Working alternate headline:

Jay Affiliates Remain Undefeated on Sundays

Pressure's on, Braden. Can you keep up the perfect streak into October?

Sorry for going wayyyy off topic, but I figure this is an excellent article to resolve some curiousities due to the lack of excitement in the minors.

I have only recently become a super-ultra-baseball fan and still have a lot to learn. I love the game and have played for most of my life, but I feel most people on this site know more about ball than I do. So here comes question one (likely one of many to come)..

What's the deal with the Comeback Player of the Year award? How do you become eligible? When I made my predictions for the year I had Scott Rolen down because I think he is going to have a phenomenal year. After posting I was told there is actually a list of players that are eligible for the award. Who decided Scotty shouldnt get a chance? His numbers are certainly down..
I also picked Aaron Harang from the NL and I don't believe he is eligible. Probably because he only had one rough year

Look forward to hearing some thoughts..

Thanks,
Chris

Top 5 prospects Jan 2010

1. David Cooper

2. Justin Jackson

3. Brad Emaus

4. Kevin Ahrens

5. Zip

Cecil, Arencibia lose eligibility.   

I think Jackson is going to have a breakout year, but for some reason everything I've read on him up until this point in his career reminds me of Pokey Reese and Aaron Holbert. Here's hoping he develops more pop in his bat than those two. With that in mind, here's my list:

1. Justin Jackson

2. J.P. Arencibia

3. David Cooper

4. Kevin Ahrens

5. Insert 2009 1st Round draftee here

I'm going to assume that Mills, Cecil and Arencibia will all be ineligible.

1. Jackson
2. Rzpezynski
3. Cooper
4. Emaus
5. Campbell
   

What's the deal with the Comeback Player of the Year award?

I'm quite sure there are no formal stipulations for this travesty of an award. It intermittently honours players who have come back from injury or who have come back from an off-season. The latter tacitly criticizes players for having stunk the previous year so serves as loaded praise ("good for you for not stinking any more").

Brad Lidge "won" in the NL last year which served more to insult him ("I didn't go anywhere!") than praise him. Here are his 2007 and 2008 numbers:
2007: 67 IP, 54 H, 30 BB, 88 SO, 9 HR
2008: 69 IP, 50 H, 35 BB, 92 SO, 2 HR

He shaved off 7 homeruns so this somehow qualified him as returning from somewhere. Maybe Gophersville.

 

Thanks Chuck

I agree, it seems ridiculous that they chose Lidge with numbers like that. In "The Contest v2009" were we trying to pick the player that would receive(rather than win haha) the award?

Predicting eligibility is a mugs game, dependent as it is on the health of various players on the major league roster.  The players I really like currently in the system are Cecil, Campbell and Thames. 

1. Jackson (15+ homers and a better average to go with stellar defense- promoted to AA later in the year)
2. Ahrens (.850+ OPS as a 20 year old in A+)
3. Arencibia (Still won't walk - OBP only a little above .300)
4. Emaus (Another solid year, but still mostly doubles power)
5. Fuenmayer (Big break-out year - shows power potential)

Cecil won't be eligible, the Richmond show is over by mid-May.

Throwing in a wild card just for S&G....

1. JPA
2. Brad Mills
3. J-Jack
4. Coop
5. Eric Thames


Cecil will get enough MLB time to no longer qualify.

Just for interest's sake... The Pirates seem to love scouting the Jays' minor league system. The catching tandem in Triple-A for Pittsburgh: Robinzon Diaz and Erik Kratz... The catcher in High-A Lynchburgh... Joel Collins. All three played in the Jays system last year and all three were originally signed by the Jays.

Brett Cecil makes his 2009 debut this evening in Salt Lake City.

Interesting tidbit about the Pirates.  Wonder if they recently hired someone from the Jays front office.  I remember how the media made a big deal of JP trading with the A's, so one wonders how often stuff like that happens - you are comfortable with guys in your old system so you go out and get as many of them as you can.

What other sites do you guys talk baseball on?

There are other sites?

Seems strange that anyone would stock up on former Jays catching prospects, given that the Jays haven't produced a catcher since... Pat Borders? I suppose Carlos Delgado was a successful catching prospect, even though he only ever caught two games in MLB.

projected top 5 prospects on 1.1.2010:

1) David Cooper - He'll have been promoted to AAA and be eyeing a major league spot for 2010 (possibly by Overbay being moved out)

2) Brad Emaus - heir apparent to Rolen; in line for a mid-season call up in 2010 as the Jays continue to rebuild

3) whoever the Jays draft first in the 2009 draft

4)  Justin Jackson - still years away from the majors but people will continue to sing the praises of his tools.

5)  whoever the jays draft second in the 2009 draft

Cecil will come up in July and throw 65 innings. Arencibia will come up in July and share the job with Barajas - about 150 AB worth.

1. Jackson

2. Mills

3. Emaus

4. Cooper

5. Rzepczynski

Cecil and JPA  will play enough this year to not be rookie elligible next year.

I do not see Cooper - anyhow, anyway as even an OK prospect. He can only play DH well - first a bit - and at 175 pounds will NEVER have the POWER to play either position. The guy is an excellent natural hitter - picture Lind - but Cooper is 25 to 30 pounds lighter.  I'd bet my favorite tan Fedora ( the one with the purple feather - not the orange feather) that BRISKER has at least TWICE the career of the esteemed Mr Cooper.

And THAT is the REST of the STORY.

I'm actually quite surprised as to how many people think both Cecil and Arencibia will burn through their eligibility this year.  Of all top Jays prospects, I'm most concerned about J.P.  I've got a feeling he'll struggle fairly mightily at some point fairly soon, whether it's in AAA or during a stint in the Majors.  In any case, I'll be (pleasantly) surprised if he amasses more than 130AB this year in Toronto.

In retrospect, I probably goofed in not giving Cecil 50 IP.  My original list didn't have him on it but after a minute or two, I concluded he'll still be a 'prospect' next year.  If not, I'd move Emaus into my top five with Zip moving up to sixth and Thames with the outside chance of blowing past both of them.

but Cooper is 25 to 30 pounds lighter

At milb.com Cooper is listed at 200lbs.  The 175 was some old college website.  I think we've been through this Cooper weight thing before.

At Baseball Cube, Cooper is listed at 6'1" 210 lbs. So everyone apparently has their own opinion of his weight or they weighed before and after the holiday season.

Anyhow, Cooper's 22 now and Lind is what, about 25 and will be 26 later this year. There's plenty of time between now and four years from now for Cooper to close the gap in size and strength. That said, the Cube lists Adam Lind at 6'2", 195 lbs.

And this is all based on the assumption that raw size dictates how much power a guy has...it helps but the number one driver of power is still bat speed. Sean Casey is the size of a duplex but there are plenty of smaller, lighter players who regularly hit more homeruns over their career.

I'd bet my favorite tan Fedora ( the one with the purple feather - not the orange feather) that BRISKER has at least TWICE the career of the esteemed Mr Cooper.

Career Win Shares. Booked.

Arencibia may be likely to struggle, but there's also not a heck of a lot standing in his way, since neither Barajas nor Barrett figure to be irreplaceable. JP is still considered a strong defensive catcher, and the Jays have been fairly aggressive with their prospects lately,  so unless his swing totally falls apart, I'd expect him to get some time in TO towards the end of the season.

if I hadn't be trying to be clever I'd probably had Emaus at #5 so i'll call him #6...but I had to mention his name because i'm real high on him.

The game notes at the Fishercat's website list Cooper at 210 lbs.