MLB 2012 - The Toronto Ban Jays

[Griever20]

Transactions:
May 5th – C Devin Mesoraco(25, 3*, .211-5-15 .676OPS 0.4WAR 24G) was placed on the 15-day IL with a strained back 3 weeks. AAA C Eric Fontaine(23, 2/2.5*, .246-1-10 .643OPS 0.0WAR AAA), our 16th rounder in 2012, was put on the 40-man and active roster.

May 23rd – C Eric Fontaine(23, 2/2.5*, .179-0-4 .399OPS -0.2WAR 14G) was sent back down after showing that hois bat is not yet there, and C Devin Mesoraco(25, 3*) was activated off the IL.

Series:
0-3 vs TEX
1-2 @ DET
3-0 vs NYY (SP Henderson Alvarez III 5IP 4H 1ER 3BB 3K ND(1-2 3.43), 3B Anthony Rendon 2-4 2R 3RBI BB DB HR(3))
1-2 vs SFG (SS Ryan Goins 3-3 R 4RBI HR(2), SP Daniel Norris 5.2IP 6H 2ER 3BB 5K ND(3-1 4.08))
2-1 @ SEA (SP Henderson Alvarez III 6.2IP 8H 1ER 0BB 4K W(2-2 3.13))
3-0 vs MIN (SP Marcus Stroman 7IP 5H 2ER 1BB 3K W(2-1 3.21), SP Daniel Norris 6IP 2H 0ER 4BB 6K W(4-1 3.55), LF Nick Castellanos 3-5 R 2RBI HR(1))
0-3 @ TBR
1-2 vs BAL (CF Jake Marisnick 2-4 2R 4RBI HR(5))
1-2 @ BOS (3B Anthony Rendon 5-6 2R 5RBI 3DB)
0-1 vs CLE

Record: 24-28, 5th in AL East, 6.5GB in Division
May: 12-16
Runs Scored: 192(12th)
Batting AVG: .243(12th)
OBP: .300(12th)
Home Runs: 50(7th)
Stolen Bases: 60(2nd)
Runs Against: 208(6th)
Starters ERA: 3.52(3rd)
Bullpen ERA: 4.09(8th)
Defensive Eff.: .709(4th)
Zone Rating: +19.3(2nd)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: LHSP Daniel Norris 3-0 3.09 30K 32IP 0.6WAR 6GS
Toronto Position Player of the Month: 3B Anthony Rendon .294/.351/.490 3HR 14RBI 16R +1.2ZR 1-0WAR 28G

So. The sad and sorry truth is, I think this more around the lower end of where this roster should be… but we still have too many holes in this roster. Brzezinski is not were we hoped he would be, Marisnick is a great defender and will stay in center for a while, but with Danks and Goins, we have too many holes in the bottom half of the lineup right now. That being said, Kevin Kiermaier will get a chance in right field next month.

Now, as for our rookies. Castellanos had a .298-3-13 .756OPS May, so that one is trending in the right direction at least and Suárez is doing the minimum… bombs.

Our starters are fine, but not as overperforming as they were in the last two months of 2013 and Vizcaino is a disappointment given the trajectory and scoting reports. We will wait for another month before thinking about roster moves tho.

Meanwhile in our league, the Los Angeles Mike Trouts are the team to avoid. CF Mike Trout(22, 5*, .324-16-46 1.152OPS 3.7WAR) is the best player in the world right now, and a career years by LF B.J. Upton(29, 2.5*, .272-13-36 .852OPS 2.0WAR) and 2B Howie Kendrick(30, 2.5*, .303-7-20 .782OPS 0.7WAR) with solid pitching puts them on top of the AL…

Funny enough, Trout is the only AL player with an OPS over 1.000 while the NL has three, led by RF Jose Bautista(33, 3.5*, .337-18-47 1.100OPS 2.2WAR) of all people…

Minor League Report and Awards:
AA RHSP Cesar Balbuena(20, 1.5/2*) 3-1 2.95 28K 0.7WAR 37IP 6GS
A RHSP Keiichi Yoshii(18, 1.5/2.5*) 3-1 1.55 27K 1.2WAR 29IP 6GS
S A RHCL Jorge Diaz(18, 1.5/4*) 1-2 9SV 1.06 29K 1.1WAR 17IP 15G
Won Monthly Awards

As for the minor league side… well, some tidbits. AAA Las Vegas is 31-17? Good. Our future closer(?) Joe Szcygiel is rated down to a 4* potential? BAD. Jim Hatfield and Victor Torres on the IL? BAD. Blake Snell ready to return from IL tomorrow? Good. AAA RHRP Kevin Buchanan rated up to 2.5/3.5* at are 21? Good.

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
None impressive.

In Other News:

May 4th – Phillies RHCL Jonathan Papelbon(33, 3.5*) notched career save #300 today in a 7-5 win over the Padres. The 5x All-Star is a career 38-37 300SV 2.49 669K 563.2IP 528GS 12.6WAR pitcher between BOS and PHI.

May 12th – Yankees RHSP Anthony DeSclafani(24, 2/2.5*) collected a complete game 1-hitter with one walk and 3 strikeouts in a 2-0 win over the Seattle Mariners today. The rookie is 2-0 2.19 18K 0.2WAR in 8G/2GS after being a Rule 5 draftee out of the Blue Jays org.

May 12th – Orioles SS J.J. Hardy(31, 2.5*) had a perfect 5-5 3R 4RBI TP HR night in a 20-13 barnstormer win over the Royals. The 2007 NL All-Star is batting .272-5-23 .775OPS 0.7WAR in 33 games.

May 24th – Colorado 3B Nolan Arenado(23, 3/3.5*) parked 3 home runs in the stands in a 13-0 win over the Phillies, going 4-6 4R 7RBI 3HR. The sophomore is batting .354-15-36 1.142OPS 2.9WAR in 42 games.

May 29th – Tigers RHSP Doug Fister(30, 3*) casted a spell over the Chicago that held on for the whole game, making him win 3-0 with a 9IP 6H 0ER 0BB 8K performance. The control artist is 7-1 2.02 67K 1.9WAR in 11 starts.

May 31st – Astros LF Seth Smith (31, 2.5*) had a big impact in a cellar duel between Houston and KC by going 5-5 3R 2DB with a stolen base. The $17M player is batting .232-5-21 .726OPS 0.6WAR in 49 games.

June 1st – Angels CF Mike Trout(22, 5*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .326 with 6 home runs, 19RBIs and 22 runs scored for the month. The reigning MvP is batting .324-16-46 1.152OPS 11/12SB 3.7WAR in 49 games.

June 1st – Nationals 3B Ryan Zimmerman(29, 3*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .333 with 9 home runs, 37RBIs and 21 runs scored for the month. The 2x Silver Slugger is batting .278-11-46 .862OPS 1.9WAR in 47 games.

June 1st – Tigers RHSP Doug Fister(30, 3*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-0 1.37 38K in 46IP in 6 starts for the month.

June 1st – Nationals RHSP Hiroki Kuroda(39, 3*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 6-1 3.03 34K in 38.2IP and 6 starts for the month. The veteran is a stunning 10-1 2.01 63K 2.5WAR in 11 starts.

June 1st – Blue Jays LHSP Daniel Norris(21, 2/3*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after going 3-0 3.09 30K in 32IP in six starts for the month. The rookie is 5-1 3.07 47K 0.7WAR in seven starts.

June 1st – Milwaukee LF Abraham Almonte(24, 2.5*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after batting .333 with 4 home runs, 11RBIs and 11 runs scored for the month. The Rule 5 draftee from HOU is batting .287-4-11 .784OPS 0.5WAR in 28 games.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
June 2nd- LHP Blake Snell(21, 2/2.5*) was sent to AAA for a rehab assignment after his 13 month injury.

July 1st – LHRP Luis Perez(29, 2*, 4-3 4.57 22K -0.3WAR) was waived and DFA’ed and LHRP Blake Snell(21, 2/2.5*, 0-1 1.74 14K 20.2IP 0.1WAR AAA) was activated from his rehab assignment. Also, RHRP Tyler Duffey(23, 2/3.5*, 0-0 1SV 8.01 25K -1.1WAR) got sent to Siberia and RHRP Joe Szcygiel(23, 3/4*, 2-2 12SV 3.54 34K 1.1WAR AAA) got put on the 40-man and on the active roster.

Series:
0-2 vs CLE
3-0 @ CWS (SP Marcus Stroman 7IP 5H 0ER 0BB 6K W(3-2 3.31), SP Daniel Norris 7IP 4H 0ER 2BB 3K W(6-1 2.73), C Devin Mesoraco 2-5 R 5RBI DB HR(8))
2-1 @ OAK (DH Eugenio Suárez 3-6 2R 2RBI 2BB 2HR(16), SP Chris Archer 6.1IP 2H 1ER 2BB 6K W(2-5 4.50), OAK SP Ervin Santana 9IP 1H 0ER 1BB 5K W(8-3 2.80))
1-2 vs LAA (SP Scott Kazmir 5IP 5H 1ER 3BB 6K ND(2-4 3.22))
2-1 @ HOU (SP Chris Archer 6IP 6H 1ER 2BB 7K ND(2-5 4.25), SP Marcus Stroman 8IP 3H 1ER 4BB 5K W(4-3 3.00))
3-0 vs KCR (SP Henderson Alvarez III 7.1IP 6H 1ER 1BB 4K W(5-4 3.21), SP Scott Kazmir 8IP 7H 2ER 1BB 7K W(3-4 3.12), SP Chris Archer 5.1IP 3H 1ER 2BB 4K W(3-5 4.07))
3-0 @ TEX (DH Eugenio Suárez 2-4 3R 2RBI BB 2HR(19), SP Henderson Alvarez III 7.1IP 5H 0ER 5BB 1K W(6-4 2.96))
2-1 vs DET (DH Eugenio Suárez 3-5 2R RBI HR(20), 1B Adam Brzezinski 2-4 2R 4RBI HR(8))
2-1 @ NYY (SP Henderson Alvarez 6.2IP 5H 1ER 2BB 3K W(7-4 2.85), LF Nick Castellanos 3-5 2R 4RBI HR(9))
0-2 vs SFG

Record: 42-38, 2nd in AL East, 7GB in Division
June: 18-10
Runs Scored: 333(10th)
Batting AVG: .246(13th)
OBP: .308(12th)
Home Runs: 88(5th)
Stolen Bases: 90(4th)
Runs Against: 323(5th)
Starters ERA: 3.32(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.33(10th)
Defensive Eff.: .708(3rd)
Zone Rating: +26.1(2nd)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: RHSP Henderson Alvarez III 4-0 1.69 11K 32IP 0.7WAR 5GS
Toronto Position Player of the Month: DH Eugenio Suárez .341/.400/.659 10HR 18RBI 26R 0.0ZR 1.6WAR 28G

And just like that, with a 18-10 month, we rocketed from 5th to 2nd in the division… and still lost half a game to the Orioles. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Yes, we got our averages up to par with a hot month and even Kevin Kiermaier hit .253 to make things worth in right field. Happy days.

As for hitting, if we want to push the envelope, Jim Hatfield(.312-7-16 .927OPS 2.7WAR AAA) and Avsail Garcia(.376-15-58 1.056OPS) want a word… but they are still young and need some seasoning… but could help us with the bats even now… Brzezinski got figured out it seems. But, apart from Garcia, we lack better options.

As for the pen, we started cleaning house a bit. Snell is on the 40-man anyways and can’t be worse… and Szczygiel will be 24 in six days, his time to shine.

As for the upcoming draft, we pick 17th overall in the first round, similar to 2012. So far, we had little luck with players that are older college guys that we hoped would develop into MLB players in one to two years, like Brzezinski, Carlos Puente and others… we may focus on high school and college juniors more. Oh, and the 26-54 Minnesota Twins have the first overall pick… man they are in the dumpsters. Their top prospect in 2B Justin Rimmerle(23, 3.5/5*, .270-0-4 .674OPS 0.3WAR 36G/12GS) is in the majors now but on the bench as their manager plays 2B Brian Dozier(27, 2.5*, .234-8-30 .657OPS 0.3WAR)… they are sooo cooked.

We still hold the best minor league system but of all teams, the 51-29 Los Angeles Angels are second with a glut of 3.5*-4* guys… they could be flat out crazy in 2-3 years.

Minor League Report and Awards:
AAA 1B Ricardo Camacho(24, 2/2.5*) .425-9-27 20R 1.271OPS 1.4WAR
A 1B Carlos Puentes(23, 1.5/3.5*) .307-10-21 24R 1.146OPS 1.4WAR
R RHCL Angel Rendon(18, 1.5/2*) 3-0 7SV 1.38 15K 0.2WAR
R SS Tony Hernandez(18, 1/2.5*) .366-5-18 11R 1.067OPS 1.3WAR
Won Monthly Awards

*takes out his whip * DEVELOP YOU MUGS. Now, jokes aside, we got two good hitters lined up for the next season, the pitching is where I’m concerned. We have two top potential guys in AAA that don’t make the next step and it makes me mad. CMON Syndergaard is down there since 2012 and only seems to develop during the development lab…

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
RHSP Nelson Chapa(16, 3*) 75/45/40 70 Stamina, 98-100mph potential fastball from Colorado Rockies.
RHSP Jose Patlan(16, 3*) 55/50/50 70 Stamina, 92-94 mph potential fastball from Atlanta.

Two good starters, I love the stamina.

In Other News:
June 1st – Yankees RHSP Ivan Nova(27, 2.5*) held the White Sox scoreless today, going 9IP 4H 0ER 0BB 10K in a 6-0 win. A 18-game loser in 2013, he is 3-3 2.64 46K 1.4WAR in 11 starts.

June 10th – Giants RHSP Matt Cain(29, 3.5*) shackled the Reds 9-0, crafting a complete game 4-hitter with 2BB and 7K. The 2x All-Star is 6-4 2.64 76K 2.3WAR in 13 starts.

June 16th – Yankees 2B Robinson Cano(31, 3.5*) banged out 3 home runs in a 8-6 win over the Texas Rangers, going 4-5 3R 6RBI 3HR. The 3x Silver Slugger is batting .351-10-42 1.075OPS 2.7WAR in 45 games.

June 20th – The San Francisco Giants and SP Madison Bumgarner(24, 4*, 9-4 3.31 113K 3.6WAR) agreed to a 5y/$131.8M contract extension.

June 20th – Angels 1B Albert Pujols(34, 3*) collected career hit #2500 today on a 5-4 loss to the Rays. The 3x MvP, 2001 NL RotY, 3x Gold Glover, 6x Silver Slugger and 10x All-Star is a career .321/.406/.594 516HR 1617RBI 1504R 2500H 93.8WAR 2083G hitter between STL and LAA.

June 30th – Mariners LHSP Francisco Liriano(30, 2.5*) tossed a complete game shutout in a 5-0 win over the Yankees, going 9IP 2H 0ER 1BB 6K. The 2006 AL All-Star is 6-7 3.88 93K 2.6WAR in 16 games.

July 1st – Angels CF Mike Trout(22, 5*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .378 with 10 home runs, 32RBIs and 31 runs scored for the month. The Batter of the Month for the third consecutive month, he is batting .343-26-78 1.208OPS 20/22SB 5.9WAR in 77 games.

July 1st – Phillies LF Tyler Colvin(28, 2.5/3*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .365 with 9 home runs, 24RBIs and 19 runs scored for the month. The left-handed hitter is batting .293-14-51 .861OPS 1.7WAR in 77 games.

July 1st – Astros RHSP Mike Leake(26, 2.5*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 1.85 32K in 43.2IP in 6 starts for the month. In his third year with HOU, he is 7-5 4.69 65K 0.9WAR in 16 starts.

July 1st – Braves RHSP Chad Billingsley(29, 3*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-1 2.63 32K in 41IP and 6 starts for the month. The 2009 AL All-Star is 9-6 4.36 74K 1.9WAR in 16 starts.

July 1st – Blue Jays 3B/DH Eugenio Suárez(22, 3/3.5*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after batting .341 with 10 home runs, 18 RBIs and 26 runs for the month. The #65 prospect before the season is batting .275-21-37 .887OPS 1.5WAR in 80 games.

July 1st – Cubs LHSP Justin Nicolino(22, 2*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after going 4-0 3.49 21K in 28.1IP and 4 starts for the month. A Rule 5 draftee from TOR, he is 5-1 5.49 43K 0.3WAR in 24G/9GS.

