I’m all for kids starting off their careers at a level low enough for them to succeed, but Justin Nicolino, for one, is proving that he may very well belong at a level of play 2 levels highers than the SS North Western League. He, along with many others, is proving that the Jays landed quite a few gems in the 2010 draft.

Here are the current hottest Jays Prospects:

Justin Nicolino (more…)

image courtesy fo Daylife.com

There is yet another Cuban whose free agency lies on the horizon in Leonys Martin (sometimes spelled Leon’ys Martin). He’s a 22 year old who won a silver medal with the Cuban baseball team in the 2009 WBC. With the Jays being so aggressive on the international market, we’re forced to take a look at how this new talented player could fit into the Jays plans. So, having done some digging, here is the majority of what you need to know about Leonys Martin:

Leonys Martin Tapanes

Born: March 6th 1988, in Corralillo, Villa Clara Cuba

Height/Weight: 6’1″ 180 lbs      Bats: Left   Throws: Right

Quick Facts:

• Played for Cuba in the 2006 World Junior Championship.
• Played for Cuba as a 4th outfielder in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and went 2 for 7 with 3 runs scored. Listed as an important member of the Villa Clara squad in this article precluding the 2008-2009 season. Well, his performance wound up getting Villa Clara to the Championship finals where they eventually lost to La Habana. Martin was noted to be a catalyst in getting Villa Clara past the best team that season, Ciego de Avila, in this game recap. He made the all-star team that season as a utility player. (more…)

Image courtesy of MaxPreps.com

#12: Jacob Marisnick

Outfielder / 19 years old / 6′4″ 200 lbs

Born: March 30, 1991

Bats: Right    Throws: Right

High School: Riverside Poly H.S.

College: N/A

Drafted By: The Toronto Blue Jays in the 3rd round (104th overall) in the 2009 amateur entry draft

Jersey Number: #32 for the Lansing Lugnuts

Quick Facts:

• Would have gone to Oregon University if he had not come to an agreement with the Blue Jays
• (more…)

To San Diego – SS Tony Fernandez and 1B Fred McGriff

To Toronto – 2B Roberto Alomar and OF Joe Carter

Who can think of the Jays winning the World Series without either of these 2 players? As I sit here and ponder that and read about the Adrian Gonzalez deal falling through, I can’t help but ponder whether or not it could happen a second time. This time, the deal could look as follows: (more…)

I will start by saying that this year, more than ever, my list is close to being in line with BA’s list, which was compiled by Nathan Rode this year.

My current Top 10 followed by Nathan’s ranks in brackets next to the player’s name.

1. Kyle Drabek, SP (1)
2. J.P. Arencibia, C (7)
3. Anthony Gose, CF (3)
4. Adeiny Hechavarria, SS (not in Nathan’s top 10)
5. Jacob Marisnick, OF (10)
6. Travis D’Arnaud, C (4)
7. Asher Wojciechowski, SP (6)
8. Zach Stewart, SP (5)
9. Carlos Perez, C (8)
10. William “Deck” McGuire, SP (2)

I’ll address the big one first since there’s an elephant in the room named Adeiny Hechavarria. Nathan’s not the only one who doubts Adeiny Hechavarria‘s skills, and it wouldn’t be the first time that a Cuban prospect didn’t pan out as expected. However, I do believe that many people overlook the impact that culture shock can have and that in Adeiny’s case, they also overlook the vast improvements he made as the season went along despite moving up to a higher level during a prolonged slump. After all, the Jays didn’t hand Adeiny a 4 year $10 million contract just to see him play in HiA Dunedin.

I won’t lie, Adeiny’s stats – on the surface – look a little uninspiring. A .273 average in AA with a meager .305 OBP and only 3 HRs. However, when we compare this to the .193 average and .217 OBP he had in HiA before making the jump, we can see the vast improvements Adeiny made. What’s more, if we double his AA stats to see an approximate number based on 500 or so ABs, with Adeiny hitting the same marks in terms of average/OPB/SLG, he would have hit 20 doubles, 5 HRs, and stolen about 10 bases. That, at 21 years old playing in AA, is nothing to sneeze at. Add in the .963 fielding percentage and the aforementioned culture shock he faced all season long, and you’ve got real potential to see a breakthrough for Adeiny in 2011.

All I’m saying here is that I believe many, if not most, have given up too quickly on Adeiny’s skills to make an impact as a high-end MLB player. I think they wanted to see massive production and massive numbers right off-the-bat due to the hype and the contract he signed, and that the criticism was more severe as a result. He remains the highest ceiling middle infielder in the minors for the Jays although he could quickly be joined by Shane Opitz and Richard Thon – two players I’ll be covering in a near-future post.

