ace3113

A couple of small IFA signings last week.

I'm shocked our farm system is ranked so high considering how little press some of our better prospects have gotten this year. Looks like things aren't as dire as some of us thought. This has to be considered a pleasant surprise I'd say, with a chance to jump with 2 high picks this year.

If you could change one pick in AA's tenure at GM which would it be and would it make a difference? Ironically, his first pick (Deck) may end up being his worst. McGuire over Sale was a questionable call from the moment it was made. I remember almost everyone on the forum I was on at the time losing it. That's probably the pick that would have made all the difference. Then again if he was a Jay we probably would have tried to tweak his delivery, baby his innings, and eventually schedule him former Tommy John. Sigh.

Here are some of the responses so far. Nothing super funny yet.

Hahaha. Eat it Farrel!

Man, this kid is going to be a good player. I just having a feeling about him. Really smart and mature kid, and he has ridiculous stuff.

Jupiter: Day 1 Notes JUPITER, FLA.–The largest scouting event of the year, the 15th annual WWBA World Championship hosted by Perfect Game, began Thursday. Hundreds of scouts and college coaches flocked to Jupiter, Fla., and the Roger Dean Sports Complex to see 85 of the best travel teams in the country play at the 13-field complex. Roger Dean Stadium is the spring training home of the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins, as well as home to two Florida State League affiliates. Thursday began with two consolation games in the first two time slots of the day (10:30 AM and 12:30 PM). Scouts went scrambling in the third game of the day when a late addition to the Syracuse Sports Zone roster who was not on the printed rosters entered the game throwing 87-91 mph, touching 92 on some guns. Hazelton (Pa.) High righthander Sal Biasi, who sat 89-91 in his first inning, struck out five over three innings against one walk and one hit while allowing one run in a 4-1 victory over the D’Backs Team British Columbia. Attending the event was a last-minute opportunity for the 18-year-old righthander. “The guy who put our team together saw me pitch last weekend, came to my dad and said that I needed to be on the team,” Biasi. “We just booked our flight two days ago.” Listed at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, Biasi, exclusively a middle infielder growing up, didn’t begin pitching until this summer. “We were messing around over the summer and my coach brought me in to close for two innings, then I started to get more innings,” Biasi said. Biasi committed to play baseball at Penn State this summer. “I never knew I was going to play baseball in college to begin with until this summer because I didn’t play a lot of travel ball,” Biasi said. “I was talking to a lot of Division I basketball schools and didn’t focus on baseball until the summer, which is when things came together for me for college.” The athletic Biasi has a quick arm and throws from a three-quarters slot. Biasi has both a two- and four-seam fastball but primarily used his two-seamer. He often worked away from righthanded hitters. “I like to throw the two-seamer on the outside corner to run it back on the plate,” Biasi. His mid-70s breaking ball showed some shape but was understandably inconsistent considering his inexperience on the mound. “My breaking ball has gotten a lot better,” Biasi said. “My coach Mike Zwanch is a pitching coach at Scranton University where I live and we have been working on adding a power curve.” A point guard, Biasi will play basketball in the months ahead and his strong showing on the first day of the event likely placed him on scouts’ follow lists for the spring. Biasi relieved another interesting Syracuse Sports Zone righthander, Jake Nelson from Hopkinton (N.H.) High who sat 87-90 and touched 91 over two innings. