Batter's Box Interactive Magazine

On a day when New Hampshire were crushed, Dunedin were uncompetitive and Buffalo were unable to complete their game, it was PK Morris who hit a three run home run for Vancouver to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead. Gabriel Martinez and Damiano Palmegiani also homered in the game while Jimmy Robbins pitched well.

Buffalo 1 Scranton 1 - suspended in 6th inning

Richmond 19 New Hampshire 1

Tri-City 3 Vancouver 6

Lakeland 7 Dunedin 2

This is what I noted from yesterday's games.

This game was suspended due to rain and will be continued in September. Buffalo's run came from LJ Talley who hit his 3rd home run. Vinny Capra had two hits as he works his way back from his time on the IL. Still no Spencer Horwitz.

Hayden Juenger threw two shutout innings with three K's. Juenger has now pitched in four AAA games for a total of 8.1 innings. He has allowed seven hits and four walks with eight K's.

New Hampshire has been playing well recently so it was due to take one on the nose. Luis Quinones walked five while getting two outs. When he left the game Braden Scott gave up a grand slam to the first hitter he faced. As a result six runs were charged to Quinones. It didn't get much better from there. It got so bad that John Aiello was brought on to pitch with one out in the ninth. In order to not embarrass the regular pitchers Aiello gave up three hits and a walk before getting the last two outs.

New Hampshire picked up six hits. Luis De Los Santos had two. Addison Barger drove in Zach Britton for the only run. The weekend of Cam Eden continued somewhat as he was on the bench today. He came into the game in the ninth and singled, of course.

Jimmy Robbins started for Vancouver and cruised through four innings. He was taken deep for a solo home run in the fifth followed by a single. Robbins was pulled after 4.1 innings with five K's. That single came around to score leaving Robbins with two runs on his card.

Gabriel Martinez hit his first high A home run in the bottom of the inning to make it a 2-1 game. PK Morris hit a three run shot in the seventh and Damiano Palmegiani added a two run home run in the eighth. The C's made their hits count, they scored six runs with five hits.

Just four hits for the D Jays. New guy Dylan Rock had two and scored both runs. Cooper Benson was the starter. He was charged with two runs in 4.2 innings.

Three Stars

Third Star - Gabriel Martinez

Second Star - Dylan Rock

First Star - PK Morris

Boxes

Posted by Gerry on Sunday, August 07 2022 @ 07:06 PM EDT.

PK Saves the Day | 31 comments | Create New Account

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.

Kasi - Sunday, August 07 2022 @ 07:46 PM EDT (#419319) #

I was at the Canadians game today with my seven year old son and a good friend. Was fun to hang out there and watch the Cs play. That hit by Morris was crushed. Nice insurance home run as well. I missed Martinez’s home run since I was trying to find medication for my sons tummy ache.

Robbins was solid but was a bit wild. Cooke closed things out nicely. I wasn’t impressed by our 2b/SS defence but our 3b made some nice plays and CFmade a couple good plays as well.

bpoz - Sunday, August 07 2022 @ 07:57 PM EDT (#419320) #

Thanks Kasi for the report. Nice to know that Brown and Palmegiani can play good defense. Their offense is coming along very well. Hope your son is ok.

Kasi - Sunday, August 07 2022 @ 08:03 PM EDT (#419321) #

Yeah he was fine. Nothing that gravol wouldn’t fix. He just ate too many fries and that plus the heat.

John Northey - Sunday, August 07 2022 @ 08:09 PM EDT (#419322) #

Kids who eat too much in the heat - been there, done that. In Thunder Bay they had a college sorta team (players from US colleges playing with wood bats basically) and they had a great deal while I lived there - all you can eat plus seats behind home plate for something like $25 each so I'd get those for me and my daughter and a friend of hers and we'd have a blast. Never understood why those seats weren't sold out for every game as they were a killer deal and we had a blast everytime no matter the end result. Kids had fun getting player autographs after the game too. Lower level baseball is tons of fun when you have kids. Even if they do eat too much and get sick.