[Griever20]

General managers and their scouting divisions huddle around the club's conference room table as the 2014 draft is about to get under way. It will be fast, furious and punishing for those not ready to play the high-stakes game of strategy. Decision-making will have to be quick, impulsive and yet accurate. There won't be time to assess the fallout right now. Only after the die has been cast will Major League Baseball clubs have an opportunity to take stock of their draft day. The first five teams to pick this year will be Miami, Minnesota, Detroit, Los Angeles and Minnesota. Here are the highest-rated players on BNN's draft list:

1. Adam Walz, 22 year-old C out of college.
2. Ricardo Hernandez, 18 year-old 1B out of high-school.
3. Ron Goss, 18 year-old 1B out of high-school.
4. Steve Snyder, 21 year-old CF out of college.
5. Bryan Lawlor, 21 year-old 1B out of college.
6. Danny Cabrera, 17 year-old C out of high-school.
7. Chris Unger, 18 year-old 3B out of high-school.
8. Luis Guzman, 21 year-old SS out of college.
9. Ryan Mirabella, 22 year-old SS out of college.
10. Matt Spera, 21 year-old CF out of college.

1st Round, 1st Pick(1st overall) Miami Marlins select SS Luis Guzman(21, 1.5/4*) out of Ouachita Baptist University
Great Competition: .298-10-23 1.274OPS 63G 6.0WAR
Signability: Hard, Bonus Demand: $5.5M
Injury Proneness: Durable
Personality: Leader, Loyalty, Financial Ambition
More of a second baseman than a shortstop, Guzman is a very good hitting prospect that can become a great infielder for years to come. Good personality, albeit not perfect for development, the Junior College kid would’ve been interesting for us as well.

1st Round, 17th pick (17th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select CF Steve Snyder(21, 1.5/4.5*) out of West Virginia University
Good Competition: .335-16-59 1.310OPS 6.2WAR 61G
Signability: Normal, Bonus Demand: $3M
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Adaptability, Baseball IQ
Another Junior College bat, the 21-year old was #4 in the latest OSA Mock Draft but fell and fell and fell… to us. Good bat with lots of doubles in it, and a well rated defender in the outfield. A right-handed hitter, he has some raw speed but needs to hone his stealing skills to add another big tool to his game.

2nd Round, 12th pick (53rd overall) Toronto Blue Jays select RHSP Julio Acosta(21, 1.5/4*) out of UL Lafayette
Average Competition: 9-5 3.39 121K 3.1WAR 132IP 20GS
Signability: Hard, Bonus Demand: $1.5M
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Adaptability
A really good pitching prospect that lives of his finesse, throwing around 90mph with a devastating curveball and above average movement. He also throws a sinker and a pretty bad screwball. Will need some work.

3rd Round, 16th pick (87th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select 1B George Benton(18, 0.5/3.5*) out of Perry High School
Average Competition: .504-9-39 1.732OPS 5.3WAR 32G
Signability: Easy, Bonus Demand: Slot
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Unknown
Another first baseman, the high school kid is a right handed batter with more of a contact/doubles oriented approach that played more 2B, but is not as good as a defender there. Batting potential is 65/80/50/55/75. Will start in R-ball for sure.

4th Round, 16th pick (118th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select RHRP Mike Smith(18, 1.5/4*) out of Lincoln High School
Average Competition: 2-0 15SV 0.49 106K 3.2WAR 54.2IP
Signability: Easy, Bonus Demand: Slot
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Adaptability, Baseball IQ
Ye, we selected another reliever to bolster our minor league system. The kid is already throwing a hard slider with a harder sinker, but in addition to that, out scouts think he will have average control one day.

5th Round, 16th Pick (148th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select RHSP Tommy Erikson(21, 1.5/4*) out of Dominican University
Good Competition: 9-2 2.75 106K 3.4WAR 101.1IP 15GS
Signability: Easy, Bonus Demand: $300k
Injury Proneness: Durable
Personality: Work Ethic, Loyalty
Almost 22, the kid has good potential with a low 90’s heater, and four good offspeed pitches including a 75 potential curveball. The biggest question is… will he develop?

6th Round, 16th Pick (178th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select SS Arthur Price(18, 1.5/3*) out of South Plantation High School
Poor Competition: .454-6-43 1.475OPS 4.7WAR 36G
Signability: Extremely Hard, Bonus Demand: $800k
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Adaptability, Work Ethic
Rated 60 defensively at short and 55 at left, Price has a future as a versatile utility player if he plays his cards correctly. Rated 65/60/50/50/75 with the bat, he can hit some at the MLB level hopefully.

7th Round, 16th Pick (208th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select LHSP Bobby Olenick(21, 1.5/3.5*) out of Texas A&M University
Fair Competition: 11-3 2.74 140K 3.7WAR 125IP 18GS
Signability: Normal, Bonus Demand: Slot
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Work Ethic, Financial Ambition
A lefty that can pitch DEEP into game with a 75 stamina, the finesse pitcher (another one) with six pitches is similar to our 5th rounder. At age 21, he needs to develop to make this one worth.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
July 6th – LHP Luis Perez(29, 2*) passed through waivers and was assigned to AAA Las Vegas.

August 1st – LHP Bobby Cramer(34, 2.5*, 5-5 5.33 31K -0.2WAR 49G) was optioned to AAA and LHRP Mike Cosens(24, 3*, 3-+1 1SV 3.07 35K 0.3WAR 29.1IP) was placed on the active roster.

Series:
1-0 vs SFG (DH Eugenio Suárez 3-5 2R 2RBI HR(22))
2-1 vs SEA (SP Scott Kazmir 6.2IP 2H 1ER 1BB 5K W(5-4 3.04))
2-1 @ MIN (SP Marcus Stroman 7IP 2H 0ER 3BB 1K W(5-5 2.97))
1-2 vs TBR (SP Scott Kazmir 5.2IP 3H 1ER 0BB 5K W(6-4 2.96))
0-3 @ BAL
2-1 vs BOS (SP Scott Kazmir 6.1IP 2H 0ER 1BB 3K W(7-4 2.95))
2-1 @ CLE (LF Nick Castellanos 3-5 R 3RBI HR(12))
1-2 vs CWS (SP Scott Kazmir 7IP 6H 1ER 1BB 10K W(8-4 2.85))
1-2 vs OAK

Record: 54-51, 4th in AL East, 3GB in Division
July: 12-13
Runs Scored: 427(12th)
Batting AVG: .247(13th)
OBP: .310 (12th)
Home Runs: 113(6th)
Stolen Bases: 122(2nd)
Runs Against: 428(4th)
Starters ERA: 3.35(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.40(10th)
Defensive Eff.: .714(2nd)
Zone Rating: +39.1(1st)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: RHSP Henderson Alvarez III 4-0 1.69 11K 32IP 0.7WAR 5GS
Toronto Position Player of the Month: DH Eugenio Suárez .341/.400/.659 10HR 18RBI 26R 0.0ZR 1.6WAR 28G

Aand there goes the ‘Dream’ of being a real contender. A 12-13 month where we struggled to get traction and start a real run puts us 3 games behind in the AL East. That being said, we have no reason to throw the towel, and technically can’t anyways. The bad news is that our Wild Card chances may be slim with the AL West being a monster of a division…

Of course, the option of bringing up Jim Hatfield and Avsail Garcia and Jeremy Komosinski is still there… but we won’t. Next year maybe.

As for the lineup, we lack a real leadoff hitter. Right now, Bannister loves to play Eugenio Suárez as leadoff hitter… but he is our best power hitter right now… so we were able to convince our manager to try Rendon(.369 OBP, 21/24SB) as leadoff hitter and Suárez(26HR) as #3 hole hitter. Maybe this will help some. The back end of the lineup is the problem.

As for the pitching, the big pen additions of Joe Szczygiel and Blake Snell worked… 50/50. Snell was really good, but Joe struggled mighty… but he will get some more time here. That being said, our scouts are pretty sure that Mike Cosens is ready for the show and Cramer is getting old so... we made the switch.

Looking around the league, the hottest team for the last two months? The Texas Rangers with a 19-9 June and a 16-9 July. The 1-2 punch of Hisashi Iwakuma(33, 3*, 8-5 4.20 115K 1.6WAR) and reigning Cy Young winner Yu Darvish(27, 3*, 5-7 4.51 135K 0.8WAR) are struggling still, but a vintage season by 2010 AL MvP LF Josh Hamilton(33, 3*, .297-30-80 .920OPS 2.3WAR), a strong season by leadoff hitter SS Elvis Andrus(25, 2.5/3*, .320-0-24 .787OPS 25/35SB 61R 3.2WAR) and by veteran 3B Adrian Beltre(35, 2.5*, .296-12-61 .792OPS 1.7WAR) helps them to 3rd in runs scored and 1st in OPS…

Minor League Report and Awards:
AAA SP Jeremy Komosinski(22, 2.5/5*) 5-0 2.41 24K 1.0WAR 33.2IP 6G/5GS
A 1B Joe Sokolow(22, 1.5/4*) .389-8-27 1.166OPS 1.9WAR 29G
A RHCL Mike Bishop(23, 2/3.5*) 2-4 30SV 2.36 62K 2.4WAR 42IP 39G
R CF Bengt Young(16, 1/2.5*) .286-4-19 .967OPS 1.0WAR 23G
Won Monthly Awards

A good month by Komosinski who was rated up to a 2.5* overall and therefore may be getting closer to MLB, and maybe closer to MLB than our career AAA guy Noah Syndergaard… More on our prospects next as we are working on a prospect report. However, the breaking news are below…

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
LHSP James Saunderson(16, 5*) 75/70/55 60 Stamina, 97-9mph potential fastball, groundball pitcher from Miami Marlins.

BÄM! A 16-year old stud pitcher from Australia thanks to the Marlins! Insane!

In Other News:

July 6th – Brewers CF Carlos Gomez(28, 2.5/3*) hammered the Phillies in a 9-3 win, going 5-5 RBI SB. The 28-year old star outfielder is batting .256-12-36 .750OPS 23/29SB 1.9WAR in 80 games.

July 10th – Mariners RHSP Chris Tillman(26, 2.5*) pitched a 7-0 shutout, registering 5 hits, 4 strikeouts and one walk in a win over the Twins. A minor league free agent signing this winter, he is 8-7 3.85 86K 1.2WAR in 18 starts.

July 11th – Brewers LHSP Tommy Milone(27, 2.5*) blanked the San Francisco Giants 4-0 today, pitching a 9IP 5H 0ER 0BB 4K game. A waiver claim in 2013, he is 9-6 1SV 3.28 90K 1.2WAR in 21G/16GS.

July 13th – Pirates 2B Neil Walker(28, 3*) saw a 20-game hitting streak come to an end in a 4-3 win over the Braves. The 2013 NL Silver Slugger is batting .283-11-45 .797OPS 18/23SB 1.8WAR in 90 games.

July 20th – In a clearly rebuild focussed trade, the Yankees sent RHCL David Robertson(29, 3/3.5*, 3-2 24SV 1.66 45K 1.3WAR) to the Rays in exchange for RHRP Bill Gray(24, 2/4.5*, 0-2 1SV 6.33 16K -0.3WAR)

July 21st – Rays C Wilson Ramos(26, 3*) went ballistic with five hits today, going 5-53R 6RBI DB HR in a 13-6 win over the Twins. The 2014 AL All-Star is batting .350-14-54 .919OPS 3.7WAR in 79 games.

July 26th – Rangers RHSP Colby Lewis(34, 3*) blanked the Astros 7-0 with a complete game 2-hitter with 3BB and 5K. The 2012 World Series Champion is 7-4 4.06 95K 1.9WAR in 21 starts.

July 27th – In a stunning trade, the Yankees sent RHCL Mariano Rivera(44, 4*, 9-2 2SV 2.63 45K 0.7WAR) to the Nationals in exchange for veteran 1B Adam LaRoche(34, 2.5*, .255-13-36 .816OPS 0.8WAR). Both contracts are running out after the season.

July 31st – The Chicago Cubs(53-52) acquired RF Nick Markakis(30, 3*, ,355-7-60 ,871OPS 2.9WAR) from the Guardians(49-56) for a catching prospect. He is a 2x All-Star and 1x Gold Glover.

July 31st – RHRP Kelvin Herrera(24, 4*, 0-5 1SV 3.74 62K 0.7WAR) was traded to the Atlanta Braves(60-45) with a lateblooming left field prospect going to the Royals(40-65).

July 31st – The San Diego Padres(54-51) added 2010 Silver Slugger LF Carlos Gonzalez(28, 3.5*, .310-18-61 .879OPS 2.8WAR) in exchange for a package of prospects, including R LHCL Jose Alvarado(19, 1.5/4*) and RF Kenny Mullin(24, 2/3*, .206-10-31 .640OPS -0.5WAR), going to Colorado.

August 1st – Rangers LF Josh Hamilton(33, 3*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .320 with 13 home runs, 28RBIs and 20 runs scored for the month. The 5x All-Star is batting .297-30-80 .920OPS 2.3WAR in 99 games.

August 1st – Brewers 1B Prince Fielder(30, 4.5*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .372 with 8 home runs, 20RBIs and 25 runs scored for the month. The 4x Silver Slugger is batting .312-30-74 1.020OPS 4.0WAR in 105 games.

August 1st – Yankees RHSP Ivan Nova(27, 2.5*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 2.56 33K in 38.2IP in 6 starts for the month. An All-Star for the first time this year, he is 9-5 2.96 103K 3.0WAR in 22 starts.

August 1st – Dodgers RHSP Zack Greinke(30, 3.5*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 6-0 1.71 37K in 42IP and 6 starts for the month. The 2009 AL Cy Young Winner is 12-3 2.67 134K 3.6WAR in 22 starts.

August 1st – Twins CF Aaron Hicks(24, 3*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after batting .272 with 5 home runs, 13 RBIs and 16 runs for the month. The #76 prospect before the season is batting .243-18-51 .804OPS 2.4WAR in 102 games.

August 1st – Cardinals SS Matt Havlin(23, 2/3*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after batting .350 with 1 home run, 14 RBIs and 10 runs scored for the month. The 30th overall pick in 2013 is batting .240-1-24 .576OPS 26/36SB 0.7WAR in 94 games.

[Griever20]

Starting Pitching:
AAA LHSP Jeremy Komosinki(22, 2.5/5*) 13-5 4.18 100K 2.8WAR 21GS – 3rd overall 2013
AA RHSP Victor Torres(18, 1.5/5*) 4-5 4.80 47K -0.5WAR 17GS – IFA Signing 2013
R LHSP James Saunderson(16, 1.5/5*) 2-1 2.62 28K 1.3WAR 4GS – Scouting Discovery 2014
AAA RHSP Noah Syndergaard(21, 2/4*) 10-4 4.969 118K 2.7WAR 21GS – 1st round 2010
R RHSP Julio Acosta(21, 1.5/4*) 0-1 5.60 27K 0.2WAR 3GS – 2nd round 2014
R RHSP Tommy Erikson(21, 1.5/4*) 1-1 3.14 24K 0.8WAR 2GS – 5th round 2014
R LHSP Danny Vasquez(17, 1/3.5*) 5-2 2.99 109K 2.9WAR 18GS – Scouting Discovery 2013
R LHSP Bobby Olenick(21, 1.5/3.5*) 0-0 1SV 0.00 0.1WAR 3.1IP 2G – 7th rounder 2014
AAA RHSP Lucas Giolito(20, 2/3*) 11-2 4.37 85K 2.1WAR 20GS – Trade with WSH 2012

This is a future rotation of studs…

Relief Pitching:
AAA RHRP Kevin Buchanan(24, 2.5/4*) 3-0 2SV 1.83 30K 0.9WAR 34.1IP – 10th rounder 2012
AA RHRP Roberto Osuna(19, 2/4*) 2-1 23SV 2.70 44K 1.4WAR 36.2IP
S A RHRP Jorge Diaz(18, 2/4*) 3-2 23SV 0.42 64K 2.5WAR 43IP – Scouting Discovery 2012
R RHRP Mike Smith(18, 1.5/4) 1-0 2SV 4.50 5K 0.2WAR 4IP – 4th round 2014
AAA LHRP Felipe Vazquez(23, 2/3.5*) 4-0 6SV 3.47 35K 0.8WAR 36.1IP – Trade with TBR 2012
A RHRP Mike Bishop(23, 2/3.5*) 2-4 30SV 2.36 62K 2.4WAR 42IP – 11th rounder 2013
AAA LHRP Mike Cosens(24, 3*) 3-1 1SV 3.07 35K 0.3WAR 29.1IP – 5th rounder 2012
AAA RHRP Ricardo Maurer(20, 2/3*) 2-3 12SV 2.66 40K 0.6WAR 40.2IP – 2nd rounder 2012
AAA RHRP Chris Devenski(23, 2/3*) 4-41 2SV 4.20 34K 0.3WAR 40.2IP – Trade with CWS 2012.

Catchers:
Three 3* prospects in A-ball and below.

First Base:
A 1B Joe Sokolow(22, 1.5/4*) .329-17-64 .982OPS 3.2WAR 84G – 7th round 2013
A 1B Carlos Puentes(24, 1.5/3.5*) .288-34-87 1.005OPS 2.8WAR 103G – 3rd round 2013
R 1B George Benton(18, 0.5/3.5*) .208-1-2 .713OPS -0.1WAR 6GS – 3rd round 2014

Second Base:
R 2B Daniel Alvarez(17, 0.5/3.5*) .245-16-44 .876OPS 1.1WAR 75G – Scouting Discovery

Third Base:
One 3* prospect in R-ball.