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound long-limbed Nelson’s fastball played up because of his downhill plane from his arm slot above three-quarters, movement (sink and armside run) down in the zone and ability to consistently throw strikes, although his delivery had effort and his arm action had some length and stiffness. Nelson, who will be 17 on draft day, had a 74-78 mph slider that showed tight rotation and break toward the higher end of that velocity range. He also showed a low-80s changeup but largely pitched off his fastball. –Despite his youth, one of the top arms of the day was a member of the 2016 class, 16-year-old sophomore righthander Austin Bergner (West Orange High, Windermere, Fla.), who retired all six hitters he faced, striking out two. The long, loose and rangy 6-foot-3, 170-pound Bergner has an ideal pitcher’s frame with a lean lower half and substantial physical projection remaining. He sat 88-91 mph with his fastball from a compact, whip-like arm action and arm slot a tick below three-quarters. “My arm action is something we have worked on,” Bergner said. “I don’t want to have long, loopy arm action. As tall as I am most people think I would but playing shortstop helps with having a quick, shorter arm action.” The ball jumps out of his hand as he creates behind head deception and hides the ball well with a high glove extension. Using a full windup from the far third-base side of the rubber, Bergner pounded the strike zone and got ahead of hitters. He showed good feel for a low-70s breaking ball with good shape and occasionally tight rotation, but was inconsistent. “My curveball didn’t feel as on point as it usually is,” Bergner said. “I kept on burying it. I felt like I was rushing it and trying to hide it from the hitter instead of just trying to throw it like I normally do.” But the offering has tantalizing potential. Bergner mixed in an occasional changeup in the 80-81 mph range. After his outing, Bergner, a diligent worker, performed a series of postgame workouts and abdominal exercises, which is a rare scene on the showcase circuit when pitchers sometimes leave their game completely after their innings are complete. Bergner shows potential as a shortstop with aptitude for the bat. “If I am lucky enough to go pro I would prefer to go pitching,” Bergner said. “Right now I want to go to college as a two-way player. But I know that pitching is my strongest part of my game but I want to keep on hitting until the bat is taken out of my hand.” Bergner is currently uncommitted and has yet to go on any visits to schools. –St. Louis Pirates/Mets Scout Team righthander Anthony Herron Jr. (Affton High, St. Louis, Mo.) sat 88-89 mph with a deep repertoire over his two and two thirds innings, during which he struck out three against one hit. The 6-foot-2, 197-pound Herron has a solid build with a physical lower half, athleticism and strength through throughout his upper body. The ball comes out of his hand easy and he gets downhill plane. Herron showed a 74-77 mph curveball, 78-81 slider with three-quarter tilt and a 78-79 mph splitter, a seldom seen offering in a high school pitcher, with a hard bottom that generated numerous swings and misses that was an intriguing offering. –Less than a week after a strong showing at the Florida Diamond Club, when he touched 95 mph, righthander Cre Finfrock (Martin County High Jensen Beach, Fla.) touched 96 and sat 91-94 during his two innings. The athletic 5-foot-10, 166-pound Finfrock has athleticism, a quick arm and hides the ball well with a compact arm action. A Central Florida commit, Finfrock can have above-average fastball movement at its best as the ball jumps out of his hand with deception and he has a high-70s breaking ball that flashes average or better.