Kasi - Sunday, August 07 2022 @ 08:17 PM EDT (#419323) #

Yeah thankfully it was just an upset tummy plus whining. Nothing like throwing up or such and a few minutes after gravol he recovered. I need to get him more involved in how the game works. For all the home runs he was focused on me and not watching the field so he missed the cool plays.

bpoz - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 08:51 AM EDT (#419330) #

Being an off day for the minor leagues, my prospect list is going to be updated.

Moreno, O Martinez(1/2) and S Robberse(from 7 to 5) stay in the top 10.

I add Tiedeman, Zulueta (3/4), Barger (6), Palmegiani (7).

For 8-10 I am stuck. Juenger, D Santos and D Brown I think.

I don't like to put recent draftees in my top 10. So Barriera is #11.

O Lopez is not worse but has less value as a utility player. L Jimenez has not taken the next step.

hypobole - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 10:05 AM EDT (#419331) #

Kiley McD at ESPN with his post-deadline farm rankings

19. Toronto Blue Jays - $207 million

Preseason Value - $164 million (21st)

The Jays looked primed to make some bigger deadline moves but ended up dealing only SS Jordan Groshans and RHP Nick Frasso from the prospect ranks. C Gabriel Moreno will likely lose his prospect status later this year but is only about halfway there at this point, with no other notable graduations from the system on the horizon.

I love what Toronto did in the draft, adding LHP Brandon Barriera and 3B Tucker Toman from the prep ranks and 3B Cade Doughty and SS Josh Kasevich from the college side. LHP Ricky Tiedemann is the huge riser, appreciating by $25 million (third-rounder to middle of the Top 100 in one year) while Moreno and SS Orelvis Martinez have steadily risen in the top 20 overall as other top prospects graduate.

Gerry - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 12:04 PM EDT (#419334) #

Tucker Toman (2nd compensation round) and Sammy Hernandez (14th round) are playing for the FCL Jays today. Also in the lineup is Alex De Jesus, just acquired from the Dodgers in the White trade. He is probably in the FCL for a brief time as he was already in high A with the Dodgers.

The starting pitcher is Rafael Sanchez, a 22 year old Cuban, who made nine starts in the DSL.

Gerry - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 12:07 PM EDT (#419335) #

Sanchez worked as a reliever in Cuba without a lot of success. He defected last year and the Jays signed him for $350,000 in the spring.

Sanchez has a big fastball but reports suggest he is still raw.

jz6pwc - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 12:09 PM EDT (#419336) #

@Gerry. Can you supply a link to the Jays FCL site please. Can't seem to find scores and roster information for this level.

jz6pwc - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 12:11 PM EDT (#419337) #

NVM. Found it https://www.milb.com/florida-complex/scores

Mike Green - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 12:17 PM EDT (#419338) #

I don't know, hypobole. I read the fangraphs rankings of Blue Jay prospects, and they don't resonate at all with me. Take for instance, their #1 ranked prospect Gabriel Moreno, Future Value 60, risk: medium, and their #3 ranked prospect, Ricky Tiedemann, Future Value 45+, risk: high. Future Value means anticipated WAR production during the first 6 years of service, and 45+ in broad strokes for a pitcher means a 4-5 starter with a FIP of between 4.00 and 4.20, and a Future Value of 60 for a position player means "All-Star". My issue concerns the integration of risk and capability into one number, and updating this with new information. So, what do we know about Moreno?

-offensively: looked like a complete hitter until his injury which has sapped his power almost completely for about a year so far; presently has a wRC+ of 108 in triple A

-defensively: good tools, but very rough in the important subtle parts of the catcher's game

And what do we know about Tiedemann? Well, first let's start with what Fangraphs says about him- Fastball sits at 88-92 and tops out at 94; they give it a current rating of 45 and a future of 50, slider is 50/55, changeup is 50/55 and command is 20/55. Under his physical attributes, it indicates that his frame is a positive and his statistical performance is a negative (!). Apparently, they must not have updated this all year- the current fastball has more velo and has been more effective than a 45 and the current command is a lot better than a 20, and the statistical performance has been a ++ rather than a -. What we know is:

