2016 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Depth: 2nd base

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Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays used two rookies at 2nd base in 2015. Devon Travis and Ryan Goins won fans’ hearts with their play on the field and at the plate. Is there another Travis or Goins in the system?

Ever since Aaron Hill went to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011, the Toronto Blue Jays have struggled to find stability at 2nd base. Enter Devon Travis.

Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays /

Toronto Blue Jays

Travis was acquired during the 2015 offseason when former GM Alex Anthopoulos sent CF Anthony Gose to the Detroit Tigers. Prior to 2015, Devon had zero at-bats above Double-A, but that didn’t stop him from winning the starting 2nd base job in Spring Training. Unfortunately, injuries derailed a hot start which saw him hit .304 in 62 games.

Ryan Goins took over for the injured Travis, giving the Blue Jays Gold Glove defense while showing more with his bat than fans expected. Goins showed improvement in small ball, plate discipline, and even showed some pop with 5 home runs (.104 ISO).

Goins will assume the starting 2nd base duties in 2016, as Travis will start the year on the DL after off-season surgery on his shoulder. Darwin Barney will offer John Gibbons a reliable glove off the bench to fill in at 2nd and SS.

If Devon Travis suffers a set back or one of the regulars succumbs to injury, does the farm system have depth to help?

Who will the Blue Jays call to step in?

Next: Berti of a feather flock together

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Buffalo Bisons

Jon Berti 25-yrs-old

Jon Berti played his 5th season in the Blue Jays system in 2015 reaching triple-A for the first time. He has speed (176 career stolen bases), a good eye at the plate (0.56 BB/K), and produces league average offence (.291 wOBA).

Berti’s ability to play multiple position and his speed are the tools that will get him to the major leagues. Berti played 52 games at 2nd, 29 games at 3rd, and 15 games in the OF between CF and LF. Over his minor league career he has played over 400 games at 2nd producing a 4.75 RangeFactor and a .975 Fld%.

Berti had an up and down year in 2015, finishing the season with a .249/.331/.323 triple slash, hitting only .228 in 40 games with Buffalo. He managed to hit 15 doubles, 3 triples and 3 HR, while going 23-for-30 in stolen base attempts. Jon had to deal with a long DL stint to start the year, not starting his season until June 11th.

Launching pad– Berti didn’t look like the same explosive player I saw in 2014, which I attribute to the injury that kept him out of the lineup for the first two month of the season. Look for a stronger start in 2016, where he’ll get the majority of the 2nd base reps for the Herd. GM Ross Atkins will likely pick up a pair of minor league infielders between now and spring training, but it should not impact Berti’s playing time too much.

Next: New Hampshire: Lopes and Opitz

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Christian Lopes  23-yrs-old

Once considered one of Toronto’s better infield prospects, Lopes has seen his development stall the past two years. The former 7th round pick of the 2011 draft split time between Advanced-A and Double-A in 2015.

Christian impressed in Dunedin, but struggled during his 2 stints in New Hampshire. He hasn’t shown much power since posting .204 ISO in 2012, and only posted .089 ISO with Dunedin and .000 ISO with NH.

After producing well above league average in Dunedin (.358 wOBA), Lopes may have hit his ceiling, only posting .218 wOBA in Double-A.

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In the field, Lopes has played over 350 games at 2nd base with 4.54 RangeFactor and .974 Fld% over 5 seasons.

Launching pad– It is sink or swim time for Lopes, who should get a shot at redemption in New Hampshire. I would be surprised to see him start the season in Dunedin, but management could look to get his confidence back before challenging him with a Double-A assignment.

Shane Opitz 23-yrs-old

Shane is a good player who has struggled to stay healthy, which he did in 2015. He put up some decent numbers with the Fisher Cats when you consider he only played 30 games in 2014. Opitz’ production at 2nd was below league average, .283 wOBA and 76 wRC+, but bad luck (.269 BABIP) may have played a part in lowering those numbers.

