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

To view the previous News from the Nest segment looking at players in the Blue Jays minor league system, you can find them in the attached links below:

May 9, 2021

Buffalo Bisons  – AAA

Record: 11-6

Performing well

Alek Manoah – RHP

One of the top pitching prospects in the Blue Jays organization, Alek Manoah has been fantastic so far this season. He didn’t give up an earned run until his latest start last Wednesday, a solo home run early in the game, and that has been the only run he has allowed in all three of his starts this season.

His line is incredible, pitching to a 0.50 ERA with three walks, 27 strikeouts, and a 0.56 WHIP. Another quality outing or two could see the Florida native being called up to the active roster sooner rather than later, a move that is currently being supported by a majority of the Blue Jays fan base.

The Bullpen

Similar to the Blue Jays roster, a majority of pitchers in the Bison’s bullpen are having a great start to the season. This includes:

Kirby Snead: 7 games; 8.1 IP; 0.00 ERA; 4 walks; 10 strikeouts

Bryan Baker: 6 games; 7.2 IP; 0.00 ERA; 4 walks; 12 strikeouts

Hobie Harris: 7 games; 7.1 IP; 2.45 ERA; 2 walks; 10 strikeouts

Tayler Saucedo: 6 games; 10.1 IP; 0.00 ERA; 1 walk; 13 strikeouts

Jackson McClelland: 4 games; 7.0 IP; 2.57 ERA; 0 walks; 6 strikeouts

*Snead has made one start but is considered a relief pitcher*

While the team is loaded with starting pitchers performing well like Manoah, Nick Allgeyer, and Nate Pearson, the bullpen has been pretty lights out for a majority of the staff (more on this later).

Christian Colon – OF

A veteran presence in the Bison’s clubhouse at 32 years old, Christian Colon has been impressive through 13 games so far this season. He is currently slashing .400/.481/.711 and leads the team with his 1.193 OPS along with four home runs and 13 RBI.

Brought in as a depth option given his previous major league experience, Colon is a welcome addition in the event that Bo Bichette or Marcus Semien ends up on the injured list this year and other prospects like Jordan Groshans and/or Austin Martin aren’t ready for the big leagues just yet.

Breyvic Valera – UTIL

The Bison’s have asked Breyvic Valera to play everywhere on the diamond and he is currently doing pretty well in this new role. Spending time at shortstop, second base, third base, left field, and right field, Valera is currently slashing .326/.426/.512 with one home run, 14 RBI, and a .938 OPS through 12 games.

Rough Outings

Dany Jimenez – RHP

While quite a few players in the bullpen have been pitching well this year, Dany Jimenez is one of  the outlier’s in this scenario.

In five games this season, Jimenez sports a rough-looking 7.36 ERA with six earned runs, two walks, and 13 strikeouts. These stats are largely influenced by two rough outings ( May 8th and May 11), which saw him give up a majority of the earned runs and his ERA climb to 11.25. Since the May 11th outing, Jimenez has been slowly chipping away over the past four appearances where he has given up a few hits but has only allowed one earned run. Hopefully, this somewhat hot streak can continue to carry him towards a better-looking stat line.

Dilson Herrera – INF

In 11 games this season, Dilson Herrera currently sports .205/.239/.273 with one of the lowest OPS on the team at .512.

Cullen Large – INF

Featured on the previous News in the Nest in the “Performing Well” section, Cullen Large has been struggling to put the ball in play over the past two weeks.

His slash line has dropped tremendously since the last article, with his average dropping 161 points, OBP by 103 points, and slugging percentage by 266 points. Large is struggling at the plate, going 5 for 29 since May 9th, and has only one RBI during that stretch while striking out nine times in that span.

T.J. Zeuch – RHP 

Beginning the season in the Blue Jays rotation, an injury brought T.J. Zeuch back to the Bison’s rotation, where he has pitched to mixed results. In three starts this season, Zeuch has had one quality outing but his other two starts have really impacted his stat line. For the season, the right-hander currently has a 6.14 ERA with 10 earned runs, four home runs, four walks, and 12 strikeouts.

His second outing on May 13th saw him pitch 6.0 clean innings but his two other outings is where the runs got piled on, with his most recent starts seeing him put seven earned runs on the board over 4.2 innings against the Worcester Woo Sox.

Transactions

Nate Pearson rejoins the Bison after his one start with the Blue Jays.

Nick Allgeyer was called up to the major league team on May 15th but would rejoin the Bison’s on May 17th without seeing any action.

Reliever Ty Tice was recalled back to the major league roster last night.

