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We continue a Batter's Box tradition with our annual top 30 Blue Jay top prospect list. It is a combined effort of Thomas Ayers, Mike Green, Pistol, Gerry McDonald and Niall O'Donohoe. Today, we look at numbers 30-21.


30. Jonathan Del Campo, IF
Born May 18, 1988. Selected in the 20th round of the 2006 amateur draft.

Year Age Level AB 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG
2006
18
R
63
1
0
1
11
12
0
1
.206
.324
.254
2007
19
R
95
11
1
1
12
28
2
0
.337
.407
.505

\\"Notorious J-D-C\\" found the GCL to be much more to his liking. The 19-year old Puerto Rican switch hitter began to justify his $110,000 signing bonus with a solid 2007 campaign. Showing a decent batting eye in Pulaski but not much else with the twig last season, Del Campo almost doubled his slugging percentage this season on the Gulf Coast. The increase in power did come with a corresponding increase in strikeouts but he still drew a decent amount of walks. Del Campo continued to get better as the season went along, finishing with a flourish by batting .405 in August. He hit .371 against right-handed pitching but struggled against lefties with a .240 mark. Playing mostly at second and third base, Del Campo made a cameo appearance in left field to end the season. It appears that unless Del Campo can translate his doubles power to over the wall power, his future may be at second base. He should be on his way to Lansing, Michigan in 2008.


29. A.J. Wideman, LHP
Born June 8, 1985. Selected in the 11th round of the 2003 amateur draft.

Year Age Level G GS IP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 ERA
2005 20 A 27
27
143
8.5 1.32
2.39
7.62
4.91
2006
21
A
11
10
45
10.6
0.4
3.6
7.8
5.00
2007
22
A
4
4
22
10.38
0.42
3.74
7.06
3.74
2007
22
A+
22
22
135
9.09
1.20
1.67
5.61
3.61

The young lefty took a step forward in 2007, succeeding in the Florida State League when he had just turned 22. He features a 90 mph fastball, a good curve and a change, and does some of the little things very well. He holds runners well, and picks off more than his share. The key for him in the long run is deception on the change, which will help keep his strikeout rate over 6 as he advances up the system and increase his effectiveness against right-handed hitters.


28. Brandon Magee, RHP

Born July 26, 1983. Selected in the 4th round of the 2006 amateur draft.

Year Age Level G GS IP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 ERA
2006 22 A- 11
11
52.1
8.77 0.17
3.27
6.88
3.10
2007
23
A+
28
27
156.2
9.25
0.80
3.10
4.37
3.91

Magee struggled in April putting up an ERA of 9.56. His ERA for each of the next four months was 3.00; 3.38; 3.18; and 3.15. Magee's K/PA increased each month from 10.3% in May to 13.3% in August; his BB/PA declined over the same period. Magee had a solid season in high A but the biggest area of concern is his relatively low strikeout rate. Magee looks like a another sinker/slider pitcher joining Jamie Vermilyea and Michael MacDonald in the Blue Jays system. Magee is 6' 5\\" and pitches with that downhill plane to get more ground balls. Magee will have to work on an \\"out\\" pitch or risk stalling out at AAA like many similar pitchers do.


27. Bradley Mills, LHP
Born March 5, 1985. Selected in the 4th round of the 2007 amateur draft.

Year Age Level G GS IP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 ERA
2007
22
A-
6 2
18
4.50
0.00
3.00
10.50
2.00

Brett Cecil and Mark Rzepczynski were the big two starting pitchers at Auburn this year; Brad Mills is comparable to them in many respects. Cecil had the best ERA of the threesome but Mills ERA of 2.00 was better than Rzepczynski's. Mills's WHIP of 0.83 was better than his teammates and his K/9 rate of 10.5 was the best of the three. Mills was a fourth round draft pick in 2007 while Rzepczynski was a fifth round choice. All three all lefties. So why is Mills ranked at number 27 and the other two in the top ten? Mills pitched only eighteen innings in six games this year and spent a couple of stints on the disabled list. Had Mills been healthy for the season he would have been ranked much higher.