He managed to hit 15 doubles, 5 triples and 3 HR for .095 ISO.

Defensively, Opitz uses his athleticism to play all over the field. In 2015, he played 35 games at 2nd with 4.80 RangeFactor and .988Fld%. He also played 22 games at 3rd, 17 games at 1st, 12 games at SS, and 8 games in the OF.

Launching pad– The 2010 draft pick should continue filling the same role with New Hampshire in ’16. Look for some better numbers and a late season move to Buffalo.

Next: Dunedin: Thon and Leblebijian

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Dunedin Blue Jays

Dickie Joe Thon 24-yrs-old

Thon’s progress has been slow and steady, spending a full year at each level. He strikes out (26.4 K%) too much, commits too many errors (22 errors in ’15), and doesn’t seem to have a true position. There’s no doubting his athleticism, as he possesses an excellent arm and good range.

Thon spent 2015 splitting time between 2nd (50 GP) and SS, with 12 games in OF. He has spent most of his career at SS with 142 games, but didn’t see any time there in ’14 and only 30 games in 2015. He has played 118 games at 2nd in the past two years, posting 4.46 RangeFactor and .967 Fld% while committing 18 errors.

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At the plate, Thon doesn’t have the power to sustain his strike out numbers with .095 ISO, .252 wOBA and 59 wRC+ at Dunedin. He was over matched in Advanced-A never seeing batting average higher than .180 when playing more than 12 games in a month.

Thon received regular playing time in August and responded by hitting .148, 2 HR, 3BB and 27K.

Launching pad– It is tough to gauge Thon. He battled a blood disorder in 2011 which may have derailed his development. But after hitting .180 with Dunedin in 83 games look for Thon to repeat Advanced-A and to platoon with our next 2nd baseman.

Jason Leblebijian 24-yrs-old

Like Thon, Leblebijian crushed Lo-A pitching and struggled against Hi-A pitching. Like Thon, Leblebijian appears to filling the utility role, playing all 4 infield positions (not catcher).

During his time in Dunedin, Leblebijian hit .170 in 32 games, but he’s having a great time with the Canberra Cavalry of the ABL. In Australia, Jason has won the starting SS job by hitting .318 with 5 HR in 34 games; unfortunately, he’s struggled the past 10 games hitting only .156.

In 112 games at 2nd, Jason has a 4.40 RangeFactor and .980 Fld% over 4 seasons.

Launching pad– Splitting time at 2nd with Dickie Joe Thon with the D-Jays.

Next: Lansing: Thomas

Lansing Lugnuts

Lane Thomas 20-yrs-old

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  • Lane’s season started with Short-Season A-ball Vancouver, where he hit .225 in 43 games. Thomas promoted to Lansing on August 10th and was injured on August 24th, ending his season.

    Lane has the most upside of Toronto’s 2nd base prospects, but struggled with the ’15 assignment. His .295 wOBA and 80 wRC+ with Vancouver were slightly below league average, but he was playing against competition almost 2 year his senior.

    In his first year as a pro Lane split his time in the field playing 3rd and CF, but got converted to full-time 2nd baseman in 2015. In 45 games, he committed a whopping 20 errors, 4.80 RangeFactor, .915Fld% and turned 32 double plays. He looked uncomfortable at times, but showed good range and a strong arm. Reps will help iron everything out.

    Launching pad– Lane Thomas will get his first taste of full-season baseball as he will assume the role of Lugnuts starting 2nd baseman.

    Next: Canadians: Segovia and Metzler

    Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

    Vancouver Canadians

    Rolando Segovia 21-yrs-old

    Rolando wasn’t used much in 2015, seeing 6/8/8 games in June/July/August. He didn’t make the best of that playing time striking out 28.6% and walking only 3.9%.

    The young man from Venezuela hit only .203 with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 5 SB and 2 CS in 24 games.

    Segovia split his time between 2nd and LF, playing 7 games at 2nd and 6 in left. At 2nd, Rolando generated 5.14 RangeFactor and .923 Fld% with 3 errors in only 39 total chances.