- stuff: the fastball is 95+ with perhaps some deception, and he has a slider and changeup that have been effective at A and high A, but there are some consistency issues

- command: his fastball command is apparently pretty good, he has somewhat erratic command of the slider and changeup

- performance: otherworldly given his age and developmental level- K rates and ERAs as good as anybody's; walk rates just fine

- frame: solid

- durability: unproven but no injury history

I like both prospects very much, but I think the following two things are true:

- if you put Tiedemann and Moreno in the major leagues in September, Tiedemann would add more value

- if everything goes as well as could reasonably be expected for both of them ("the ceiling"), they both would be very good players but Tiedemann would be better

This does not mean that Tiedemann should be ranked ahead of Moreno (it may very well be that the median medium-term outcome for Moreno is better than for Tiedemann), but the difference in Fangraphs' future value of the two that can only be explained by a failure to update for performance in 2022. Prospect ranking is hard, but I don't find fangraphs does a great job of it, and for that reason, I find it hard to take the global descriptions of the value of a farm system seriously. This is not to say that their comments aren't worth being considered along with those of other evaluators.

uglyone - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 01:35 PM EDT (#419340) #

Im not sure but while they may do a midseason rankings update they dont actually do a full re-rating of those player and tool grades until the offseason.

Mike Green - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 01:47 PM EDT (#419344) #

Yep. It's unhelpful to have this very specific number about the value of a a farm system in August with no reasonable basis for it.

hypobole - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 01:49 PM EDT (#419346) #

What I posted was ESPN, not Fangraphs

Mike Green - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 02:22 PM EDT (#419348) #

Sorry, hypobole. Scratch what I said. Here's what Kiley said in the write-up:

" while Moreno and SS Orelvis Martinez have steadily risen in the top 20 overall as other top prospects graduate."

I don't know why Moreno has risen in the top 20 this year, but Orelvis rising in the top 20 this season is just bizarre. If he's one of the top 10 or 15 prospects in baseball, it means the prospect pool overall is at or near an all-time low. That could be, but no other evaluator seems to think that.

jerjapan - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 02:47 PM EDT (#419351) #

Interesting that mcdaniel sees the org as improving on the farm, when so many prospects seem to have disappointed or been injured. that's me as a fan though ... so much of the value of the system is tied up in the top prospects. tiedmann's breakout season and a good draft are enough for us to be on the rebound in the rankings.

greenfrog - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 03:56 PM EDT (#419360) #

Zulueta and a few of the fringe prospects (like Barger) have been pleasant surprises as well.

jerjapan - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 04:25 PM EDT (#419363) #

Is zulueta a surprise? He was highly touted and he’s old for his level.

And is cam eden a prospect now? If he’s a legit cf, with his recent hot streak? 2 promotions already this season?

Mike Green - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 04:34 PM EDT (#419365) #

Eden's not a prospect. He is 24 and played in A+ ball last year (and did pretty well). This year, they started him out in A ball, moved him to A+ and quickly to double A (after he torched A ball). Unfortunately, he hasn't done much in double A, striking out 33% of the time with a .238/.293/.423 line. He is 20-1 stealing bases, and it's quite possible that he makes a career as a 4th outfielder in a year or two.

greenfrog - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 05:02 PM EDT (#419369) #

Keith Law recently ranked Zulueta #49 on his mid-season top prospects list. If you agree with that ranking (you may not), it's probably fair to say that his stock has risen significantly since the start of the season.

John Northey - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 05:55 PM EDT (#419375) #

Zulueta will be fighting for a pen slot in 2023 for sure and maybe for a starting although I doubt that. Just 3 times he has thrown 5 innings in a game this year so I can't picture him being ready for a starting role in 2023, but a pen slot quite easily. If he can find the strike zone consistently he could be a lights out closer. But that is a BIG if.

