2015 Blue Jays minor league wrap up: GCL Blue Jays

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Mar 23, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays hat, sunglasses and glove lay in the dugout against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Gulf Coast League Blue Jays won the Northwest Division title with a record of 39 wins and 19 loses in 2015. They held a 4 game lead over the GCL Phillies, but were eliminated in a best-of-three series against the GCL Red Sox.

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The Red Sox swept the Jays in 2 games, winning game one 3-2 and game two 1-0. The Red Sox finished the season with the best record in the league, 41-17, which makes it a little easier to swallow.

The weather made it very challenging to get games in, especially in a wet July that saw 6 rain delays, but I am sure that with a 39-19 record none of the players would change a thing. Here’s a month to month break of how they ended up with such a good record.

June– 5-3

July– 17-8

August– 22-8 (thanks to a 10 game win streak)

Ahead, we take a look at how the young roster performed and which Blue Jays prospects helped to kickstart their development as members of the GCL Blue Jays.

Next: Encouraging signs from a speedy roster

Apr 3, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays hat and glove lay in the dugout against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The roster had a mix of 2015 draft picks and International free-agents who’ve graduated from the Dominican Summer League and were getting their first taste of baseball in America. This transition is a challenging one.

The teams youngest player was a popular IFA signing from 2014, RHP Guadalupe Chavez from El Fuerte, Sinaloa, Mexico. The 17-year-old started in the DSL, but after dominating that he league received a promotion. Chavez made 4 appearances (3 starts) with the GCL Jays, showing off his mid-90’s FB, change and curve. He finished with a 3-1 record and 2.37 ERA in 19 IP. He walked 6 and struck out 14, while maintaining a 1.16 WHIP.

The GCL Jays also got to see speedy OF Reggie Pruitt, drafted this year in the 24th round. Reggie has found his way on the mlb.com MLB Pipeline list, coming in at 25. Reggie signed for 500K and was the youngest position player on the team. He showed some extra base power with 6 doubles and a triple. He showed excellent speed with 15 steals and only got caught twice.

The GCL Jays also had fellow pipeline prospects in the 26th-ranked RHP Jose Espada, 24th-ranked RHP Juan Meza and 16th-ranked RHP Justin Maese.

As a team the stats fell mostly in the top half of the league, with speed (2nd) and power (4th) being their calling cards. They finished 14th out of 16 teams in batting average, hits, and doubles. They relied heavily on their plate discipline (2nd) to get on base, using their speed to manufacturing runs, and the long ball to punish the opposition’s mistakes.

On the mound, the GCL Jays were pretty well middle of the pack in most categories, like ERA, hits, runs, and WHIP. They finished tied for complete games with 2, 3rd with 18 saves, and 5th with 445 strike outs.

Next: 2015 team leaders and statistics

Mar 11, 2014; Lakeland, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays hat and glove lay in the dugout against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Top performer: Jake Thomas

Thomas, taken in the 27th round in 2015, split time between LF and RF. He spent the entire year in the middle of the order, batting 3rd or 4th. Jake found more success in the 4th spot hitting .320 with a .845 OPS, while walking more than he struck out (15:10). He finished the year strong with with an impressive August which produced 2 home runs, 7 RBI and a solid slash of .323/.447/.452. He led the team in hits, RBI, and walks.

Team Leaders

Home runs– Jake Thomas, Edward Olivares and Cliff Brantley each hit 3

RBI– Thomas (20)

Hits– Thomas (41)

SB– Pruitt (15)

Wins– Justin Maese (5-0)

ERA– Justin Maese (1.01 ERA)

Saves– Mike Estevez 9 (2nd in the league)

K’s– Osman Gutierrez 41 (7.96 K/9)

IP– Osman Gutierrez (46.1)

Games started– Osman Gutierrez (9)

Appearances– Mike Estevez (18)

It was a great year filled with many surprises, both good and bad. I expected more from Edward Olivares and Juan Meza. I didn’t expect anything, but got lots, from Luis Sanchez and Jake Thomas.

Hopefully 2016 will be equally successful.

Next: Analyzing the Jays' handling of Dalton Pompey in 2015

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