Shortstop:
AAA SS Jim Hatfield(22, 2.5/3.5*) .308-13-34 .947OPS 21/31SB 4.5WAR 79G – 1st Round 2012

Outfield:
R CF Steve Snyder(21, 1.5/4.5*) .227-0-2 .729OPS 0.3WAR 5GS – 1st Round 2014
AAA LF Jesse Winker(20, 2/3.5*) .319-18-71 .978OPS 1.8WAR 93G – Trade with CIN
AAA RF Avsail Garcia(23, 2.5/3*) .362-21-73 1.025OPS 3.1WAR 91GS – Trade with DET
AAA CF Justin Henjum(24, 2/3*) .269-4-37 .739OPS -0.1WAR 83G – 9th Round 2012
AAA CF Ian Dellaripa(21, 2/3*) .365-7-45 .967OPS 1.3WAR 79G – 6th round 2012

[Griever20]

Transactions:
August 28th – LHRP Mike Cosens(24, 3*, 1-0 3.24 7K 0.1WAR 8.1IP) was placed on the 15-day IL with bone chips in his elbow 6 weeks.. LHRP Luis Perez(29, 2*, 4-3 4.57 22K -0.3WAR) was recalled. Cramer is injured himself…

September 1st – RF Avsail Garcia(23, 2.5/3*, .371-31-103 1.051OPS 4.6WAR AAA) was called up as our lone September Callup.

September 1st – A LHRP Mario Lujan(25, 1.5/2.5*, 2-0 2.87 47K 0.9WAR A ) was waived and designated for assignment. He was a scouting mistake last season and there is no reason to pay him $480k next season.

Series:
0-3 @ LAA
3-0 vs HOU (DH Eugenio Suárez 3-4 2R 2RBI 2HR(28), LF Nick Castellanos 2-4 2R 2RBI HR(13), 3B Anthony Rendon 2-5 3R 5RBI DB HR(21))
1-2 @ KCR
2-1 vs TEX (SP Chris Archer 5.1IP 5H 1ER 3BB 6K W(6-8 3.86), SP Henderson Alvarez III 7.1IP 2H 0ER 4BB 3K ND(7-66 3.10))
2-1 @ DET (SP Daniel Norris 6.1IP 2H 0ER 2BB 6K W(10-6 3.77), SP Marcus Stroman 5.2IP 4H 0ER 1BB 6K W(6-7 2.90))
1-2 vs NYY (SP Henderson Alvarez 6.1IP 5H 0ER 1BB 3K W(8-6 2.97))
2-1 vs SFG (1B Adam Brzezinski 2-2 2R RBI 2BB HR(14), DH Eugenio Suárez 2-4 2R 3RBI HR(31))
2-1 @ SEA (LF Nick Castellanos 4-5 R 4RBI HR(17))
2-1 vs MIN (SP Scott Kazmir 6.2IP 3H 0ER 0BB 4K W(9-7 3.05), SP Chris Archer 5.1IP 4H 1ER 3BB 5K W(7-10 3.78))
2-0 @ TBR (SP Marcus Stroman 7IP 1H 0ER 3BB 4K ND(6-7 2.94), DH Eugenio Suárez 4-6 3R 2RBI TP)

Record: 71-63, 3rd in AL East, 4GB in Division, 1GB in Wild Card
August: 17-12
Runs Scored: 558(12th)
Batting AVG: .246(14th)
OBP: .311 (12th)
Home Runs: 147(6th)
Stolen Bases: 175 (2nd)
Runs Against: 537(3rd)
Starters ERA: 3.32(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.25(9th)
Defensive Eff.: .715(1st)
Zone Rating: +44.5(1st)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: RHSP Marcus Stroman 1-0 2.14 31K 33.2IP 0.9WAR 6GS
Toronto Position Player of the Month: 3B Anthony Rendon .370/.407/.704 6HR 22RBI 28R +2.7ZR 1.2WAR 29G

Exactly one month to go! With a 17-12 August, we are now still 4 games behind in the division… but surprisingly, the Wild Card race has opened up for us as we are one behind the final Wild Card spot… currently held by the glowing white Orioles with Oakland Athletics tied with us at 71-63… it will be another close one.

We will play the Orioles and Athletics next month as well as the Angels and Rangers so this won’t be an easy pushover month…

Now, how did we do this? Well, the Rendonian Devil has filled up to a complete 60/65/55/55/60 hitter with great defense that and he with 89 runs scored and our #3 hitter in Eugenio Suárez scored 93 runs so far… they are easily our two best hitters this season. And after going back and forth… we hope to improve some parts of our offfense with our September callup of Avsail Garcia… yes, I caved in. He was on the 40-man anyways.

We got a nice e-Mail from our friend Scott Kazmir last month, asking for a contract extension. We were kinda intrigued… until his agent told us he wants 3y/$58M. NOPE. Outta here. Thank you for your services. If you want that money, we gladly take the draft pick.

Talking about the playoffs, Id say you have to get past the Rangers in the AL and the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers if you want to win something this year.

Looking around… in San Francisco, catcher Buster Posey(27, 5*, .340-14-84 .969 7.4WAR) is on pace for a ridiculous 8.9WAR year while in the AL, the only reason why Mike Trout(23, 5*, .349-28-84 1.224OPS 6.3WAR) hasn’t broken a bunch of records… was a pesky elbow strain… he leads the AL in WAR with 84 games played…

Also, if he keeps doing this for three more years, 1B Prince Fielder(30, .308-40-96 1.002OPS 4.8WAR) may one day have a Hall of Fame case if he lasts a bit longer after his prime. He is raking in what could well be his fifth season with an OPS over 1.000.

Minor League Report and Awards:
AAA RF Avsail Garcia(23,2.5/3*) .385-10-30 1.087OPS 1.4WAR 30G
AA 2B Erick Mejia(19, 1.5/2*) .357-7-30 1.070OPS 1.5WAR 28G
A SP Matthew Stewart(19, 1.5/2.5*) 3-1 0.74 31K 1.1WAR 36.1IP
S A C Rodrigo Valdivia(19, 1/2*) .333-7-19 1.023OPS 1.1WAR 24GS
R RHRP Mike Amant(18, 1.5/3*) 3-0 3SV 2.93 19K 0.2WAR 15.1IP
R LHRP Ozzie Cazares(17, 1.5/3*) 1-1 11SV 2.70 19K 0.5WAR 13.1IP
R CF Steve Snyder(21, 1.5/4.5*) .413-5-16 1.153OPS 1.6WAR 26G
Won Monthly Awards

As you can see above, our 1st rounder is off to a good start in rookie ball and will most likely make the jump towards short A or above next season, and Garcia won the PotM in AAA to say goodbye, hopefully for a long time. Looking to AAA, Komosinski and Hatfield are ready to join us next season… makes letting Kazmir go easier.

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
1B Jerry Zapata(16, 3*) 55/55/60/50/55 with 45D at first base from St. Louis Cardinals

We almost let him go as our lower minors are already stacked… but couldn’t.

In Other News:

August 1st – Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera(31, 5*) hammered 3 home runs today in a 17-3 rout of the Royals, going 3-5 3R 5RBI 3HR for the night. The 9x All-Star is batting .327-34-87 1.047OPS 4.2WAR in 104 games.

August 4th – Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton(24, 3.5/4*) crushed three into the stands today, going 3-4 3R 5RBI 3HR in a 6-1 win over the Diamondbacks. The 2x Silver Slugger is batting .268-19-71 .850OPS 3.3WAR in 94 games.

August 4th – Guardians RHSP Brandon McCarthy(31, 3*) blanked the Orioles 12-0, throwing a complete game 4-hitter with 1BB and 7K. The veteran is 6-6 4.43 115K 3.7WAR in 23 games.

August 8th – Phillies LHSP John Danks(29, 2.5*) threw a 4-hit gem, walking one and striking out six in a 4-0 win over the Braves. The lefty is 5-3 5.50 68K 0.6WAR in 26G/15GS.

August 10th – Orioles RHSP Mike Leake(26, 2.5*) blanked the Brewers 13-0 with his own 4-hitter with 0BB and 3K. The righty is 10-8 4.64 100K 1.0WAR in 24 starts.

August 10th – Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki(29, 4*) lasered three home runs today, going 3-5 3R 5RBI 3HR in a 13-2 win over the Pirates. The 2x Silver Slugger is batting .308-33-95 1.027OPS 5.8WAR in 107 games.

August 14th – Padres 1B Prince Fielder(30, 4.5*) added a 3 home run game to an offensive filled season, going 4-5 4R 4RBI 3HR in a 10-9 win over the Giants. The 6x All-Star is batting .315-366-89 1.033OPS 4.8WAR in 118 games.

August 14th – Rangers 3B Adrian Beltre(35, 2.5*) collected career hit #2500 today in a 8-3 triumph over the Seattle Mariners. The 3x Gold Glover, 3x Silver Slugger and 3x All-Star is a career .279/.329/.473 385 HR 1357RBIs 2502H 1245R 46.7WAR hitter in 2371 games between LAD, SEA, BOS and TEX.

August 14th – Rockies LF Carl Crawford(33, 2.5*) has now amassed #2000 career hits. The 5x All-Star, 1x Gold Glover and 1x Silver Slugger is a career .293/.334/.442 147HR 826RBI 1020R 2000H 467/573SB 36.1WAR hitter in 1750 games for TBR, BOS and COL.

August 15th – Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez(39, 2.5*) has reached quite a milestone today, 3000 career hits. The 3x MvP, 2x Silver Slugger, 10x Silver Slugger and 14x All-Star is a career .300/.384/.560 668HR 2006RBI 1953R 3000H 324/405SB 112.1WAR hitter in 2629 games between SEA, TEX and NYY.

August 16th – Braves RHSP Johnny Cueto(28, 3*) has pitched the best game of his career, a 1-0 NO-HITTER with 1BB and 5K over the Dodgers. The 2013 NL All-Star is 8-8 4.34 129K 2.6WAR in 25 starts.

August 19th – Orioles 1B Chris Davis(28, 3*) joined the 3 home run club today, going 3-5 3R 6rBI 3HR in a tough 12-10 loss to the Astros. The first time All-Star is batting .273-34-977 .932OPS 3.5WAR in 119 games.

August 22nd – Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera(31, 5*) joined the milestone fun with career hit #2000 today. The 2012 AL MvP, 9x All-Star and 4x Silver Slugger is a career .320/.396/.570 367HR 1222RBI 1076R 2000H 62.3WAR hitter in 1670 games for MIA and DET.

August 27th – Orioles RF Adam Jones(29, 2.5*) boomed 3 home run in a 8-3 win over the Tigers, going 4-5 3R 5RBI 3HR for the night. The 2x Gold Glover is batting .272-29-86 .812OPS 2.3WAR in 122 games.

August 31st – Marlins RHSP Jose Fernandez(22, 3/4*) kept the Dodgers hitters from doing damage today, throwing a 9IP 5H 0ER 0BB 9K game in a 5-0 win. The young Cuban is 6-9 2.66 166K 3.3WAR in 28 games.

August 31st – Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira(34, 2.5*) swatted career home run #400 today in a 3-0 win over the Orioles. The 4x Gold Glover , 3x All-Star and 3x Silver Slugger is a career .270/.364/.513 400HR 1277RBI 1109R 1823H 52.4WAR hitter in 1813 games for TEX,ATL, LAA and NYY.

September 1st – Orioles 1B Chris Davis(28, 3*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .324 with 13 home runs, 34RBIs and 18 runs scored for the month. The first time All-Star is batting .268-36-100 .910OPS 3.5WAR in 130 games.

September 1st – Padres RF Carlos Gonzalez(28, 3.5*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .370 with 11 home runs, 27RBIs and 25 runs scored for the month. The 2010 NL Silver Slugger is batting .321-29-87.939OPS 46WAR in 129 games between SDP and COL.

September 1st – White Sox LHSP Chris Capuano(36, 2.5*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 2.23 27K in 40.1IP in 6 starts for the month. The 2006 NL All-Star is 8-3 2.52 60K 1.8WAR in 14G and 13 starts.

September 1st – Padres RHSP Clay Buchholz(30, 3*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-0 1.39 17K in 32.1IP and 5 starts for the month. The 2010 All-Star is 15-5 3.05 105K 2.7WAR in 26 starts.

September 1st – Royals RHSP Jake Odorizzi(24, 2.5*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after going 4-0 2.36 31K in 34.1IP and 5 starts for the month. The flyball pitcher is 4-7 4.30 143K 1.6WAR in 37G/22GS.

September 1st – Cubs LHRP Justin Nicolino(22, 2.5*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after going 3-3 1SV 3.98 15K in 20.1IP and 11 games for the month. The Rule 5 draftee from TOR is 10-4 1SV 4.68 67K 0.7WAR in 42G/12GS.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
September 6th – LHRP Mario Lujan(25, 1.5/2.5*) passed through waivers easily.

Series:
1-0 @ TBR (SS Ryan Goins 2-3 3R 5RBI BB 2HR(6))
0-3 vs BAL
2-1 @ BOS (3B Anthony Rendon 4-5 3R 2RBI 2DB)
2-1 vs CLE (SP Marcus Stroman 6IP 1H 0ER 0BB 9K W(7-7 2.94), SP Daniel Norris 5IP 5H 0ER 0BB 6K W(11-7 3.83))
3-0 @ CWS (DH Eugenio Suárez 2-4 2R 4RBI 2HR(39), SP Chris Archer 6.1IP 3H 1ER 3BB 3K W(9-10 3.68), SP Henderson Alvarez III 7.2IP 7H 2ER 1BB 4K W(9-9 3.29))
0-3 @ OAK
2-1 vs LAA (SP Henderson Alvarez 6.2IP 2H 1ER 3BB 9K W(10-9 3.22))
0-3 @ HOU
1-2 vs KCR (SS Ryan Goins 2-3 2R 2RBI DB HR(7))
3-0 @ TEX (C Devin Mesoraco 3-5 3R 3RBI HR(24), SP Henderson Alvarez III 6.2IP 5H 0ER 2BB 6K W(11-10 3.32), 1B Eric Thames 3-4 3R 6RBI 2BB DB TP)

Record: 85-77, 3rd in AL East, 1GB in Division, 1GB in Wild Card
September: 14-14
Runs Scored: 700(11th)
Batting AVG: .247(14th)
OBP: .313 (12th)
Home Runs: 181(6th)
Stolen Bases: 215 (1st)
Runs Against: 663(3rd)
Starters ERA: 3.55(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.06(9th)
Defensive Eff.: .712(1st)
Zone Rating: +50.4(1st)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: RHSP Marcus Stroman 2-02.92 34K 37IP 1.0WAR 6GS
Toronto Position Player of the Month: DH Eugenio Suárez .231/.336/.548 8HR 20RBI 26R 7/9SB 0.9WAR

And once again… gone fishing early. We made quite an effort late with a sweep of the 100-win Rangers but getting swept by Baltimore and Oakland killed us here… by ONE GAME.

With all that done, we can clearly say that calling up RF Avsail Garcia didn’t provide a spark, but instead cost us 0.6WAR and our scouts rated his current ability down to 2*… well, patience would’ve probably been the right call here.

We made a second call for Scott Kazmir and he now wants 3y/$44.2M for his services… it will be a qualifying offer for sure. As for other roster moves… we may waive some players and let some arbitration eligible players go… for our prospects coming up…

Now, some positives… Eugenio Suárez led the AL in runs scored with 119, Anthony Rendon in doubles with 53, and he also finished second in WAR behind Mike Trout who got healthy again and added 2 WAR in a month…

For the AL, the favorites are the 100-win Rangers with LF Josh Hamilton(33, 3*, .298-39-117 .903OPS 2.2WAR), RF Nelson Cruz(34, 3*, .286-35-111 .895OPS 4.5WAR), 3B Adrian Beltre(35, 2.5*, .300-22-98 .813OPS 2.8WAR) leading their high octane offense… they won it all in 2012 by the way.

The worst to first story of 2014? From 70-92 to 99-63 for the Los Angeles Dodgers. While it has been an off-year for SP Clayton Kershaw(26, 4.5/5*, 11-12 3.10 217K 5.2WAR) but SP Zach Greinke(30, 4*, 19-5 2.25 206K 6.4WAR) picked him up and RF Yasiel Puig(23, 4.5*, .359-29-100 1.062OPS 7.0WAR 116G) and LF Matt Kemp(30, 4*, .297-33-112 .922OPS 5.9WAR) are leading a good offense.