Mills was drafted in 2006 by the Jays but he was attending college on an academic scholarship and wanted to complete his engineering degree. The Jays selected him again this season despite Mills's injury problems in the spring. Late in the college season Mills needed a cortisone shot in his back and missed some starts, then he went on the DL twice with Auburn. Mills throws a 90 mph fastball and has a plus breaking ball and change-up. Mills will likely start 2008 in Lansing to get some consistent work in.


26. Jacob Butler, OF
Born February 9, 1983. Selected in the 8th round of the 2005 amateur draft.

Year Age Level AB 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG
2005 22 NCAA 171
16
1
11
42
28 4
0
.333 .457 .632
2005 22 R
200 16
1
14
31 60
1
2 .290 .384 .590
2005 22 A- 40
1
1
2
2 7
0
0
.200 .238 .425
2006 23 A 375
21 2
11
43 110 4
4
.251 .332 .405
2006 23 A+ 55
2 1
1
5
17
0 0 .145 .210 .273
2007 24 A+ 428 27 0 23
65
95
1 3
.273 .368 .498

Unlike Aaron Mathews, who faded badly over the second half of the season, Jacob Butler was a previously unheralded outfielder who sustained his hot start and thus forced himself onto Toronto prospect lists. Butler was the third outfielder drafted by the Jays in the 2005 draft, behind Brian Pettway and Ryan Patterson. He remained behind both of them on the depth chart until this year when he had a very solid season for Dunedin, as Pettway continued to struggle and Patterson dealt with an injury. Butler had an OPS over .900 in 3 of the 5 months of the minor league schedule and his yearly stats would have looked even more impressive if not for a July where he hit .202 and had an OPS of .665. He led the Florida State League in home runs, finished 3rd in RBI and 6th in walks (although \\"only\\" 14th in OPS, as some of the league's top prospects like Jay Bruce and Cameron Maybin were promoted mid-season). A left fielder, the University of Nevada product isn't a plus defensive player and will to need to make the big leagues on the strength of his bat. Butler will almost certainly be given a starting spot in New Hampshire next year, where the then-25-year-old will have to continue to put up above-average offensive numbers or risk becoming typecast as an organizational soldier.

25. Kyle Yates, RHP
Born January 8th, 1983. Selected in the 13th round of the 2004 amateur draft.

Year Age Level G GS IP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 ERA
2004
21
A-
9
0
9.1
8.68
0.00
4.82
10.61
6.75
2005
22
A
14
14
81.1
9.07
0.66
2.10
8.96
4.43
2005
22
A+
14
14
75.1
8.24
0.48
2.27
8.00
1.91
2006
23
A+
4
2
14.0
5.14
0.00
0.00
8.36
0.64
2006
23
AA
28
18
127.1
8.34
0.71
2.69
7.21
3.75
2007
24
AA
27
27
151.0
10.97
1.31
2.56
5.84
4.53

In 2006 Kyle Yates advanced to AA and had a solid year in a swingman role. He then followed that up with an impressive performance in the Arizona Fall League. Given that 2007 was a disappointing year for the curveball specialist. With the exception of a slight improvement in his walk rate Yates' numbers fell across the board. A move to the bullpen may be Yates' best shot at moving up to Syracuse in 2008.


