Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine
A morning victory and a split of a doubleheader produced the two wins on the farm Tuesday. Dunedin's doubleheader was cancelled due to wet grounds at Jack Russell Stadium. #LetsGoBlueJays


Gwinnett 11 Buffalo 3

The Herd scored first and last but they had to eat an 11-run poop sandwich in between. Andy Burns tripled home the first Buffalo run before stealing home on a double steal with Roemon Fields swiping second in the fifth inning. Richard Urena drove one in the painful way as he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the seventh. Reese McGuire had two hits. Fields, Alen Hanson, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Anthony Alford made a dent in the hit column but Alford whiffed three times. Cavan Biggio drew a walk. Ben Revere went 0-for-5.

Andrew Sopko blanked the Braves affiliate for the first five frames but errors by Cavan Biggio at second and Richard Urena at third produced a pair of unearned runs. Jordan Romano stranded two runners for Sopko but was roughed up for six runs in the seventh without retiring anyone. Tayler Saucedo was slapped around for three more in the seventh to match his out total. Both Romano and Saucedo had an unearned run on their ledger. Zach Jackson punched out two over two innings of one-hit ball.


New Hampshire 4 Reading 0 (Game 1 - 7 Innings)

RBI doubles by Brock Lundquist, Christian Williams (in his Double A debut) and Vinny Capra and a run-scoring single by Lundquist led the Fisher Cats to victory. Lundquist had a 3-for-3 day at the plate and Capra had a pair of hits. Patrick Kivlehan and Nash Knight had safeties with Knight drawing a walk. Andres Sotillo also heard ball four in his season debut. Kevin Smith and Riley Adams took one for the team but Santiago Espinal was 0-for-4.

Yennsy Diaz went the distance by allowing just two hits and four walks while ringing up a pair. He kept the infielders on their toes with 10 of his 16 outs recorded on the ground.


Reading 8 New Hampshire 1 (Game 2 - 7 Innings)

Nate Pearson struck out three of the six men he faced in his two-inning start. An infield pop up and two fly balls accounted for the other two outs. Willy Ortiz was the opposite of Pearson. He was walloped for seven runs (five earned) over two-thirds of an inning. William Ouellette made his Double-A debut and gave up a run in 1-1/3 innings on two hits and three walks. Jackson McClleland struck out two over two shutout frames. Bryan Barker worked a one-hit ninth.

An Alberto Mineo single in the fifth scored Riley Adams in the fifth. Adams, Chad Spanberger and Christian Williams had the other hits. Patrick Kivlehan worked a walk. Santiago Espinal, Forrest Wall and Kevin Smith went 0-for-3. Nash Knight was 0-for-2 but did make a nice sliding catch to get Ouellette out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth.


Lansing 6 West Michigan 5

The Lugnuts managed to get the bats going early in the morning with five of their runs coming in the first two innings. Nick Podkul doubled home the first run and Ryan Gold singled home two more in the first. Otto Lopez singled in a run to start the second before being part of a double steal that saw Podkul swipe home. Gold would drive in what turned out to be the winning run with a run-scoring knock in the sixth. He had a perfect day at the dish as he also took one for the team to reach base four times. Reggie Pruitt tripled, doubled, singled, scored three times and stole a pair of bases to take the Midwest League lead in steals with 13. Podkul also swiped a pair. Jake Brodt, Hagen Danner and Tanner Kirwer also had base hits. McGregory Contreras walked but Rafael Lantigua was 0-for-4.

Josh Hiatt struggled with his control by giving up two hits and four walks that led to two runs over two frames while whiffing one. Marcus Reyes scattered three hits over three shutout innings to earn his first Midwest League victory. Juan De Paula was jolted for three runs on three hits and three walks over 1-1/3 innings. Sean Rackoski stranded the bases loaded for De Paula and pitched 2-2/3 scoreless innings for the save. He racked up three strikeouts and three groundouts.