However, the Washington Nationals have a bone to pick with the playoffs after an early exit due to injuries in 2013. Check those #1-#4 hitters.
SS Ian Desmond(29, 3*) .288-27-81 .837OPS 3.3WAR
RF Jose Bautista(33, 3*) .281-45-109 .927OPS 3.6WAR
LF Bryce Harper(21, 5*) .325-33-99 1.065OPS 6.5WAR
3B Ryan Zimmerman(30, 3*) .278-23-93 .800OPS 3.4WAR

Ouch.

Minor League Report and Awards:
S A RHCL Jorge Diaz(18, 2/4*) 1-0 6SV 1.00 13K 0.3WAR 9IP
R LHSP James Saunderson(16, 1.5/5*) 4-0 1.46 31K 1.1WAR 24.2IP
R CF Steve Snyder(21, 2/4*) .333-4-17 1.163OPS 1.2WAR 18G
Won Monthly Awards

AAA RF Avsail Garcia(23, 2/3*) PCL MvP .371-31-103 1.051OPS 4.6WAR 117G
AA RHRP James C. Eaton (21, 3*) EL Pitcher of the Year 4-2 3SV 1.30 76K 2.5WAR 76.1IP
AA 2B Erick Mejia(19, 1.5/2*) EL MvP .267-17-75 .798OPS 4.1WAR 137G
A LHSP Jon Rusciano(20, 1.5/3*) FSL Pitcher of the Year 6-4 2.71 148K 3.7WAR 122.2IP 24GS
A 1B Carlos Puentes(24, 2/3.5*) FSL MvP .290-+36-95 .992OPS 3.1WAR 120G
S A RHSP Etelson Velez(18, )
S A RHCL Jorge Diaz(18, 2/4*) NORW Reliever of the Year 5-3 34SV 0.85 88K 2.8WAR 63.1IP
R LHP Ricardo Ramirez(18, 1.5/3*) APL Pitcher of the Year 8-4 6SV 2.87 151K 3.2WAR 97.1IP 33G/17GS
R CF Bengt Young(17, 0.5/2.5*) MLB AYRL MvP .287-14-63 .906OPS 3.6WAR 115G
Won Seasonal Awards

It was a good year for us and it will continue to be one of the best minor league systems in baseball. The rookies coming up in 2015 will be rockin’

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
None

In Other News:

September 7th – White Sox LF Mark Davis(24, 2.5/3.5*) tagged the Tigers for five runs, going 5-5 2R 7RBI BB HR in a 15-7 win. The 2nd rounder in 2012 is batting .228-15-43 .721OPS 0.8WAR in 87 games.

September 14th – Rangers SS Elvis Andrus(26, 2.5/3*) stroked five hits today in a 7-4 win over the Houston Astros, going 5-5 2R 2RBI 3DB for the day. The 2013 AL Gold Glover is batting .292-0-39 .725OPS 32/44SB 3.4WAR in 131 games.

September 15th – Tigers C Yan Gomes(27, 2.5*) hammered three home runs today in a 9-5 loss to the Houston Astros, going 3-5 3R 4RBI 3HR. The Brazilian is batting .235-23-62 .689OPS -0.4WAR in 139 games.

September 19th – Giants RHSP Yusmeiro Petit(29, 2.5*) nailed the Cincinnati Reds big time, pitching a NO-HITTER with 2BB and 7K in a 2-0 win. A surprising member of their rotation, the 29-year old is 9-8 3.97 136K 1.7WAR in 30 starts… with 35 stamina.

September 28th – Brewers C Jonathan Lucroy(28, 3.5*) boomed 3 home runs out of the park, going 3-5 3R 5RBI 3HR, but losing the game to the Cincinnati Reds, 11-9. The 2x Gold Glover is batting .289-20-81 .825OPS 4.2WAR in 129 games.

October 1st – Rays 3B Evan Longoria(28, 3.5*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .364 with 11 home runs, 30RBIs and 21 runs scored for the month. The 5x All-Star is batting .276-32-111 .854OPS 4.8WAR in 155 games.

October 1st – Nationals LF Bryce Harper(21, 5*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .409 with 3 home runs, 16RBIs and 25 runs scored for the month. The 2x All-Star is batting .325-33-99 1.065OPS 6.5WAR in 140.

October 1st – Twins RHSP Kyle Gibson(26, 2.5*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-0 2.61 19K in 41.1IP in 6 starts for the month. The third year pro is 11-11 4.30 125K 2.1WAR in 33 starts.

October 1st – Dodgers RHSP Zach Greinke(30, 4*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 0.61 40K in 44IP and 6 starts for the month. The 3x All-Star is 19-5 2.25 206K 6.4WAR in 33 starts.

October 1st – Blue Jays 3B Eugenio Suárez(23, 3/3.5*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after batting .231 with 8 home runs, 20RBIs and 26 runs scored for the month. The first time All-Star is batting .252-42-89 .847OPS 2.1WAR 119R 2.1WAR in 162 games.

October 1st – Rockies CF Jesus Gonzalez(23, 2.5/3*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after batting .255 with 5 home runs, 18RBIs and 15 runs scored for the month. A 4th round selection in 2012, he is batting -256-7-33 .745OPS 30/31SB 1.1WAR in 64 games.

October 2nd – Astros 2B Jose Altuve(24, 4*) won the AL Batting Title, batting .333-13-83 .870OPS 4.2WAR in 153 games.

October 2nd – Braves 1B Freddie Freeman(25, 4*) won the NL Batting Title, batting .333-22-98 .952OPS 4.9WAR in 138 games.

[Griever20]

Of all possible outcomes, a Windy City Showdown in the World Series wasn’t what a lot of people would’ve betted on. And even more surprisingly, it was the team that LOST 84 games that wins the World Series FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MLB HISTORY!

Led by star lefty SP Chris Sale(25, 4/4.5*, 9-13 3.40 234K 5.4WAR) with their best hitter being C Jarrod Saltalamacchia(29, 2.5*, .240-23-83 .756OPS 1.8WAR), this may just be the most random playoff result in the history of baseball!

Transactions:
October 2nd – RHRP Yoslan Herrera(33, 2*, 1-2 3.76 44K -0.9WAR) and LHRP Luis Perez(29, 2*, 5-5 4.75 29K -0.3WAR) were waived and designated for assignment today to clean up the roster. Their services won’t be required in the future as a wave of bullpen talent is coming through the minors now. They passed through.

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
CF Tony Torres(15, 3*) 50/70/60/50/55 switch hitter with 65D in LF from Cincinnati Reds.

[Griever20]

Salary Arbitration:

Non-Tendered:
LHRP Bobby Cramer(35, 2.5*, 5-5 5.33 31K -0.1WAR)
RHRP Yoslan Herrera(33, 2*, 1-2 3.76 44K -0.9WAR)
RHRP Blake Wood(29, 2.5*, 5-3 1SV 4.61 64K 0.2WAR) – Estimate $1.8M
C Travis d’Arnaud(25, 2.5* .270-2-17 .736OPS 0.9WAR) – Estimate $1.8M
LF Jordan Danks(28, 2*, .210-4-22 .600OPS -0.1WAR)

This is a tough group, but it is time to bring in and trust the next generation of relief pitchers, and in the case of Jordan Danks, outfielders with more hitting potential. His two Gold Gloves will still life in our memory.

Contract Extension Offered:
SP Henderson Alvarez III(24, 2.5*, 11-10 3.32 105K 3.2WAR) - Estimate $3.36M – offered 1y/$3.25M extension
SP Marcus Stroman(23, 3.5*, 8-7 2.94 193K 3.6WAR) – Estimate $2.8M – offered 8y/$93.64M extension
RHRP Al Alburquerque(28, 2.5*, 1-2 2.00 71K 0.9WAR) – Estimate $850k – offered 1y/825k
RHRP Arodys Vizcaino(23, 2.5*, 7-4 5SV 2.94 61K 0.7WAR) - Estimate $850k – offered 1y/825k
C Devin Mesoraco(26, 3.5*, .282-24-75 .869OPS 4.7WAR) – Estimate $3.706M – offered 6y/$96.4M
1B Eric Thames(27, 2.5*, .242-2-19 .706OPS -0.2WAR) – Estimate $1.5M – offered 1y/$1.45M
2B Eduardo Escobar(25, 2.5*, .275-9-29 .811OPS 1.1WAR) – Estimate $1.7M – offered 1y/$1.65M
2B Adeiny Hechavarria(25, 2.5*, .261-5-42 .624OPS 0.2WAR) – Estimate $1.6M – offered 1y/$1.55M
SS Ryan Goins(26, 2*, .206-7-43 .576OPS 0.6WAR) – Estimate $800k – offered 1y/$800k
CF Jake Marisnick(23, 2.5*, .219-17-62 .633OPS 28/36SB 2.7WAR) – Estimate $1.938M – offered 8y/$54.5M

The key ones: Stroman, Mesoraco, Marisnick. I want my boys locked up. The hardest one of those three was Devin Mesoraco as he wanted up to $25M p.a. for his free agency years… and we had to go pretty close to those.

Upcoming Free Agents:
LHSP Scott Kazmir(30, 2.5*, 10-9 3.70 152K 2.8WAR) – wants 3y/$41.2M – We may offer a qualifying offer… but he technically is not good enough and we want room for the kids…
AAA LF Anthony Gose(24, 2.5*, .289-2-24 .749OPS 1.6WAR 18/24SB with SDP) Minor League Free Agent.

Gose was picked as a Rule 5 draftee and was really good with the Padres, so we will put him on the 40-man as a backup outfielder. He has now fully developed and still has 2 options left.

Transactions:
October 30th – LHRP Luis Perez(29, 2*, 5-5 4.75 29K -0.3WAR) and AAA 1B David Cooper(27, 2*, .284-5-46 .749OPS -0.8WAR AAA) were told that their services will no longer be required.

Development Lab:
MLB RF Avsail Garcia(23, 2/3*) Quality of Contact
AAA RHSP Jeremy Komosinski(22, 2.5/5*) Endurance Training
AAA RHSP Noah Syndergaard(22, 2/4*) Secondary Pitch Improvement
AAA RHRP Ricardo Maurer(20, 2.5/3*) Secondary Pitch Improvement
AAA SS Jim Hatfield(23, 2.5/3.5*) Gap Power
AA LHSP Victor Torres(18, 1.5/5*) Secondary Pitch Improvement
+ Defensive Improvements for Position Player Prospects.

[Griever20]

Blue Jays Awards:

Detroit Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera(31, 4.5*, .326-42-116 1.014OPS 5.6WAR) won his 5th Silver Slugger Award.
San Diego Padres 1B Prince Fielder(30, 4.5*, .295-44-111 .963OPS 5.0WAR) won his 5th Silver Slugger Award.

Major Awards:

For both Zach Greinke and Felix Hernandez, this is their second Award… and if someone is looking for me, I’m protesting the Suárez snub for RotY.

And of course, the 2nd MvP Award for the generational player that is Mike Trout.

Transactions:
November 15th – All our arbitration candidates that we want to keep signed their contract extensions including Marcus Stroman, Devin Mesoraco and Jake Marisnick!!!

November 19th – We eventually decided to not offer Scott Kazmir a qualifying offer. He could pick it actually. He thank him for three years of 28-41 3.40 475K 10.4WAR 101GS ball.

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
RHSP Franz Baum(16, 3*) 55/50/55 95-97mph potential flyball pitcher with 70 stamina from Kansas City Royals.

Contract Extensions:
Washington Nationals RF Bryce Harper(22, 5*, .325-33-99 1.065OPS 6.5WAR) 8y/$171.4M – 1x SS, 2x All-Star
Kansas City Royals C Salvador Perez(24, 4*,.286-27-95 .826OPS 3.6WAR) 8y/$157.28M – 1x GG, 2x SS, 3x All-Star

Big extension for WSH.

[Griever20]

Free Agent Signings:
New York Yankees RF Carlos Gonzalez(29, 3.5*, .310-32-98 .908OPS 5.2WAR) 7y/$216.8M – 1x SS, 1x GG, 1x All-Star
Philadelphia Phillies RHSP Felix Hernandez(28, 4*, 19-5 2.91 219K 7.1WAR) 6y/$168M – 2x Cy Young, 4x All-Star
Seattle Mariners RHSP Ruben Galindo(27, 4*) 7y/$140.2M – Cuban Defector
Tampa Bay Rays LF Melky Cabrera(30, 3*, .310-14-100 .806OPS 1.2WAR) 6y/$85.2M
Los Angeles Angels RHSP Casey Janssen(33, 3*, 10-11 3.51 150K 36WAR) 5y/$84M– 1x All-Star, 40 Stamina…
Milwaukee Brewers LHSP Cliff Lee(36, 3.5*, 10-9 3.95 183K 5.3WAR) 3y/$72M – 1x Cy Young, 5x All-Star
Minnesota Twins C Matt Wieters(28, 3*, .260-21-76 .803OPS 4.0WAR) 4y/$58M – 1x GG, 2x All-Star
New York Yankees C/1B/OF Jayson Werth(35, 3.5*, .294-15-73 .863OPS 4.3WAR) 3y/$53.6M – 3x All-Star
Cincinnati Reds LHSP David Price(29, 3*, 15-9 3-96 157K 1.9WAR) 4y/$52M – 3x All-Star
Cleveland Guardians RHSP Roy Halladay(37, 3*, 8-12 4.59 146K 2.9WAR) 3y/$39.9M – 2x Cy Young, 9x All-Star

Former Toronto Blue Jays:
Detroit Tigers LHSP Scott Kazmir(30, 2.5*, 10-9 3.70 152K 2.8WAR) 3y/$26M – 3x All-Star
Kansas City Royals C Travis d’Arnaud(25, 2.5*, .270-2-17 .736OPS 0.9WAR) 3y/$8.16M
Los Angeles Angels RHRP Blake Wood(29, 2.5*, 5-3 1SV 4.61 64K 0.2WAR) – 1y/$1.64M

Contract Extensions:
April 3rd – The Arizona Diamondbacks and LF Justin Upton(27, 4*, .264-39-131 3.3WAR) agreed to a 4y/$128.9M contract extension. He is a 1x Silver Slugger and 4x All-Star.

Trade News:
March 4th – In a clever rebuilding deal, the Boston Red Sox traded away RHSP R.A. Dickey(40, 3*, 12-7 2.57 209K 5.8WAR) to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for #59 prospect 3B Fernando Soriano(19, 1/4*, 20th overall pick 2013).

Transactions:
November 28th – AAA LF Jesse Winker(21, 2/3.5*, .320-23-93 .972OPS 2.5WAR) was placed on the 40-man to protect him in the Rule 5 Draft.

December 26th – The Rule 5 Draft was today. We picked nobody, but lost RHSP Anthony De Sclafani(24, 2/2.5*, 3-1 3.52 59K 0.9WAR 29G/4GS) again, this time to the Colorado Rockies.

January 20th – We threw out $2.5M in order to sign RHRP Emilio Farentino(16, 1.5/5*) from Venezuela. The kid is a 80/75/65 relief prospect with extreme groundball tendencies and a 85 rated slider and 80 rated sinker, all potential of course.

February 2nd – And the international amateur budget is now gone as we signed SS Jose de los Santos(17, 4*) for the remaining $1.44M of our budget. The kid from the Dominican is a potential 60/80/65/75/55 hitter with 65 rated defense at 3B and 55 defense at short.

[Griever20]

Development Lab:
MLB RF Avsail Garcia(23, 2/3*) Quality of Contact No Improvement
AAA RHSP Jeremy Komosinski(22, 2.5/5*) Endurance Training OUTSTANDING
AAA RHSP Noah Syndergaard(22, 2/4*) Secondary Pitch Improvement No Improvement
AAA RHRP Ricardo Maurer(20, 2.5/3*) Secondary Pitch Improvement SUCCESSFUL
AAA SS Jim Hatfield(23, 2.5/3.5*) Gap Power OUTSTANDING
AA LHSP Victor Torres(18, 1.5/5*) Secondary Pitch Improvement OUTSTANDING

Minor Programs:
MLB DH Eugenio Suárez(23, 3.5*) Base-stealing Technique OUTSTANDING
AAA LF Jesse Winker(21, 2/3.5*) Improve Outfield Defense OUTSTANDING
AA OF Jake Harris(21, 2/3*) Improve Outfield Defense SUCCESSFUL
A SS Tony Hernandez(19, 1/2.5*) Improve Infield Defense OUTSTANDING
A 2B Dave Cardenas(18, 0.5/2.5*) Improve Infield Defense SUCCESSFUL
R OF Steve Snyder(22, 2/4*) Base-stealing Technique SUCCESSFUL

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
1B Fernando Arriola(16, 4*) 70/50/60/55/65 switch hitting pull hitter from Pittsburgh Pirates.
RHSP Javier Corona(16, 3*) 45/50/80, 70 stamina 90-92mph potential finesse pitcher from Pittsburgh Pirates.

