Toronto Blue Jays: News from the Nest – Sunday, May 23

New Hampshire Fisher Cats – AA

Record: 7 -10

Performing Well

Simeon Woods-Richardson – RHP

Another top prospect in the Blue Jays organization, Simeon Woods-Richardson has been performing well this season so far. He currently sports a 2.37 ERA through four starts this May, going 19.0 innings while surrendering five earned runs and eight walks while striking out 31 batters to the tune of a 1.16 WHIP.

His outing last night saw him give up a season-high three earned runs over five innings while the right-hander has not struck out less than seven batters through each of his four starts this year in AA.

Gabriel Moreno – C

At just 21 years old, Gabriel Moreno has been outstanding this season both in the batter’s box and behind the plate.

He currently sports a .417/.500/.625 and a team-leading 1.125 OPS with two home runs and 16 RBI to boot. Defensively, he has thrown out five runners compared to the eight who have stolen bases, good for a 38% caught stealing percentage and also sports a perfect 1.000% fielding percentage.

Considering Moreno has been impressive to begin the season, he is a prime candidate to potentially move to AAA in the near future if he can continue to perform well both offensively and behind the plate with the Fisher Cats.

Otto Lopez – INF

Having played in all 17 games for the Fisher Cats this season, Otto Lopez is also near the top of the team leaderboards in almost every offensive category.

Lopez’s slash line currently sits at .361/.410/.486 and is second on the team in OPS at .896. Since May 9th, Lopez has seen his average climb 92 points and he has gone 21 for 50 with nine extra-base hits and six RBI in that time span.

Kyle Johnston – RHP

Acquired in a trade with the Washington Nationals back in 2019 for reliever Daniel Hudson, Kyle Johnston has been pitching well in the Fisher Cats’ starting rotation this season. In three starts, Johnston has pitched to a 2.03 ERA over 13.1 innings, surrendering three earned runs with six walks and five strikeouts.

The three earned runs came in his first start of the season on May 7th and has pitched 10.1 clean innings since that start.

Jon Harris – RHP

A former first-round draft pick by the Blue Jays back in 2015, pitcher Jon Harris is finding success in the Fisher Cats bullpen within the month of May. In six appearances, Harris has thrown to a 2.61 ERA with three earned runs allowed, zero walks, and ten strikeouts. All three runs have come by the way of solo home runs, so if Harris can find a way to keep the ball from going over the fence, that stat line has a chance to improve even more as the season progresses into June.

Rough Outings

Kevin Vicuna – INF

The tides have quickly turned for infielder Kevin Vicuna, another individual who was on the “Performed Well” list back on May 9th.

Since that article, Vicuna’s slash line has dropped immensely, now sporting a .235/.350/.275 line compared to the .429/.529/.571 two weeks ago. In that timespan, Vicuna has gone 6 for 37 with five RBI and zero extra-base hits, struggling to find a way to get on base while striking out 13 times in just two weeks (almost once every game).

Demi Orimoloye – OF

A recent graduate from the Junior National Team from Baseball Canada, outfielder Demi Orimoloye is struggling at the plate in his first season of AA baseball.

Orimoloye currently sports one of the lowest OPS on the team at .466 and his slash line currently stands at .190/.242/.224 with two RBI, four walks, and 29 strikeouts. Over the past two weeks, the righty-batter has gone 6 for 39 at the plate while his average has been consistently around the .200 mark.

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Emerson Jimenez – RHP

In five appearances this season, right-hander Emerson Jimenez has two quality outings compared to three very poor outings. His first two appearances this season were flawless over 2.0 innings, but since May 9th, Jimenez has given up 11 earned runs while seeing his ERA climb to 17.47 with seven walks and seven strikeouts.

The right-hander may have been pitching through an injury, as he was placed on the injured list back on May 19th, which could explain the elevated stat line. When he returns back to the bullpen after his IL stint, hopefully he can find the same level that fans saw from him during his first two outings earlier this season.

Transactions

Heading to AAA

Relievers James Dykstra and Curtis Taylor were promoted to AAA.

Injuries

RHP Emerson Jiminez, RHP Mike Ellenbest, RHP Cre Frinfrock, and LF Brock Lundquist were all placed on the seven-day IL within the past two weeks.

Promoted/Assigned

RHP Willy Gaston, RHP Sam Ryan, RHP Andrew McInvale, and 3B LJ Talley assigned to the Fisher Cats from High A Vancouver.

Catcher Rodrigo Vigil was activated.