Toussaint Wows Evaluators At Jupiter JUPITER, Fla.—Day One of the Perfect Game/World Wood Bat Association World Championships featured several of the top 2014 high school arms, and because of a smaller slate of games on Thursday (22 vs. more than 50), many of them were seen by many eyes. • During the day’s final time slot, four games played at adjacent fields featured several of the class’ premier arms. On one field, Touki Toussaint (Coral Springs Christian Academy, Coral Springs, Fla.) took the hill for the Atlanta Blue Jays, facing off with Brian Gonzalez (Archbishop McCarthy HS, Miramar, Fla.) and the South Florida Elite Squad. Toussaint featured similar stuff to what he’s delivered since creating headlines in Jupiter a year ago when he showed off a fastball up to 97 and devastating curveball. This year, the athletic righthander showed off a 91-94 mph fastball, peaking at 95, while predominantly mixing in his plus curveball at 74-77. At its best, Toussaint’s wrinkle earned audible praise from the typically tight-lipped scouting community. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder also threw an 85-86 changeup with deceptive arm speed, as well as an 84 mph slider. Compared to other national showcase events, Toussaint threw more strikes, though he was not always fine. His body and arm seemed to be working in better sync, allowing him to repeat his delivery. After getting squeezed on some close pitches, however, he had some wildness and ran up his pitch count, forcing his exit after two innings. • On the opposite side of the rubber, Gonzalez threw three innings from a high three-quarter arm slot, creating good downhill angle on his 87-91 mph heater. He kept lefthanders off balance with a 74-76 curveball, as well as righthanders with his 79-80 changeup. Gonzalez’s changeup featured fastball arm speed and was a swing-and-miss offering when buried down in the zone. • In relief of Toussaint was righthander Kevin Steen (Oak Ridge, Tenn., HS) who threw three sterling innings, primarily with his fastball. At 6-foot-2 and 165 pounds, Steen has a long, loose, projectable body and whippy arm, allowing his fastball to sit 90-91 mph in his first inning. Though his fastball eventually settled in the 87-89 range, his late life allowed him to carve through the Elite’s lineup, racking up six swing-and-misses and two strikeouts in his final inning. Steen commanded the zone, thanks to his athletic, repeatable delivery and fluid arm action, and also showed a 74-77 curveball with 10-5 shape. • The tournament’s first pool play time slot also put power arms on display with Grant Holmes (Conway, S.C. HS) and Alex Verdugo (Sahuaro HS, Tucson) throwing on opposite sides of the Marlins complex. Holmes, a strong-bodied righthander playing with the Evoshield Canes, worked between 91-93, peaking at 96 with two strikes on a hitter once, with excellent late life. He created lots of weak contact off the hands of righthanded hitters, and showed he could spot to both corners of the plate. He also spun a hard, late-breaking 80-81 curveball from his three-quarter slot. Meanwhile Verdugo, a lefthander with the Texas Scout Team Yankees who recently threw at the Arizona Fall Classic, worked between 89-92 with heavy run. He showed four pitches, and after a number of defensive misplays, struggled with his control. The Arizona State-commit, who also batted fourth for the Yankees, had two face-offs with Braxton Davidson (Arden, N.C.), one of the top prep power bats. In their first meeting, Verdugo started the lefthanded slugger with a knee-buckling 76 mph curveball to get ahead 0-1. He then threw a low-and-in changeup at 82 that Davidson took for strike two before narrowly missing the outside corner with a 92 mph fastball. Verdugo threw his next three pitches out of the zone—a 78 mph slider, 92 fastball, and 74 curveball—to walk him. In round two, Verdugo struck out Davidson on a combination of fastballs and curveballs, finishing him swinging on a pretty 74 mph breaker. • Among the day’s other standouts were a pair of Syracuse Sports Zoners, shortstop Isan Diaz (Springfield, Mass.) and righthander Jake Nelson (Hopkinton, N.H.). Diaz, a known commodity after the showcase circuit, showed plus bat speed from the left side, the ability to shoot offspeed pitches the other way, instinctive baserunning jumps and steady actions in the middle infield. Nelson was a lesser-known commodity heading into Jupiter but was the first arm of the day to garner attention. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder sat at 90 mph with very clean mechanics through his two innings. He worked in a 77 mph slider and threw strikes. • Righthander Spencer Adams (Cleveland, Ga.), pitching for Team Elite, worked two innings in his start, showing the same feel for four pitches that made him an interest of scouts all summer. The 6-foot-5, 190-pounder sat between 89-91, peaking at 93 once, while also using a cutter-like slider at 85-87, curveball at 76-77 with two-plane action, and lesser-used changeup at 84. • Among Team Elite’s hitters, third baseman Montrell Marshall (Snellville, Ga.) showed well on Day One, hitting several balls with authority on a line, including a line drive triple just short of the center-field warning track. Marshall has a projectable 6-foot-5, 200-pound build and looks the part at third, where he moves well and has plenty of arm strength.