Should Adeiny be judged lightly due to his personal circumstances? In my opinion, yes. Therefore, he definitely belongs on the top 10 list because if he can do what he did in AA at 21 in the midst of a culture shock, I can’t wait to see what he does in 2011 now that he’s more comfortable an adjusted to North American life. If not rated as highly as 4th on the top 10 as I have him listed, he still belongs well above the top 9-10 mark. (more…)

• The Jays made the Shane Opitz signing official on the 31st of July. He’s a huge signing for the Jays that was expected to be a tough signing to complete.
• OF Jacob Marisnick has been promoted to LoA Lansing. He’s struggling a bit to find himself over his first 30 ABs there, but it’s definitely where he belongs.
• OF Michael Crouse, a 2008 16th rd pick, was promoted more recently after hitting 4 HRs with a .333 average over 96 ABs in the GCL.
• Hitters in SS are hitting .185 against Casey Lawrence who is mowing down hitters with ease. He has a 2.11 ERA and 9 walks to his 38 Ks.
• Sean Ochinko, who was converted from a Catcher to a 3B, is hitting .421 over his last 10 games. He now has a season’s average of .310, 30 doubles, 7 HRs, 52 RBI, and a .363 OBP. He’s earned his keep this season and could get a look in HiA before long. (more…)

• Art Charles, who was drafted in the 20th rd by the Jays as a LHP and signed July 6th, has been converted into a 1B for the GCL Blue Jays;
• Noah Syndergaard made his debut for the Jays in the GCL, throwing 2 shutout innings where he did not allow a walk or a hit. So far so good! If looking for more information about Noah, look up the interview I conducted with him after he signed with the Jays.
• J.P. Arencibia is a man on fire in AAA and may be spelling the end of John Buck in Toronto with his performance. Not only is John’s value about as high as it can be in trades right now, but JP is tearing up the ball in AAA at a pace that can’t be ignored much longer. He’s hitting .390 with 7 HRs over his last 10 games, with a .444 OPB and ridiculous 1.396 OPS. He should be in Toronto by the end of July, once Alex starts dealing.
• Zach Stewart is beginning to heat up in AA, holding a 5-1 record and 3.19 ERA over his last 10 games. He still doesn’t have stellar numbers, 59 hits and 26 walks to 49 Ks in those 62 IP, but he is learning to come through when needed and get the job done with guys on base. A promotion to AAA may be in order by August.
• Adeiny Hechavarria is beginning to warm up in AA, but is still showing cracks to his offensive skills. While his average is much better at .279 over his last 10 games (43 ABs), he still only had 4 extra base hits in that span and was caught stealing twice (no stolen bases). That amounts to few big knocks and no speed….not exactly stellar for a SS. He can still break out soon, but hasn’t wowed anyone yet. (more…)

• Adeiny Hechavaria, despite struggling to a .193 average, .217 OBP, and only 11 extra base hits in 161 ABs in HiA Dunedin, was promoted by the Jays to AA New Hampshire. I have no idea how management justified this move, other than to guess that moving him up may change the scenery for him and get him to make the required adjustments. In his first game in AA, Adeiny hit a triple and went 1 for 2 with 2 walks. Not a bad start, let’s hope it’s a sign of things to come.
• The Jays are having problems scoring runs and have JP Arencibia (18 HRs, .308 avg) who is hitting .422 with 4 HRs over his last 10 games sitting in AAA. There is no reason for the Jays to delay his arrival and Lyle Overbay should be the victim in the lineup as he should be brought up along with Brett Wallace (14 HRs, .301 avg) who is hitting .450 with 3 HRs over his last 10 games. Both of these players would provide a serious boost to a lame lineup that has lost all signs of life over the last week. When a team flatlines as the Jays have, it’s time to insert some motivation – both JP and Brett would do just that. Lyle should be sent to the first team that will either cover some salary or provide the Jays with a mid-to-low level prospect. (more…)

Brett Cecil has had plenty of time to prepare and watch the Phillies hit, so hopefully he took the right notes. I really do like how Cito set up the lineup yesterday, although I’m not sure it will last. Batting Lind and Hill lower in the lineup gives them more RBI opportunities and is definitely the change of pace both needed to get back on track and motivated.It’ll be interesting to see if he uses a similar lineup today. (more…)