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A full slate of games as some Major Leaguers impressed in Minor League rehab assignments. Aaron Sanchez hit 100mph, but was overshadowed by a no-hitter. No Melky tonight, but a Sergio Santos sighting. A fair amount of prospects in action tonight and even a few encouraging performances—please do read.

Toledo 4 Buffalo 2

Melky Cabrera was apparently in town, but did not play. He will play tomorrow in Buffalo apparently and not in Toronto. Nonetheless, a few familiar faces made appearances tonight out of the bullpen. Sergio Santos struck out the side and then declared himself ready to pitch in Toronto. Santos fails to see that a guy who says it feels “foreign” having guys on-base and pitching from the set position perhaps may not be ready for the big time. I digress… Jeremy Jeffress made his second appearance after not pitching for two months. He too pitched a scoreless inning, striking out a batter. Brad Lincoln followed and pitched a scoreless inning himself, striking out two batters. No word whether the two felt ready to be back in Toronto. Eugenio Velez had two hits and Kevin Pillar had a first inning triple. Anthony Gose, on the other hand, was caught stealing for the eleventh time this year. That puts his stolen base percentage at a miserable 50%. Is he not supposed to be refining his skills?

New Hampshire 2 Trenton 9

Deck McGuire was only hit around a little. He allowed three earned runs on six hits in six innings of work. He struck out four and walked two. He got out of there before the real damage was done as the Yankee affiliate put up six runs in the seventh and eighth. Brad Glenn had a tidy three hits and A.J. Jimenez doubled and walked twice. The Fisher Cats were 2-13 with runners in scoring position and as a team walked eleven times to six strikeouts. Disappointing that they were only able to put up two runs with that many base runners. One would think that a team riding an eight game win streak would be able to cash some of these guys in, but alas sometimes good things must come to an end.

Fort Myers 1 Dunedin 0

J.A. Happ and Aaron Sanchez were outpitched by Taylor Rogers. Rogers one-hit the Dunedin Blue Jays, which means Dunedin has been no-hit once and one-hit twice in the last two weeks. Good news, Sanchez reportedly hit 100mph tonight, pitching well over four innings of work. He struck out six, walked two, allowed two hits, and was also hung with the loss as he yielded the games’ only run. Rehabbing J.A. Happ, making his triumphant return to the mound pitched even better. He went five innings, allowing just three hits, walking no one, and striking out seven. I imagine depending on how things go here after the all-star break that Happ may be back in the rotation soon.

Lansing 8 Clinton 2

Lansing turned around an early lead to take this one by a score of 8-2. Emilio Guerrero started the comeback in the fifth with a three run homerun. His efforts were topped and then some the following inning as the Lugnuts put up a five spot. A Seth Connor bases loaded clearing double did most of the damage. Daniel Norris gets the start tomorrow night.

Eugene 2 Vancouver 10

Six runs in the third basically put this game to bed. The Canadians batted around and were helped out by two of the five errors Eugene would commit on the night. Dickie Thon homered an inning later and would also steal a base on the night. Jordan Leyland and Justin Atkinson both had two hits, with Leyland homering. On the mound, Jeremy Gabryszwski picked up the win pitching five and two-thirds of two run baseball. Gabryszwski has been a solid pitcher to date and will be one to follow next year in full season ball as we’ll see how his low strikeout and walk numbers play.

Burlington 13 Bluefield 3 Game One

Bluefield is in the midst of a three straight doubleheaders. The early game saw the Bluefield squad play out a game that was rained out on July 11, 2013. Adonys Cardona got hit around a bit through his four innings. He allowed seven hits and three earned runs, walking just the one to four strikeouts. The real damage game against the bullpen as relief pitcher Joe Lovecchio was shelled in his two-thirds innings of work. Justin D’Alessandro did not fare too well either. With the sticks, Dawel Lugo had two hits including a triple. Lugo, in my mind, is hitting a respectable .266 as an eighteen year-old. The lack of errors is also nice to see. Mitch Nay had a hit and a walk, and D.J. Davis had a hit in four trips. Derrick Loveless has cooled a bit and went 0-3.

