Welcome to the annual installment of Batter's Box's Top 30 Blue Jay prospects.

The minor league system seems to be stronger than it has been in years. This year there were 48 different players that got at least one top 30 vote from the 6 voters in the top 30 prospects. Today we present players #30 to #21.


30. Marcus Brisker, OF
Born August 21, 1990. Selected in the 6th round of the 2008 amateur draft.

Year	Age	Level	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008	18	R	108	4	0	0	11	22	13	4	.306	.370	.343

High school players generally struggle in their first exposure to pro ball as the high school players from the 2007 draft class showed a year ago. However, Brisker had no such problem. The speedy 6'4" 200 lb OF was able to hit over .300 over the course of the season, and upped his OPS from .604 to .607 to .862 from June to August. This was especially impressive considering that he was not as experienced as most high school draftees. Up until his senior year Brisker had also been playing basketball which cut into the beginning of the baseball season. He's considered to have plus bat speed, but, given his inexperience, an uneven approach at the plate. Brisker was listed as a CF upon being drafted, but with his size he'll probably end up in a corner OF spot. A trip to the NY-P League is likely next year, although if Brisker continues playing well through the spring he could possibly jump straight to the full season Midwest League.


29. Andrew Liebel, RHP
Born March 22,1986. Selected in the 3rd round of the 2008 amateur draft.

Year	Age	Level	G	GS	IP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	K/9	ERA
2007	21	NCAA	25	6	101.1	8.7	0.5	1.7	5.3	2.84
2008	22	NCAA	15	15	117.1	8.0	0.6	1.5	7.5	2.22
2008	22	A-	7	1	14.2	11.7	1.2	1.2	11.7	3.68

Originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 47th round of the 2004 amateur draft, Liebel opted to go to Long Beach State instead. He was a reliever in the first 2 1/2 seasons of his college career before joining the Dirt Bags starting rotation late in the 2007 campaign. It was after the '07 season that Liebel focused on improving his arm strength by doing long toss as well as changing his workout routine and dietary habits. That helped him improve his fastball. After posting a 59-19 K/BB ratio in 101.1 innings in 2007, Liebel improved that figure in '08 to the tune of 97-19 in 117.1 innings in his senior season. He threw two complete game shutouts against U-C Davis and U-C Santa Barbara, had a scoreless innings streak of 19 and won 8 of 12 decisions with a 2.22 ERA as the ace of the Long Beach State staff. He worked seven innings in every start, except for one when he could go only go six innings thanks to a rain delay. Liebel won the Big West Player of the Year award and earned consideration for the Roger Clemens and Golden Spikes Awards. Considered by some to be the best college senior pitcher in the draft next to Seattle first round pick Josh Fields, Liebel received a $340,000 bonus from the Jays. He began his pro career in August with Auburn, posting a 1-2 record in seven appearances, six in relief.

Scouting reports say Liebel's stuff is average but his command of his four-pitch mix is above average. His fastball is in the 88-91 MPH range with the occasional 92 or 93 and his slider checks in at 79-80 MPH. He also throws a changeup and curveball. Liebel is said to have a bulldog mentality on the mound, wants the ball, has a good idea of how to pitch, works fast and works easily with a quick, loose arm action. He also holds runners well. The 6-1, 195 pound righty was compared to Yankees prospect Ian Kennedy by Baseball America. Some scouts aren't as high on Liebel as they feel his lack of stuff will slot him in middle relief in the majors. Turning 23 next season, the Jays may decide to push Liebel to Dunedin at some point. The question will be whether he makes a pit stop in Lansing first. If things go really well, Liebel has a shot to return to his roots with a visit to AA ball as he was born in Manchester, New Hampshire.

28. Antonio Jimenez, C
Born May 1, 1990. Selected in the 9th round of the 2008 amateur draft.

Year	Age	Level	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008	18	R	47	2	0	0	3	16	5	2	.191	.255	.234

An elbow injured dropped Jimenez several rounds in the 2008 draft. The Jays ended up taking the Puerto Rican in the 9th round hoping that the injury was just a short term issue. Jimenez, at this point, is known mainly for his defensive skills behind the plate as he has good athleticism allowing him to receive and block well. His defense is also helped by a plus arm. While his bat is a question right now he has shown some raw power. He didn't hit particularly well in the GCL over his 47 ABs, but it's quite an adjustment coming from a foreign country as a teenager and one shouldn't read too much into that. Jimenez will probably move slowly through the system, particularly with the Jays depth at catcher, and is likely to get another shot at the GCL next year.


