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Minor League Update No Joy In Blue Jay Ville
Sunday was a no fun day, three games, three losses, one rain out. New Hampshire put up the best effort but a three run bottom of the ninth for Akron cost them a win. Josh Kasevich was the New Hampshire player of the game. Spencer Horwitz homered for the second day in a row.

Buffalo 1 Syracuse 7

New Hampshire 6 Akron 7

Tri-City at Vancouver - rained out

St. Lucie 3 Dunedin 1


Three Stars

Third Star - Gage Stanifer

Second Star - Alex De Jesus

First Star - Josh Kasevich


Boxes


NOTES


Turnabout was fair play for the Mets, they outhit Buffalo 13-5. Buffalo's only run came from a Spencer Horwitz home run.


Troy Watson was taken deep twice and gave up four runs in three innings. Eric Swanson pitched an inning, one hit, one strikeout.


NH and Akron were tied at four headed to the ninth. In the top of the inning Josh Kasevich and Rainer Nunez singled in runs to make it a 6-4 game. Andrew Bechtold was brought in for the save. The first hitter homered. That was followed by three more hits and a 7-6 loss.


Kasevich and Alex De Jesus had three hits each. Kasevich had three RBI. Alan Roden had two hits, one being a double.


CJ Van Eyk has had a roller coaster season. In two of his last five starts he has just allowed one hit. In another Somerset scored four runs off him in four innings. Sunday was one of his bad starts, eight hits and three runs in four innings. Obviously he needs to figure out how to have more of the good starts.


Dunedin out hit St Lucie 5-4 but lost. The big hit was a two run double for St Lucie in the sixth inning. Dunedin's run came in the eight from a solo home run by Marcus De La Rosa.


Gage Stanifer started and went four hitless innings. He struck out five. He was a little wild, walking four.


Posted by Gerry on Sunday, June 02 2024 @ 04:57 PM EDT.
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Mike Green - Sunday, June 02 2024 @ 07:55 PM EDT (#446901) #
Horwitz also walked and was plunked. His homers each of the last two days have not been cheapies- 390 feet+ to straight-away right field.

His line in 2024 is now almost identical to last year. He's doing with an LD rate of 35%.
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Ryan Day - Monday, June 03 2024 @ 09:29 AM EDT (#446909) #
This was also Horwitz's 9th start at 2B this year. Is this a serious thing the organization is trying, or just a wild experiment? I'm naturally skeptical that a guy who's spent his entire career at 1B/DH can switch to the middle infield at 26, but maybe he's more athletic than we've been led to believe?

I can't imagine a Guerrero-Bichette-Horwitz infield is going to excite any pitchers, but they don't look cheerful losing games 2-1, either. It's an abrupt pivot from the all-defence strategy of the past year to a video-game-style of "he's technically eligible for this position so let's put him there & see what happens".
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Mike Green - Monday, June 03 2024 @ 11:21 AM EDT (#446914) #
Horwitz was voted the International League's best defensive infielder (any position) in a poll of managers last year by BA.  It may not be a wild position change for him to play second base, although the play around the bag is very different and more athleticism is usually required.  And he doesn't have the power of Max Muncy. 
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Nigel - Monday, June 03 2024 @ 11:53 AM EDT (#446915) #
This regime started with that video game philosophy as they kept trying to force players up the defensive spectrum (think Gurriel as a middle infielder) and fielding one outfield configuration after another that was terrible defensively but offered the most theoretical offence. As you say, they did a complete 180 in the past couple of seasons and leaned into defence and run prevention but it looks like they may be on their way to doing a complete 360.
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Mike Green - Monday, June 03 2024 @ 12:20 PM EDT (#446916) #
It is a bit weird in the particular case of second base.  The odds that Horwitz is a better defensive second baseman than Davis Schneider are not great.  And he's not a better hitter.  So, even if one takes the view that Schneider is a better defensive left-fielder than second baseman (I don't), why would you convert Horwitz instead of Schneider who has been, according to all metrics in limited samples, better than league average at second base so far?  It's all very muddled.  Which is a good description of where the organization is generally.
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92-93 - Monday, June 03 2024 @ 12:22 PM EDT (#446917) #
Because you believe Horwitz might be able to play a better 2B than he can LF.
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Ducey - Monday, June 03 2024 @ 12:43 PM EDT (#446919) #
Pretty sure Vlad at 3B will be rare (1 x per week max).

