Blue Jays MiLB Wrap Up: Organization’s MVP’s Named
Jul 12, 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 Toronto Blue Jays minor league system has completed the 2015 season. The Lansing Lugnuts made a playoff push that ended with a blowout. There was a lot of turnover in the organization thanks to an “all in” summer from the big league club. Indeed a lot happened this year. There were several highlights, like the emergence of Anthony Alford, the up and down season of Dalton Pompey, the growth of Sean Reid-Foley and more.
But, on Friday, the Blue Jays organization named its Most Valuable Players at each level. Some of the names on this list may not be the top prospect that you were expecting to see. But, each of the players named had themselves a good season and deserve to be recognized. Perhaps, if the same players were with the organization that started the season, this list might be different. This year, we can call it the “Best of what’s left”. Brendan Kennedy of The Toronto Star passed along the info:
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AAA Buffalo Bisons– Matt Hague. If you’ve been following the Bisons this summer, Hague’s receiving this award doesn’t really surprise you. Hague just kept hitting this year. In 136 games, he hit .338/.416/.468 with 33 doubles and 11 home runs. His 61 walks to 65 strike outs is impressive. It shows a guy who saw the ball well all season. He earned a call up to the Blue Jays before the September call up period and then again when the roster expanded. In total, Hague saw action in 3 games at the big league level. But, this award is to recognize him carrying the offense in AAA. He led the Bisons in average, HR, RBI (92), doubles and hits (177). Heck, he led the International League in average, hits and finished 2nd in RBI.
AA New Hampshire FisherCats– Ryan Schimpf. Like Hague, Schimpf is a 27 yr old minor leaguer. He played 76 games with the FisherCats before being called up to Buffalo. And, even with that many games, he still managed to be named MVP. In AA, he hit .271/.380/.581 with 20 HR, 56 RBI, and 20 doubles. He walked 42 times to 54 whiffs. His power was a bit of a surprise this year. According to TheBaseballCube.com, his ISO of .310 is the second highest of the last few years. The highest is .346, which he did in AA last season. In both seasons, his ISO took a big dip when he hit in AAA. Despite ending the 2015 season in AAA for 31 games, Schimpf earns himself the title of 2015 AA MVP.
Next: Lower Levels of Blue Jays Organization Has Some Stud MVPs
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
A+ Dunedin Blue Jays– Wil Browning. Wil ended up in AA New Hampshire, but managed to get into 31 games in Dunedin. There, the 27 yr old RHP, recorded a 2-1 record with an impressive 0.78 ERA. He converted 22 of 24 save opportunities in 34.2 innings. He only gave up 3 earned runs in Dunedin. In his 34.2 innings, he walked just 2 batters (he hit another). He struck out 40! Want more? OK, hitters hit just .143 against him and his WHIP was a microscopic 0.55. This earned him a promotion to New Hampshire where things didn’t go as well for him. It would have been hard to duplicate the success from A+, but he went 1-1, 3.86. It sounds negative, but his WHIP only went up to 1.18. He converted all 3 save opportunities there. He was just more hittable in AA. But, this award is to recognize his dominance in Dunedin.
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A Lansing Lugnuts– Ryan McBroom. Perhaps one of the better names in minor league baseball, McBroom had a great season for the Lugnuts. He slashed .315/.395/.482 in 127 games. He hit 39 doubles and 12 HR to go with 90 RBI. He did show more typical, power hitter type numbers in the walk (49) and strike out (96) department. McBroom was selected in the 15th round of the 2014 draft and has impressed this season. His ISO of .167 is welcome. He may have been helped by a BABIP of .375. But that does not mean we should discount his success. Here’s an interesting tidbit for you: McBroom was hit by a pitch 14 times this season.
A- Vancouver Canadians– Ryan Hissey. Hissey picked up 42 hits in his 43 games in Vancouver. He scored 27 runs. He didn’t actually lead the Canadians in any of the major offensive categories. But, the 21 year old catcher slashed .269/.363/.372 from the left side of the plate. He did strike out 41 times in his time in Vancouver. In 41 at bats against lefty pitching, Hissey hit .390, which is an interesting piece of information.
Rookie Bluefield Blue Jays– Rodrigo Orozco. This 20 year old from Panama is a switch hitter who had a successful showing in Bluefield. In 58 games there, he slashed .300/.368/.435 with 67 hits, 16 doubles, 4 HR and 25 RBI. He also scored 34 runs. He’s shown some power with an ISO of .135.
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Rookie Gulf Coast Blue Jays– Justin Maese. This 18 year old right handed pitcher was drafted out of high school in June of this year in the third round. He reported to the GCL Blue Jays and went right to work. In 8 games (4 starts), he went 5-0 with a 1.01 ERA. He only gave up 4 earned runs with 6 walks and 19 strike outs. Now, he was hittable with 32 knocks in his 35.2 innings of work, which translates into 8.07/9. He’s definitely a work in progress with his 3.17 BB/9. But, for an 18 year old right out of high school, this kid has had a great year!
Dominican Summer League– Norberto Obeso. This 20 year old from Mexico was a hitting machine. In 71 games, he slashed .351/.470/.427. He didn’t have much power on display this season, but his eye at the plate was so good. In 262 at bats, he walked 58 times and struck out just 20. That’s almost 3 walks for every whiff! Despite not having the power, he drove in 47 runs for the Blue Jays.
A hearty congratulations to all Blue Jays 2015 MiLB MVP award winners!
Next: 2015 Blue Jays Prospect Wrap: Sean Reid-Foley