MLB 2012 - The Toronto Ban Jays

[Griever20]

Stunning Change of Sanctions Announced for Blue Jays
stadiumreport.bbn

November 8th, 2016

The following statement has been released by MLB, MLBPA and the Toronto Blue Jays:

#1 From Opening Day 2012, March 29th, the Toronto Blue Jays receive an UNLIMITED BAN on trade activities. They are not allowed to acquire assets via trading away players in any way, shape or form.

#2 From Opening Day 2012, March 29th, the Toronto Blue Jays receive an UNLIMITED BAN on signing free agents to major league contracts.

#3 From Opening Day 2012, March 29th, the Toronto Blue Jays receive an UNLIMITED BAN on signing players that are 24 years or older on minor league contracts.

#4 From Opening Day 2012, March 29th, the Toronto Blue Jays may only acquire players on a minor league deal that are 23 or younger via the Rule 5 draft.

#5 From Opening Day 2012, March 29th, the Toronto Blue Jays receive an UNLIMITED BAN on acquiring players through waivers.

#9 The Toronto Blue Jays are still eligible to add players via the First Year Player Draft and sign international amateur free agents.
#9A The Toronto Blue Jays are still eligible to add players via the First Year Player Draft and sign international amateur free, but lose their FIRST ROUND PICK, starting in the 2017 First year player draft.

#9B The Toronto Blue Jays can retrieve their first round draft pick if they release a qualified player up until January 1st. A qualified player can be a.) a player on the 40-man that has been a very productive player in the last 1-3 years, or b.) a top prospect that is blocked from appearing on the major league roster. An arbitrator will decide whether or not the player is valid.

#10 In a settlement between the Toronto Blue Jays, MLB and the MLB Players Association in combination with the Supreme Court, the Toronto Blue Jays receive the right to have first priority on any international scouting discovery by all other MLB teams, and are allowed to sign those players despite another team making the find.

Commissioner Rob Manfred remarked in an exclusive interview with stadiumreport.bbn that “this brings the competitive balance back to where we want it to be.” He further added that there are some undisclosed terms about the “qualified players” and other things that won’t be released to the public or other teams. Overall, he stated that “MLB and MLBPA are very pleased with the agreement. The Toronto Blue Jays were unavailable for comment.

[Griever20]

Blue Jays Awards:

#4 for Marisnick despite his injury and #3 for Suárez.

San Francisco Giants C Buster Posey(29, 5*, .307-20-108 .880OPS 6.6WAR) won his 5th Silver Slugger Award.
Colorado Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki(32, 3.5*, .293-30-94 .928OPS 3.2WAR) won his 5th Silver Slugger Award.
Los Angeles Angels CF Mike Trout(25, 5*, .320-30-103 1.050OPS 8.2WAR) won his 5th Silver Slugger Award.

Major Awards:

#5 for Kershaw! Wasn’t expecting Winker as RotY to be honest, I had my money

Transactions:
November 3rd – All of our contract extensions were agreed upon, and fan interest has risen sharply by Castellanos aand Suárez.

November 21st – The arbitrator decided in favor of the team, so 1B Adam Brzezinski will get a 1y/$1.734M contract.

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
none

Contract Extensions:
Dodgers SS Corey Seager(22, 3/4*, .254-34-77 .811OPS 5.4WAR) 5y/$62.96M

Notable Free Agents:
Well, this guy:

And
RHSP Jordan Zimmerman(30, 4*, 15-6 2.14 200K 7.2WAR ex-WSH) – 4x All-Star
RHCL Kenley Jansen(29, 5*, 4-6 27SV 2.72 79K 1.9WAR 59.2IP) - 5x All-Star, 2014 NL Reliever of the Year
2B Jose Altuve(26, 3.5*, .315-19-74 .839OPS 25/32SB 2.4WAR ex-HOU) – 3x All-Star, 3x Silver Slugger
RF Giancarlo Stanton(27, 3.5*, .291-39-142 .917OPS 6.1WAR) – 4x All-Star, 2x Gold Glover, 3x Silver Slugger

[Griever20]

Free Agent Signings:
Detroit Tigers RF Giancarlo Stanton(27, 3.5*, .291-39-142 .917OPS 6.1WAR) – 7y/$220.5M – 4x All-Star, 2x Gold Glover, 3x Silver Slugger
Houston Astros LHSP Alex Vega(23, 5*) – 6y/$193.3M
Los Angeles Angels RHSP Jordan Zimmerman(30, 4*, 15-6 2.14 200K 7.2WAR 33GS) – 6y/$159.6M – 4x All-Star
Chicago Cubs 2B Matt Kemp(26, 3.5*, .315-19-74 .839OPS 25/32SB 2.4WAR ex-HOU) 6y/$127.8M – 3x All-Star, 3x Silver Slugger
Oakland Athletics LF Matt Kemp(32, 3*, .257-27-82 .776OPS 2.3WAR with LAD) 5y/$94M – 3x All-Star, 3x Gold Glover, 2x Silver Slugger
Philadelphia Phillies RHRP Kenley Jansen(29, 4*, 4-6 27SV 2.72 79K 1.9WAR) – 4y/$80M – 5x All-Star, 1x Reliever of the Year

Former Toronto Blue Jays:
Milwaukee Brewers SP Chris Archer(28, 2.5/3*, 3-3 4.02 68K 1.0WAR) – out with torn UCL 5 months

Contract Extensions:
Atlanta Braves SP Kris Medlen(31, 3.5*, 16-5 3.33 162K 3.9WAR 32GS) 6y/$170.4M – 3x All-Star

Trade News:
none

Transactions:
December 26th – Prior to the Rule 5 draft, C Bobby Cary(20, 3/5*, .307-16-82 .872OPS 3.0WAR AAA) and CF Jake Harris(22, 2.5/3*, .356-9-83 .941OPS 4.8WAR AA) were placed on the 40-man.

