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

Vancouver Canadians – High A

Record: 11-6

Performing Well

Previous edition players

Two of the three players in the last edition of “News from the Nest” are performing well two weeks later:

Spencer Horwitz – INF: 16 games;.319/.529/.426; .955 OPS; 0 home runs; 6 RBI

Ryan Gold – C: 13 games; .292/.404/.521; .924 OPS; 1 home run; 9 RBI

While Horwitz would go hitless for two games back on May 9th and 11th, he has since gotten a hit in every game except for two games a few days ago and is a walking machine, leading the team with 21 walks on the season.

Gold has also performed consistently well early this year, seeing his average climb to .381 on May 12th before floating back down to the .300 area, where it currently sits today.

Tanner Kirwer – OF

Canadian-born Tanner Kirwer is having a strong start to the 2021 campaign, posting a team-high .966 OPS through 15 games. His current slash line of .300/.432/.533 sits right amongst the top hitters on the team and he also has the team lead for home runs with four.

Since May 9th, Kirwer has steadily kept his average above .300 and has eight RBI with five extra-base hits over the past two weeks while manning all three positions in the outfield.

Cameron Eden – OF

After a slow start to the year, outfielder Cameron Eden has been on a hot streak since he went 4 for 6 back on May 16th. Since then, the California native has gone 12 for 26 and has seen his slash line climb to .339/.433/.411 through 15 games on the season. His .844 OPS currently has him sitting fourth on the team.

Multiple members of the bullpen

The Canadians boast some strong bullpen arms early this season (consistent with some other levels of the farm system), with the following pitchers leading the charge:

Parker Caracci: 6 games; 8.1 IP; 0.00 ERA; 7 walks; 7 strikeouts

Brandon Eisert: 3 games; 6.1 IP; 0.00 ERA; 1 walk; 7 strikeouts

Justin Maese: 5 games; 8.0 IP; 0.00 ERA; 3 walks; 10 strikeouts

Marcus Reyes: 5 games; 11.2 IP; 0.00 ERA; 2 walks; 12 strikeouts

Sam Ryan: 3 games; 5.0 IP; 0.00 ERA; 3 walks; 4 strikeouts

Rough Outings

Cobi Johnson – RHP

Through five outings this year, reliever Cobi Johnson has struggled to find success within the Vancouver Canadians bullpen. Johnson currently owns a team-worst 12.60 ERA with seven earned runs, seven walks, and eight strikeouts through 5.0 innings of work. Since May 9th, the 6’4″ right-hander has made three appearances, surrendering four earned runs while walking six batters.

Ronny Brito – INF

Through 11 games this season, Dominican native Ronny Brito has struggled to put the ball in play. He currently owns the team’s worst OPS at .416 and his slash line of .119/.178/.238 is also towards the bottom of the team’s statistical charts. Brito has five hits through 42 at-bats this season but three of them have been for extra bases (two doubles and a home run), earning him two RBI on the year. Brito also leads the team in strikeouts at 21.

Defensively, Brito has also struggled to field and throw the ball, as the infielder has five errors on the season from three different positions (2B –  2, SS – 1, 3B – 2).

Rafael Lantigua – INF

In his second season of A ball, Rafael Lantigua is off to a slow start this year, posting a .179/.289/.256 slash line through 12 games this season. Lantigua has seven hits through the first month of baseball and only three RBI while walking six times compared to his 12 strikeouts. He has one error on the season from playing third base.

Transactions

Heading to AA

RHP Willy Gaston, RHP Sam Ryan, RHP Andrew McInvale, and 3B LJ Talley were all promoted to AA New Hampshire.

Injuries

RHP Troy Watson, RHP Brayden Bouchey, and RF Will Robertson were all placed on the seven-day injured list within the past two weeks.

LF D.J. Neal was activated from the seven-day IL.

Promoted

3B Sebastian Espino, RF Eric Rivera, RHP Lazaro Estrada, and LHP Brandon Eisert were promoted to the Canadians roster from Low A Dunedin.