    Launching pad– repeat 2016 with Vancouver

    Ryan Metzler 22-yrs-old

    Metzler improved in his second go round in Vancouver, hitting .283 with a stellar .337 wOBA and 107 wRC+. He shows a good approach at the plate with 6.9BB% and 13.8K% and decent power with 7 doubles,  2 HR, and .082 ISO in 46 games.

    Ryan spent most of 2014 at 3rd, but transitioned to 2nd for the C’s in 2015. In 35 games, Ryan generated a 4.51 RangeFactor and .981Fld% while committing 3 errors in 161 total chances.

    Launching pad– Ryan will head to Lansing to back up Lane Thomas. But, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get an aggressive assignment by skipping Lo-A and head straight to Dunedin.

    Next: Bluefield: Another Barreto

    Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

    Bluefield Blue Jays

    Deiferson Barreto 20-yrs-old

    More from Toronto Blue Jays Prospects

    Not related to Franklin Barreto, Deiferson has turned some heads with his play over the past 4 seasons. In his second season in America, the young  Venezuelan hit .302 with 8 doubles, a triple, and 3 HR for the Bluefield Blue Jays. He generated excellent .347 wOBA and 110 wRC+ while not showing much power with .101 ISO.

    Unlike many young Latin ball players, Deiferson shows good plate discipline with 5.3BB% and 12.1K%, which allowed manager Dennis Holmberg to bat him anywhere in the lineup.

    Launching pad– Barreto will slide into Vancouver’s starting 2nd base job.

    Next: GCL and DSL: Navarro, Mendoza and Almonte

    Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

    Gulf Coast League Blue Jays

    Juandy Mendoza 21-yrs-old

    In 42 games Juandy Mendoza hit .193 with 6 doubles and a home run for the GCL Blue Jays. Mendoza split his time between 2nd and SS, appearing in 29 games at 2nd posting a 3.66 RangeFactor and .981 Fld%. He committed 2 errors in 108 total chances and turned 11 double plays.

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    Juandy hit .353 in his last 10 games, with 8 hits in his last 4 games. Mendoza struck out 28.8% and walked 10.8% of the time. Despite sporting a low batting average, the young 2nd baseman’s production was on par with league average .302 wOBA and 89 wRC+.

    Launching pad– The 2015 23rd round selection should repeat GCL, but will head to Bluefield to start 2016.

    Miguel Almonte 19-yrs-old

    Almonte put up some decent numbers at 17-yrs old in 2014 as a member of the DSL Blue Jays, but struggled in his first season in America. Miguel played in 29 games, hitting only .127 with only the one double.

    Over the past two seasons he’s has posted 3.64 RangeFactor and .941 in 75 games at 2nd base. After committing 13 errors in 47 games in 2014, Almonte only committed 4 errors in 2015.

    Launching pad– Almonte will see a return to the GCL in 2016.

    Dominican Summer League Blue Jays

    Jesus Navarro 17-yrs-old

    Navarro was part of very talented DSL Blue Jays infield. Listed as a SS, Jesus played 47 games at 2nd, 8 games at 3rd and only 16 at SS. As the season wore on Sterling Guzman entrenched himself at 3rd and  Kevin Vicuna did the same at SS leaving Navarro to assume the 2nd base duties. At 2nd, Navarro committed 12 errors in 215 total chances for 4.32 RangeFactor and .944 Fld%.

    Next: Blue Jays Building up Quite the Logjam of Outfielders

    Navarro hit .250 with 5 doubles and 2 triples, while demonstrating an advanced approach at the plate with 11.4 BB% and 13.8K%. While he didn’t show much in the way of power (.036 ISO), he did generate a solid .325 wOBA and 92 wRC+.

    Launching pad– Navarro should return to the DSL, not because he doesn’t deserve to head to the GCL, but because of his age. One more year in the DSL with a possible late season promotion to GCL.

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