I just dont see them sticking with Turner if they want to keep their jobs. Its a double whammy of falling out of contention and poor performance from Turner. All he really has going for him is that he is a right handed hitter. He has some protection from his $13 M contract

My choice would be Vlad and Horwitz primary alternating 1B and DH, with Vogelbach as PH at least once a game. Once a week Vlad 3B or Horwitz 2B with Vogelbach as DH. Maybe they show they can play those positions more often.

Maybe Turner will accept an assignment to got to Buffalo and find his stroke. If not, oh well.
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Mike Green - Monday, June 03 2024 @ 12:48 PM EDT (#446920) #
Maybe.  Both Horwitz and Schneider were drafted many years ago.  Schneider played 7 games at 2B and 33 at 3B in 2018 in the Appalachian League and then 29 games at 2B and 18 games at 3B in 2019 in the Appalachian League and the Northwest League.  In 2021, he was predominantly a second baseman, and in 2022, he split his time between left-field and second base.   Horwitz got into 4 games as a second baseman in 3 minor leagues seasons total prior to last year and 3 total last year. 

Maybe they changed their mind about defensive capabilities after all these years.  I think it's more of the positional flexibility mantra though, rather than any considered decision-making.  If I had the sense that they could move beyond slogans and look at what both their eyes tell them and the numbers, I might see it differently. 
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Gerry - Monday, June 03 2024 @ 12:55 PM EDT (#446921) #
Arjun Nimmala is back, he is in the FCL lineup today.

The Dominican League was scheduled to start today but rain intervened.
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jerjapan - Monday, June 03 2024 @ 01:41 PM EDT (#446923) #
I mean, I think of guys like Varsho and Bellinger when i think of more modern deployments defensively, thinking against the grain. 

Gurriel in CF speaks of desperation, more than outside the box thinking. 

I was genuinely surprised when Mike Green noted that Horwitz got the best defensive IF nod from AAA coaches.  

I tend to be skeptical of defensive valuations by nature, not due to skill with math, in which I defer to you guys, more just the subjectivity inherent in it. 

So, how do you come to an idea of minor league D, generally?  I can't do offensive statistics justice, either, but at least I consider myself a competent layperson / fan.  I'm not even close to that on D. 

My gut tells me that the org has Horwitz on the 'depth' track developmentally, so they value him while he has options, and the more different roles he can fill internally, the greater his short-term utility? 

And as a fan?  Free Horwitz!  It's always bothered me how guys get stuck in AAA due to archaic labour laws.  'Depth utility' be damned.  Although to be fair, I'm pretty sure he gets dealt to someone who will give him some run in the bigs, and I'd like to trust that the org is doing their best by these AAAA types. 

Lots of reasons to be cynical of leadership round here, but they did lead the charge on minor league pay improvements. 
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Ducey - Monday, June 03 2024 @ 02:13 PM EDT (#446924) #
Actually it occurs to me the easiest plan is to option Biggio.

That way they have Turner to face lefties, and can bring up Horwitz to replace his bat - as long as the manager plays him.

Biggio has had 4 seasons in a row of sub 100 OPS+. Unlike his dad who got noticeably stronger with age, Cavan looks thinner and sicker with each passing month. Time to fatten him up on the farm.
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John Northey - Wednesday, June 05 2024 @ 02:02 AM EDT (#446979) #
If Horwitz can handle 2B/LF then mixed with Schneider the Jays could have a great offensive combo there. Use guys like Clement, IKF, and Kiermaier late in games, when needed, for defense. And I agree that probably makes Biggio secondary - I love the guy but after being 'wow' in 2019/2020 he has been 'meh' at best ever since (91 OPS+, 2.3 bWAR over 1066 PA, or a 1.4 bWAR pace over a full season). A decent backup, but that is all. If MLB went to roboumps he'd be helped a lot (as would Schneider) but that ain't happening anytime soon it seems.
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