27. Joel Carreno, RHP
Born March 7, 1987. Signed as a non-drafted free agent.

Year	Age	Level	G	GS	IP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	K/9	ERA
2007	20	RK	12	12	65.1	8.27	0.55	1.79	8.82	2.62
2008	21	A-	15	13	76.1	8.72	0.71	2.24	10.02	3.42

In 2007 Carreno led the Gulf Coast Jays in innings pitched, wins and strikeouts. He appeared on Baseball America’s Top Blue Jays 30 prospect list, although he didn’t make the Top 30 on the Box. This year Carreno was assigned to Auburn and also led the team in innings pitched, but he went further than that and led the team’s starters in H/9, BB/9 and K/9.

Carreno’s best pitch is a strong sinker with movement that sits in the low 90’s. He also throws a plus changeup, which he’s been able to control better this year than last. Carreno succeeds in large part by mixing his pitches and keeping hitters off balance and his improved K/9 ratio despite jumping a level suggests Carreno's learning more about the art of pitching. In terms of weaknesses, Carreno’s slider is still a work in progress and he sometimes struggles with his mechanics. He’ll likely begin next year in Lansing and, if things break right, it looks like he could develop into a back-of-the-rotation innings eater.

26. Robert Sobolewski, 3B
Born December 24, 1986. Selected in the 4th round of the 2008 amateur draft.

Year	Age	Level	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2007	20	NCAA	255	26	1	8	17	56	14	2	.345	.395	.510
2008	21	NCAA	257	16	1	8	27	49	6	4	.311	.375	.475
2008	21	A-	133	5	0	1	4	32	0	0	.256	.283	.316

When the Jays drafted Sobolewski with their fourth round pick, it was thought he'd be a tough signing. Many experts suggested that a strong year could propel Sobolewski into the top ten selections for the 2009 draft. However, the Jays were able to lure him away from the University of Miami with a signing bonus of just $65,000.

Sobolewski's stats show that he is still an incredibly raw talent and he will likely spend most of 2009 back in Auburn. However, he did show flashes of his promise at times, including a five-hit game in July. Scouts rave over Sobolewski's raw power, especially to the opposite field. And while his defense at third is currently below-average, his strong arm suggests he could quickly improve with better positioning.

25. Moises Sierra, OF
Born September 24, 1988. Signed as a non-drafted free agent.

Year	Age	Level	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2007	18	R	143	5	1	5	5	39	2	2	.203	.230	.357
2008	19	A	451	16	5	9	26	115	12	11	.246	.287	.364

Jays fans who are too young to remember the 1980s and the awesome arm of right-fielder Jesse Barfield could be in for a treat in a few years. Moises Sierra is a strong-armed Dominican outfielder who spent the 2008 season in Lansing at the age of 19. He was rated as having the best outfield arm in the Midwest League and some scouts feel it may be the best arm in the minor leagues.

Although Sierra can gun down even the fleetest-of-foot base runner with three steps to spare, his other defensive skills need polish as he made 10 errors in the outfield. Sierra was originally signed to a six-figure contract in 2006 as an international free agent and he then spent one season in the Dominican Summer League and one season in Rookie Ball before the 2008 season.

His stat line doesn’t look that impressive on first blush – .246/.297/.364 – but many expected him to spend the year in short-season ball again. His biggest issue was a lack of patience at the plate as he swung at too many bad balls. He walked just 26 times (5.5%) with 114 strikeouts (25.3%) in 451 at-bats. The Midwest League also took a bite out of his power numbers (a drop in ISO from .154 in 2007 to .118 in 2008), although he still possesses intriguing raw power. He also struggled with men on base and hit just .154 with the runner standing on second or third base. Sierra likely showed enough improvement in 2008 to earn consideration for Dunedin in 2009 if he has a good spring.


24. Kenny Wilson, CF
Born January 30, 1990. Selected in the 2nd round of the 2008 amateur draft.

Year	Age	Level	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008	18	R	162	6	2	0	20	60	25	3	.210	.319	.272

1990 birthdates make me feel incredibly old. In any event, Wilson's calling card is his speed. According to his draft profiles, Wilson's 60 yard time is in the 6.4 range, which is roughly 25x faster than Rod Barajas. This was evident in 2008 as despite rarely getting on base, Kenny managed to steal 25 bases.

Like most 18 year-olds, Wilson is still obviously very raw. At only 165 pounds, he doesn't project to have much power, however his speed and ability to hit from gap to gap should allow Wilson to rack up a fair amount of extra base hits. In the field, Wilson's defense is a work in progress. His speed allows him to get to balls that many outfielders can't reach, however his arm remains a liability.

2009 will likely see Wilson repeat the Gulf Coast League with the hope for a promotion to either Auburn or Lansing in 2010.