[Griever20]

Your 2015 Toronto Blue Jays:

Starting Pitching

RHSP Henderson Alvarez III(24, 2.5*) 11-10 3.32 105K 33GS 203.1IP 3.3WAR // 33-39 3.83 330K 107GS 648.1IP 7.5WAR (career)
Coming off a career year with 3.3WAR and his first All-Star nomination, he will once again be called upon to hold the fort in our rotation and eat a lot of innings. The control artist may not be the best clubhouse guy, but he gets the job done and is cheap for $3.25M.

RHSP Chris Archer(26, 2.5/3.5*) 10-10 3.74 176K 32GS 180.1IP 2.7WAR // 18-22 3.89 335K 63GS 351.2IP 4.5WAR (career)
After leading the league in walks in 2013 with 92, he got bailed out as there was someone else topping him in 2014… he walked 100. His overall numbers looked a bit better last year and the eye test tells the same story, but he did all this with a MLB leading .253BABIP and a 4.14FIP, so regression may be possible as his ceiling… he may never see. Acquired from TBR in 2012.

LHSP Jeremy Komosinski(23, 2.5/4.5*) 17-6 4.28 135K 176.2IP 29GS 3.8WAR (AAA) // DNP (career)
Jep, we will start him in the majors. Rated the #13 prospect on opening day, the lefty is still ways away from his potential, but with a potentially dominant slider/sinker/splitter triple and already better control that Chris Archer, the groundball pitcher could surpass Marcus Stroman very soon. 3rd overall pick in the 2013 draft.

RHSP Marcus Stroman(23, 3/3.5*) 8-7 2.94 193K 34GS 202.1IP 3.7WAR // 32-29 3.46 463K 94GS 538IP 6.5WAR (career)
Our extreme groundballer not only pitched to a sub 3ERA for the second year in a row, he reached the 200 inning plateau for the first time in his career. Only 5’7’’, he throws a dominant changeup with five other good pitches and is close to a finished product… at age 23 and with three seasons under his belt. Extended till the end of 2022 on a 8y$/93.64M deal.

RHSP Noah Syndergaard(22, 2/4.5*) 14-5 4.27 161K 29GS 166.2IP 4.5WAR(AAA) // DNP (career)
It’s time for him to swim… or drown. Syndergaard pitched three years in AAA, winning 14 games the last two seasons with an ERA round 4.2, but the development was slow down there. He was on the 40-man the last two seasons and already used up two options… Throwing an already great sinker with more potential, as well as a changeup, a curve, a slider and a heater with mid 90’s velocity, there may be great things in the future for him… righty, lefty, righty top of the rotation with Syndergaard, Komosinski and Stroman?

Relief Pitching:

RHRP Mike Bishop(24, 2.5/3.5*) 6-5 30SV 2.75 72K 52.1IP 47G 2.8WAR (A) // DNP (career)
A new wave of talent has arrived in our bullpen, and he is one of them. A 97-99 mph heater with a good curveball, his main weakness is… he sometimes does not know where it goes yet. The curve also is Work-in-Progress, but we want him to get some MLB exposure to accelerate his development. 11th rounder in 2013.

RHRP Kevin Buchanan(22, 3.5/4*) 6-0 3sV 2.14 38K 46.1IP 39G 1.3WAR (AAA) // DNP (career)
The kid really made a huge jump in 2014 and another one in the offseason and according to our scouts, he is already technically a better reliever than Joakim Soria… but we won’t throw him in as a closer right away. A groundballer with a 80 rated, 94-96mph heater and a strong slider, there is still some work left on his movement, control and slider, but the package may already be MLB dominant. 10th rounder in 2012.

LHRP Mike Cosens(24, 3.5*) 1-0 0SV 3.24 7K 8.1IP 13G 0.1WAR // 11-0 0SV 3.24 7K 8.1IP 13G 0.1WAR (career)
Promoted late last season, Cosens’ main weakness right now may just be… him being fragile The 24-old is another 97-99mph 85 rated fastball merchant with a good secondary pitch in a slider and he showed that with a 11-8 30SV 2.73ERA 103K campaign between AA and AAA last season. 5th rounder in 2012.

RHRP James C. Eaton(21, 3/3.5*) 4-2 3SV 1.30 76K 76.1IP 51G/18GS (AA) // DNP (career)
Eaton is a rare control pitcher out of the pen, throwing a 92-94mph cutter and a way better slider with pinpoint control. Not a late inning reliever but a guy that can pitch a scoreless 6th every day of the week, he also was a bullpen leader in the minors and hopefully can develop into one in the majors. 11th rounder 2012.

LHRP Danny Foxhoven(24, 2.5*) 2-0 1SV 4.09 16K 22IP 28G 0.1WAR (AAA) // DNP (career)
Jep, and there is another rookie. The 24-year old is very similar to Eaton, control, control and control while throwing with a weird sidearm delivery around 90mph. Not dominant in AAA, but we like him as a low-leverage lefty. 22nd rounder in 2012.

RHRP Joakim Soria(30, 3 *) 5-6 38SV 3.38 52K 61.1IP 65G 0.4WAR // 22-26 242SV 2.61 55K 500G 509.2IP 8.6WAR (Career)
Featuring a deep arsenal of a fastball, slider, curveball, changeup and cutter, the 2x All-Star has started to regress a little bit as his 2014 numbers dropped a bit compared to 2013. The radar gun noticed a drop in velocity down to 91-93mph, and it may just be that he is in his last season as our closer before one of the kids take over.

RHRP Joe Szczygiel(240, 3/3.5*) 2-4 1SV 5.62 37K 32IP 41G -0.5WAR // 2-4 1SV 5.62 37K 32IP 41G -0.5WAR (career)
Regarded as the greatest relief prospect since the invention of pine tar, reality hit Szczygiel hard when he got he call last season. The truth is, the stuff itself is great with 97-99, but he walked 7.3 per nine and despite being a ‘groundball’ pitcher, he gave up 7 home runs in 32 innings… that is not going to work. Our scouts happily slashed his movement and control potential since his was drafted in 2013 and so the ceiling is down to a 3.5* wild flamethrower… 2013 2nd rounder.

RHRP Arodys Vizcaino(23, 2.5/3*) 7-4 5SV 2.94 61K 67.1IP 68G 0.7WAR // 15-8 9SV 3.93 148K 183.1IP 183G -0.4WAR (career)
Vizcaino was promising for years, but finally did put things together in 2014, pitching his best year in a Blue Jays uniform and his first year with a positive WAR with us… that saved him his job with all the kids coming through the minors. In the past, his flyball tendencies have hurt him a bit, but our outfield has helped him out big time. Cut his walks per nine down to 3.9 from 6.1… that helps.

Catcher

C Eric Fountaine(24, 2/2.5*, R) .179/.220/.179 0HR 4RBI 14G/13GS -0.2WAR // .179/.220/.179 0HR 4RBI 7H 1R 14G -0.2WAR (career)
All we wanted was to bring up a good defensive catcher, something that d’Arnaud certainly wasn’t… and we found one in Fountaine. He hit a hot .329-7-59 .821OPS in AAA last year and is rated 60/60/70 behind the plate… his bat is still work in progress, but all he has to do is to handle the pitching staff when Mesoraco is having an offday. 16th rounder in 2012.

C Devin Mesoraco(26, 3.5*, R) .282/.355/.514 24HR 75RBI 120G 4.7WAR // .263/.333/.478 72HR 228RBI 390H 210R 412G 13.1WAR (career)
Mesoraco has been a stable provider of 20+ home runs from behind the plate for the last two years now and his stable work behind the plate has certainly helped his cause to grab that 6y/$96.4M contract extension he signed prior to this season. The 2x All-Star is blessed with a 70 rated power bat with good contract and will be a mainstay in our lineup for years to come. Acquired from CIN in 2012 offseason.

Infield

1B Adam Brzezinski(25, 2.5*, L) .219/.321/.377 17HR 59RBI 157G/153GS 0.4WAR // .224/.319/.401 28HR 94RBI 159H 102R 209G 1.3WAR (career)
Brzezinski is back based on the pure fact… that we lack one more good bat to push him out of the lineup. Yes, one could try Escobar here but Brzezinski has shown some glimpses of power in the past and we still hope for some late development. His future however is in danger with some good hitters slowly making their way through the minors. 45/55/55/60/30 hitter that picks up a lot of strikeouts. 3rd rounder in 2012 draft.

1B Eric Thames(28, 2*, L) .242/.327/.379 2HR 19RBI 78G/9GS -0.2WAR // .248/.314/.403 42HR 179RBI 386H 193R 481G 0.7WAR (career)
Mr. Thames returns for ANOTHER year of baseball to Toronto somehow… but only because he is a fairly cheap backup 1B/DH that does not raise much fuss if he has to come off the bench. Word on the street is, he is a real smart player… which is probably why he does NOT complain.

2B/UT Eduardo Escobar(26, 2.5*, S) .275/.328/.483 9HR 29RBI 101G/46GS 1.2WAR // .261/.326/.416 30HR 141RBI 301H 136R 399G 2.9WAR (career)
Escobar was productive off the bench and as a utility player last season, but his day are probably limited with a young, talented kid named Brad Finkbeiner making waves in AAA. That being said, Escobar will get the opening day… bench job for another year. Acquired via trade from CWS in 2012.

2B Adeiny Hechavarria(25, 2*, R) .261/.281/.342 5HR 42RBI 28/40SB 152G/145GS 0.2WAR // .274/.296/.359 11HR 98RBI 302H 114R 370G 2.4WAR (career)
Hechavarria had a very strong 2013 but 2014 was a disappointment as we hoped for him to get on base again with a .310 clip and then utilize his speed more than he did last season. While Adeiny swiped 28 bags, he had his worst season with the bat and similar to Escobar, that Finkbeiner kid is danger for him.

3B Anthony Rendon(24, 3.5*, R) .305/.380/.547 26HR 91RBI 159G/147GS 42/49SB 7.2WAR // .287/.367/.502 45HR 163RBI 329H 187R 315G 54/66SB 12.3WAR (career)
Talking about a MvP like season… Rendon had one in 2014, just that Trout guy was a better… Rated a 60/65/55/55/60 bat with 60D at third base and blazing speed, we ordered him to steal more in 2014 and it added another layer of depth to his game, netting him an All-Star nomination and a Silver Slugger Award to complement his 2013 Rookie of the Year Award. Acquired via trade from WSH in 2012.

3B/DH Eugenio Suárez(23, 3.5*) .252/.341/.506 42HR 89RBI 162GS 30/47SB 2.2WAR // .252/.341/.506 42HR 89RBI 160H 119R 162GS 30/47SB 2.2WAR (career)
Suárez returns for a second year of DH duties, tho we may give him some starts at first base to ease him in there for future use. The 23-year old is an elite 75 rated power bat and we will NOT use him as a leadoff hitter despite Bannister liking him there, he is a RBI guy and maybe the best we have as a regular. His offseason regimen in the dev lab added more speed and stealing to his game to make him EVEN better, and we can’t wait to see the 2014 All-Star and Silver Slugger for another year. Acquired from DET in 2012.

SS Jim Hatfield(23, 3/3.5*, S) .317/.420/.530 22HR 68RBI 117G 4.0WAR (AAA) // DNP (career)
The days of Ryan Goins manning shortstop are over, and there is a new sheriff in town… hopefully. After an outstanding stay at the development lab, Hatfield’s batting potential is at 60/80/65/50/55 and while not fully developed, with his 65 defense at short, he should be an instant contributor for us. Rated 60/65/65 in the speed/stealing department, he swiped 29 bags in AAA last year, so he adds to that part of our game as well. #31 prospect prior to the season and 2012 1st rounder.

Outfield

LF/RF Nick Castellanos(23, 3.5/*, R) .274/.327/.441 20HR 75RBI 141G 14/19SB 0.5WAR // .274/.327/.441 20HR 75RBI 149H 68R 141G 14/19SB 0.5WAR (career)
Very similar to Anthony Rendon, Castellanos struggled to hit in the early part of his rookie season, just his bounceback wasn’t as strong as Rendon’s. Our scouts still love his potential 70/65/65/45/55 bat and he is close to filling that one out according to them, so 2015 could be his big breakout year. Acquired from DET in 2012.

LF/RF Avsail Garcia(23, 2.5/3*, R) .191/.238/.245 1HR 14RBI 27G -0.6WAR // .191/.238/.245 1HR 14RBI 18H 8R 27G -0.6WAR (career)
We threw the kid into the cold water in 2014 as a September callup and he drowned. As simple as that. A contact bat with 70 potential there, he is also a 65 rated defender in right and displayed some good speed in his .371-31-103 1.051OPS 33/43SB 4.9WAR AAA season last year, but translating that into the majors and filling the defensive void of Jordan Danks will be quite a challenge for the kid. Acquired from DET in 2012.

CF Jake Marisnick(24, 2.5*, R) .219/.263/.371 17HR 62RBI 28/36SB 151G 2.7WAR // .212/.262/.336 36HR 153RBI 304H 139R 70/87SB 454G 7.6WAR (career)
Our scooting department thinks I am too obsessed with Marisnick’s defensive ability, but now a 2x a Gold Glover at center field that is putting up 2.5+WAR seasons and isn’t getting frustrated by failing at the plate more often than not... I love the kid, and his 2014 was his best hitting season of his career.

CF Kevin Kiermaier(24, 2.5*, L) .204/.263/.296 5HR 36RBI 14/23SB 121G/101GS -0.9WAR // .222/.276/.323 9HR 66RBI 125H 60R 24/34SB 208G 0.3WAR (career)
Kiermaier got a shot at winning the right field for a while, pushing Avsail Garcia into a platoon or DH slot, but Kevin failed spectacularly last season in that role and for now, I doubt he will ever be a full time starter barring injury after that dumpster fire of a season. Still a great defender and 4th outfielder tho. Acquired via trade from TBR in 2012.

[Griever20]

Preseason Prediction:
94-68, 1st in AL East, 11G in front of Baltimore Orioles

Predicted Top Players:
RHSP Marcus Stroman 14-8 3.40 165K 190.2IP
DH Eugenio Suárez ,296/,384/,537 35HR 101HR 22SB

To be honest, that would be amazing… but we fell short of that prediction last year and missed the playoffs by a game, so no reason to get excited yet. Also, we have a total of 7 pure rookies and three guys that have not played a full year in the major leagues on the roster, so where will those kids go? Boom, bust, adjustment, Rookie of the Year?

The huge questions going into 2014 are:
How will the glut of rookies fare?
Can we finally get over the hump and make the playoffs, at least via the Wild Card?
Will our new bullpen thrive?
Can Buchanan show us that je cam be a closer in 2016?
Will Castellanos have a breakout season?

The Division:

The Baltimore Orioles(85-77) finished second in the division and missed the playoffs similar to us, but are predicted to finish at 83-79. It was a breakout season for 3B Manny Machado(22, 3.5*, .309-16-55 .896OPS 4.0WAR 107G) and an insane season by 1B Chris Davis(29, 3*, .266-43- 117 .900OPS 4.0WAR). They will rely heavily on their offense for a repeat.

Tampa Bay(82-80) is expected to play around an even .500 as they lost their ace in David Price and replaced him ‘only’ with veteran Ryan Vogelsong(37, 2.5*, 10-8 4.58 127K 0.7WAR NYM). The duo of 3B Evan Longoria(29, 3.5*, .276-32-111 .854OPS 4.8WAR) and 1B Edwin Encarnacion(32, .258-32-87 .795OPS 3.1WAR) will be joined by $85.2M man LF Melky Cabrera(30, 3*, .310-14-100 .806OPS 1.2WAR SF)… but the overall talent level has not improved over the offseason.

A tough 92 loss season tortured the Boston Red Sox(70-92) fans, but improvement is on the cards according to Las Vegas with a 80-82 year. Their rotation is anchored around SP Jake Peavy(33, 2.5*, 11-12 4.15 186K 4.6WAR), once a Cy Young winner, and their lineup around hyper talented CF Mookie Betts(22, 3.5/5*, .258-11-61 .721OPS 3.4WAR), but the supporting cast is not that impressive apart from 2x All-Star C Miguel Montero(31, 3*, .319-16-74 .885OPS 5.7WAR). As expected, former Blue Jay LF Travis Snider(27, 2.5*, .262-23-105 .788OPS 2.8WAR) had a career year AFTER leaving us…

The New York Yankees(86-76) somehow dragged a veteran group of guys to another division title, but analysts think that 2015 is the end of the road for this team and they will finish with 87 losses. Four of their five opening day starting pitchers are 36 or older and while most of the old guys, like Jeter and A-Rod are retired and Mariano Rivera now works as a setup man with the Los Angeles Dodgers, they still have some talent. 2B Robinson Cano(32, 2.5*, .320-20-81 .920OPS 3.6WAR) had another good year, but you ask if he is worth $29.2M until the end of 2019, and C Jayson Werth(35, 3*, .294-15-73 .863OPS 4.2WAR) isn’t a spring chicken with $18.2M till the end of 2017. Big hopes are on RF Carlos Gonzalez(29, 3.5*, .310-32-98 .908OPS 5.0WAR) in his first year outside of Colorado Rockies.

