Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine
Two homers for Franklin Barreto on a night of pitching debuts. Kendall Graveman and Ryan Borucki fare well, Taylor Cole faces the reality of the AA jump. Richard Urena and Rowdy Tellez each had a four hit night for Bluefield. Other standouts on Saturday include Andy Burns, Dalton Pompey, Justin Atkinson, Mitch Nay, Dickie Thon, Max Pentecost and Lane Thomas.

Buffalo 1 Norfolk 2 - rain shortened

  • Kendall Graveman made his AAA debut, he went six innings, two runs allowed, eight hits, no walks, four K's. Six of the hits off Graveman were ground ball hits. One was a soft line drive and one was a sharp line drive double.
  • Kevin Pillar had another hit. Pillar hit .313 in July after hitting .364 in June. However Pillar is still swinging early and often. In 115 July at-bats Pillar had just 15 K's but only 7 walks. That was one of Pillar's issues when he was in the major leagues, swinging at too many pitches.
  • Sergio Santos pitched an inning, 23 pitches, eight strikes. He walked three but escaped without a run.


Reading 14 New Hampshire 3

  • Taylor Cole had a rough introduction to AA. He did hang in for 5.1 innings and now sports a 11.8 ERA thanks to 8 runs, 7 earned. He gave up 8 hits and 4 walks. The jump to AA is considered the biggest other than the move to the major leagues. However it is hard to pass a judgement based on one start, he could have been amped up for the start. Cole's next start will be interesting. Matt Boyd also had a tough transition to AA this season.
  • Andy Burns had two more hits including his 12th home run. Burns had an 884 OPS in July and has stayed hot in the first two days of August. Burns turns 24 next week and after a terrible first half it seems he has restored some of his prospect status.
  • Dalton Pompey had a couple of hits and a walk. Pompey's slow start in AA is well known but Pompey finished July with a .333 BA and a 928 OPS. Pompey hits better vs. right handed pitchers but he has settled into AA and looks like he is here to stay. Pompey is likely to head to the AFL in October.


Palm Beach 4 Dunedin 7

  • The Jays trailed 4-0 with Brett Lawrie in the lineup. Lawrie left after six innings and the Jays immediately scored seven runs. Lawrie was 2-3 with a double.
  • Cole Gillespie had two hits and is hitting .375 in Dunedin on rehab. Gillespie was the first right handed hitter brought in by the Jays but it doesn't look like there is a spot for him now.
  • Chad Girodo pitched two shutout innings and now has a 2.06 ERA. Girodo's future might be as a lefty specialist. Girodo has 42 K's in 27 innings vs lefty hitters.


Lansing 5 Great Lakes 1

  • Justin Atkinson from BC had three hits and continues to hit over .300. Atkinson hit very well in April and May before twice going on the DL. His batting average dropped in June and July. Will Atkinson be able to finish strong?
  • Mitch Nay and Dickie Thon each had two hits. For these players, and all those looking for a promotion to Dunedin next season, a strong August is a good sign that the hitter is ready to move up. A poor finish could mean the league has figured out his weakness.


Vancouver 5 Boise 4

  • Ryan Borucki made his first start for Vancouver and it went well. Borucki went five innings with seven K's. Borucki had only two hits off him and one unearned run.
  • Franklin Barreto was moved up to the lead-off spot. He homered to lead off the game and again to lead off the third.
  • Max Pentecost had two more hits and is hitting .338. While Pentecost is hitting well he didn't walk this week and now has 2 walks in 74 Ab's. Pentecost has 16 K's. This could be an issue next year for Pentecost.


Bluefield 12 Bristol 10

  • Evan Smith gave up six runs in less than three innings. Smith has made six starts in Vancouver. In four of those starts Smith has pitched twenty innings with no runs allowed. In the other two Smith has given up 13 runs in 5.2 innings. That sounds like a pitcher who is having trouble with his delivery or his emotions.
  • Richard Urena was 4-5 with a double and a walk. His BA is now up to .335. He is having a breat season.
  • Rowdy Tellez also had four hits with a double, a walk and a home run. He has really found his form after a very slow start.


GCL Tigers 9 GCL Jays 7

  • Jacob Brentz started. Brentz is a 19 year old who was described as raw when drafted last season. This year Brentz has pitched 24.2 innings with 19 hits allowed. But control is a problem, he has walked 18 in 24.2 innings with 17 K's.
  • Lane Thomas had three more hits and is hitting very well for an 18 year old. One thing Thomas has done is to improve his walk rate in July from June's small sample. Thomas walked 15 tims in July for an OBP of .372.
  • Yeltsin Gudino had two hits. It hasn't been a great season for Gudino but he is just 17. His strikeout rates are reasonable but he is suffering from a BABIP of around 200. Gudino likely needs to get stronger.


3 Stars

3rd star: Richard Urena

2nd star: Ryan Borucki

1st star: Rowdy Tellez


Boxes

Barreto Homers, Nice, He Does It Twice | 19 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
bpoz - Sunday, August 03 2014 @ 10:44 AM EDT (#291249) #
R Tellez has been very hot. Evan Smith has shutouts in 4 of the 6 games with Bluefield. He got lit up in the other 2.
I can see them both opening in Lansing next year. But that is probably not realistic.
China fan - Sunday, August 03 2014 @ 11:37 AM EDT (#291251) #
That was a pretty good debut by Graveman. He's now a 23-year-old in AAA and has rocketed through 4 levels this year.  At what point does he become a genuine prospect, or a top-10 prospect?  I haven't seen much written about him, but if anyone has seen him or can offer a scouting report and an assessment of his chances, I think we'd all be interested.
PeterG - Sunday, August 03 2014 @ 11:55 AM EDT (#291252) #
the last time a pitcher blew through the system like this was Caey Janssen. Drew was quick...but not this fast.  As an extreme ground ball pitcher, Kendall might be able to have a degree of success at any level. I'm sure the Jays are as surprised as we are.....at the very least he is probably earning an invitation to major league ST next season when all  concerned can get a better look and make a better assessment.  I was saying to a friend earlier this year....that the organization needed a surprise....someone who comes out of nowhere...maybe this is it..