Burlington 2 Bluefield 4 Game Two

A solid start of five shutout innings from Tom Robson paced the Bluefield Blue Jays to a doubleheader split. Robson allowed just two hits and struck out two. As has become common in Robson’s very early professional career, the majority of his outs were on the ground. He recorded a 12-1 ground ball to fly ball ratio. Him and Jeremy Gabryszwski seem to have that going for them, which is nice. D.J. Davis had two hits to continue his hot hitting ways. He also walked and stole a base, but was also thrown out. I’d like to see him run a bit more. Jonathan Davis had the only extra base hit tonight, but made it count as his double in the fifth scored two runs.

GCL Tigers 9 GCL Blue Jays 7 Game One

This was a makeup for a rained out game on July 1, 2013. Safe to say 2013 draftee Daniel Lietz wished this game remained rained out. Lietz started and yielded eleven hits in two innings of work. Lietz received little help from the defense in this one as an error in the first allowed two unearned runs to score and an error in the second allowed another four unearned runs to score. In all, Lietz allowed eight runs only two of which were earned. At the plate, Josh Almonte left the game in the first after being hit by a pitch. Thomas Collins III went 3-4 and Gabriel Cenas had three RBIs.

GCL Tigers 2 GCL Blue Jays 3 Game Two

Lloyd’s kid aside, better fielding and better pitching in the second game propelled the Baby, Baby Jays to victory. Connor Greene pitched well and was followed by Matt Smoral who had his best outing of his professional career. Yes, for Smoral, two innings pitched, two unearned runs, a hit, a walk, and four strikeouts has been the $2 million man’s best outing so far. Pessimism aside, Smoral is going to take time. I look at someone like Alex Meyer of the Twins as what we can expect from a development and performance standpoint. Meyer had ERAs of 5.73 and 7.06 his first two years of college, and then put up solid numbers his Junior year. Usually those first round college guys go straight to High-A their draft year and then are in AA the following year and getting a cup of coffee in September. Meyer, on the other hand, didn’t pitch professionally his draft year, split the following season between full season A ball and High-A and is now in AA. So using Meyer as a reference point, Smoral is pretty much on schedule.

Franklin Barreto had a nice game going 2-3 with a double and a triple. Rehabbing Moises Sierra went 0-2, but knocked in a run. Edwin Fuentes had two hits and Dan Jensen had two RBIs.

DSL Blue Jays 1 DSL Brewers 1 Suspended in the Ninth

I’m going to report on this one even though it’s been suspended due to rain after nine innings. The report: nothing really happened. The two clubs combined for two runs on eleven hits. Richard Urena had a hit and a walk, and Blue Jays starter Daniel Rodriguez went five and a third, allowing the one run on six hits, a walk and four strikeouts. It’s almost like the Latin guys are on a completely different program as Rodriguez, who is seventeen, is throwing five, six innings every time out there while the guys who get drafted throw an inning here and there, or have some guy piggy backing with them until he’s old enough to drink in the US.

Three Stars

3. Aaron Sanchez

2. Tom Robson

1. J.A. Happ

Box Scores

Some News to Report | 32 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Mike Forbes - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 02:27 AM EDT (#276664) #
How about the developing power of DJ Davis? He has 4 doubles, 5 triples and a couple dingers for good measure so far for Bluefield. Combine that with an OBP of .400 and elite speed and you have the makings of a top notch prospect.
Mike Green - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 09:27 AM EDT (#276669) #
That was a good news day-  Happ's success being the best item of course. 
ramone - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 11:17 AM EDT (#276677) #
There is a full scouting report in BP on Pillar for those that have a subscription, but basically high praise for his hit tool, the writer was surprised how well he handled CF and they finish saying 4th OF floor with a ceiling of a solid second-division guy.

