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

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.