Jays Notes: Moises Sierra, Darin Mastroianni, Carlos Degado, and More

The calm before the storm that is spring training allows us to touch on some minor issues that some fans may want to be aware of as we head into 2011. Here are some of the most recent notes:

• A recent article published on Baseball America by Larry Millson tells us a little about Moises Sierra‘s issues in 2010. It seems that there were 2 injuries that limited his chances to progress that season: the first was a microfracture in his shin, and the second was a broken hamate bone in his wrist. It seems that the Jays still have faith in his skills, still believe he is young enough to progress, and will therefore give him a shot to earn a spot in AA New Hampshire.
• The same article also points out that Darin Mastroianni left the winter league team he was playing for due to inflammation in his hand. That’s something to keep an eye on this spring. He was, however, healthy enough to attend the optional camp in Toronto last month, so he likely avoided anything more serious from occuring by leaving the winter league. He better be healthy, because unless the Jays make an addition between now and the beginning of the season, he’s one of 3-5 players favored to win a bench spot for the 2011 season.
• Carlos Delgado believes he can still come back. The Jays did watch him work out last year when he said the same thing, and they’ll likely check in on him once again when he’s ready. However, as much as I’d love to see him in his Blue Jays uniform once again, there’s really little to no chance of that happening unless it’s as a coach.
• The Mets ownership is set to undergo some major changes as they face a lawsuit the likes of which has never been seen in baseball. It’s unlikely that unloading any of their top players will make up what they may have to pay out in litigation fees and possible retibutions, so I’m not certain it will result in any kind of selloff in terms of players. A change of ownership is more likely to occur with all options remaining, because if they sell the players off first, then try to sell the franchise, they could wind up with a lot less money in hand. It’s likely that the Mets owners will need to sell a majority in the team and they’ll likely try to keep a small portion for themselves. Having said that, the purchasing owners could be in for a fresh start, and nothing’s fresher than starting over by adding some high-priced FAs in 2012 after unloading your own pricy players for prospects! More to follow here, as it will be a turbulent time for Mets fans throughout 2011.
• I wanted to add that Jared and I are going to be providing Jays Journal readers with some more in-depth coverage after our Top 50 Jays Prospects list is complete. We will have full coverage and expectations of each player of the 2011 Jays in our Jays Player Profile posts, as well as the profiles of 25 additional prospects who didn’t make our Top 50! I don’t think you’ll be able to find any coverage of Jays prospects that digs as deep as we will. These players were chosen because they were close to breaking the Top 50 this year, or are expected to break into the Top 50 next year, so stay tuned for that and more!

Spring Training keeps inching closer and closer. With so many highly rated prospects and position battles set to take place, it’s going to be a ton of fun to watch them compete! Only a few days away….

– MG

Like what you read and want to stay informed on all updates here at Jays Journal? Follow Jared and I on Twitter (@JaysJournal and @bigja12) or “Like” our Facebook page