Blue Jays: 5 Prospects off to disappointing starts on the farm

Prospects break our hearts more often than not, hardly ever living up to the lofty expectations placed upon their fragile psyches. For every Marcus Stroman an organization churns out, there are five Chad Jenkins that fade into the baseball stratosphere, never to be heard from again.

The Blue Jays farm system is trending upward, rebounding nicely after being nearly depleted for the franchise’s first playoff push in over 20 years in 2015.

The evolution of players like Anthony Alford and savvy drafting over the past few seasons have restocked the prospect cupboard in fairly short order.

One transaction by the Jays brain trust that has helped strengthen the depth on the farm was the trade involving pitcher Francisco Liriano. The Jays shipped the inconsistent Drew Hutchison to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Liriano and prospects Reese McGuire and Harold Ramirez. Both prospects have a future at the major league level at this point in the game.

However, in saying that there a number of prospects who have stumbled out of the gate in 2017, faltering on the farm and making prognosticators question their upside. We have scoured the farm from Buffalo to Dunedin and everything in between to bring you the 5 most discouraging prospects thus far in mid-May.

So without further ado here are five of the most disappointing farm hands in 2017.

Rowdy Tellez Buffalo Bisons

Ok, I figured I would tackle the elephant in the room right off the bat. Rowdy Tellez was tabbed as the future first baseman of the Blue Jays and many fans argued he should have relieved Justin Smoak of his duties out of spring training.

Unfortunately for Tellez he has slumped at the worst time possible and proven that he still has some weaknesses to overcome before stepping in at the major league level. While his placeholder with the big club has overachieved leading the Blue Jays in home runs and runs batted in.

Tellez has just reached the Mendoza Line in Buffalo after scuffling for the first 6 weeks of the season. He is currently slashing at an uninspiring .200/.316/.322 clip with 3 home runs in 35 games this season and the 22-year old is only batting .091 versus southpaws.

In his last ten games, the slugger is batting a minuscule .182 with 6 hits and zero home runs in 33 at-bats. The first baseman has struck out 26 times in 115 at-bats but encouragingly has at least worked 19 bases on balls along the way to keep his on-base percentage respectable. Tellez will have to work out the kinks and prove he can consistently hit at the Triple-A level before the big club comes calling for his services.

Tellez will have to work out the kinks and prove he can consistently hit at the Triple-A level before the big club comes calling for his services.

Jon Harris- New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Jon Harris is another high upside Fisher Cats hurler who has stumbled out of the proverbial gate. Both he and Sean Reid-Foley have been searching for answers for much of the 2017 season.

The former first-round draft selection has a 5.95 earned run average and a 1.551 WHIP after 7 stats. Harris has allowed 26 earned runs while fanning 30 hitters in 39 innings of work, to put the earned runs statistic into perspective, the hurler only allowed 21 earned runs in 84.2 innings of work with the Lansing Lugnuts last season.

Last season Harris really asserted himself as a legit prospect for the Blue Jays moving forward posting a 2.71 earned run average fanning 99 in 129.2 innings pitched between two levels in 2016.

The right-hander has struggled retiring lefties as well surrendering 16 earned runs and 5 home runs to the tune of a 7.45 earned run average in 19.1 innings on the bump. The 23-year old will have to dial in his splits if he wants to be an effective hurler at the next level and moving forward.

The Blue Jays will continue to be patient with Harris hopeful that he can buckle down and overcome this latest funk and turn 2017 around.

Richard Urena- New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Richard Urena has been thought to be the future replacement for Troy Tulowitzki when his tenure with the Jays eventually comes to an end. The 21-year old shortstop has impressed in Grapefruit League action play during the past two springs and was near the top on the depth chart when the season broke. So far this Urena has had an uninspiring season with the lumber batting .212 with 2 home runs in 36 games with New Hampshire.

So far this Urena has had an uninspiring season with the lumber batting .212 with 2 home runs in 36 games with New Hampshire. In his past 10 games, he is hitting an even lower .190 although he did hit safely in four consecutive games.

Urena last season hit a respectable .295 with 153 hits and 8 home runs in 127 games between Dunedin and New Hampshire. The native of the Dominican Republic already has 417 professional games under his belt even though the switch-hitter is only 21 years of age.

The young shortstop is a great bounce back candidate for the second half and if I were a betting man I would put money on Urena ending the season near the .300 mark with a dozen round trippers. He is an underrated talent who will open some eyes before it’s all said and done.

Lourdes Gourriel- Dunedin Blue Jays

The Cuban prospect Lourdes Gourriel came with a ton of hype after signing an international free agent 7 year/$22 million dollar contract with the Blue Jays this past offseason. Gourriel has not disappointed due to his performance but rather Gourriel has not been able to remain healthy.

The 23-year old suffered a hamstring injury as well as a jammed thumb during spring training exhibition contests that limited his availability during Grapefruit League action. The prospect began the season on the disabled only to return and reaggravate the injury in his first contest. In his 2 at-bats before the injury, he did double going 1 for 2 with Dunedin.

Gourriel had the ability to move through the system quickly and potentially even see time with the big club if he is able to remain on the field and produce consistently. The 23-year-old already has 304 games in the Cuban National Series and was ranked as the 73rd best prospect by Baseball America before even playing a game on North American soil.

Even though he is not disappointing on the performance side of the field, his injury woes are surely disappointing for everyone involved. Let’s hope Gourriel can return to health and prove why he was worth the money the Blue Jays invested in him.

Next: Blue Jays: 6 Prospects Dominating on the Farm