http://bios.weddingbee.com/pics/35543/Joey-supposably.jpg

Aiken reminds me of Max Fried or a poor man's Clayton Kershaw. He's also one of the most decorated and polished high school pitchers in the class despite being one of the youngest (17 until after draft day). Sheffield's stuff is so much like Ricky Romero's (that's meant as a compliment).

Bolded the players who interest me from that list.

Video of Aaron Sanchez from last night's AFL outing. http://vimeo.com/77661737

Now moving on to the position players. This one gets a little bit trickier as the players on the high school side have much higher potential than their college counterparts, and have the added advantage of playing premium positions. The position players likely to be around at 9 and 11 are: Michael Gettys (OF), Nick Gordon (SS), and Derek Hill (OF). Hill and Gettys are potential five tool centerfielders and Gordon is a strong defensive shortstop with a very projectable bat. The trade off would be that the college players I will list have more advanced and polished bats and approaches, and are much closer to their ceiling and are thus relatively safer bets to perform professionally than the high school players here. Kyle Schwarber, C/RF, 6'0 235, L/R, Indiana, NCAA (USA 2013) 78ab .308/.396/.436 1hr 16rbi 7(2b) 11bb 17so 3sb 0cs (CAPE 2012) 201ab .333 10hr 43rbi 13(2b) 2(3b) 27bb 40so 7sb (IND 2013) 235ab .376/.468/.674 18hr 54rbi 10(2b) 1(3b) 42bb 30so 4sb 3cs (IND 2012) 230ab .300/.390/.513 8hr 47rbi 15(2b) 5(3b) 30bb 24so 9sb 3cs It has been a while since the Jays have had a high level hitting prospect in their system. Travis D'Arnaud was a very good hitter, for a catcher, but much of his value came from his ability to field a premium position. We probably have to go as far back as Travis Snider and Adam Lind, to find two prospects who were regarded primarily for their bats over other considerations. Right now the Jays system is full of raw toolsy athletes who may or may not hit, and many of whom are at least 4-5 years away from helping. Schwarber would be the anti-thesis to this, an advanced bat who may not have standout physical tools, but who just continues to perform at the highest levels. Schwarber has hit everywhere he has played; Team USA, the Cape Cod League, and with the Hoosiers. Jays fans have been decrying for years the lack of an impact bat in the system and Schwarber could well be that guy. He has a great eye at the plate and a great approach from the left side. While some question his ability to hit for power at the next level, he finished second in the NCAA to Kris Bryant in 2013 with 18 homeruns and swatted 10 homeruns in the wood bat Cape Cod league for good measure. While the batters box is Schwarber's best position he's not a bat only player. He's fairly athletic and has a very strong arm currently playing catcher for his college team and for Team USA. Even if he cannot stick at the position long term, he has enough mobility to play right field, where his bat should profile just fine. In short order he could fill the Jays need in leftfield, or even DH, when Adam Lind's contract expires. Max Pentecost, C, 6'2 191. R/R, Kennesaw State (CAPE 2013) 140ab .336 6hr 29rbi 7(2b) 16bb 22so 5sb (KS 2013) 212ab .302/.374/.410 3hr 30rbi 14(2b) 22bb 27so 4sb 0cs (KS 2012) 191ab .277/.364/.393 23rbi 16(2b) 3(3b) 21bb 32so 4sb 0cs Pentecost is another player I think could be a great fit for the Jays, though probably not at pick 9 and 11 at this point. He's a catcher, which we desperately need, and he can hit and get on base, which we desperately need. I know you never draft for need, but short of hiring someone to take out JPA's knees, this seems like the most reasonable solution to me. Pentecost is athletic with a very strong arm and not only does he figure to stay at catcher long term (yes please), but he projects to be a very good defensive player. Not only that, but the MVP of the 2013 Cape Cod League, has some hitting chops as well, with outstanding bat speed, plus raw power, and a solid feel for hitting. His game is very reminiscent of Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos, who the Blue Jays' staff is said to be quite enamoured by, so it wouldn't surprise me if Penetecost were to find himself on the team's radar at some point, perhaps in the second round.

Tyler Beede, RHP, 6'4 215, Vanderbilt, NCAA (USA 2013) 5ap 3gs 1-1 6.59era 13.2ip 9h 13bb 10so (VB 2013) 17gs14-1 2.32era 101ip 64h 63bb 103so (VB 2012) 11gs 1-5 4.52era 71.2ip 78h 32bb 68so I'm sure all Blue Jays fans remember the artist formerly known as Young Beedah from the 2011 draft, he did after all write a song about the experience. Blue Jays fans shouldn't be too upset about the fact that he ultimately didn't sign for the reported 2.5mm he was offered as they used the compensation pick they received the following year to take the aforementioned Marcus Stroman. If the Jays and their fans can get over their hard feelings, and if Beede can sign the necessary waiver to allow us to draft him while also improving his overall command this could be a good match three years in the making. Beede has three plus pitches that he can sometimes throw for strikes and sometimes not. His fastball will sit 91-94 and can get up to 97mph, and his changeup and slider can induce swings and misses from both righties and lefties. If his ability to hit a strikezone improves unlike his ability to hit a beat, you're looking at least a number three starter, maybe more, with a Clay Bucholz type of upside.

