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The #BlueJays affiliates split their games Tuesday.


Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 6 Buffalo 3

Jon Harris' second Triple-A start was not as good as his first. He gave up a two-run homer among 10 hits that led to four runs over six innings. His strikeout and groundout totals were five apiece. Murphy Smith gave up two runs over the final three frames but struck out four.

Reese McGuire managed to leg out two triples but did not score either time. Roemon Fields, Anthony Alford and Rowdy Tellez had the other hits as the Bisons fell a game below .500.


New Hampshire 4 Trenton 1

Harold Ramirez and Cavan Biggio bashed home runs in the second to give the Fisher Cats the victory. Biggio's blast was a three-run job that turned out to be the difference. Biggio, Ramirez and Juan Kelly had two hits apiece with Biggio walking and stealing a base. Connor Panas and Gunnar Heidt had the other hits. Bo Bichette was 0-for-4.

Josh DeGraaf pitched 5-1/3 innings and allowed a solo home run among six hits and two walks. He also had K and GO totals of five. Kirby Snead, Travis Bergen and Andrew Case took care of the remaining 3-2/3 innings. Bergen struck out five in two innings while Case notched his sixth save.


Dunedin 4 Tampa 2

Andres Sotillo homered and drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to lead Dunedin to the winner's circle. Brock Lundquist had a hit and two walks in his Dunedin debut. Josh Palacios and Ivan Castillo had two hits apiece with Castillo stealing a couple of bases. Riley Adams walked twice.

Yennsy Diaz yielded two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out nine over six innings. Ty Tice got the hold by recording five outs. Jackson McClelland struck out two of the four men he faced to get the save.


West Michigan 8 Lansing 4

Brandon Grudzielanek had three hits and drove in a run while Jesus Navarro clubbed a home run and added a single. Owen Spiwak had a single and drove in a pair. Samad Taylor doubled but was caught stealing twice. Kevin Vicuna had a single.

Maximo Castillo coughed up three runs over five innings on five hits and three walks while ringing up five. Yunior Hinojosa suffered the loss by yielding four runs in 1-2/3 innings.  Orlando Pascual gave up a run in the eighth.


Salem-Keizer 5 Vancouver 4

Marcus Reyes gave up a tie-breaking run in the ninth for the C's. Randy Pondler served up two home runs and three overall in three innings. Mitch McKown gave up another run in the fourth. Nick Allgeyer struck out three over two shutout frames of one-hit ball.

Griffin Conine tied the game at 4-4 in the ninth with his second home run as a pro and added an RBI double. Vinny Capra had two hits and two RBI and Sterling Guzman added two knocks. More details right here.


Bluefield 9 Burlington 2

The Bluef-Jays won their 12th game in 14 tries after racking up 14 hits. Davis Schneider swatted a three-run home run and also hit a triple. Alejandro Kirk had three hits and a walk. Dominic Abbadessa, Rafael Lantigua and Luis De Los Santos had two hits each with Abbadessa stealing a base but also getting caught once. Cal Stevenson singled and walked twice.

As the kids like to say these days, Eric Pardinho was shoving. He faced just two batters over the minimum in five shutout innings in which he gave up just one hit. He did not walk anybody and struck out nine. Adams Cuevas' two shutout frames with three strikeouts were sandwich by one run over one-inning outings by Andy McGuire and Josh Almonte.


GCL Tigers 5 East GCL Blue Jays 0

Meliton Reyes allowed a run in the first and that was enough to saddle him with the loss. Emanuel Vizcaino was dinged for a solo home run in 4-1/3 innings but limited the damage to just the one run despite seven hits. Brennan Price had 2-2/3 shutout frames of two-hit ball and struck out four. Jackson Rees served up a two-run homer among his three runs allowed in the ninth.

Adrian Ramos had a two-hit game while Jordan Groshans and Leonardo Jimenez had a knock and a walk. Yhordegny Kelly and Jose Abel Hernandez both had doubles. Warner Valdez also had a base hit.


DSL Blue Jays 8 DSL Padres 6 (11 Innings)

Alberto Rodriguez blasted a two-run homer to lead the Jays to victory and stole a couple of bases for good measure. Pedro Hurtado was 4-for-5 while Jhon Solarte tripled twice. Miguel Hiraldo had a double in five at-bats and knocked home a pair of runs.

William Gonzalez got the win with an unearned run over two innings. The best pitching line was turned in by Erick Teran as he gave up just a hit and a walk while ringing up four in two innings of work.


*** 3 Stars!!! ***

3. Andres Sotillo, Dunedin

2. Cavan Biggio, New Hampshire

1. Eric Pardinho, Bluefield





Extra Innings...