*** 3 Stars!!! ***

3. Ryan Gold, Lansing

2. Brock Lundquist, New Hampshire

1. Reggie Pruitt, Lansing


Reggie Fills Aim Like A Video Game | 32 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Kelekin - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 12:52 AM EDT (#374091) #
A+ title reference.
Glevin - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 07:54 AM EDT (#374093) #
Fangraphs has Jays taking Rutledge (who they compare with Pearson) first pick. I expect the Jays to be in on one of the second-tier players Rutledge, Thompson, Manoah, Batty, or Carroll but really, I have no idea. Last year, Groshans was listed as in the 20's but looks like one of the best prospects in the draft now and the Jays also got to use extra money to get Kloffenstein so that worked out beautifully. The Jays have drafted quite well recently so trust them on this front.
Gerry - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 09:11 AM EDT (#374095) #
Gabriel Moreno is joining the Lugnuts. Also joining is Luis De Los Santos who was just in Dunedin. Jordan Groshans is going on the DL and Dominic Abbadessa is headed back to extended spring training.
Mike Green - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 09:40 AM EDT (#374097) #
I'll be very interested to see how Gabriel Moreno does in Lansing.  He just turned 19 in February, and I love his swing. 
Shoeless Joe - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 09:42 AM EDT (#374098) #
Im not actually sure why Manoah is consensus the number two college pitcher behind Lodolo. His stuff is seemingly better and he has pitched better in the same college conference, not to mention Manoah pitched really well in the cape cod league where Lodolo did not pitch.

It will be nice to see Moreno up at Lansing, the full season prospect pool will be a little deeper to follow as a result.
Mike Green - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 10:13 AM EDT (#374100) #
Pearson has now thrown 28 innings this year, given up 12 hits and 3 walks while striking out 46.  He's given up 22 fly balls this year, and 10 of them were pop-ups.  Dominance.

Steamer projects him for 9.2 K and 2.9 W per 9 innings at the major league level. 


Shoeless Joe - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 10:27 AM EDT (#374101) #
It’s getting to the point with Pearson where I don’t remember a better Jays pitching prospect.
uglyone - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 10:39 AM EDT (#374102) #
Even with injury concerns it still shocks me a guy with triple digit heat, 2 promising breakers, and control dropped that far in the draft.

Especially since his 6'6" 250lbs frame is the kind of thing that makes oldskool scouts drool.
uglyone - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 10:41 AM EDT (#374103) #
Great news about Moreno. Love to see that aggressive placement for kids who earn it.

And Kirk might just be awesome, btw.
Mike Green - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 10:45 AM EDT (#374105) #
I don't think they've ever developed a dominant pitcher- Stieb, Key, Wells, Halladay were not of that type.  The closest pitcher than I can think of is Syndegaard, and of course, he was gone just after he turned 20 having finished the season in Lansing. 
Shoeless Joe - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 10:55 AM EDT (#374106) #
I was thinking maybe McGowen in regards to quality of his stuff, but he was never this dominant. However yeah I agree it seems Thor seems like generally the closest match.
Maldoff - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 11:00 AM EDT (#374107) #
With Christian Williams being promoted to NH and now De Los Santos being sent down to Lansing, I wonder who the Jays will add to Dunedin's roster
Shoeless Joe - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 11:02 AM EDT (#374108) #
Maybe Warmoth is ready to come off the DL.
Gerry - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 11:03 AM EDT (#374110) #
Moreno just had his first at-bat in Lansing.....home run.
Gerry - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 11:06 AM EDT (#374111) #
And...he just threw out a base stealer at second.
uglyone - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 11:11 AM EDT (#374112) #
fun part of Pearson finally getting promoted to an age appropriate level is that we can start to make some comps:

Age 22

Nate (AA): 2gs, 7.0ip, 47.8k%/0.0b%, .167bip, 0.00era, 0.08fip, 0.79xfip
Thor (AAA): 5gs, 29.2ip, 30.1k%/7.1b%, .261bip, 1.82era, 2.99fip, 2.60xfip

still a bit hard to compare directly but eyeballing it i'd say those are two pretty similar performances given the level difference (guys are both August babies too so the age comp is true).

Those 5 starts there are the last 5 starts of Thor's minor league career, btw, other than some rehab starts, as he was immediately promoted to the bigs and never looked back.

Which would mean, of course, that Pearson keeping it up near this level for much longer would not only demand a promotion to AAA, but maybe MLB.
Shoeless Joe - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 11:22 AM EDT (#374114) #
You can't ask for a much better first impression from Moreno than that.

Patrick Murphy seems to be on again today as well with 6 Ks, no walks and only 1 run through 3.
bpoz - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 11:49 AM EDT (#374116) #
So much of our "young" talent is doing well. G Moreno good sss.