24. Nathan Starner, LHP
Born May 29, 1984. Signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2006.

Year Age Level G GS IP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 ERA
2006
22
R
24
0
24.2
5.47
0.73
5.84
14.96
3.28
2006
22
A-
3
0
2.1
0.00
0.00
3.86
7.71
3.86
2007
23
A
28
28
140.1
10.33
0.96
2.57
9.17
4.49

The Pennsylvania native from NCAA Division II had his moments in his first full season in the organization. Starner got off to a great start with the Lugnuts by posting a 2.45 ERA in April but that figure soared to around 6.00 for May and June. His BABIP for those two rough months was around .420, suggesting he may have been hit unlucky as his overall BABIP came in at .360. He got back on the beam by posting an ERA of around 3.5 for July and August, racking up 6 of his 12 victories on the season. The 6-2 lefty chopped his walk rate in half from last year and struck out a batter an inning. On the flip side, Starner was a little too hittable by giving up 161 base knocks in his 140.1 innings of work, almost doubling his hits allowed per 9 innings rate from 2006. According to Bauxite Lugnut Fan, Starner has a fastball that tops out at 92 MPH as well as a slider and changeup. His improvement over the second half in Lansing should result in a promotion to the warmer climate of Dunedin next season.


23. Balbino Fuenmayor, 3B
Born November 26, 1989. Signed as a international free agent in 2006.

Year Age Level AB 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG
2007
17
R
178
5
2
1
12
68
0
0
.174
.244
.242

Hailed as a free agent coup on the international market last year, the young Venezuelan gained notoriety when he was ranked by Baseball America as the Jays #10 prospect in their farm system. The \\"Great Balbino\\" made an early splash in 2007 with a two-run homer in the Baseball Hall of Fame game in May against the Orioles in Cooperstown and he batted .289 in the month of June in his professional baseball debut in the Gulf Coast League. That sounds impressive at first glance but keep in mind the GCL season begins in late June. After that, his year went horribly askew as he struck out over 5 times more than he walked and only managed an extra base hit per every 22 at-bats. He ended the season by going hitless in his last 5 games with an ugly 0-for-25. However, let's keep in mind that Fuenmayor won't turn 18 until next month and he is expected to hit for average and power eventually. Defensively, he reportedly has the hands and range at the hot corner but needs to work on his throwing. Another year on the Gulf Coast will more than likely be in Fuenmayor's future in 2008.


22. David Smith, OF
Born January 12, 1981. Selected in the 15th round of the 2002 amateur draft.

Year Age Level AB 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG
2004
23
A
436
27
2
12
53
119
8
2
.278
.365
.431
2005
24
A+
391
24
2
14
35
73
4
2
.294
.349
.473
2006
25
AA
483
33
1
19
40
118
7
4
.253
.317
.443
2007
26
AA
463
35
1
24
53
105
4
5
.276
.359
.512


David Smith looks like a ball player - long, lean and athletic. But up until this point Smith's performance in the minors has been mediocre. Repeating AA this year Smith put up the best numbers of his career, hitting 60 extra base hits. It's particularly impressive for a right handed hitter in NH; Smith's road stats for the year were .281/.373/.545. Smith was even more impressive in the second half of the year with a 0.975 OPS. Smith is on the old side for a prospect, and you always need to be a little weary of a prospect doing well when he's repeating a level but he's shown enough to earn a crack at AAA and if he can continue hitting there he may end up being a useful bench player for the Jays.


21. Ryan Patterson, OF
Born May 2, 1983. Selected in the 4th round of the 2005 amateur draft.

Year Age Level AB 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG
2005 22 NCAA 249 23 2 20 30 28 7 1 .369 .448 .719
2005 22 A- 274 23 4 13 21 53 5 2 .339 .386 .595
2006 23 A+ 354 25 0 19 20 61 2 4 .288 .327 .520
2006 23 AA 187 14 1 6 13 50 2 0 .257 .310 .439
2007 24 A+ 21 2 0 0 2 3 0 0 .190 .261 .286
2007 24 AA 446 27 0 18 23 102 1 4 .267 .301 .448

Patterson's 2007 season did not answer many questions about his potential. In spring training Patterson was hit by a pitch and broke a bone in his arm. As we have seen with several Blue Jays this season, broken hands and arms can impact the player for several months after they come back to play. This pattern seemed to play itself out with Patterson, he hit under .240 in both May and June but he broke out with a very strong July where he hit over .30 with power to give him a July OPS of .946. However Patterson slipped back in August to a .725 OPS and it remains to be seen whether August was a slump or whether July was a hot streak. Patterson will be looking to move up to AAA in 2008 and his spring play will determine that.


