Blue Jays MiLB System Season Preview!

Double-A – Eastern League – New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Last season the Fisher Cats could not get all of their talents to click together. They went 59-80 which was the worst record in the Eastern League last season. They boasted plenty of prospects, but unexpected rough years from players like Jon Harris and Sean Reid-Foley really slowed the Cats down. Anthony Alford was the team MVP but was sent up to the Majors where he got hurt and then missed a bulk of playing time.

The 2018 season for the Fisher Cats reflects the budding future of the Toronto Blue Jays organization. The team’s roster is basically a who’s who of names. They will have eight of the Jays Journals Top Prospects and are going to be well balanced. The team will be able to dominate on the mound and rake at the plate.

The biggest standouts are the dynamic duo of Bo and Vlad. Blue Jays fans have gotten a taste of what these youngsters can do and are foaming at the mouth with anticipation. The right thing to do is to let them develop in the Minors at the proper pace. This is why their video game-like numbers from last season landed them in Double-A. Vlad and Bo combined last season for 69 doubles, six triples, 27 homers, 172 runs, and 150 RBI’s. This is a ton of production that is moving into the heart of the Fisher Cat lineup.

The rest of the offense is also very impressive when you slate Richard Urena, Max Pentecost, Lourdes Gurriel, Juan Kelly, Harold Ramirez, Jonathan Davis, Connor Panas, Cavan Biggio, and Andrew Guillotte into the lineup. These names are some of the best offensive players in the Jays system over the past few seasons. There is nowhere for pitchers to hide in this lineup, and they are going to hit the ball hard!

On the mound, they will have Jon Harris and Sean Reid-Foley returning to be the one-two punch in the rotation. They will look to get back on track after a rough season in which they allowed 161 earned runs over a combined 275.2 innings (5.27 combined ERA). They have all the talent to be aces on a staff, so they will hopefully recapture the form they each had in 2016, where they were regarded as the best arms in the Jays System.

Joining them will be Francisco Rios, Jordan Romano, and Nick Tepesch. Outside of Tepesch, these guys are all highly touted arms that are looking to impress, and progress up the ladder this season. Rios had a solid season last year and will get the ball for Opening Day. Romano is fresh off a season where he was the ace of the Dunedin Blue Jays.

The bullpen is also fully loaded as Conor Fisk, Andrew Case, Justin Shafer, Zach Jackson, Dusty Issacs, Jose Fernandez, and Danny Young look to build off of great 2017 campaigns. They will also have the company of veteran/ genius Craig Breslow in the pen. This is a formidable rally stopping group that should really close the case on opposing hitters. Sorry, Andrew Case pun intended.

The 2018 Fisher Cats are slated to be the talk of the Blue Jays’ Organization and everyone should be watching closely. This team represents both the amount of depth in the system, and the future of it. Get excited as many of these guys were champions with the Dunedin Blue Jays last season and I am sure they want more!