average arm. He saw some time in left field, but Schneider’s best long-term position is DH. The Future: Schneider is an above-average hitter with a three-true-outcomes profile. He can carve out a role as a bat-driven second-division regular. Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 45 | Fielding: 30 | Arm: 40. Headshot of Alan Roden 9. Alan Roden OF Ht: 5'11" | Wt: 215 | B-T: L-R Age: null BA Grade/Risk:45 Risk: High. Track Record: Roden maintained freshman eligibility into his third season at Creighton after redshirting in 2019 and seeing just three games of action during the shortened 2020 season. He spurned draft interest following his 2021 freshman campaign in order to complete his physics degree. The Blue Jays drafted Roden in the third round in 2022 and signed him for an under-slot $497,500. Assigned to High-A Vancouver in 2023, he hit his way to Double-A New Hampshire on July 19 and batted .310/.421/.460 in 46 games at the higher level. Scouting Report: Roden has always shown elite bat-to-ball skills and approach. He has a stockier build with broad shoulders but is a better athlete than he appears. Roden has an unusual setup and swing, as he sets up with his hands high above his head in a similar fashion to Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel. This is an alteration from Roden’s setup during college, when his bat rested on his shoulder in a deep crouch. Roden is now more upright and his front leg drift has been replaced by a more traditional leg kick. Despite the unusual setup and mechanics, Roden is able to control his barrel with high accuracy, rarely swinging and missing. He shows fringe-average game power, but it’s not a matter of hard contact. It’s a lack of lift in his bat path. Most of Roden’s hardest-hit balls in play are line drives. He’s an average runner underway, which allows him to play an average to perhaps a touch better defense in the corner outfield. Roden has an above-average arm that plays well in the corners. The Future: Roden has a hit tool-driven profile with limited power upside due to his unusual swing and setup. He can be a solid second-division regular with the ability to play an outfield corner and provide high batting averages and on-base ability. Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 50 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 55. Headshot of Connor Cooke 10. Connor Cooke RHP Ht: 6'1" | Wt: 203 | B-T: R-R Age: null BA Grade/Risk:45/High. Track Record: After coming out of the bullpen for two seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette, Cooke made the jump to the rotation in his third season. He went 7-3 with a 2.03 ERA with 90 strikeouts and 37 walks in 79.2 innings as a starter in 2021, prompting the Blue Jays to draft him in the 10th round and sign him for $141,900. After breaking camp with Low-A Dunedin in 2022, Cooke worked as a multi-innings piggyback starter. He was promoted to High-A Vancouver on Aug. 2 and has been exclusively a reliever since. He broke camp with Vancouver in 2023 and made nine appearances before he was promoted to Double-A New Hampshire. He spent a majority of his season at Double-A before earning a late-August promotion to Buffalo. Scouting Report: One of the best athletes in the Blue Jays organization, Cooke saw a giant leap in stuff in 2023. He mixes three pitches, all of which can flash above-average. He has a unique ability to ride a fastball, spin a breaking ball and turn over a changeup. Cooke’s fastball sits 95-96 mph and touches 97-98 at peak, with ride, run and a difficult angle for hitters to get on plane. He spins his sweeper slider at 2,800-3,000 rpm with nearly a foot and a half of sweep on average. His slider sits 83-85 mph. He shows average command of his fastball and slider and fringe-average command of his changeup. His offspeed is infrequently used but shows heavy tumble and fade when he lands it. Overall, Cooke shows high-leverage stuff and intensity. The Future: Cooke is a high-powered reliever who has refined his arsenal with a potential high-leverage relief future. His 40.6% strikeout rate ranked third among minor league relievers with at least 30 appearances in 2023 and he is in line to make his major league debut in 2024. Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 45.
  14. Spanky99

    NHL Thread

    *tongue in cheek*
  15. Jays should check in on Drury with the Angels, he's solid? Hmm... git r done! Would Van Eyk and Espy do it?
  16. Might as well add Soto and Kim after those guys, f*** it.
  17. Well, that's a whole different story, lol.
  18. Send Manoah, Rojas and Toman there way, it's a salary dump and the get a controllable SP they desperately need, and some spects with value.
  19. Can't say Toronto didn't try.
  20. Spanky99

    NHL Thread

    Stolen right off social media... be better.
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