There is also a full scouting report on Nick Castellanos in the same article who is my dream overpay for bullpen help from Detroit. I can't imagine Detroit is going to give him up just for pen help mind you.
Lylemcr - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 11:18 AM EDT (#276678) #

The second half has started off in a great direction. 

100 MPH!  The cupboard does not seem empty in the minors. 

It is going to be intersesting to see how the team handles Santos.  The bullpen seems crowded right now.

Mike Green - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 11:48 AM EDT (#276680) #
4th OF floor with a ceiling of a solid second-division guy.

I am not sure what "a solid second-division guy" means.  He's obviously not going to be Rickey Henderson, Mickey Mantle or Mike Trout, but do we mean "a player who will not be the  best player on a pennant-winning club, but who will significantly contribute" like a Rusty Greer? Personally, I see (on the upside) a corner outfielder who plays good defence, runs pretty well, hits .300, draws some walks and hits for medium range pop (40 doubles, 15 homers).  He fits in either as a #2 or a #5/#6 hitter depending on the club. 
finch - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 11:52 AM EDT (#276681) #
I'm curious, since we're half way though the season roughly, as to who is on your top 10 or top 15 list?

Mine would be:

1. Aaron Sanchez
2. DJ Davis
3. Roberto Osuna
4. Marcus Stroman
5. Alberto Tirado
6. Sean Nolin
7. Mitch Nay
8. AJ Jimenez
9. Franklin Buretto
10. Kevin Pillar
11. Anthony Gose
12. Daniel Norris
13. Gabriel Cenas
14. Dwight Smith Jr
15. Matthew Dean
15. Dicky Thon Jr

There could be someone I forgot about but I didn't put Anthony Alford on my list just because baseball isn't his priority and doesn't seem like he'll forgo the NFL/CFL dream. And I didn't include any of this year draft picks although it would be tough for them to make the top 15.

Stilson, Cardona, and Smoral had some consideration
ayjackson - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 12:14 PM EDT (#276682) #
I continually maintain a Top 10 list for fun and update it monthly.

1. Aaron Sanchez, RHP
2. Roberto Osuna, RHP
3. Marcus Stroman, RHP
4. Sean Nolin, LHP
5. DJ Davis, CF
6. Matt Smoral, LHP
7. Kevin Pillar, CF
8. AJ Jiminez, C
9. Andy Burns, 3B
10. Franklin Barreto, SS
Mike Green - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 12:16 PM EDT (#276683) #
I always find it hard to rank pitchers in the same list as hitters.  I would put the pitchers in this order- Nolin, Stroman, Osuna, Sanchez (I see him as a closer rather than as a starting pitcher). You could sell me on switching Osuna and Sanchez.

I would put the hitters in this order- Pillar, Jimenez, Barretto, DJ Davis.  I do think that Barretto and Davis have the highest ceilings in the organization, but they are so far away that it is hard to assess what the likelihood is that they will achieve their ceilings.

With the current prospects, I do not see sufficient likelihood that any will be great to put significant weight on what they might achieve if everything goes right.  The key for me is what each is reasonably likely to achieve. 

ramone - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 12:16 PM EDT (#276684) #
Mike Green: I believe second division guy means a starter on non championship caliber team, the only projections they gave him were 25 plus doubles and 10-15 steals with regular playing time.

