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The Vancouver Canadians prevented an organizational sweep Tuesday.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 7 Buffalo 5

The Bisons blew a 5-0 lead against the Yankees affiliate. Anthony Kay put up three zeros before getting roughed up for three runs in the fourth another in the sixth. Over 5-2/3 innings, he gave up a home run among five hits, walked two and plunked a pair. Connor Overton kept Scranton in check with a shutout inning that included a punch out. Tayler Saucedo had the blown save and loss by giving up two runs in his one inning. Bryan Baker stranded two runners for Saucedo but gave up a run in the ninth.

Kevin Smith homered in his 3-for-4 night while Jared Hoying also went yard and added a double. Tyler White also had a two-hit night while Christian Colón walked twice. Richard Ureña and Juan Graterol also had base knocks but Cavan Biggio was 0-for-5. Logan Warmoth recorded an assist in right field and walked once but he struck out three times to give him 42 in 89 at-bats. He's hitting just .191.


Portland 9 New Hampshire 1

The Fisher Cats flushed a 7-1 lead in the toilet. Maximo Castillo limited the Red Sox affiliate to a run over the first three innings before serving up a two-run home run in the fourth and a solo shot in the fifth. He was pulled with one out in the fifth after allowing five runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out five. Mike Ellenbest stranded a runner for Castillo to get out of the fifth but he allowed two runs on three hits while whiffing three over two innings. Curtis Taylor blew the save and took the loss after coughing up a two-run home run in two-thirds of an inning. Brody Rodning was the only Fisher Cats hurler to escape unharmed by striking out one and allowing one hit over two-thirds of a scoreless frame.

Samad Taylor is now sporting a .900 OPS after belting his seventh homer of the year and getting his sixth double. He also walked three times and scored four runs. Austin Martin tied the game at 8-8 with an RBI single as part of a 2-for-4 night with one walk, pushing his OPS to .820. Otto Lopez lifted a sacrifice fly and added a two-run single.Gabriel Moreno, L.J. Talley and Kevin Vicuña all went 2-for-5 with Talley driving in two and Moreno knocking home one.


Vancouver 8 Spokane 6

The Canadians put up four runs in their first at-bat, capped off by a Luis De Los Santos three-run home run, to knock off the Rockies affiliate. De Los Santos added an RBI single to a three-hit night and needed just a triple to complete the cycle. Tanner Kirwer and Cameron Eden turned in identical 2-for-3 batting lines with a walk and a hit by pitch but Kirwer stole his 19th base to lead Eden by one for the league lead in steals. Spencer Horwitz and Philip Clarke drove in runs but they were also plunked to run up Spokane's HBP tally by four. Tanner Morris was also hit by the rawhide to make it five.

Sean Wymer got the win but appeared to run out of gas. He lasted five-plus innings and was charged with four earned runs out of five, giving up a three-run dinger that ended his outing. That was among six hit and a walk but he struck out four and kept his fielders equally entertained with five outs on the ground and five in the air. Marcus Reyes earned the respect of his team with not only his two shutout innings but by nailing a Spokane batter in the seventh after Eden and Morris were hit in the previous half inning. Sam Ryan surrendered a run in the eighth before Canadian Olympic hopeful Will McAffer struck out two in a perfect ninth for the save.


Lakeland 7 Dunedin 4

Dunedin fought back from a 4-1 deficit to tie the game but the Flying Tigers scored the last three runs to get the win. Jhon Solarte accounted for three of the Dunedin runs with a three-run homer to tie the game in the fifth. Miguel Hiraldo doubled home the first run in the fourth but P.K. Morris was thrown out at home plate and Hiraldo was nailed at third after Leo Jimenez had scored. Hiraldo was also hit by a pitch. Jimenez drew three walks and Morris doubled and walked. Orelvis Martinez struck out three times and went 0-for-4, hitting .250 with a .726 OPS.

Jol Concepion took the loss as he was gonged for two home runs and four in total on seven hits and a walk over three innings, striking out only one. Julian Valdez also served up a long ball and got just one out. He relieved Trent Palmer who pitched two no-hit innings and struck out five but he walked four and gave up two runs after Valdez could not strand those runners in the third. Sean Mellen—the former Dodgers farmhand—scattered two hits and a walk and struck out one over two scoreless frames. The 23 year-old has pitched five shutout innings so far with Dunedin with a 7-2 K/BB total.


*** 3 Stars!!! ***

3. Kevin Smith, Buffalo

2. Luis De Los Santos, Vancouver

1. Samad Taylor, New Hampshire
Taylor Made In Center But Not On The Mound | 17 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Jonny German - Wednesday, June 09 2021 @ 03:38 AM EDT (#399524) #
Kevin Smith looks like he's back to where he was in his breakout 2018 season.

2021, 24 years old at AAA: OPS 200 points above league average (.938 v .739), K rate 2 points better than league average (24% v 26%), 111 PA.

2018, 21 years old at A+: OPS 100 points above league average (.799 v .691), K rate 3 points worse than league average (24% v 21%), 371 PA.
85bluejay - Wednesday, June 09 2021 @ 10:06 AM EDT (#399528) #
If Kevin Smith continues his improved play, it could potentially be a huge bonus for the Jays as he is said to be a solid defensive shortstop - not having to spend big money on a free agent shortstop would allow for more spending maybe on pitching.
scottt - Wednesday, June 09 2021 @ 12:35 PM EDT (#399539) #
They already have a shortstop.
Bo is beating all sorts of offensive Blue Jays records, for any positions while Smith is at the far end of the Jays top 30 prospect list.
If Smith continues his improved play, I'll need a 40 roster spot over the winter, but it's not clear that he'll have any trade value having struggled so mightily in AA and AFL. It's not clear at all that he can hit at the MLB level.
Maybe they can throw him at 3B next year while they keep waiting on Groshans.