Tomorrow, the players will be perhaps a little more familiar as we name prospects 20-11.


Top 30 Prospects- #30-#21 | 10 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
ayjackson - Tuesday, October 02 2007 @ 10:58 AM EDT (#174941) #

Good start.  I made my own list last week, based on less information but it seems similar.  I'm trying to guess whether Aaron Mathews is in the 11-20 or 31-40 side of things.  On my list, I had him right in between Smith and Patterson - the three of them would likely form the AAA outfield next year, along with perhaps Wayne Lydon.

Pistol - Tuesday, October 02 2007 @ 12:47 PM EDT (#174945) #
Outside of the top 15 there really isn't much of a difference between someone who's at #16 and someone in the honorable mentions.

And really, outside of Snider there's a lot of room for debate in the top 15.  The standard deviations of the ballots this year I would guess were a lot higher than other years.

ayjackson - Tuesday, October 02 2007 @ 01:07 PM EDT (#174946) #
It's very subjective also to compare the upside of a Mark Rzepczynski for example to the 'safe' projectability of a Jamie Vermilyea or a John Tolisano to a Curtis Thigpen.
Mike Green - Tuesday, October 02 2007 @ 01:25 PM EDT (#174947) #
It seems a little strange to describe an 18 year old like Tolisano as having \\"safe\\" projectability, but you are absolutely right.  The minor league crew had a remarkably consistent view of him.  The top 30 prospect list is filled with younger, less developed players than in previous years.  It is not really a surprise that, in general, the assessments are more tentative and subjective than previously.
Skills - Tuesday, October 02 2007 @ 02:18 PM EDT (#174948) #
Perhaps my interpretation was incorrect, but I believe ayjackson was saying that comparing Repczynski/Vermilyea was like comparing Tolisano/Thigpen, the first of each pair being difficult to project.
Mike Green - Tuesday, October 02 2007 @ 02:26 PM EDT (#174949) #
Perhaps you are right.  Anyways, the minor league crew shared completely a view of Tolisano, despite his youth. 
Mylegacy - Tuesday, October 02 2007 @ 03:22 PM EDT (#174950) #

Given what I know about them, not just hope about them... I see Campo, Starner and Mills as the best chance of fulfilling their potential and Balbino as being so young he gets at least one, if not two, mulligans.

Good work.

MatO - Tuesday, October 02 2007 @ 04:07 PM EDT (#174952) #
It's strange that a LHP like Starner who can throw in the 90's would be left undrafted.
Mike Green - Tuesday, October 02 2007 @ 04:20 PM EDT (#174954) #
Lugnut Fan reported that Starner's delivery is awkward, suggesting that injury fears may have played a role. 
Lugnut Fan - Tuesday, October 02 2007 @ 10:21 PM EDT (#174961) #

Mike is right Mat0.  The problem with Starner is that he does not step towards home plate with his lead foot.  His lead foot steps to the first base side and he throws totally across his body.  He stated in a conversation that I had with him earlier in the season that he has delivered the ball like that his whole life.  That may be true, but if I was a scout....I probably would have shyed away from him as well.

His repertoire changed too.  In college he told me that he threw a two seam fastball that he could get to cut pretty good, but he can't get the ball to cut for him as well at a professional level.  They throw a different baseball in college than they do in professional baseball.  The seams on college baseballs have raised seams and it makes it easier to grip a breaking ball or a two seamer.  In pro ball, the seams are flat and it limits the break so much.  It got me thinking about how many pitchers have to adjust their repertoire's once they are drafted.  I'll have to check into that next year.

Top 30 Prospects- #30-#21 | 10 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.