Tiedemann will be fighting for a rotation slot in 2023 for sure. If he doesn't get one to start the season he might be in the rotation once someone goes down ala Manoah in 2021. Adrian Hernandez is one to watch too - now in AAA he has 12.2 K/9 (almost identical to his career mark) but 4.1 BB/9 - better control than Zulueta, and younger (22). I like the Jays potential youth for the staff in 2023. Trent Palmer is also interesting for the rotation (13 starts, 3.7 BB/9 vs 11.22 K/9 split between A+/AA) - peak is a game with 6 perfect innings, 3 other games going 5+. I suspect in 2023 we'll see Palmer and Tiedemann in Buffalo for April then called up when needed. Zulueta & Hernandez will fight to get one of the pen slots in spring, but will be up at some point almost certainly.

Historically you need 2 players to emerge from the minors each year as semi-regulars or better. "Just" Kirk so far this year (he played but not full time before), 2021 saw McGuire, Espinal, Manoah all emerge more or less. 2019/20 for Vlad/Bo/Biggio/Gurriel/Thornton/Waguespack - never said they had to stick beyond that year. The Jays rebuild was quick and good thanks to a stack of quality kids coming in at once and that wasn't an accident - the Jays tried to keep a group together through the minors (Vlad/Bo/Biggio) and it worked well. Next challenge is building on that foundation and I like the kid pitchers coming up now. Some hitters show promise but there isn't a big need right now - there will be post 2023 (Hernandez/Gurriel/Chapman all free agents).

85bluejay - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 06:39 PM EDT (#419384) #

Zulueta is coming back from missing significant injury time so I think the jays are being careful with his innings but given the lack of quality starting prospects in the Jays high minors I'd say the jays would be wise to keep Zulueta in a starting role until he fails - I could see him in the rotation as early as the 2nd half of 2023

Mike Green - Monday, August 08 2022 @ 08:37 PM EDT (#419412) #

Toman was 1-3 with a sac fly in his pro debut. He played shortstop; we'll see how long that continues.

John Northey - Tuesday, August 09 2022 @ 09:35 AM EDT (#419440) #

The Jays are testing Zulueta in the pen now I suspect for 2 reasons - 1) if he can do well there he'd be useful this season 2) keep his innings at a certain level but keep him pitching.

For 2023, I fully suspect if Zuleta isn't ready for the majors in the pen he'd be in AAA starting to ensure regular work. Right now the Jays have 2 starting prospects who look really good and should be in AAA for 2023 in Trent Palmer and Tiedemann (both in AA at the moment). Hayden Juenger should be added to that list of strong starting candidates and is in AAA now with a 1.08 ERA in 4 games over 8 1/3 IP (4 relief games of 2 innings each). Alejandro Melean is interesting in AA too (twice up to 5 IP but needs to do that a LOT more).

Gerry - Tuesday, August 09 2022 @ 06:38 PM EDT (#419508) #

Lots of new faces in the Dunedin lineup tonight. Kasevich (2); Doughty (2C); Roden (3); and Turconi (15). They join Williams (7) and Rock (8) who started playing last week.

All are college players so the level should be good for them.

Gerry - Tuesday, August 09 2022 @ 06:42 PM EDT (#419510) #

TJ Brock, 6th round, has been sent to Vancouver. Several other pitchers assigned to Dunedin.

As a result several Dunedin players have been bumped down to the FCL and another four have been released.

Gerry - Tuesday, August 09 2022 @ 06:47 PM EDT (#419512) #

Mason Fluharty, 5th round, also to Vancouver.

LouisvilleJayFan - Tuesday, August 09 2022 @ 07:54 PM EDT (#419518) #

Is it time to start worrying about Gabriel Moreno being injured yet?

Gerry - Tuesday, August 09 2022 @ 08:31 PM EDT (#419521) #

Usually when a player is not playing but not on the IL, its a minor injury. Spencer Horwitz hasn't played in six days and he hasn't gone on the IL either.

hypobole - Tuesday, August 09 2022 @ 09:12 PM EDT (#419528) #

Usually, yes. But Capra was out over a week at least before he was IL'd earlier this year.

PK Saves the Day | 31 comments | Create New Account

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.