I've been musing about the players available in the 2014 draft and whether we should go high school or college with our picks or one of each. The strength of the 2014 draft class is said to be it's high school pitching class, and if you're going to go with the best player available mantra, logic suggests you should go with the strength of the draft. There are a few college players however that I really like around 9 and 11. I think they have a case for being the best available talent at the slot and give us the added benefit of being more advanced (and thus closer to helping) than their high school counterparts. I look at how well Marcus Stroman has played for us so far, and how quickly he has advanced, and also regretfully at Michael Wacha, who has rocketed unexpectedly through the Cardinals' system and is helping them right now. Neither of them are lacking in upside, and both didn't have to take 4-6 years to develop. This isn't a gripe about DJ Davis, whose future is still unknown. I know Wacha wasn't high on my list of potential draft candidates in 2011 (Stroman was), but in retrospect, he's almost exactly what we need right now. A big young hard throwing workhorse starter with the potential to pitch anywhere from the 2 or 3 hole in the rotation someday. With that said I want to take a look at some of the college players who are ranked around where we would be picking to see if they are worthy of being taken over a high school player similarly ranked in 2014. Right now I would argue the best high school pitchers likely to be available at our picks would be: Brady Aiken (LHP), Touki Toussaint (RHP), Grant Holmes (RHP). In my opinion, none of these pitchers' upsides are so vast compared to their college counterparts that you can ignore things like stage of development, proximity to majors, proximity to ceiling. I think the following college pitchers would provide the Jays with both a high level talent worthy of being drafted that high and a player that is capable of helping sooner rather than later. Brandon Finnegan, LHP, 5'11 184, TCU, NCAA (CAPE 2013) 2gs 1-0 3.68era 7.1ip 6h 2bb 10so (USA 2013) 4gs 3-1 1.14era 23.2ip 11h 10bb 23so (TCU 2013) 15gs 0-8 2cg 3.18era 79.1ip 74h 35bb 86so (TCU 2012) 11gs 4-5 3.47era 62.1ip 51h 30bb 56so If you liked Marcus Stroman then you'll love this guy. Finnegan is about 6 inches bigger than "Stro," throws just as hard if not harder (96mph to break the first hitter's bat, then 98 on the outside corner to strike the guy out in the video), has a wipeout slider, and oh yeah, he throws from the left side. Like Stroman, size is a slight concern. Finnegan's delivery also has some slight funk to it, which creates deception, but causes some scouts to wonder if he might eventually have to move to the bullpen. He has the upside of a very good number 2 starter or a shutdown closer and should be one of the fastest players in his draft class to make his major league debut. It's hard to watch him and not think Scott Kazmir. A lefty who can throw in the upper 90s consistently with a devastating slider should go early come draft day, and I hope it's to the Jays. Michael Cederoth, RHP, 6'6 210, San Diego, NCAA (SD 2013)15gs 3-9 4.25era 95.1ip 72h 48bb 109so (SD 2012) 11gs 4-4 4.14era 67.1ip 57h 48bb 62so If you prefer to shop big and tall then Cederoth might be more your cup of tea. He's got the ideal pitchers size and build (think Roy Halladay), and outstanding natural arm-strength. Cederoth has been compared to former Aztecs star Stephen Strasburg for his ability to light up radar guns and hold his velocity deep into games. Cederoth throws consistently in the mid to upper 90s and will touch triple-digits a few times every start. His slider shows flashes of being a plus pitch, but lacks consistency. At it's best it has tight spin with a sharp break, but at times it can be soft and lack firmness. His fastball command is pretty good for a guy who throws so hard, but it can still get better. There are concerns about Cederoth's delivery, which involves a short armed release, as well as an upright finish. His fastball also seems to be straighter and easier to make contact with than I like. Regardless, only a little bit has to go right for Cederoth to rocket up the draftboard and not be available at either of our picks. If his command of his fastball and slider show even a slight uptick, he could go within top 5 picks, as he has the look and stuff of a number one or two starter.

Bautista for D'Arnaud + Syndegaard, sign Choo, sign Tanaka, we all wake up.

Two more clips.

Some newish footage of Matt Smoral.

http://blogs.thescore.com/djf/2013/10/21/silly-as-it-may-be-bautista-trade-talk-isnt-stopping/ Bautista for Phillips and Bailey is being suggested. Um...no. Maybe for Phillips and Latos or Latos and Mesoraco.

PG's Cape Cod Report

Chris (NYC) Mets get Jose Bautista for Montero, Matz, and Plawecki...we close? Bautista's injuries have to be concerning. Klaw (1:07 PM) You're not close. You're playing the delusional Mets fan.

Klaw on tanaka

Klaw chat stuff:

Klaw chat stuff

Tom (San Francisco, CA) Keith, what are the chances the Blue Jays are in the position to draft Gareth Morgan next year? Klaw (1:13 PM) A hundred percent since he's not that good of a prospect and every team should get a couple of shots to draft him. Note, however, that, contrary to popular belief, the Blue Jays do not receive bonus runs for employing Canadian players.