Kevin Smith is featured in MiLB.com's Florida State League notebook.
Hagen Danner gets the spotlight in the Appalachian League notebook.
The Vancouver Province has a story on Brandon Polizzi.
NBC Sports has a story on the fans in Bluefield.
The New Hampshire Union Leader has a chat with Fisher Cats skipper John Schneider.
CP24 talks to former Jays minor league catcher Mike Reeves about Ryan Borucki.
The Buffalo News has a story on IL All-Star Jason Leblebijian.
Pardinho, Biggio and Sotillo Lead The Way | 35 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Shoeless Joe - Wednesday, July 04 2018 @ 10:21 AM EDT (#361209) #
Griffen Conine is heating up in Vancouver, but his strikeout rate is concerning thus far.

Jordan's Groshans debut has been very impressive, and similar to the debut for Nolan Groman, It will be interesting to track their progress in the coming years.
uglyone - Wednesday, July 04 2018 @ 10:30 AM EDT (#361210) #
Another encouraging development in AAA, along the same lines as Alford but maybe even more encouraging:

Reese McGuire

First 100pa: 6.0b%/20.0k%, .197bip/.172avg, .086iso, 32wrc+
Last 111pa: 12.6b%/20.7k%, .424bip/.341avg, .125iso, 161wrc+

Season: 211pa, 9.5b%/20.4k%, .307bip/.254avg, .105iso, 100wrc+

Obviously much of that is unsustainable babip, but at least his season babip has now levelled off - and now his season line is finally back up to league average, which for a defense-first age-appropriate rookie AAA catcher, is pretty darn good.

If this is a legit improvement, and not just a hot streak, and he finishes solidly above league average with the bat this year, then he might be looking like a guy with more than just mlb backup upside.
Mike Green - Wednesday, July 04 2018 @ 10:38 AM EDT (#361211) #
Pardinho so far: 13 innings, 5 hits, 2 walks and 19 strikeouts.  Robert Dudek had a statistic called "dominance" which he used to evaluate starting pitchers.  I have forgotten the calculation, but I am sure that Pardinho's season to date would be right up there.  I know that strikeouts more than double the total of hits and walks is a good sign!  When I think of 17 years old in the Appy League, I think of Dwight Gooden.  Gooden had 65 innings there at age 17 with 53 hits, 25 walks and 66 strikeouts and a 2.47 ERA.  He was, of course, dominating in the major leagues at age 19, but I doubt that many teams now would attempt what the Mets did then. 

It's been a very exciting season on the farm.  The pool for 2020 at this point includes:

Maile, Jansen, McGuire
Guerrero Jr.
Travis, Biggio
Bichette, Diaz, Gurriel Jr.
Smith
Hernandez, Pillar, Grichuk, Alford, Pompey

Stroman, Sanchez, Borucki, Reid-Foley, Gaviglio, Zeuch, Pearson (possibly)
Osuna, Biagini, Tepera, Perdomo, Yennsy Diaz

Biggio played 3rd base last night and led off.  He's hitting .270/.399/.541 for the season. Here's his home run from last night. It wasn't a cheapie.  The prospect pool tilts right-handed, and continued development from Biggio, McGuire and Noda would be very helpful.

Davis Schneider had a big night for Bluefield last night- he's hitting .365/.424/.695 in the early going as a 19 year old third baseman in the Appy League.  He held his own in the GCL with an even W/K last year. 

85bluejay - Wednesday, July 04 2018 @ 10:45 AM EDT (#361212) #
Agree about McGuire - nice turnaround - Jansen/McGuire combo seems exciting. Maybe Maile can help Seattle down the stretch.

On the other hand, Pentecost offense has been a real disappointment, but he has been catching regularly which is good - probably not good enough for the 40 man roster this winter & likely some team will rule V him as a mature (25) backup catcher prospect - Maybe the Jays add him in as a sweetener in any July deals.
Mike Green - Wednesday, July 04 2018 @ 10:49 AM EDT (#361213) #
I missed Solarte- the club has a team option on him for $8 million in 2020. 
uglyone - Wednesday, July 04 2018 @ 11:08 AM EDT (#361216) #
Updated short-season standouts so far:

(super tiny sample size warning)


A-

2B Podkul (21): 49pa, 16.3b%/18.4k%, .323bip/.256avg, .205iso, 142wrc+
CF Contreras (19): 62pa, 3.2b%/25.8k%, .243bip/.228avg, .263iso, 121wrc+
OF Conine (20): 43pa, 2.3b%/30.2k%, .308bip/.250avg, .275iso, 121wrc+

Rk+

OF Abbadessa (20): 55pa, 5.5b%/18.2k%, .595bip/.479avg, .125iso, 205wrc+
2B Schneider (19): 40pa, 10.0b%/35.0k%, .550bip/.361avg, .333iso, 181wrc+
2B Lopez (19): 34pa, 0.0b%/14.7k%, .429bip/.364avg, .273iso, 157wrc+
C Kirk (19): 55pa, 7.3b%/9.1k%, .400bip/.380avg, .160iso, 148wrc+
SS DeLosSantos (20): 52pa, 3.8b%/21.2k%, .303bip/.292avg, .375iso, 148wrc+