If anyone has a better definition of second division guy in terms of scouting please feel free to correct me as well, I'm not 100% certain of my definition/understanding.
Sano - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 12:43 PM EDT (#276689) #
Doesn't there have to be a major question mark on Osuna going forward due to his injury concerns?  Barring those issues, I would agree with ranking him quite highly.
ayjackson - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 12:45 PM EDT (#276690) #
If Osuna gets confirmed for TJ, I'll drop him.
hypobole - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 12:48 PM EDT (#276691) #
Agree with ay that Burns definitely belongs on any Top 10-15 list. The one notable omission I see is Dawel Lugo. From what I've heard, the kid has a decent chance to stick at short and has some pop in his bat with the potential for much more. I was a bit surprised to see Cenas on the Top 15 list. Is there any scouting report out there that still rates him as a real prospect?
Mike Green - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 01:45 PM EDT (#276696) #
OK, I think that I get it.  BP thinks that Pillar's ceiling is somewhere between Rajai Davis and Melky Cabrera. Don't agree with that...
greenfrog - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 02:37 PM EDT (#276698) #
I think Sanchez has to be considered the #1 pitcher (and prospect) in the system. Yes, there is a significant chance he could be plagued by control problems and/or injuries throughout his career. But he's young and has a decent chance of putting it all together over the next few years. If he does, he'll likely leave the rest of the field in the dust.

It wasn't all that long ago that I was lobbying for Barreto to be included on the Box's top 30 prospects list. I think he got left off (not sure). He has helium, to be sure...
Mike Green - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 02:39 PM EDT (#276699) #
Sanchez' chance of putting it all together, developing endurance and staying healthy, thereby becoming Justin Verlander...maybe 10%.  That is, if anything, optimistic. 
Sano - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 02:40 PM EDT (#276700) #
I'm also curiuos about the batch of arms that we have at Bluefield- Cardona, Rosario, Labourt, Tirado and such all seem to have strong K/9 numbers.  Would anyone be able to give a ranking of the arms that we have down there?
metafour - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 02:54 PM EDT (#276703) #
Finch; good attempt on the list...but your back end is pretty jacked up (no ass joke, lol).

How the hell did Cenas make it at 13? He's repeating the GCL with minimal success (after he was terrible last year) and on top of that he's a huge defensive question mark as well as he has no set position. I wouldn't even rank him Top 30 at this point. Dean, and Thon are huge stretches there as well.

Smoral is absolutely a Top 15 prospect. He's pitched literally less than 6 innings...far too few to actually say that his struggles have changed his prospect status at all.
greenfrog - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 03:00 PM EDT (#276704) #
I like Sanchez's chances. He's far from being a slam dunk, but he's no lottery ticket either. Not only are scouts very impressed with his size, delivery and stuff (excellent fastball, makings of two above-average secondary pitches), but his stats are strong and trending in the right direction. It often takes time to put it all together, and Sanchez still has time on his side (turned 21 earlier this month).

There is risk there, no question, but the potential reward is very high.
uglyone - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 03:10 PM EDT (#276705) #
For now like others i have to keep pitchers and hitters separate:

1.Osuna
2.Sanchez
3.Stroman
4.Nolin
5.Norris
6.Stilson
7.Tirado
8.Dawson
9.Smoral
10.Cardona

HM: mcguire,avendano,jiminez,dejong,labourt,tinoco,barnes,antolin,ghysels,ybarra

1.jimenez
2.Gose
3.Pillar
4.Davis
5.Burns
6.Barretto
7.Alford
8.Lugo
9.Nessy
10.Nay

HM: Smith,Tellez,Crouse,Optiz,Guerrero,Lopes,pompey,loveless,dean,silviano,jansen,deAza
uglyone - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 03:12 PM EDT (#276706) #
Ah crap, gose is no longer a prospect of course.

I'd move all those guys up and stick smith jr. I. At #10.
Mike Green - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 04:14 PM EDT (#276707) #
Barretto had a rough game today, 0-5 with 3 strikeouts and 3 errors.  Mama said that there will be days like this. 
Lylemcr - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 05:55 PM EDT (#276711) #

"Sanchez' chance of putting it all together, developing endurance and staying healthy, thereby becoming Justin Verlander...maybe 10%. That is, if anything, optimistic"

But then again, Justin Verlander when he came up had about a 10% chance of becoming "Fill in the blank".

There are alot of things to like about Sanchez.  Not a lot of players can clock it at 100 MPH. 

finch - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 06:09 PM EDT (#276712) #
Sorry, I meant Lugo not Cenas but he still intrigues me.
And the guy I forgot was Andy Burns. I'm high on Matthew Dean though. Great potential.
metafour - Friday, July 19 2013 @ 06:32 PM EDT (#276713) #
I'm high on Matthew Dean though. Great potential.

