Toronto Blue Jays Organization Discussion

I don’t think that the Jays can rely solely on prospects developing in order to become a great/competitive team. Not that it can’t be done - the Rays did it - but it takes some great timing and a good bit of luck in order to be able to pull that off.

Trading some of that prospect/pitching depth for a great bat is the way to go about it, in my mind. If the Jays could get a productive 1B (sorry, Adam Lind) and add one good-great starter, I think they would be very close to becoming “great” or at least with the potential to be “great.” Add Yu Darvish and a good first baseman? Watch out.

That’s not to say it can’t be done internally. Frankly, I think the Jays could make no changes this offseason and have a CHANCE to be very good or better as soon as 2012. But that would take quite a few things going their way, some of which, like an Adam Lind resurgence, don’t seem incredibly likely. But to become likely, I think trades are the way to go, as otherwise they would be relying too much on chance - and in the AL East, you need more than that.

Lind was pacing 30 homers and 105 rbi for 600 at bats in2011.

Not great with the on base, but lind was doing his best joe carter imitation and nobody around toronto doesn’t love them a little joe carter!

is a guy I like quite a bit, had a better season than Drew Vettleson in the Appy league but hasn’t received similar recognition.

Jorge Vega-Rosado had a nice season in short season ball. One of my lower level sleepers

On the pitching side I see Aaron Sanchez as a break out candidate for next season. He’s getting overshadowed with all the pitching depth

He seems to get nice reviews but never anything glowing.

Anybody heard where he is in his rehab?

Roberto Osuna, Jesus Gonzalez, Wilmer Becerra, Manuel Cordova, Jairo Labourt, Dawel Lugo and lesser known guys(well…Lesser known bonuses haha) in Osman Gutierrez, Alberto Tirado and Jesus Tinoco.

I don’t know how the CBA will handicap spending on the international market next summer so i’m happy AA spent a lot this summer.

I’m curious about his status as a sleeper.

Moises Sierra
Joe Musgrove
Sean Nolin
Chad Beck
Shane Opitz

My favorite sleeper. 66 IP with Lansing, 44 H, 99/20 K/BB.

as he was a decently hyped guy when drafted in 2010, but I think Marcus Knecht is going to be a guy that keeps producing and can develop into a solid corner outfielder. I believe it was Anthopoulos that compared him to Jason Bay, for what it’s worth.

He’s a smart cat. I played Scoresheet against him years ago. He’s intense. I love what he is doing with the Jays. We have hope.

Kevin Gray, the beat reporter for Dble A New Hampshire, puts Nestor Molina as Numero Uno in his Top 10 List.
http://graymatter123.blogspot.com/2011/11/top-10-blue-jays-prospects-scouting.html

           So who makes the Jays’ top 30 list from this years draft … Daniel Norris, Jacob Anderson, Mathew Dean, Kevin Comer, & Dwight Smith ? Also John Stilson if healthy ?
            Who makes it from the international signees … Osuna, Becerra, Lugo & Labourt ?

1) Travis D’Arnaud: A (High ceiling with a pretty good chance to meet it)
2) Jake Marisnick: A (All five tools are legit)
3) Drew Hutchison: B (Still room for projection on him given build + age)
4) AJ Jimenez: B (This will be his breakout year away from pitcher friendly FSL and MWL)
5) Noah Syndegaard: B (Plus, Plus fastball with great command. Has grown to 6’7 now )
6) Nestor Molina: B- (Not a star but will be a contributor either in pen or rotation)
7) Anthony Gose: B- (Reminds me of “Tony Plush” in appearance/game + more power)
8) Justin Nicolino: B- (Projection on fastball, plus change and command. Cliff Lee type)
9) Aaron Sanchez: B- (Has stuff to be a number 2 starter. Will command catch up?)
10) Daniel Norris: B- (Reminds me of Danny Duffy of the Royals. Fastball + Curve)
11) Chris Hawkins: B- (I believe in the bat + speed. Great makeup and work ethic)
12) Jacob Anderson: B- (This is a leap of faith. I believe in the bat/power combo)
13) Deck McGuire: B- (Not sure stuff will hold up in AL East. Pedigree puts him here)
14) Dwight Smith Jr.: B- (Aggressive ranking. Solid bat + pedigree. Will power come?)
15) Carlos Perez: C (Down year, but huge potential. Could be top 10 again in a year)
16) Moises Sierra: C+ (Underrated. Reminds me of Jose Guillen without the crazy)
17) Kevin Comer: C+ (Pretty polished for HS arm. Good stuff and projection).
18) Adeiny Hechavarria: C+ (Glove to at least be a utility man. Hits lefties but not righties)
19) Michael Crouse: C+ (Put him ahead of Knecht because of tools).
20) Marcus Knecht: C+ (Absolute ceiling is a Jason Bay type. Absolute!)