23. Jonathan Talley, C/1B/DH
Born February 18, 1989. Selected in the 13th round of the 2007 amateur draft.

Year	Age	Level	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2007	18	R	75	3	0	1	4	21	0	1	.227	.275	.307
2008	19	R	140	7	1	6	8	45	1	0	.300	.348	.493
2008	19	A	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	.500	.667	.500

The Jays gave Talley a $70,000 bonus (plus a college allowance of $64,000) after playing high school ball as a catcher at Carlsbad High School in California, the same school that former Jay Troy Glaus attended. Demetrius Pittman, the Jays scouting supervisor for Southern California, described Talley as a power bat and the premier big bat in the region at the time he was drafted. At 6-foot-3, 230 pounds - the scouting report on Talley is that he has good size and strength, is a physical left-handed power hitter with a sound approach at the plate and has the ability to hit for average and power. Even though he throws well, it's believed that Talley is not athletic enough to remain behind the plate and will probably be moved to first base or DH. He has spent time at all three positions since his pro career began.

Talley endured a rough introduction to pro ball as he started his career in the Gulf Coast League by going 0-for-10 while mustering just four extra-base hits in his first season. However, Talley did hit .345 in August 2007 and that strong finish carried over in his return to the Gulf Coast in 2008. Talley hit just .118 for June but rebounded to finish the campaign at .300 thanks to a .369 July and a .296 August. His power began to show as he racked up 14 extra base hits, more than tripling his '07 output. Talley still needs to improve on making contact and drawing a few more walks as he has struck out over 25 percent of the time in his career while drawing just 8 walks. However, one of those free passes came in a late-season call up to Lansing when he singled and walked in three plate appearances. Talley should be calling Lansing his baseball home to begin 2009.

22. Davis Romero, LHP
Born March 30, 1983. Signed in 1999 as an non-drafted free agent.

Year	Age	Level	G	GS	IP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	K/9	ERA
2006	23	AA	14	14	84.0	7.50	0.54	2.57	7.93	3.43
2006	23	AAA	18	3	44.2	9.27	0.60	1.41	7.25	3.83
2006	23	MLB	7	0	16.1	10.47	0.55	3.31	5.51	3.86
2008	25	AAA	25	23	106.2	9.03	0.84	2.45	7.42	3.71

An injury forced Davis Romero to miss the 2007 season. However, he showed no long-term effect from the injury, at least as far as his stats are concerned. Romero spent most of 2008 in Syracuse’s rotation and finished with ratios very similar to those he put up in 2005 and 2006. Romero faced about twice as many right-handed batters as left-handed batters this year. Not surprisingly, Romero’s ratios are better against lefties, with 7.78 K/9 and 1.34 BB/9 compared to 6.66 K/9 and 2.34 BB/9 against right-handers. He also got infield flies on 22% of his fly balls against lefties, versus 10.4% of fly balls against right-handers.

After the 2006 season Romero’s future seemed to lie, at least in the short term, in the bullpen. However, 24 months later the future isn’t so clear anymore. Romero missed a year to injury and spent 2008 proving his health, while the Jays bullpen saw the continued development of Brian Tallet and the surprising emergence of Jesse Carlson, to give the team four quality left-handers. The lowest ERA+ that any of those four posted was Ryan’s 146 and even if any of them are not with the team for 2009, the Jays also have Fabio Castro, Reid Santos and possibly other minor league free agents in the mix.

Meanwhile, Toronto’s rotation has several questions for next year with the injuries to McGowan and Marcum and Janssen’s post-surgery status unclear at this point. Romero final stats at Syracuse weren’t outstanding, but he did improve as the season went on, posting his worse numbers in May and June, so it is possible Romero didn’t return to full health until midway through the season. He might be a dark-horse candidate for the rotation, but the Jays probably prefer him as an injury-only option, as opposed to being pencilled into the rotation on opening day. This may leave Romero on the outside, looking in, as his numbers and stuff are solid, but nothing spectacular, and may mean he’s unable to force himself onto the team and Romero may very well get caught in the roster crunch next year.

21. Zach Dials, RHP
Born July 22, 1985. Selected in the 28th round of the 2006 amateur draft.

Year	Age	Level	G	GS	IP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	K/9	ERA
2006	20	R+	15	5	38.0	6.39	0.00	2.61	5.45	1.89
2007	21	A	22	15	85.0	9.64	0.53	2.44	4.55	4.87
2008	22	A+	8	0	8.0	5.63	0.00	1.13	11.25	1.13
2008	22	AA	36	0	36.2	11.05	0.74	3.44	8.84	4.91

Dials was originally used as a starter by the Jays after being drafted in 2006. However after several injuries Dials was converted to a reliever which allowed him to throw harder and made his stuff better. Dials added a couple of mph to his fastball, to 92-95 and his off-speed stuff improved too. Dials' fastball has good movement as does his slider and he also features a good change-up. Dials started at Dunedin but was promoted after eight appearances with a 1.13 ERA. He pitched 36.2 innings at AA before spending most of August on the DL, returning at the end of the season. Dials ratched up his strikeout levels in 2008 as he improved his off-speed pitches. Dials is headed to the Arizona Fall League to get more innings. He has the tools to be a major league reliever, he just needs work. Dials turned 23 in July.

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Tomorrow we will continue the series with players #20 to #11.