Top Pitcher

Top Position Player

Baseball America announced their Top 100 prospect list:
#1 2B Luis Guzman, 22, Miami Marlins(AA) (1st overall 2014)
#2 2B Victor Adan, 18, New York Mets(R)(-1) (IFA signing)
#3 C Adam Walz, 23, Houston Astros(MLB)(NEW) (10th overall 2014)
#4 RHSP Scott Bell, 23, Arizona Diamondbacks(MLB)(NEW) (9th overall 2014)
#5 RF Brian Jones, 20, Milwaukee Brewers(R)(NEW) (9th Rounder 2013)
#6 C Darrell Walzer, 22, Texas Rangers(MLB)(NEW) (20th overall 2014)
#7 RHSP Tyler Morrison, 22, Milwaukee Brewers(R)(NEW) (15th overall 2014)
#8 RHSP Bryan Graham, 21, Los Angeles Dodgers(MLB)(-1)(11th overall 2013)
#9 RHSP Joe Wilgus, 22, Chicago Cubs(AA)(NEW) (14th overall 2014)
#10 SS Chris Unger, 19, Detroit Tigers(R)(NEW) (3rd overall 2014)

Notable Toronto Blue Jays on the list:
#13 LHSP Jeremy Komosinski(4.5*), 23, MLB, 3rd overall 2013 (-10)
#20 RHSP Victor Torres(5*), 19, AAA ,IFA signing (-5)
#22 CF Steve Snyder(4*), 22, AA, 1st round 2014 (NEW)
#27 RHSP Noah Syndergaard(4.5*), 22, MLB (+1)
#31 SS Jim Hatfield(3.5*), 23, MLB, 1st Round 2012 (+1)
#71 LF Jesse Winker(3.5*), 21, AAA, Trade CIN (1)
#92 CF Jake Harris(3.5*), 21, AAA, 4th round 2012 (-31)
#95 RHSP Julio Acosta(3.5*),21, A, 2nd round 2014
#112 RHRP Roberto Osuna(4*), 20, AAA (+32)
#140 LHSP James Saunderson(4.5*), 16, R, Scouting Discovery MIA (NEW)
#150 1B George Benton(4*), 19, R, 3rd round 2014 (NEW)
#155 RHSP Tommy Erikson(4*),22, A, 5th round 2014 (NEW)
#171 SS Jose de los Santos(3.5*), 17, R, IFA signing (NEW)
#183 RHRP Kevin Buchanan(4*), 22, MLB, 10th rounder 2012
#186 LHSP Danny Vasquez(4*), 18, S A, Scouting Discovery BAL (NEW)
#192 1B Joe Sokolow(4*), 22, AA, 7th round 2013 (+98)
#247 C Bobby Cary(3.5*), 19, AAA, Scouting Discovery DET (NEW)
#249 LF Miguel Licea(3.5*), 18, S A, Scouting Discovery TEX (NEW)
#258 RHSP Javier Guzman(3.5*), 18, A, Scouting Discovery KCR (NEW)
#268 LHSP bobby Olenick(3.5*), 22, A, 7th Round 2014 (NEW)
#276 RHRP Jorge Diaz(4.5*), 19, A, Scouting Discovery CWS (+102)
#297 RHRP Mike Smith(4.5*), 18, R 4th rounder 2014 (NEW)

No surprises on the negative side, our 1st rounder is doing well with #22, but a lot of guys will leave this list very soon.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
none

Series:
1-2 vs NYY (C Devin Mesoraco 2-3 2R RBI BB HR(1))
1-2 @ TEX (SP Jeremy Komosinski 6IP 5G 2ER 1BB 5K ND, SS Jim Hatfield 3-4 3R 2RBI DB 2HR(2))
1-2 vs DET (1B Adam Brzezinski 3-5 3R 4RBI HR(1))
3-0 @ BOS (1B Adam Brzezinski 3-4 2R 4RBI DB BB HR(3), 3B Anthony Rendon 2-4 2R 5RBI BB 2HR(4), C Devin Mesoraco 4-5 3R RBI 2DB HR(3))
3-0 @ STL (SP Jeremy Komosinski 8IP 5H 1ER 0BB 6K W(1-1 3.86), SP Noah Syndergaard 5.2IP 6H 0ER 2BB 2K W(3-0 1.02))
2-1 vs BAL (LF Nick Castellanos 4-5 2R 2RBI HR(3))
1-2 @ CWS (SP Jeremy Komosinski 6.1IP 5H 0ER 2BB 3K W(2-1 2.88))
3-0 vs MIN (RF Avsail Garcia 2-4 R 3RBI BB HR(3), SP Chris Archer 6.2IP 3H 1ER 3BB 6K W(1-1 6.17), SP Jeremy Komosinski 6.1IP 4H 0ER 2BB 2K W(3-1 2.30))

Record: 15-9, tied 1st in AL East, 0GB
April: 15-9
Runs Scored: 135(1st)
Batting AVG: .282(1st)
OBP: .343(1st)
Home Runs: 36(11th)
Stolen Bases: 11(8th)
Runs Against: 114(12th)
Starters ERA: 3.63(4th)
Bullpen ERA: 6.66(15th)
Defensive Eff.: .692(5th)
Zone Rating: +13.2(1st)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: LHSP Jeremy Komosinski 3-1 2.30 21K 31.1IP 0.6WAR 5GS
Toronto Position Player of the Month: C Devin Mesoraco .373/.455/.720 5HR 15RBI 18R +1.1ZR 2.0WAR 20G

And there are those pesky Yankees again somehow, leading the division together with us. How rude. We will see how they fare over a whole season, but right now, they look like they can compete and rumor has it, they got around $15M to spend and a lot more next season when some veteran contracts including 1B Mark Teixeira(35, 2*, .119-0-3 .420OPS -0.3WAR $19.6M) run out.

Now, about us. The rookie bullpen sucks hard. Foxhoven and Soria have been great and Buchanan wasn’t embarrassing, but the rest… Vizcaino has a respectable 4.47FIP but the rest is around 5 or above… we won’t to big moves now as our AAA relief corps is now exactly setting the world on fire, but we hoped for an improvement over our 2014 pen, not a black hole that donates runs to opponents.

Now, positives. We are the best offense in Major League Baseball with 135 runs scored. Our two kids in Hatfield and Garcia have NOT crashed and burned to the ground and even Jake Marisnick managed to hit over .230. The only guy in trouble is Adeiny Hechavarria, but the highly touted AAA 2B Brad Finkbeiner(24, 2.5/3*) is only batting .217-2-7 .612OPS -0.4WAR in AAA right now… that is not going to cut it.

Starting pitching… Komosinski had a hell of a start and so had Noah Syndergaard, so we are good here. Archer is struggling quite a bit, but is save as we still think that his underlying talent is better than our #6 guy in Daniel Norris.

Minor League Report and Awards:
A RHSP Tommy Erikson(22, 1.5/4*) 3-0 0.98 15K 0.5WAR 18.1IP 3GS
Won Monthly Awards

Our AAA team is off to an abysmal 6-15 start and I am not surprised, the talent level is way lower than in 2014 or 2013. With most pitchers either promoted or busted (Snell and Giolito), the guy to watch here is LF Jesse Winker(21, 2/3.5*), batting .303-3-13 .947OPS 0.2WAR to start the year… his second year in AAA at a young age, but he is on the 40-man and could come into play later this year as a left-handed bat.

For relievers, the closest thing to an improvement could be RHRP Ricardo Maurer(21, 2.5/3*) who is 1-1 2.84 9K in 12.2IP, good for 0.3WAR. The 2012 2nd rounder has a lot of room for growth on his curveball tho, and being basically a 1-pitch fastball with a bad curve does not translate well in MLB I fear.

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
LHSP Juan Hernandez(16, 3*) 50/50/50 with a 75 potential cutter and 65 stamina from New York Mets.
RHRP Dante Ramirez(16, 3*) 65/50/50 with a 80 potential curveball from Texas Rangers.
LHSP Jose Lamas(16, 3*) 55/50/50 with 65 potential, 93-95mph fastball, groundball pitcher from Chicago Cubs.

Depth.

In Other News:
April 7th – New York LHSP Johan Santana(36, 2.5*) hurled a complete game 4-hitter with 0BB and 8K in a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rockies in his season debut. The 2x Cy Young winner is coming off a 11-9 3.64 178K 3.8WAR year in 33 starts.

April 11th – Rockies 1B/C Wilin Rosario(26, 2.5*) hammered five hits today in a 10-7 loss to the Giants, going 5-5 2R 2RBI for the night. The fourth year pro is batting .259-1-6 .693OPS -0.1WAR in 7 games.

April 14th – Red Sox C David Ross(38, 2.5*) managed to hit three solo home runs today in a 10-3 loss to the Blue Jays, going 3-4 3R 3RBI 3HR. This was only his second game of the season, but he hit .214-+16-54 .641OPS 1.2WAR with ATL last year.

April 14th – Atlanta RHSP Roy Oswalt(37, 2.5*) showed his longevity by collecting career win #200 today in a 6-4 win over Arizona. The 3x All-Star is a career 200-116 3.41 2265K 2727.1IP 435G/417GS 60.8WAR pitcher between HOU,PHI,TEX,BAL and now ATL.

April 18th – Yankees LF J.D. Martinez(27, 2.5*) lost a 20-game hitting streak dating back to last season today in a 6-2 win over the Angels. The waiver claim from HOU this April is batting .318-2-8 .898OPS 0.4WAR in 11 games.

April 20th – Red Sox CF Mookie Betts(22, 3.5/5*) hammered five hits in six tries today, going 5-6 2R 2RBI SB HR in a 9-2 win over the Orioles. The super talented right-handed hitter is batting .258-2-4 .733OPS 5/7SB 0.7WAR in 15 games.

April 20th – Dodgers RF Yasiel Puig(24, 4.5*) lost a big 25-game hitting streak today in a 10-1 loss to the Giants. The reigning NL MvP is batting .385-5-16 1.215OPS 1.2WAR in 15 games.

April 21st – Cubs RHSP Jeff Samardzija(30, 2.5*) pitched a strong 9IP 4H 0ER 1 BB 8K shutout of the Dodgers today, winning 6-0. The veteran pitcher is 2-1 2.42 22K 0.3WAR in 4 starts.

April 24th – Cubs LF Alex Gordon(31, 2.5*) has hit for the CYCLE today, going 5-5 3R 5RBI DB TP HR om a 13-5 win over the Padres. The 2012 AL All-Star is batting .278-2-13 .858OPS 0.3WAR in 15 games.

April 26th – Mariners 3B Kyle Seager(27, 2.5*) collected five hits in a 9-2 win over the Mets, going 5-6 3R RBI DB SB HR for the night. The 2012 AL Gold Glover is batting .545-2-5 1.583OPS 0.8WAR in 5 starts.

April 28th – Pittsburgh CF Andrew McCutchen(28, 4*) collected five hits in a 6-2 win over the Giants, going 5-5 2R 4RBI SB HR. The 2x Silver Slugger is batting .360-5-16 1.007OPS 1.0WAR in 22 games.

April 29th – Rangers 3B Adrian Beltre(36, 2.5*) hammered career home run #400 today in a 9-4 loss to Seattle. The 3x Gold Glover, 3x Silver Slugger and 3x All-Star is a career .279/.329/.474 400HR 1392RBI 2572H 1284R 154/194SB 48.2WAR hitter in 2433 games between LAD, SEA, BOS and TEX.

May 1st – Yankees 2B Robinson Cano(32, 3*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .418 with 5 home runs, 32RBIs and 16 runs scored for the month.

May 1st – Dodgers RF Yasiel Puig(24, 4.5*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .359 with 7 home runs, 19RBIs and 18 runs scored for the month.

May 1st – Seattle RHSP Ruben Galindo(27, 4*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-1 2.23 36K in 32.1IP in 5 starts for the month.

May 1st – Pirates RHSP Gerrit Cole(24, 4/5*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 1.60 33K in 33.2IP and 5 starts for the month.

May 1st – Seattle RHSP Ruben Galindo(27, 4*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after going 4-1 2.23 36K in 32.1IP in 5 starts for the month.

May 1st – Reds RHSP Juan Avalos(23, 3*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after goinh 2-0 2.86 26K in 28.1IP in 5 starts for the month.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
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Series:
3-0 @ LAA (DH Eugenio Suárez 4-5 2R 2RBI HR(9), SS Jim Hatfield 3-4 3R 4RBI 2DB HR(3))
3-0 vs HOU (SP Chris Archer 6.2IP 3H 1ER 4BB 7K W(2-1 5.10), 2B Adeiny Hechavarria 2-4 2R 3RBI TP HR(2), RHSP Noah Syndergaard 6IP 3H 1ER 1BB 5K W(4-0 1.83))
2-1 vs SEA (C Devin Mesoraco 3-5 R 3RBI HR(7), 1B Adam Brzenzinski 2-3 2R 4RBI 2BB DB HR(4))
1-2 vs CLE (SP Noah Syndergaard 8IP 3H 1ER 1BB 8K W(5-0 1.70))
3-0 vs OAK (SP Chris Archer 7IP 5H 0ER 0BB 8K ND(2-2 4.22), SP Jeremy Komosinski 7.2IP 6H 2ER 1BB 7K W(5-2 2.55))
1-2 @ KCR (SP Noah Syndergaard 6.2IP 3H 1ER 1BB 5K W(6-0 1.65))
3-0 vs TBR (3B Anthony Rendon 3-4 2R 2RBI BB TP HR(9), SP Jeremy Komosinski 6.1IP 1H 0ER 2BB 6K W(6-2 2.26), SP Noah Syndergaard 7IP 2H 1ER 0BB 5K W(7-0 1.61))
0-3 @ NYY
3-0 vs TEX (SP Jeremy Komosinski 6.1IP 4H 0ER 1BB 3K W(7-2 2.03), SS Jim Hatfield 4-5 2R RBI HR(4), SP Marcus Stroman 7.1IP 7H 1ER 0BB 8K W(4-4 3.97))
2-0 @ DET (RF Avsail Garcia 2-3 R 4RBI HR(8), SP Chris Archer 6.2IP 2H 0ER 3BB 10K W(4-2 2.90))

Record: 36-17, 1st in AL East, 7 game lead
May: 21-8
Runs Scored: 285(1st)
Batting AVG: .282(1st)
OBP: .346(1st)
Home Runs: 65(4th)
Stolen Bases: 36(1st)
Runs Against: 190(1st)
Starters ERA: 3.00(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 4.38(13th)
Defensive Eff.: .713(1st)
Zone Rating: +23.4(1st)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: RHSP Noah Syndergaard 5-0 0.94 38K 38.1IP 1.3WAR 6GS
Toronto Position Player of the Month: SS Jim Hatfield .321/.397/.495 3HR 18RBI 24R 6/6SB +1.1ZR 1.4WAR 28G

And we surged away. This is the year. 21-8, an eight game winning streak to start the month. And getting swept by the New York Yankees. Ok maybe we need more practise against contenders, but the basics are great. Our pitching was flat out sensational with Syndergaard and Chris Archer(3-1 0.93 44K 1.3WAR 38.2IP 6GS May) were sensational and Komosinski(4-1 1.76 24K 0.6WAR 30.2IP 5GS May) wasn’t far behind.

In addition to that, the bullpen Mike Cosens 4.50ERA being the high mark in May. Fun stat, Danny Foxhoven pitched 14.1 scoreless innings to start his season and MLB career before giving up a run on May 29th.

Now, hitting. Mesoraco, Rendon, Suárez and Hatfield are sensational and hitting the cover off the ball with Devin leading the AL with a 1.004OPS and 3.1WAR. Rendon(43) and Mesoraco(39) are second and fourth in RBI’s and Rendon(42) and Hatfield(39) are first and second in runs scored. We may have just build a playoff team.

Yet, the reigning World Series winners are not out of the running yet despite SP Chris Sale(26, 3.5/4*, 3-4 4.70 76K 0.9WAR) struggling. They are 2nd in runs scored however with outfielders Hunter Pence(32, 2.5*, .308-11-35 .910OPS 2.3WAR) and Mark Davis(25, 3/3.5*, .320-12-38 .999OPS 1.8WAR) leading the way so…

The surprise team in the NL: Miami. Claimed off waivers from Oakland, SP Tyson Ross(28, 3*, 6-2 2.78 65K 1.4WAR) has developed into an ace with them and they lead the NL East with SP Jose Fernandez(22, 3*, 5-1 3.95 60K 0.5WAR) being below 2014 numbers. Similar to Chicago, it is a duo of hitters in C Joe Mauer(32, 4*, .367-2-+17 .922OPS 2.4WAR) and RF Giancarlo Stanton(25, 3.5*, .265-12-45 .907OPS 2.0WAR) that leads the way.

