The middle 10 of our top 30 prospects is a real melting pot. You have players from last year's top 10 who are dropping on account of underwhelming performance. You have the players with average years who remained in the middle. You have a rising star who had a great season to put himself on the map, as well as a new draftee and a player who arrived through a trade.
It's time for the newest edition of the Batter's Box Blue Jays Top 30 prospects. This marks the fourteenth iteration of the top 30 here on Da Box.
As we remind readers each year, the expectation of the top 30 prospects for any team is that one third will improve, one third will regress and one third will stay as they were. The Jays front office does not like to deal prospects so almost all of last year's top 30 are still eligible for this years list. There are just two exceptions, Danny Barnes who played a lot for the Blue Jays in the big leagues and Ryan McBroom who was traded. The other 28 players go into the box's mixer with the newly drafted players, the international signings, the traded-for players and those whose performance took a step forward in 2017. The mixer goes to work, powered by the votes of our minor league team, and kicks out the definitive list of the Blue Jays top 30 prospects. Twenty of last year's top 30 are back. As mentioned, two no longer qualify so eight have dropped off. Not all of the eight who dropped had bad years, some were injured and some just had average years and dropped off due to more competition in a stronger system.
As usual the first 10 are published today, the next 10 tomorrow, and the top 10 on the day after. Let the discussion begin!
It is tough to win a double header at the best of times but Dunedin had to win one to win the Co-Championship of the FSL. They did indeed sweep the doubleheader for their first championship in team history. In game one Vlad Jr and Cavaan Biggio carried the load. In game two Bo and Vladdy were hitless but Connor Panas hit two home runs. The pitching was excellent in both games.
Vancouver won game one of their series. Again pitching dominated with each team having just six hits. Nate Pearson dominated early before fading a little in the fourth. The C's used three other pitchers to get home. The game was scoreless until the eighth when Logan Warmoth hit a two run home run, that was the difference in a 2-1 game.
With the season almost over I thought I would review the season from the affiliates perspective. On the field we discover that Nate Pearson is human. Ridge Smith hit a grand slam for Lansing. Kevin Smith and Lourdes Gurriel also had important hits. Teoscar Hernandez hit another home run.
There is an interesting competition between Bo Bichette and Vlad Guerrero as to who will end with the best batting average in high A. Bichette is hitting .338 and Vlad .342 with just a few games left.