LH Pardinho (17): 13.0ip, 40.4k%/4.3b%, .160babip, 1.38era, 2.71fip, 2.21xfip

Rk-

SS Groshans (18): 39pa, 17.9k%/15.4b%, .458bip/.406avg, .281iso, 222wrc+
C Moreno (18): 31pa, 0.0b%/9.7k%, .375bip/.379avg, .345iso, 202wrc+
2B Jimenez (17): 36pa, 19.4b%/16.7k%, .391bip/.310avg, .103iso, 147wrc+
Mike Green - Wednesday, July 04 2018 @ 11:14 AM EDT (#361218) #
McGuire has a large platoon split.  That's a good thing for a LH catcher.   Jansen appears to have a small typical RHH split.
Gerry - Wednesday, July 04 2018 @ 12:09 PM EDT (#361233) #
Another McGuire, Andy McGuire, is playing in Bluefield. Last night he pitched an inning and gave up a home run. The previous night he played first base and was 1-2 with two walks. McGuire was a 28th round pick and his bio notes he was born in Rabat, Morocco.
uglyone - Wednesday, July 04 2018 @ 12:12 PM EDT (#361235) #
hey Gerry - any word on Kloffenstein?
jerjapan - Wednesday, July 04 2018 @ 03:24 PM EDT (#361252) #
That interview with former Jay's minor league catcher Reeves is a good read - make's me like Borucki.
McGuire had me really worried with his offense.  He really has only had one good minor league run offensively, but he's turned it around completely.   he's consistent, durable and surprisingly young still, especially for a catcher.  I imagine we will have a Jansen / McGuire big league platoon fairly soon. 

Also, I do hope 2 time AAA all-star J-Leb gets a september call up.  at this point, he seems to have earned it, if the org actually believes in the concept of fringey guys 'earning' a callup. 
SK in NJ - Wednesday, July 04 2018 @ 03:41 PM EDT (#361255) #
McGuire's hot streak is definitely a good sign. He will probably never be as good as his 2017 season in AA, but if his bat is capable of being around average, then he's a starting calibre C given his defensive reputation. Obviously he is behind Jansen on the depth chart, but there's no reason why the Jays can't keep both. Or a trade is always possible.
Jonny German - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 05:57 AM EDT (#361266) #
Rank the following prospects (I think they're each in the neighbourhood of #20)

RHP Yennsy Diaz
OF Chavez Young
1B/OF Ryan Noda
C Reese McGuire
C Riley Adams
2B Samad Taylor

uglyone - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 09:08 AM EDT (#361269) #
McGuire


Young
Diaz
Taylor


Adams
Noda
Mike Green - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 09:09 AM EDT (#361270) #
Jonny, that's tough.  The only thing that I am sure of is that I have Reese McGuire ahead of Riley Adams.  Adams has struck out 60 times in about 240 PAs in the FSL at age 22.  He's only a year younger than McGuire.  I'd have to think a lot about the others. 
bpoz - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 09:38 AM EDT (#361273) #
Young
Diaz
Noda
Adams
McGuire
Taylor
Gerry - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 10:00 AM EDT (#361274) #
McGuire
Young/Taylor/Diaz
Adams
Noda

McGuire gets points for being in AAA already. Noda, as a 1B type gets downgraded.

The other three are hard to separate. Right now Young is playing better than Taylor and Diaz is inconsistent, but could be a reliever at least.
uglyone - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 10:09 AM EDT (#361276) #
nice to be in agreeance with you, Gerry!
Mike Green - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 10:12 AM EDT (#361277) #
I have no idea where to place Noda at all.  He might be at the top and he might be at the bottom.  His upside is probably Paul Goldschmidt- at Noda's current age (22.4), Goldschmidt had not yet reached Visalia in the California League. 
Nigel - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 12:43 PM EDT (#361283) #
I think you all have a sensible ranking of that list of players. I liked what I saw of Adams in Vancouver last year, but the contact issues were troubling. They are beginning to look fatal.
uglyone - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 01:08 PM EDT (#361288) #
Mike - for me, Noda still only has one standout quality - BB% - and that's the most iffy number to look at in the low minors.

He's now back at the .210iso that he was at last year, which is decent power but nothing special, especially from a guy old for the levels.

For me I'm waiting to see if his recent hot streak is a real improvement before I look at him as a real prospect yet.
GabrielSyme - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 01:43 PM EDT (#361289) #
I'd put it:

McGuire
Young
Diaz
Taylor
Adams
Noda
Mike Green - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 02:02 PM EDT (#361290) #
There is a little more to it than that, UO.  The subjective reports indicate that the homers are majestic and that his fielding is good.  He's 8-2 stealing bases in 1/2 a season. 