The saddest story in baseball however… are the Minnesota Twins, on pace for their fifth straight 95+ loss season. Yes, former top prospect 2B Justin Rimmerle(24, 4.5/5*, .262-3-28 .760OPS 2.1WAR) has started to show the glove and the bat of a star from time to time, and 1B Hanley Ramirez(31, 4*, .301-22-84 .843OPS 2.3WAR in 2014) is out since game 2 with injury but still… #30 minor league system after five years of losing.

Minor League Report and Awards:
AAA 1B Carlos Puentes(24, 2/3*) .392-9-26 1.226OPS 1.7WAR 26G
S A RHRP Antonio Ramos(19, 1.5/2*) 6-0 2.70 20K 0.2WAR 23.1IP 9G
S A 3B Cesar Montoya(19, 1.5/2.5*) .380-3-20 1.089OPS 1.7WAR 26G
R RHCL Dante Ramirez(16, 1/2.5*) 3-0 8SV 3.27 12K -0.1WAR 11IP 11G
Won Monthly Awards

The minor league system is doing just fine, but we put in some hard work the last days, completely shuffling the players around to align them more to talent level and skill (to sum it up: I sat down for 1 1/2h and sorted out the minor league system that was a mess with some teams only having 22 players).

As for our MLB probables, IF Brad Finkbeiner(24, 2.5/3*) has struggled in the field quite a bit lately with a -5.4ZR at second, his best position, and his bat is below average right now with a 86OPS+. Not exactly pushing Escobar for a roster spot, let alone Adeiny for the second base job. Similar things can be said about RHCL Roberto Osuna(20, 2/4*) with his 7.35ERA, however we do have a close eye on OF Ian Dellaripa(22, 2.5/3*) batting .340-8-41 1.019OPS 1.4WAR in AAA and on 1B Joe Sokolow(23, 2/4*, .333-7-21 .925OPS 1.4WAR), a left-handed masher that was our 7th rounder in 2013 and is glowing white in AA New Hampshire.

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
SS Jonathan Serrano(16, 3*) 45/65/80/75/35 40D at 3B from Chicago.

A pure DH for me that will do just that job with the GCL Blue Jays, started off with 2 homers in four games…

In Other News:

May 5th – Texas RHSP Dan Haren(34, 2.5*) blanked the Oakland Athletics 7-0 with a 9IP 4H 0ER 0BB 4K gem. The 3x All-Star is 3-1 3.74 31K 0.1WAR in 6 starts.

May 15th – Twins CF Aaron Hicks(25, 3*) lasered 3 home runs today, going 3-4 3R 6RBI BB SB HR in a 10-1 win over the Astros. The 25-year old is batting .214-8-22 .778OPS 3/4SB 1.0WAR in 38 games.

May 18th – Rays RHSP Ryan Vogelsong(37, 2.5*) pitched his best game of the season, 9IP 4H 0ER 0BB 9K in a 4-0 win over the Red Sox. The 2011 NL All-Star is 2-4 5.02 55K 0.9WAR in 9 starts for the year.

May 18th – Arizona RHSP Scott Bell(23, 2.5/5*) pitched a NO-HITTER in his rookie season, allowing 1BB and striking out six in a 9-0 win over the Nationals. The 9th overall pick in 2014 is 4-1 2.79 49K 0.7WAR in 9 starts.

May 22nd – Atlanta RHSP Kris Medlen(29, 3.5*) dominated the Padres 7-0, pitching a 9IP 4H 0ER 1BB 7K game. The 2012 NL All-Star is 7-2 2.94 58K 1.8WAR in 10 starts.

May 24th – Pirates RHSP Gerrit Cole(24, 4/5*) had a lot of fun today, striking out 16 batters in a 2-0 win over the Padres, pitching a 7.2IP 2H 0ER 1BB 16K. The 2014 NL All-Star is 7-2 2.55 73K 1.3WAR in 10 starts.

May 27th – Reds RF Jay Bruce(28, 2.5*) collected five hits today, going 5-5 2R 6RBI DB 2HR in a 11-7 win over the Colorado Rockies. The 2x All-Star is batting .224-10-29 .742OPS 0.8WAR in 47 games.

May 28th – Oakland RHSP R.A. Dickey(40, 3*) pitched a complete game 5-hitter with 1BB and 10K in a 6-0 win over the Angels today. The 2013 AL All-Star is 5-5 2.94 58K 1.4WAR in 11 starts.

May 28th – Oakland RHSP Homer Bailey(29, 2.5*) made it two shutouts in a row, pitching a 1-hitter with 2BB and 6K, beating the Angels 7-0 again. A free agent signing this winter, he is 3-3 2.90 68K 1.0WAR in 11 starts.

June 1st – Twins CF Aaron Hicks(32, 3*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .337 with 9 home runs, 22RBIs and 29 runs scored for the month. The young star is batting .244-11-30 .845OPS 1.5WAR in 53 games after an abysmal April.

June 1st – Arizona 1B Paul Goldschmidt(27, 5*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .365 with 7 home runs, 24RBIs and 26 runs scored for the month. The 2x All-Star is batting .361-12-43 1.187OPS 3.5WAR in 43 games.

June 1st – Blue Jays RHSP Noah Syndergaard(22, 2.5/4.5*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 0.94 38K in 38.1IP in 6 starts for the month. The #27 prospect prior to the season, he is 8-0 1.45 62K 1.6WAR in 10 starts.

June 1st – Arizona RHSP Trevor Bauer(24, 2.5*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 2.84 44K in 38IP and 6 starts for the month. The third year pro is 6-0 3.61 60K 0.6WAR in 14G/8GS.

June 1st – Blue Jays RHSP Noah Syndergaard(22, 2.5/4.5*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after going 5-0 0.94 38K in 38.1IP in 6 starts for the month.

June 1st – Reds 1B Frank Tilton(24, 2/3.5*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after batting .330 with 6 home runs, 20RBIs and 15 runs scored for the month. A 15th rounder in 2013, he is batting .338-7-30 .931OPS 1.4WAR in 44 games.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
June 20th – LHRP Danny Foxhoven(24, 2.5*, 0-0 2.31 21K 0.4WAR 23.1IP) was placed on the 15-day IL with a biceps strain 3 weeks. LHRP Blake Snell(22, 2*, 0-1 6.44 26K -0.7WAR AAA) was recalled.

Series:
0-1 @ DET
3-0 vs BOS (1B Adam Brzezinski 2-4 2R 4RBI HR(7), SP Marcus Stroman 7.1IP 1H 0ER 1BB 5K ND, C Devin Mesoraco 3-5 2R 3RBI 2HR(12), SP Henderson Alvarez III 7IP 3H 0ER 2BB 6K W(5-4 4.09))
2-1 @ STL (SP Jeremy Komosinski 7.1IP 4H 0ER 1BB 4K W(8-2 2.18))
3-0 @ BAL (SS Jim Hatfield 2-5 2R 3RBI DB HR(8), C Devin Mesoraco 3-5 2R 2RBI 2DB HR(13), DH Eugenio Suárez 2-5 2R 5RBI HR(14))
3-0 vs CWS (3B Anthony Rendon 4-5 2R 5RBI DB 2HR(16), SP Noah Syndergaard 6IP 4H 0ER 1BB 8K W(10-0 1.30))
2-1 @ MIN (DH Eugenio Suárez 4-5 3R 3RBI BB 2DB HR(15), SP Chris Archer 6IP 5H 2ER 1BB 7K ND(4-3 3.05))
0-3 @ LAA
3-0 @ HOU (SP Chris Archer 5.2IP 5H 2ER 1BB 7K W(5-3 3.06), LF Nick Castellanos 3-5 2R 4RBI DB 2HR(10), SP Noah Syndergaard 6.2IP 3H 1ER 2BB 6K W(11-1 1.79))
2-0 vs SEA (DH Eugenio Suárez 4-5 R 3RBI DB, SP Henderson Alvarez III 9IP 1H 0ER 1BB 5K W(7-5 3.66), SP Chris Archer 7IP 4H 1ER 2BB 9K ND(5-3 2.92))
1-2 @ CLE (3B Anthony Rendon 3-5 2R 4RBI 2HR(22))

Record: 56-25, 1st in AL East, 14 game lead
June: 20-8
Runs Scored: 432(1st)
Batting AVG: .273(1st)
OBP: .340(1st)
Home Runs: 108(4th)
Stolen Bases: 62(1st)
Runs Against: 269(1st)
Starters ERA: 2.85(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 3.77(5th)
Defensive Eff.: .727(1st)
Zone Rating: +40.1(1st)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: RHSP Marcus Stroman 2-1 2.23 27K 36.1IP 1.0WAR 6GS
Toronto Position Player of the Month: 3B Anthony Rendon .303/.377/.651 10HR 21RBI 23R 4/5SBSB +2.7ZR 28G

Looking at our performance, we are legit. We lead the AL in all bloody hitting categories. ALL WE CAN FIND. We have six hitters with double digit home runs, and only Marisnick and Brzezinski are hitting below .260 right now. For me the most impressive one? Devin Mesoraco is 0.3WAR away from his 2014 & 2015 mark of 4.7… with 69 games.

Oh, and by the way, I am now officially 284-283 as a GM! Winning GM!

As for the bullpen, the worst spell is over and most of them are doing just fine, the concerning duo are Mike Cosens who still has the underlying talent according to scouts, and Arodys Vizcaino. The best AAA option? RHRP Ricardo Maurer(21, 2.5/3*), a fireballer with lackluster control that once was a 5* potential second rounder. 4-1 2SV 2.03 34K 1.0WAR down there, but he is still young and not on the 40-man.

Speaking of young kids… two weeks until the draft. We will have the 19th overall pick and the 20th pick of the round later on. There is a glut of interesting players in the pool so something juicy could drop down to us, but it is very starting pitching heavy, a position where we are well suited right now… we will have to wait and make the decision who to pick as we go along.

Also, the trade deadline is coming up… the opportunity to add for the other teams… on the trading block already: 2013 NL MVP 3B David Wright(32, 3*, .259-3-34 .742OPS 1.9WAR), 2013 AL ERA king SP R.A. Dickey(40, 3*, 7-7 3.29 104K 1.9WAR), 2014 19-game winner SP Hiroki Kuroda(40, 3*, 5-5 3.92 73K 2.1WAR) and Baltimore’s probable All-Star RF Shin-Soo Choo(32, 3*, .300-8-28 .872OPS 7/9SB 2.5WAR).

Speaking of adding talent… the offseason haul of the Los Angeles Angels: SP Phil Hughes(29, 3.5*, 5-9 3.73 115K 2.7WAR), SP Casey Janssen(33, 3*, 7-2 2.20 80K 2.6WAR), 3B Chris Johnson(30, 2.5*, .295-7-40 .763OPS 1.4WAR) and…. Former Blue Jay SP Blake Wood(29, 2.5*, 7-5 3.86 83K 0.9WAR)… converted from our reliever into their #4 starter… they really added talent to surround Mike Trout.

Minor League Report and Awards:
AA CF Justin Henjum(25, 2/3*) .351-5-20 1.053OPS 1.3WAR 28G
R 1B Jon Pouncey(19, 1/3*) .313-14-55 .986OPS 2.6WAR 64G
Won Monthly Awards

Some tidbits. Our AAA team is the only winning team above short A and some of it has been injuries to some very good prospects… but we may just be a bit too young compared to other AA and single A teams. Our scouts happily told us that LF Jesse Winker(21, 2.5/3.5*, .305-13-55 .942OPS 1.1WAR) developed batspeed and his ability to hit line drives… but I think he is still at least a year away from helping us.

A team that is winning is short A Vancouver, but there is one big disappointment. Remember the stunning lefty starter from Australia we poached from the Marlins, James Saunderson? His stamina is dropping like a rock from 60 to 50 to 45 and therefore, he projects as a fringe starter with great stuff, but not an ace. 3* potential now, 3.5* as a reliever. Sad.

The rising stars in our minor league system? RHCL Jorge Diaz(19, 2/5*), who we poached from the White Sox in 2012, has genuinely risen to a 5* pitching prospect and our 2014 4th rounder Mike Smith(19, 2/5*) followed suit. They are a duo of insane bullpen talent in AA and we have high hopes in them… in like, two 2-3 years.

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
none

In Other News:

June 1st – Orioles RF Shin-Soo Choo(32, 3*) collected a 5-hit performance, going 5-6 4R 2RBI HR in a 14-1 drubbing of the Rangers. The 2013 AL All-Star is batting .309-5-20 .893OPS 1.9WAR in 51 games.

June 1st – New York RF Lucas Duda(29, 2.5*) rapped 5 hits in five at-bats with 4R2RBI DB TP in a 11-2 win over the Pirates. The left-handed hitter is batting .224-5-28 .675OPS 0.0WAR in 60 games.

June 13th – Athletics RHSP R.A. Dickey(40, 3*) blanked the Royals 4-0, pitching a 9IP 3H 0ER 2BB 7K game. The 2013 AL All-Star is 7-5 2.52 85K 2.1WAR in 14 games.

June 13th – Padres RHSP Bartolo Colon(42, 2.5*) collected career win #200 today in a 6-4 win over the Cubs. The 2x All-Star and 2005 AL Cy Young winner is a career 200-147 3.95 2178K 2888IP 44.6WAR pitcher in 462 games between CLE, MON,CWS, LAA, BOS, CWS, NYY, OAK and now SDP.

June 18th – Cleveland CF Akira Matsubara(30, 3*) lost his 23-game hitting streak today in a 14-5 loss to the Rangers. The Japanese import is batting .261-11-34 .784OPS 1.0WAR in 64 games.

June 19th – Cardinals SS Matt Havlin(24, 2/3*) has hit for the CYCLE today, 4-6 3R 4RBI DB TP HR in a 13-1 won over the Giants. The 1st Rounder in 2013 is batting .229-2-19 .567OPS 0.4WAR in 66 games.

June 20th – Cardinals RHSP Chris Carpenter(40, 3*) blanked the Giants 2-0 with a complete game 4-hitter with 1BB and 5K today. The 4x All-Star is 3-7 4.79 74K 1.4WAR in 15 starts.

June 20th – The Colorado Rockies won 18-4 over the Marlins today with SS Troy Tulowitzki(30, 3.5*, .326-20-59 1.008OPS 2.9WAR) going 5-6 3R 2RBI 2DB and 3B Nolan Arenado(24, 3.5*, .289-18-58 .881OPS 3.0WAR) going 5-6 6R 5RBI 2DB HR.

June 22nd – Cardinals 1B Allen Craig(30, 3*) banged out five base hits today, going 5-5 3R 7RBI 2HR in a 10-3 win over the Cubs. The 2012 NL All-Star is batting .309-14-46 .874OPS 1.4WAR in 71 games.

June 24th – Phillies 3B Aramis Ramirez(36, 2.5*) tagged the Pirates with five hits in a 6-4 win, going 5-5 3RBI 2DB. The 2x Silver Slugger is batting .239-7-46 .701OPS 0.2WAR in 74 games.

June 26th– Giants 2B Daniel Murphy(30, 2.5*) lost his 23-game hitting streak today despite his team getting a 5-0 win over the Mets. The 2013 NL All-Star is batting .300-5-33 .767OPS 0.9WAR in 73 games.

June 26th– Pirates RHSP Gerrit Cole(24, 4/5*) pitched a complete game 5-hitter with 1BB and 6K in a 4-0 win over the Brewers today. The 2014 NL All-Star is 11-3 2.11 105K 2.6WAR in 16 games.

June 28th – Arizona LF Justin Upton(27, 3.5*) lasered 3 home runs today in a 11-3 win over the Phillies, going 3-4 3R 6RBI 3HR. The 4x All-Star is batting .264-14-63 .831OPS 1.5WAR in 79 games.

June 28th – Dodgers RF Yasiel Puig(24, 5*) had a 5-5 2R DB night in a 11-7 win over the Mets. The reigning NL MvP is batting .382-14-42 1.145OPS 3.3WAR in 46 games.

July 1st – Angels 1B Albert Pujols(35, 3*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .360 with 7 home runs, 27RBIs and 15 runs scored for the month. The 3x NL MvP is batting .287-14-56 .835OPS 1.5WAR in 75 games.

July 1st – Dodgers LF Matt Kemp(30, 4*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .346 with 8 home runs, 15RBIs and 30 runs scored for the month. The 3x Gold Glover is batting .312-20-47 .961OPS 4.0WAR in 76 games.

July 1st – Cleveland RHCL Cody Allen(26, 3/3.5*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 1-0 8SV 0.00 17K in 12.2IP in 11 games for the month. The second year closer is 3-3 17SV 3.03 35K 1.0WAR in 29 games.

July 1st – Dodgers LHSP Clayton Kershaw(27, 5*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 0.85 52K in 42.1IP and 6 starts for the month. The 3x Cy Young winner is 11-3 1.47 135K 4.1WAR in 17 starts.