Just need to spend enough on pitching.

uglyone - Wednesday, June 09 2021 @ 12:46 PM EDT (#399541) #
Like I mentioned in the previous milb thread - Smith's secondary position this year and throughout his milb career has been 3B, not 2B.

Which is convenient for us at the moment.
hypobole - Wednesday, June 09 2021 @ 01:25 PM EDT (#399543) #
Scouting reports with video of Manoah in AAA (too late!), SWR, as well as the kid the O's picked 11th right before the Jays took Groshans 12th in 2018.
scottt - Wednesday, June 09 2021 @ 01:41 PM EDT (#399544) #
Without a link? Just google it?
hypobole - Wednesday, June 09 2021 @ 01:57 PM EDT (#399546) #
https://www.prospectslive.com/live-looks/2021/6/9/live-looks-triple-a-east-and-double-a-northeast

Geez, have to do all the work around....

Except for Gerry and #2JB and Magpie and Eephus and whoever I missed.
GabrielSyme - Wednesday, June 09 2021 @ 03:01 PM EDT (#399549) #
It's great to see Samad Taylor doing well - a guy I've liked ever since we got him from Cleveland. 22 in AA is fine, the power breakout is good to see, and he's also 11 for 12 stealing bases. He's striking out a lot, but he's made decent contact in the past. This is the kind of progression you want to see from your toolsy prospects.

He was left off some prospect lists entirely (Fangraphs, I'm looking at you) and that's increasingly looking like a significant oversight.
John Northey - Wednesday, June 09 2021 @ 04:19 PM EDT (#399551) #
I only have him on 4 lists - 30th on MLB.com's pre-season list, #38 on TSN, #40 on Prospects 1500, #36 on Pitcher List. Only FanGraphs didn't have him of the lists that went 30+ long. So a marginal prospect at best. Tanner Morris also on 4 lists for example. Meanwhile guys like Will Robertson, Nick Frasso, and Chavez Young were on 5. This is based on MLB.com - Baseball America - Baseball Prospectus - FanGraphs - TSN - Prospects Live - Prospects 1500 - Fantrax HQ - Keith Law - PitcherList for 2021 (pre-season 2021 lists).
hypobole - Wednesday, June 09 2021 @ 04:37 PM EDT (#399552) #
Check out who made the headline photo for today's daily sheet

https://www.prospectslive.com/general/2021/6/9/the-minor-league-daily-sheet-june-8th-2021

Yeah, they like him.
GabrielSyme - Wednesday, June 09 2021 @ 05:38 PM EDT (#399554) #
See, I don't think Taylor should have been seen as a marginal prospect, outside top 30s. He is a toolsy guy who had a perfectly decent season in high-A at age 20, plays an up-the-middle position, and (despite Longenhagen's claim of "20-grade in-game pop") clearly had some power potential. Was he a substantially worse bet than Kevin Smith, coming off a very weak AA campaign, and who has consistently been ranked in the teens?

Anyway, don't rest on toolsy guys who have held their own at appropriate age/levels.
Nigel - Wednesday, June 09 2021 @ 05:52 PM EDT (#399556) #
A couple of additional thoughts to the good comments above on Taylor. I'm not sure that his current or future role will be as a middle inf. I think he's been playing quite a bit of OF. Part of that is the competition in NH for MI playing time, part of it is that I'm not sure he's actually very good defensively at 2B. The speed is legitimately high end. It would be interesting to know if they've improved his base running because, although he has plus speed, he was actually a pretty poor baserunner in Vancouver.
GabrielSyme - Wednesday, June 09 2021 @ 07:09 PM EDT (#399559) #
Credit to Gerry and the Batter's Box team, which ranked Samad 26th on the 2020 list.

He's gotten reps in the outfield and at 3B, in addition to 2B this year. Given his speed, CF is a logical option if he's blocked elsewhere, and might help him find a role as a super-utility type. I'm surprised they've been trying him at 3B: his arm was supposed to be his weakest element defensively.

On poor baserunning: I wonder whether it isn't best to tell young players to be aggressive on the basepaths when they're coming up in the minors. You can't learn what you can do unless you test your bounds: Pulling up at 1B all the time doesn't show a player when he can stretch a single into a double, for example. Eventually, they gain the experience to know what they can do and what they can't.
hypobole - Wednesday, June 09 2021 @ 08:28 PM EDT (#399562) #
SWR back from the Olympic qualifiers. 5 IP, 3H, 1R, 2 BB, 5 K. Leaves with 3-1 lead. Spraker starts the 6th inning, Single, double, 3 walks and no outs later, NH is down 4-3. Typical NH game.
hypobole - Wednesday, June 09 2021 @ 08:44 PM EDT (#399564) #
Samad ties it up with his 3rd hit and 8th HR. He's on some tear.
Gerry - Wednesday, June 09 2021 @ 09:15 PM EDT (#399566) #
Another blown save for the New Hampshire bullpen tonight. I believe that's oh for 11 in save opportunities.
eldarion - Thursday, June 10 2021 @ 12:26 AM EDT (#399589) #
Just wanted to chime in with some love for Samad Taylor as well. He’s now up to an .949 OPS in 106 ABs in AA at respectable age of 22. Nice power and nice speed, playing the OF. Austin Martin is also up to an .821 OPS to start the season, I believe, which is perfectly ok given he skipped A+ ball and effectively lost a season of in-game development last year.
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