My issue with him is about age and developmental level.  Looking at his swing, I subjectively believe that if given a chance, he would succeed at a higher level right now- likely with many fewer walks and more power. I've been wrong many times before, and we won't know though until they move him up. 

It's hard to evaluate him- walk rate doesn't tell you that much at lower levels, but there are relatively few players who walk at a 150 W/162 G pace as Noda has. 

Mike Green - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 02:51 PM EDT (#361291) #
Groshans had another big game in the GCL today.  He's hitting .400 and putting up Bichette-level numbers so far.
hypobole - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 03:22 PM EDT (#361292) #
Danny Jansen broke out of his mini-slump with a couple of hits including HR #6 today.
bpoz - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 05:58 PM EDT (#361296) #
How hard is it to hit Hrs in Buffalo? The best I could find was Matt Diminguez. 18Hr in 2016 Buffalo and 21 in 2013 Houston.
scottt - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 06:36 PM EDT (#361300) #
The International League is considered pitcher friendly, although, I can't really say how fast the infields are.
It's absolutely not the PCL.

hypobole - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 06:55 PM EDT (#361302) #
here's the park factors from a couple of seasons ago. Buffalo suppresses HR's a bit, but not a lot.

https://www.milb.com/milb/news/toolshed-stats-triple-a-ballpark-factors/c-208823408
greenfrog - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 07:05 PM EDT (#361303) #
"Danny Jansen broke..."

I think we need a prohibition on posts that start, "X player broke..." Especially with top prospects. My first thought was: his wrist/leg/arm/elbow...
scottt - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 07:24 PM EDT (#361305) #
Park factors are nice, but they only normalize within the league.
hypobole - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 07:29 PM EDT (#361306) #
Hey greenfrog how about "Danny Jansen de-slumpified"
hypobole - Thursday, July 05 2018 @ 08:04 PM EDT (#361308) #
Good point scottt. Compared to the RC, Coca-Cola field is 3 feet shorter down the lines, 4 and 8 feet shorter in the alleys, and 4 feet longer to dead centre. Don't know about prevailing winds or how well the ball carries.
Jonny German - Friday, July 06 2018 @ 02:41 AM EDT (#361316) #
Thanks for the discussion guys. My conclusions are that I was a little low on Reese McGuire, I was not wrong in being skeptical of Riley Adams, and I'm not the only one who sees Chavez Young as climbing up the ranks.

I hope Ryan Noda gets moved up to Dunedin real soon. It's not like there is a crowd of good prospects making it difficult.
scottt - Friday, July 06 2018 @ 06:26 AM EDT (#361318) #
The Pirates were probably low on Reese McGuire when they traded him.
He was drafted 14th overall and where he is now is not far from what should have been expected at the time.

hypobole - Friday, July 06 2018 @ 07:45 AM EDT (#361321) #
I'd rank McGuire at the top of that group as well, due to proximity, positional value and positive reports on his defense.

But he's still basically the same hitter the Pirates traded, with a lack of power still his biggest concern.

2016 Pirates AA:.259, .337, .346, 93 wRC+, .093 ISO

2018 Jays AAA: .249, .332, .349, 95 wRC+, .101 ISO

And that small uptick in power has come with a huge spike in his K% this year; under 10% as a Pirate, 21% this year so far.
uglyone - Friday, July 06 2018 @ 09:33 AM EDT (#361325) #

Age 22-23

AAA

Swihart: 151pa, 5.3b%/19.2k%, .354bip/.288avg, .076iso, 95wrc+, 2/3sb
McGuire: 219pa, 9.1b%/21.0k%, .303bip/.249avg, .101iso, 95wrc+, 1/3sb

AA

Swihart: 380pa, 7.6b%/17.1k%, .337bip/.300avg, .187iso, 131wrc+, 7/8sb
McGuire: 136pa, 11.8b%/14.0k%, .283bip/.278avg, .217iso, 134wrc+, 2/3sb

Swihart: 26th overall pick, 6'1, 200lbs
McGuire: 14th overall pick, 5'11, 215lbs


McGuire is already a plus glove behind the plate, while Swihart never was, and defensive projections were bu8lt
built solely on his athleticism.

Yet this performance had Swihart ranked as not just a legit prospect, not just a good prospect, not just a very good prospect....but an elite prospect.



I don't think we should be scared of calling McGuire a real prospect at this point.

He's only had 2 seasons where he hasn't been young for his level - last year and this year - and both years He's shown plenty enough offensive ability to be interesting as a plus defensive C.
Pardinho, Biggio and Sotillo Lead The Way | 35 comments | Create New Account
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