June 1st – Yankees CF Brian Goodwin(24, 2.5*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after batting .319 with 6 home runs, 26RBIs and 19 runs scored for the month. The Rule 5 Pick from WSH is batting .278-12-53 .847OPS 2.5WAR in 76 games.

July 1st – Reds RHSP Juan Avalos(24, 2/3.5*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after going 3-0 1.75 38K in 36IP and 5 starts for the month. The 2012 6th rounder is 7-2 2.81 99K 3.0WAR in 16 starts.

[Griever20]

Notable Nominations:
LAD RHRP Mariano Rivera(45, 4*) – 15x All-Star
DET 1B Miguel Cabrera(32, 4.5*) – 10x All-Star
SDP 1B Prince Fielder(31, 4*) – 7x All-Star
MIL SP Cliff Lee(36, 3*) – 6x All-Star
MIA C Joe Mauer(32, 4*) – 6x All-Star
TBR 3B Evan Longoria(29, 3.5*) – 6x All-Star
MIL RF Ryan Braun(31, 3*) – 6x All-Star

Mariano Rivera announced his retirement at the end of the season by the way…

[Griever20]

Clubs are readying for today's Major League Baseball amateur draft with a tenacious belief that their picks will determine the future of the organization. In a way, they're right. A few will strike instant gold, picking the "can't miss" superstar, who actually doesn't miss. Most, however, will wind up striking out. These five ballclubs will have the first five selections: Detroit, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Boston. Baseball experts predict that these players will be high on everybody's list:

1. Ryan McDonald, 18 year-old CF out of high-school.
2. Jaylin Harris, 22 year-old 2B out of college.
3. Lalla Vega, 22 year-old SS out of college.
4. Jose Lopez, 20 year-old 2B out of college.
5. Zach McConkey, 18 year-old LHP out of high-school.
6. Neil Toms, 22 year-old SS out of college.
7. John Brown, 18 year-old LHP out of high-school.
8. Randy Baum, 17 year-old 1B out of high-school.
9. Nick Imbraguglio, 17 year-old LF out of high-school.
10. Lishëndri Halii, 18 year-old LHP out of high-school.

1st Round, 1st Pick(1st overall) Detroit Tigers select CF Ryan McDonald(18, 0.5/5*) out of Valley Christian High School (San Jose, CA)
Average Competition: .613-29-72 2.375OPS 9.5WAR 40G
Signability: Extremely Hard, Bonus Demand: $3.34M
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Leader, Loyalty, Adaptability, Financial Ambition
Dubbed a future face of the franchise in the latest Baseball America Mock Draft, McDonald brings elite 90 grade power potential with 85 eye potential and a lot of strikeouts to the plate, and a long way to the MLB level. Probably a corner outfielder instead of a center fielder, it will take him some time, but he could be a future home run king.

Seemingly cut his face off when I did the screenshot

1st Round, 19th Pick(19th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select 1B Randy Baum(17, 0.5/5*) out of Spanish River High School
Average Competition: .503-23-63 1.878OPS 7.7WAR 43G
Signability: Extremely Hard, Bonus Demand: $2.6M
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Adaptability, Work Ethic
There was some pitching potential to be had when our turn to pick came, but we are pretty stacked on pitching and lack the franchise changing bat… maybe Baum is the one. A potential 60/60/80/65/60 hitter with not much else, all will depend on his development process tho…

2nd Round, 17th Pick(56th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select RHSP Mat Rose(18, 1.5/3.5*) out of Christopher Columbus High School
Average Competition: 11-0 0.97 165K 6.8WAR 111.1IP 15GS
Signability: Extremely Hard, Bonus Demand: $430k
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Baseball IQ, Work Ethic, Financial Ambition
We eventually tapped into the pitching depth of this draft, selecting the right-hander with a mid-90’s fastball, a devastating cutter and a changeup and slider as weaker pitches. His work often results in a lot of groundballs and he can work deep into ballgames, so he fits our profile like a glove.

3rd Round, 22nd Pick(8th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select C Peter Kilgore(18, 0.5/4.5*) out of Luther Prep High School
Average Competition: .468-12-51 1.561OPS 6.4WAR 44G
Signability: Impossible, Bonus Demand: ???
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Loyalty, Adaptability, Financial Ambition, Work Ethic
Kilgore has a blue chip personality that also has the ability to be a good defensive catcher with a cannon of an arm and a 65/50/55/70/70 potential bat. The catch? He is quite committed to go to UAB, so signing him will be costly.

4th Round, 20th Pick(119th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select RHRP Jason Bixby(18, 1.5/4.5*) out of Tomahawk High School
Average Competition: 3-+0 12SV 1.13 78K 1.8WAR 39.2IP 17G/1GS
Signability: Extremely Hard, Bonus Demand: $130k
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Unknown
A wannabe starter whose stamina does not hold up, he has four plus plus pitches in a fastball, curveball, sinker and cutter with mid-90’s velocity. The ability to avoid the home run or the walk may become a concern, but Bixby could one day become a strong reliever…

5th Round, 20th Pick(149th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select LHSP John Hall(22, 1.5/3.5*) out of Stanford University
Great Competition: 8-4 3.00 114K 2.8WAR 114IP 17GS
Signability: Easy, Bonus Demand: $20k
Injury Proneness: Durable
Personality: Leader
Junior college lefty that should be another good groundball pitcher one day with three strong and two waste pitches and good stamina.

6th Round, 20th Pick(179th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select RHSP Greg Toomey(22, 1.5/3.5*) out of CSUSM
Great Competition: 8-4 3.00 114K 2.8WAR 114IP 17GS
Signability: Easy, Bonus Demand: slot
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: unknown
Similar to Hall, Junior College groundballer with some upside, just pitching from the right side.

7th Round, 20th Pick(209th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select RHSP Alejandro Melendez(18, 1/3.5*) out of Carlos Colon Burgos High School
Average Competition: 7-2 1.06 141K 5.5WAR 93IP 12GS
Signability: Hard, Bonus Demand: slot
Injury Proneness: Durable
Personality: Financial Ambition, Leader, Loyalty
High school righty that dropped down because of his personality, he still is a good pitching prospect due to his strong cutter.

8th Round, 20th Pick(239th overall) Toronto Blue Jays select 1B George Capen(22, 1.5/3.5*) out of College of William & Mary
Great Competition: .308-17-66 1.041OPS 4.4WAR 66G
Signability: Easy, Bonus Demand: slot
Injury Proneness: normal
Personality: Adaptability, Work Ethic
A weird story this guy. A dynamite defender all over the infield, just… he is afraid of turning a double play after a collision as a young kid… so he is incapable of playing anything other than first base. Still a solid hitter and a potential Gold Glover at first… we don’t know where his story will end.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
July 6th – LHRP Blake Snell(22, 2*, 0-0 14.29 3K -0.4WAR 5.2IP) was banished to AAA as LHRP Danny Foxhoven(24, 2.5*, 0-0 2.31 21K 0.4WAR) was eligible to come off the IL… Thank god.

July 6th – Nevermind. LHRP Mike Cosens(25, 3.5*, 1-3 1SV 5.59 46K 0.0WAR) was diagnosed with shoulder inflammation 6 weeks and placed on the IL. Welcome back Blake Snell…

Series:
2-1 @ OAK (SP Chris Archer 6.2IP 5H 1ER 2BB 8K W(6-3 2.81))
2-1 vs KCR (2B Adeiny Hechavarria 4-4 R 3RBI TP, SP Marcus Stroman 6iP 6H 0ER 1BB 9K W(7-5 3.17))
3-0 @ TBR (SP Chris Archer 7IP 1H 0ER 3BB 8K W(7-3 2.62), 3B Anthony Rendon 4-5 3R 2RBI BB DB TP, 3B Anthony Rendon 4-6 2R 5RBI 2HR(25))
2-1 vs NYY (SP Henderson Alvarez III 7.2IP 4H 1ER 2BB 3K W(10-5 3.25), C Devin Mesoraco 1-5 R 5RBI HR(20))
1-2 @ TEX (LF Nick Castellanos 1-3 2R 3RBI HR(15))
2-1 vs DET (SP Marcus Stroman 6IP 4H 1ER 0BB 7K W(8-6 3.27))
1-2 @ BOS (3B Anthony Rendon 2-5 R 5RBI HR(27))
2-1 @ STL (1B Adam Brzezinski 2-3 2R BB DB, C Devin Mesoraco 4-5 4R 2RBI 2DB HR(21))
1-0 vs BAL

Record: 72-34, 1st in AL East, 18 game lead
July: 16-9
Runs Scored: 579(1st)
Batting AVG: .276(1st)
OBP: .343(1st)
Home Runs: 149(1st)
Stolen Bases: 75(1st)
Runs Against: 368(1st)
Starters ERA: 3.02(1st)
Bullpen ERA: 3.60(3rd)
Defensive Eff.: .716(1st)
Zone Rating: +45.4(1st)

Toronto Pitcher of the Month: RHSP Chris Archer 3-0 3.24 33K 33.1IP 0.9WAR 6GS
Toronto Position Player of the Month: DH Eugenio Suárez .337/.393/.798 12HR 29RBI 23R 2/2SBSB +0.0ZR 25G

We slowed down a bit but are still on top of things. Who can catch us in the division? Nobody unless we fully collapse. But the one team I’m scared about in the AL continues to be the Los Angeles Angels. Mike Trout(23 ,5*, .330-23-54 1.033OPS 6.1WAR) can sink you every playoff game… and yes, I’m plotting ahead 2 months.

The offense is still spot on and especially Eugenio Suárez and Anthony Rendon are on pace for 40 home runs. Our rookie Jim Hatfield is on pace for 7.3WAR. The only one that is not quite as expected is Avsail Garcia who is a 99OPS+ hitter with decent defense but not the guy we hoped he would be, and our scouts agree with me. But, he does not hurt us.

The bullpen is in much better shape now. Yes, Blake Snell have been equally bad from the left side and the fragile nature of Cosens is a concern. We certainly need another lefty at least, especially since the latest scouting report says that Foxhoven dropped some velocity and therefore is a genuine AAAA player… volatile stocks, those relievers. Next up in the development line is LHRP Felipe Vazquez(24, 2/3.5*, 1-3 9SV 2.83 30K 0.5WAR) and he will compete for a bullpen slot next year… or earlier.

Oh, and RHRP AAA option Ricardo Maurer? He is out for 13-14 months with elbow ligament reconstruction surgery.

Issues? Chris Archer is doing fine but dropped down to 45 rated stamina and I guess we will have to run some more MLB level development labs here… And yes, I am a stamina fanatic with starters. Everything at 50 or below bothers me. I got the best results from guys with high stam.

Minor League Report and Awards:
AA RHCL Jorge Diaz(19, 2/5*) 3-0 9SV 0.69 11K 0.6WAR 13IP
AA 1B Joe Sokolow(23, 2/4*) .419-6-31 1.191OPS 1.8WAR 24G
S A RHSP Etelson Velez(19, 1.5/3*) 4-0 2.68 42K 1.5WAR 37IP 5GS
S A LF Miguel Licea(18, 1/3.5*) .364-4-20 1.019OPS 1.3WAR 25G
Won Monthly Awards

Going high risk with a 17-year old high school first baseman in the first round, Baum started off hitting .457-2-13 through the first 10 games with our Gulf Coast League affiliate and looked quite comfortable for his age there. As for the other top 5 five picks… they leave us waiting to sign. The most difficult one will be our 3rd round pick Peter Kilgore but we offered him $2M of cash, maybe we can lure him out of college.

Once we have are in the clear who signs with us, there is a minor league system roundup coming up.

In AAA, outfielder Ian Dellaripa(22, 2.5/3*) is making a push for the job of Avsail Garcia with a .346-19-82 1.022OPS 3.3WAR year. His base stealing is work in progress and we would like him to work on his corner defense a tad bit… development lab. And there is Jesse Winker hitting .303-15-67 .922OPS.. potentially taking over DH/1B for Brzezinski… boy could we be a monster next year.


International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
LF Eddie Cornejo(16, 3*) 65/55/55/45/70 60D potential at LF, from Seattle Mariners.

In Other News:

July 1st – Diamondbacks 1B Paul Goldschmidt(27, 5*) hammered 3 home runs today in a 8-4 win over the Brewers, going 3-5 3R 3RBI 3HR. The 2x All-Star is batting .347-18-57 1.101OPS 4.8WAR in 72 games.

July 1st – Orioles SS J.J. Hardy(32, 2.5*) collected a 5-hit game in a 14-1 rout of the Indians, batting 5-5 3R 2RBI for the night. The 2007 NL All-Star is batting .293-20-57 .864OPS 1.5WAR in 75 games.

July 3rd – Reds RF Jay Bruce(28, 2.5*) lost a 20-game hitting streak today in a 5-4 loss to the Cubs. The 2x All-Star is batting .244-17-57 .753OPS 1.2WAR in 80 games.

July 7th – Phillies SP Felix Hernandez(29, 3.5/4*) blanked the Reds 4-0 with a complete game 3-hitter with 0BB and 5K. The 2x Cy Young winner is 6-7 3.58 112K 3.5WAR in 18 starts.

July 7th – Giants SP Josh Johnson(31, 3*) pitched a complete game 6-hitter with 2BB and 5K in a 11-0 win over the Cubs. The 2x All-Star is 6-5 3.36 87K 2.2WAR in 18 starts.

July 7th – Giants 1B Brandon Belt(27, 4*) lost a 22-game hitting streak today in a 5-1 win over the Brewers. The 27-year old is batting .365-8-38 1.040OPS 3.6WAR in 56 games.

July 19th – Royals C Salvador Perez(25, 4*) collected five hits today in a 13-2 win in Minnesota, going 5-6 2R 5RBI HR. The 4x All-Star is batting .305-24-68 .880OPS 3.9WAR in 83 games.

July 20th – Reds SP Michael Pineda(26, 2.5*) pitched a complete game 5-hitter with 0BB and 6K in a 11-0 rout of the Colorado Rockies. The 2011 AL All-Star is 8-7 4.79 89K 1.7WAR in 19 starts.

July 24th – Reds 3B Todd Frazier(29, 2.5*) had a 23-game hitting streak… until today. The 3x All-Star is batting .290-+21-62 .895OPS 3.8WAR in 95 games.

July 27th – The 65-37 Dodgers acquired a hitting upgrade as 1B/DH David Ortiz(39, 3*, .288-12-44 .829OPS 0.5WAR) will make his way over from Texas for a couple of minor prospects.

July 28th – More rebuilding by the 2012 World Series Winners as the Texas Rangers traded RHCL Koji Uehara(40, 4*, 5-3 16SV 3.66 48K 0.5WAR) to the Reds for a minor 3B prospect.

July 28th – The 51-52 Cleveland Guardians are going for it as they acquired LHCL Jake McGee(28, 5*, 3-3 16SV 3.26 51K 0.4WAR) from the Rays in exchange for A 2B Mike Cole(20, 1.5/3.5*, .349-5-19 1.009OPS), a 17th rounder from 2013 that is the #158 prospect in baseball.

July 31st – Trade deadline frenzy landed the 68-38 Dodgers another arm as they acquired 2011 AL MvP & Cy Young winner RHSP Justin Verlander(32, 3*, 4-9 5.11 117K 0.9WAR), hoping that changing the team would chance his season. The main player going back was prospect A SP Oscar Alvarenga(19, 1.5/3*).

August 1st – Blue Jays DH Eugenio Suárez(24, 4*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .337 with 12 home runs, 29RBIs and 23 runs scored for the month. The 2x All-Star is batting .293-27-77 .945OPS 3.6WAR in 106 games.

August 1st – Reds 3B Todd Frazier(29, 2.5*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .340 with 8 home runs, 18RBIs and 23 runs scored for the month. The 3x All-Star is batting .288-23-66 .891OPS 3.9WAR in 100 games.

August 1st – White Sox RHSP Jarrow Parker(26, 2.5*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 1.48 22K in 30.1IP in 5 starts for the month. Having won 14 games in 2012, he is 8-6 3.47 96K 0.9WAR in 21 starts.

August 1st – Giants RHSP Josh Johnson(31, 3*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-1 1.55 34K in 40.2IP and 6 starts for the month. The 2x All-Star winner is 8-6 3.18 108K 2.4WAR in 22 starts.

August 1st – Mariners RHSP Yoshihasa Koyanaga(26, 2.5*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after going 3-0 0.71 25K in 25.1IP and 5 starts for the month. The Japanese import this offseason is 6-1 5SV 3.02 89K 2.1WAR in 34G and 14 starts.

August 1st – Reds RHSP Chris Cunningham(23, 3/4*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after batting .291 with 5 home runs, 19RBIs and 19 runs scored for the month. The 2012 14th overall pick is batting .240-21-58 .815OPS 1.4WAR in 99 games.