The level of prospects at the lower levels is stronger than it has ever been imo....but some bridge help would be most useful.......I think Nolin's start will be closely monitored tonight....another good one and he may not have to wait till September for a call up.

finch - Sunday, August 03 2014 @ 12:09 PM EDT (#291254) #
The potential that the lower level prospects offer is amazing. I'm glad guys like Barreto, Urena, Dewel, Smoral, Telez, Castro, Penetcost, etc. I hope that the Jays hold onto these guys!
Gerry - Sunday, August 03 2014 @ 12:12 PM EDT (#291255) #
Graveman is a sinker/slider pitcher. Most often those guys end up as major league relievers a la Chad Jenkins.
JB21 - Sunday, August 03 2014 @ 12:28 PM EDT (#291257) #
Or both a starter & reliever, ala Derek Lowe.
Gerry - Sunday, August 03 2014 @ 12:43 PM EDT (#291258) #
Brandon Webb was one of the most successful starters of that type.
China fan - Sunday, August 03 2014 @ 01:20 PM EDT (#291263) #
Thanks, Gerry and Peter, for the comments on Graveman.   The comparison to Jenkins is interesting.  An optimist would argue that Graveman reached AAA at age 23 (whereas Jenkins was 25 when he reached AAA).  Graveman's next few AAA starts could be significant as a sign of his future.  Jenkins did poorly as a starter in his early games at Buffalo and was quickly converted to the bullpen.  We'll see if Graveman can avoid that.
John Northey - Sunday, August 03 2014 @ 01:42 PM EDT (#291264) #
If Graveman has a solid August do you call him up for September?  I would lean to 'no' due to it being just his 2nd pro season and the fact the Jays don't need to protect him on a crowded 40 man roster right now.  He'll also be up around 160 innings by then and I doubt the Jays want to push him much further than that this year.  But, on the other hand, if he has a strong August and they think he could help then they'd be silly not to when a playoff slot is at stake.  My bet is a spring training invite and then to AAA for the start of 2015 (as a starter) with a real shot at the majors during 2015.

PeterG - Sunday, August 03 2014 @ 01:58 PM EDT (#291265) #
No, I would not put Graveman on the 40 yet or call him up in September no matter how he does in August. I would invite him to major league spring training however..
uglyone - Sunday, August 03 2014 @ 02:26 PM EDT (#291268) #
Personally i would not expect much from graveman. Or cole. Or boyd.

Graveman especially - guy can't K anybody, and unlike jenkins that doesn't come with great command, either.




Gerry - Sunday, August 03 2014 @ 02:32 PM EDT (#291270) #
If you call Graveman up your burn a 40 man roster spot. AA will be looking to protect those.
uglyone - Sunday, August 03 2014 @ 02:33 PM EDT (#291271) #
I take that back - graveman's command is good. Still don't hold much hope for him.
uglyone - Sunday, August 03 2014 @ 02:39 PM EDT (#291272) #
I just noticed thatbevrn with his slow start pompey's AA line is already for the most part more impressive than his A+ line was.

His BB% is up slightly (11.0 to 11.2), his K% is down significantly (17.7 to 14.7) and his power is up too (.152iso to .167).

His average is down (.319 to .294) which brings his whole line down, but that's probably all babip related (.380 to .337).

The one part of the game where he's struggling is stealing bases...after going an amazing 29 of 31 in A+, he's only at 7/12 in AA.
hypobole - Sunday, August 03 2014 @ 03:09 PM EDT (#291276) #
With the release of Tyler Gonzeles, decided to see what KLaw had to say about him. Post draft, he mentioned up to 98 and flashing a plus slider, but with a violent delivery and poor command. Didn't have a pre-draft report because Law didn't have him in his Top 100. The other guy he was much lower on than the Jays was D J Davis, down at #65 on his list.

He did like the Jays draft as a whole, as they took a bunch of his top guys, Stroman, Law's #17, Smoral, #30, Nay, #43, Alford, #47, and DeJong, #58.
short - Sunday, August 03 2014 @ 08:00 PM EDT (#291292) #
I'm interested to see who they protect from this upcoming rule v draft. Some interesting players that need protection.
jerjapan - Tuesday, August 05 2014 @ 06:31 AM EDT (#291328) #
short, who's on the bubble in your eyes?
PeteMoss - Tuesday, August 05 2014 @ 09:42 AM EDT (#291335) #
Still a solid return for a $5000 signing bonus that he got.
short - Tuesday, August 05 2014 @ 10:53 AM EDT (#291339) #
There was a nice spreadsheet created last year in regards to who is eligible but I cannot find it.

Off the top of my head, I would think the following may be taken in either the AA, AAA or MLB portion of the Rule V Draft and taken from our organization:

Dickie Joe Thon
Dalton Pompey
Shane Opitz
Andy Burns
Jon Berti
Taylor Cole
Ryan Schimpf

And then there will be a bit more for 2015
Barreto Homers, Nice, He Does It Twice | 19 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.