Repeating a rookie level league and still putting up a sub-.700 OPS, high strikeout rate, likely an average 3B at best defensively, 20.5 years old....Not a Top 15 prospect.
Mike Green - Saturday, July 20 2013 @ 09:13 AM EDT (#276732) #
Justin Verlander was nothing like Sanchez.  He was drafted second overall out of college, completely dominated the FSL and the EL (32 innings, 7 starts, 11 hits (!), 7 walks, 32 strikeouts, 0.28 ERA) and was ready.  I'll concede that Verlander was the type of pitcher who probably did not need the usual minimum of high minors work...

Nice night on the farm.

greenfrog - Saturday, July 20 2013 @ 11:14 AM EDT (#276734) #
Matt Harvey might be a better comp.
Mike Green - Saturday, July 20 2013 @ 11:31 AM EDT (#276735) #
Sanchez' stats are not exactly trending in the right direction.  The control has been better, but the K rate is down below 9 in the FSL.  He still has a chance to be the best pitcher in the league in 5 years (in the same way that Roy Halladay seemed to have that possibility at age 21).  I liked Halladay a lot better than Sanchez, but it is easy to see that even for Halladay,  it was far from a sure thing that he would get there. 

In Sanchez' case, I see the possibilities as "injury-related crash and burn- 45%; decent starter-20%, good reliever-30%, ace-5%." I personally think that the best thing the organization could do is move him to the ace reliever role, but I do not expect that they will.

greenfrog - Saturday, July 20 2013 @ 11:50 AM EDT (#276736) #
Well, you've certainly mapped out Sanchez's potential career outcomes with great precision.
rtcaino - Saturday, July 20 2013 @ 12:11 PM EDT (#276737) #
Justin Verlander was nothing like Sanchez.

In fairness, I believe you brought up the comparison with Verlander. (Apologies if this was a reference to a previous discussion.) Though I do not have any better comparisons to suggest!

Also, it would be absurd for the team to move him to the bull pen at this point. I suspect most people who follow baseball would agree. (Which is not to say the crowd is right.)
Richard S.S. - Saturday, July 20 2013 @ 12:22 PM EDT (#276738) #
Toronto gives a Pitcher every possible chance to be a Starter, perhaps too long? I like the route: Minor League (AA or AAA) Starter to Major League (1-2 years) Reliever to Major League Starter. It has a good success rate (if it's truly meant to be).

Aaron Sanchez must command 1 pitch totally and be comfortable with at least 2 more pitches before he ever leaves Dunedin. If he cannot do that he'll never be a Top 1 or 2 starter. He might be a great Mid-Rotation Starter or dominant Reliever, but that's not his future. If he achieves a promotion to AA New Hampshire he'll need to develop total command of a 2nd pitch and better comfort with his third. Then and only then does he come up.
Sano - Saturday, July 20 2013 @ 12:33 PM EDT (#276739) #
His low K/9 numbers at Dunedin could also be a result of his increased focus on throwing his breaking pitches.  In an interview in The Star recently Sanchez talked about how he could still get by with just his fastball, but is concentrating on throwing his breaking pitches even if they make his numbers look worse.
Mike Green - Saturday, July 20 2013 @ 01:16 PM EDT (#276740) #
There is no question that almost all baseball people would try to get Sanchez to throw 200 innings a year.  Maybe he'll be like Sandy Koufax and get there for a while (300 innings in the 1960s is roughly equivalent to 230 innings now).  It would, however, be cool, if the organization decided to be trailblazers and aim for him to be a tandem starter.  If you were doing that, you might even move him up to double A in that role now, and get him some more work early in 2014 there.  It is possible that he might be ready after the All-Star break in that more limited role.  I'd feel a lot better about his chances in that event.



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