Pitcher Jeremy Beasley was called up to the Blue Jays roster on May 11th but was optioned back to AAA last night.

Anthony Kay was optioned back to AAA last night.

Injuries

Outfielder Josh Palacios was placed on the injured list on May 10th with a hand injury. He is expected to be out of the lineup for 6-8 weeks.

Reliever Jackson Rees was placed on the seven-day IL back on May 11th.

Promoted/Signed

On May 20th, pitcher Thomas Hatch joined the Bison’s roster after beginning the season on the injured list.

Relievers James Dykstra and Curtis Taylor were promoted to the Bisons from the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

Blue Jays signed relievers Carl Edwards Jr. and Casey Lawerence and both players were assigned to the Buffalo Bisons.

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.

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

• Matt Chapman has been exactly what the Blue Jays needed
• Blue Jays: The goalposts are moving in the right direction
• Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays advance to the Championship Series
• Blue Jays: Comparisons for Alek Manoah’s Second Season
• Blue Jays: Adam Cimber, the unlikely decision King

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.

Dunedin Blue Jays – Low A

Record: 6-11

The Bradenton Marauders threw a combined no-hitter against the Dunedin Blue Jays on May 15th.

Performing Well

Rothier Hernandez – RHP

At 23 years old, reliever Rothier Hernandez spent the past three seasons playing in the Blue Jays various Rookie League’s and is finally getting his feet wet at the A level.

In five appearances so far this May, Hernandez has pitched to a 0.96 ERA over 9.1 innings while striking out 14 batters compared to three walks, posting an impressive 0.96 WHIP in the process. He has only allowed one earned run so far this season on a team that is struggling to find successful pitchers early in the campaign.

The Catchers

Both Ryan Sloniger and Zach Britton find themselves towards the top of most offensive categories on the Blue Jays this season, as the team overall is struggling to find consistency in the batter’s box.

Stats wise:

Britton – 14 games; .255/.453/.468; .921 OPS; 2 home runs; 5 RBI; 15 walks, 15 strikeouts

Sloniger – 9 games; .250/.455/.458; .913 OPS; 1 home run; 3 RBI; 8 walks; 5 strikeouts

While both players haven’t been the main bats behind the team’s RBI, they do account for 18 of the Blue Jays runs because of their ability to get on base via the walk.

Addison Barger – INF

Making his debut in A ball during the 2021 season, Addison Barger currently finds himself sitting second on the team in terms of RBI (11) and fourth in OPS (.756). His current slash line of .245/.327/.429 and OPS is heavily impacted by just having four walks through 13 games and 49 at-bats, but his two home runs and 11 RBI make him one of the more impactful bats in the Blue Jays lineup.

Rough Outings

A majority of the pitching staff

Similar to the last News from the Nest, the Dunedin Blue Jays pitching staff is still struggling to find a way to keep runs off the scoreboard early this season. Since May 9th, the pitching corps has allowed 45 runs (40 earned) and quite a few players are struggling such as Grant Townsend (18.90), Thomas Ruwe (17.18), Naswell Paulino (9.00), Sem Robberse (8.10), Gabriel Ponce (7.71), Juan De Paula (7.71), and Alejandro Melean (7.56), with all the mentioned pitchers having ERA’s over 7.00. Townsend did end up going on the injured list which may explain the rough outings, but overall, the pitching corps is just not having a fun time down in Dunedin right now.

Jhon Solarte – OF

In 14 games this season, Jhon Solarte is struggling in his first year of A ball. He currently owns a .137/.228/.196 slash line with a .424 OPS, one of the lowest on the team. He does have seven RBI on the year which puts him in the middle of the pack but his 25 strikeouts leads the team through the first month of the season.

Leo Jimenez – INF

After missing the start of the season on the injured list, the Blue Jays #12 ranked prospect is not having a great start to the year. Leo Jiminez currently owns one of the lowest OPS on the team at .395 and currently sports a .111/.256/.139 slash line with four hits through 36 at-bats. He also has struck out eight times with one walk while also having one extra-base hit and three RBI through 10 games on the season.

Transactions

Heading to High-A

3B Sebastian Espino, RF Eric Rivera, RHP Lazaro Estrada, and LHP Brandon Eisert were all moved to High-A

Injuries

C Anthony Morales, 3B Harrison Ray, and RHP Grant Townsend were all placed on the seven day injured list.

Leo Jimenez was activated from the injured list on May 11th.

Promoted

RHP Nick Frasso, LF Glenn Santiago, CF Steward Berroa, RHP Thomas Ruwe, and 2B Jose Rivas were promoted/assigned to the Dunedin Blue Jays.