Others: Asher Wojciechowski, RHP; Mike McDade, 1B; Mitchell Taylor, LHP; Chad Jenkins, RHP; Joe Thon Jr., SS; Kellen Sweeney, 3B; Sam Dyson, RHP; John Stilson, RHP; Jorge Vega-Rosado, SS; Shane Opitz, SS; Adonis Cardona, RHP; Roberto Osuna, RHP; Jairo Labourt, LHP; Santiago Nessy, C; Eric Arce, LF/DH; Dalton Pompey, CF; John Berti, 2B; Matt Dean, 3B; Christian Lopes, 2B; Joe Musgrove, RHP; Evan Crawford, LHP; Jeremy Gabryszwski, RHP.

Sleepers:

Mike McDade, 1B: Not a scouts dream physically, but is surprisingly nimble for his size producing plus defence at first base. A switch hitter with power, with no negative splits. Has been a monster first half performer in each of the last last 3 seasons hitting for power and average in the MWL, FSL, and EL only to wear down after the All-Star break. Could be a question of fitness and conditioning (he battled a knee injury for much of the second half last year), which if improved, could make him into a pretty good player. For instance, had produced at the same level over 600 at-bats as he did for the first 300 or so, he would have finished with 25hr and 110 rbis.

  
Santiago Nessy, C: Bat and power will be his calling card. Probably not a catcher going forward. Could take a step forward with another year of experience.

Mitchell Taylor, LHP: Short but still projectable lefty, with potential plus fastball, plus curve combo, and above average control and command. If he can add more strength and limit the homeruns, his polish and stuff could allow him to move quickly.

John Stilson, RHP: If healthy has the stuff to move fast and be the closer the Jays need by 2013. Plus, plus fastball to go with plus changeup and average slider. Very intrigued with him.

Joe Thon Jr, SS: Battled through adversity last year with a late start recovering from kidney ailment. Played well early displaying good plate discipline and a little bit of power. May have worn down as the year went on leading to unimpressive overall numbers. Think he will come back stronger and better next season.

Shane Opitz, SS: Athletic up the middle player with speed. Put up decent numbers as an 18-year-old in Vancouver and Bluefield. Demonstrated patience and strikezone recognition. Could surprise as he gains experience.

Jorge Vega-Rosado, SS: Another shortstop who excelled in first season. Tore up the GCL as a 19 year-old and showed a little bit of power, a little bit of speed, and a lot of average. Small, strikes out quite a bit, and needs to walk more. Reminds me of Jose Altuve.

Jeremy Gabryszwski, RHP: Could be this years Noah Syndergaard. Big Texas righty who fought inconsistent velocity. Could see velocity climb next year, already has better breaking ball than Syndergaard.

Eric Arce, LF/DH: All bat player, with plus power, and plate discipline. I think the bat is for real. Was considered one of the best prep hitters in his area along with Yordy Carbrera. Chance to be a Jeremy Giambi type (with more power, and less steroids).

Dalton Pompey, CF: Canadian kid with plus hit tool and plus speed. Showed pretty good ability to get on base and steal them. If hit tool continues to improve, could be one to watch.

Evan Crawford, LHP: Was impressed by his stuff and performance in spring against the Rays. Has a decent shot to help the Jays as a lefty reliever. Above average fastball for lefty (91-93), and plus curve could translate well as loogy, but strange reverse splits last season might be cause for concern.

For sure. A lot of the rankings could always go up and down a grade. I think grading prospects is probably the hardest part of making these lists. I could have easily given Molina at least a B, in fact looking back now I probably should have. I just considered Molina a notch below Hutchison (who I compare favourably to Ian Kennedy) and Syndegaard in terms of overall upside and potential, but I definately have to defer to KG’s expertise as far as personal scouting of Molina.

Another difficulty I found in grading my list for instance was when you had a player who you thought was going to be a future B/B+ (a guy like Kevin Comer) currently ranked as a C+, below a guy currently ranked a B- (Deck McGuire) who you think he’ll eventually be better than.

Agreed … How to rank sans comparative objective numerical data … raw tools/refined talent on a sliding age-relative scale … what to make of it … how much value to assign … as art beyond ‘the art world of commercial hype’ can be only be reduced to the subjective “I like” or “I don’t like” with equal validity dependent upon one’s taste … which leads to my two cents, the slings, the arrows …

A- … d’Arnaud, Marisnick
B+… Molina, Hutchinson, Syndergaard
B … Nicolino, Gose, Jiminez,
B- … glass half full …Sanchez, Norris, Cardona, Osuna, Crouse, Dean, Hawkins, Anderson, McGuire, Smith, Comer, Stilson, McDade, Hechavarria, Peres
C+ … glass half empty … please see as per above ‘others’

We can only build upon what others have done before … yours is very well thought out and as good a foundation as any .

Question for you Jays fans; now that Lawrie has had such an excellent beginning to his career, do you think AA considers him untouchable, or would he consider moving him for pitching? Obviously he looks like a cornerstone type player, but I wasn’t sure if the Jays would ever consider moving Lawrie and sending Bautista back to third, opening room for Snider? Thanks.