Introducing Jeremy Gabryszwski, Pick #78 in the 2011 Draft

Since the signing deadline has passed and it’s now time to take a more in-depth account of exactly what it is the Jays brought into the organization, I will be researching and evaluating each SIGNED pick from the 2011 class for the Jays. It’s a lengthy process, and some of them may take a little longer to bring together due to lack of information, but hopefully we’ll have it all done well before we bring out our “End of 2011 Top 50 Jays Prospects, JJ edition.” Each time a new article is completed, you’ll have access to it on JJ, through Tweet, and can access the entire 2011 class and our write ups on them here.

Below is everything I could gather about the Jays 2nd rd 78th overall pick, Jeremy Gabryszwski.

Introducing Pick #78: Jeremy Edward Gabryszwski

Right-Handed Pitcher / 6’4″ 205 lbs / Texas

Birth Date: March 16th 1993 (18)

High School Team: Crosby High School

College: NA.Had committed to Lamar before signing with the Jays.

Signed for: $575,000

Quick Facts:

• Wore jersey #34 and also played 1B for his HS team.
• Houston Catcher J.R.Towles also attended Crosby HS.
• He has a myspace account available here.
• Kicked off the 2011 season with a 3-hit shutout, walking one and striking out 9 in the process.
• Was 2010 All-District pitcher of the year.
• Won the 19-4A defensive player of the year award.
• Made the Houston-area All-District team in 2009.
• Played in the 4A All-Star Game.

Stats:

• 2011: hitting stats: 84 ABs, .417/.454/.631 line, 12 runs, 28 RBI, 1.00 Field%
• 2011: pitching stats: 65.1 IP, 56 hits, 3 doubles, .220 Average Against, 2.14 ERA, 11 BB, 92 Ks
• Other notes from 2011: had 7 complete games in 12 outings and held an 8-2 record.
• GCL: Has already thrown 2.1 innings so far, allowing only 1 hit and 1 walk while getting 4 Ks.

Interviews/Videos:

• A Q&A with Scout.com’s Trey Wilsom (membership req)

Pre-Draft Rankings:

• BA: unranked in top 200

When you’re the pitcher that was chosen between Daniel Norris and John Stilson, you tend to get overlooked….just a little bit. Such is the case with Jeremy who by all inclinations should have been a highly acclaimed draft pick if it weren’t for the accolades his co-draftees had received. Unlike the previous posts I put up, however, Jeremy was extremely hard to get any data and reports on, and doesn’t seem to be nearly as highly advertised and outspoken as other Jays top picks.

Lamar University head coach Jim Gilligan stated that Jeremy’s fastball already reaches 94-95 MPH, although most scouting reports I have read on him state that he ranges more regularly in the 88-90 MPH range. One of those reports, from Prospect Plus USA, had him listed in the 2nd tier of draft talents projected to be chosen in the 4th to 10th rounds of the draft. Their main beef with him seemed to be inconsistent velocity with his fastball and an elbow issue. I’m not sure which reports are correct, but I’m guessing that if the coach of the team that had him sign with Lamar says he can hit 94-95 MPH, that’s what we should go with.

The way I see it is that any HS kid who can hit 92-94 MPH with his fastball deserves to be chosen in the highest rounds if he also shows a feel for off speed pitches. And, so long as his issues are not shoulder related, they don’t scare me off too badly. As it is, Jeremy does reportedly have a plus slider, a good looking curve, and also shows a feel for a change up. All of that coming out of HS and perhaps hitting 95 MPH on the radar gun? If it weren’t for this year’s extremely strong class, he’d be an automatic 1st or sandwich rd pick in my opinion.

The biggest compliment I could find out there about his stuff is the following:

"“Similar to Toronto’s 2010 sandwich-round pick of Noah Syndegaard as a Texas high school arm who was very high on draft boards of a handful of clubs.”"

So, not only is he being compared to one of my favourite Jays prospects who I believe will one day lead the Jays staff along with Adonys Cardona, but, he also was said to be very high on some draft boards. That tells us the Jays were not alone in believing he was worth the higher pick, and that they needed to jump on him before other clubs selected him.

Here’s what I can tell you about Jeremy in terms of what the Jays think of him. They signed him for $75,000 more than they paid to sign both Joe Musgrove and John Stilson. That tells us a lot, because not only does it point to just how much they like his potential (particularly that they drafted him ahead of Stilson as well), but it also tells us that they don’t believe his injury issue will come into play or will become a major factor in his overall development.

Jeremy already has some time put in with the GCL team since he signed and seems to be kicking things off well. As soon as we can confirm or deny the fact that he can hit in the mid-90s with his heater, we’ll let you all know (I have someone on it right now!). I’m not really sure what to expect from Jeremy, except to say that he seems to be the dark horse in this draft who could surprise many people by achieving well above and beyond expectations, which right now seem to be fairly low in his case.

– MG

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