Bauxites and minor league media were high on Kirk and Moreno based on merit and Danner based on pedigree for 2019. They are young and earning this praise.
Mike Green - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 12:06 PM EDT (#374119) #
It's another fine outing for Patrick Murphy- 9 Ks, 1 walk and 1 run through 6 innings.  Kevin Smith has homered.  It sure would be nice if he pulled out of his slump. 
Gerry - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 12:07 PM EDT (#374120) #
Another hit for Moreno, with two RBI, although he didn't hit it hard.
Gerry - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 12:51 PM EDT (#374121) #
Moreno struck out, he is human after all (in the league).
greenfrog - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 01:51 PM EDT (#374123) #
That’s four very good starts in a row for Murphy for NH. Going deep into games, lots of Ks, stingy with the walks. He’s brought his ERA down from 6.11 to 3.35.
bpoz - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 01:56 PM EDT (#374125) #
Moreno's 3rd hit was a triple. Lansing has won the game. 7-6.
Nigel - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 02:37 PM EDT (#374129) #
It will be interesting to see how the middle infield is handled in Lansing. Between Lopez, Lantigua, De Los Santos and Groshans (when healthy), they have four actual MI prospects. I understand that not all are equally promising. I presume that Lantigua and De Los Santos are farther down the pecking order than Groshans and Lopez but it may give us some clues about future positions (particularly if Groshans starts to play some 3B). They had Lopez at SS today and I really don't think that's a future position for him.
GabrielSyme - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 03:55 PM EDT (#374135) #
Murphy's certainly making the case for an early promotion to Buffalo. His ERA is the lagging indicator - he's both preventing hits and limiting walks at an elite level.

I'm not sure how reliable BABIP is at determining future ability, and he's not at Nate Pearson-levels of BABIP, but he's below .225 for the season right now. The only blot on his record is four home runs, which isn't terrible, but not great.
Shoeless Joe - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 06:44 PM EDT (#374137) #
At the start of the season I had Zeuch, Murphy and Perez in the same tier, and to this point in the season Murphy has separated himself from the other two and emerged as a top ten prospect.

1/2 Season Top 10:

01. Vlady
02. Bichette
03. Pearson
04. Groshans
05. Pardinho
06. Biggio
07. Murphy
08. Alejandro Kirk
09. Kevin Smith
10A. Kloffenstein
10B. Orelivs Martinez
Shoeless Joe - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 07:08 PM EDT (#374139) #
I of course meant 1/4 season.
hypobole - Wednesday, May 15 2019 @ 10:06 PM EDT (#374144) #
Gurriel has played 20 games in the field since he was sent down - 4 SS, 10 2B, and 6 LF. He's committed 1 error total.

Alen Hanson has played 1 game at 2B, 2 at 3B. He's committed 1 error...in each game.
Glevin - Thursday, May 16 2019 @ 02:38 AM EDT (#374145) #
"01. Vlady
02. Bichette
03. Pearson
04. Groshans
05. Pardinho
06. Biggio
07. Murphy
08. Alejandro Kirk
09. Kevin Smith
10A. Kloffenstein
10B. Orelivs Martinez"

It's hard for me to update the prospect list because half the guys haven't played at all and other players, adapting to a new league can take some time. The Jays top-3 (without Vladdy) is still one of the better top-3s in baseball. They need some of the guys lower in the minors and there is a lot of talent there (Pardinho, Kloffenstein, Martinez, Hiraldo, Jimenez, Conine,etc..) to take a step forward.
bpoz - Thursday, May 16 2019 @ 12:04 PM EDT (#374153) #
I keep wondering if the NH position players are good prospects.

R Adams is new to the league. K Smith is struggling badly now. Espinal is doing well, but what ceiling does he have? He is behind a lot of IFs.

Regarding the pitchers: The SPs are doing v well. H Perez is struggling but AA is a big jump. How is the NH defense? It must be good because the offense seems V weak to me. A good defense obviously helps the pitchers.
GabrielSyme - Thursday, May 16 2019 @ 03:28 PM EDT (#374160) #
I'm cautiously optimistic about Riley Adams - if memory serves, he had a slow start at Dunedin last year, which was his first taste of high-A. Secondly, while a 39% K-rate is scary, his swinging-strike rate is actually quite good. Perhaps he's been a little too passive, but I expect him to recover.

Smith is another matter. His strikeout rate went from good in Lansing to acceptable in Dunedin to a problem in New Hampshire, an increase that, unlike Adams, does reflect an increased swinging-strike rate.

Hector Perez is almost exactly replicating his post-trade outings last year in New Hampshire, except he's giving up an extremely high BABIP. If he ever gets his walks under control, he should be a good prospect, but wildness seems to be a constant in his career thus far.
lexomatic - Thursday, May 16 2019 @ 04:26 PM EDT (#374169) #
I wish someone was familiar enough with Smith to comment on any mechanical changes from the first half of last year to 2nd half last year /Dunedin to this year.I remember reading there were mechanical changes, and there was a significant difference in results. Anyway, it's hard to know whether to be optimistic because there's a clear correction to make, or pessimistic  because the process  is there but the results haven't been and luck isn't the reason.

Reggie Fills Aim Like A Video Game | 32 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.