December 26th – RHSP Joe Musgrove(24, 2.5*, 0-1 6.38 22K 0.3WAR AAA) left via the Rule 5 draft to the Kansas City Royals and LF Danny Hernandez(21, 2/3*, .320-14-81 .872OPS 2.6WAR) left via the Rule 5 draft to the Cincinnati Reds.

January 14th – The Toronto Blue Jays were able to sign RHRP Karno Kartosuwiryo(18, 1.5/2.5*) on a minor league contract. The 17th rounder in 2016 was released by the Minnesota Twins earlier this year.

January 20th – The Toronto Blue Jays announced the signing of 16-year old Venezuelan IF Aleixo Neves(16, 1.5/5*), a 55/75/80/80/50 hitter with a 55 defensive potential at second base. They paid the maximum of $3.34M for the international amateur free agent.

April 1st – Prior to Opening Day, LF Anthony Gose(26, 2*) and RF Avsail Garcia(25, 2/2.5*) were waived and DFA’ed as they were out of options.

[Griever20]

Development Lab:
MLB RHSP Juan Gonzalez(20, 3.5/5*) Secondary Pitch Improvement No Improvement
MLB RHSP Jeremy Komosinski(25, 3.5/4*) Secondary Pitch Improvement Successful
MLB RHSP Noah Syndergaard(24, 3/4*) Improve Control No Improvement
MLB LF Jesse Winker(23, 3/3.5*) Two-strike Approach Successful
AAA C Bobby Cary(20, 4.5/5*) Generate Batspeed Successful
AA RHRP Mike Smith(20, 2/5*) Secondary Pitch Improvement No Improvement

Minor Programs:
MLB RF Nick Castellanos(25, 3.5*) Improve Outfield Defense Successful
MLB CF Ian Dellaripa(23, 3.5*) Improve Outfield Defense Successful
AAA CF Steve Snyder(23, 2.5/3.5*) Improve Outfield Defense OUTSTANDING
R C Peter Kilgore(20 1.5/5*) Improve Defense at C Successful
R 2B Alex Rivera(17, 1/5*) Improve Infield Defense OUTSTANDING

Great defensive upgrades here!

International Amateur Discovery Additions and Update:
LHSP Victor Salazar(16, 3*) 40/65/80 with a 40 rated pot. fastball, 55 rated pot. changeup and 45 rated pot. cutter and 55 stamina from the Boston Red Sox.
LHSP Roberto Rodriguez(16, 3*) 55/50/50 with a 65 rated pot. Fastball, 75 rated pot. curveball, 60 rated pot. changeup, 70 rated pot. cutter and 65 stamina from the St. Louis Cardinals.
2B Willie Cortez(16, 3*) 60/60/55/55/60 with 40 rated defense at 2B from the Texas Rangers.
CF Jose Ledesma(17, 3*) 60/80/55/45/70, 65D at left field, strong leader with low financial ambition from the Detroit Tigers.

[Griever20]

Your 2017 Toronto Blue Jays:

Starting Pitching

RHSP Henderson Alvarez III(26, 2.5*) 15-8 4.14 124K 31GS 182.2IP 2.4WAR // 65-56 3.86 561K 171GS 1026.0IP 11.7WAR (career)
And again and again, he will be called upon to hold the fort in our rotation and eat a lot of innings. Having him around for the last four years, we know that we will get a high 3’s ERA, 190-200 innings and some bullcrap in the clubhouse that we will have to manage, and there is the fact that he will be a free agent next winter. This is the moment where we need another pitching prospect to come through.

RHSP Juan Gonzalez(21, 4/5*) 6-1 3.65 95K 17GS 91.1IP 2.1WAR // 6-1 3.65 95K 17GS 91.1IP 2.1WAR 7WAR (career) #4 SP
Following a big success in the development lab in 2015/16 that got his stuff towards the superstar level, Gonzalez got the gig when Chris Archer was placed on the 60-day IL, and never looked back. Armed with a 80 rated curveball, a 92-94 fastball with sink… and some junk pitches, all he needs to do is to develop his changeup to become a generational player… ok, we are getting ahead of ourselves. Scouting discovery in 2012 by the New York Mets.

LHSP Jeremy Komosinski(25, 3.5/4*) 14-2 3.17 190K 184.2IP 32GS 4.6WAR // 30-10 3.17 322K 352.2IP 61GS 7.9WAR (career)
Jeremy confirmed his status as a top level pitcher by leading the AL in starter’s ERA for the second year in a row, and collecting his 2nd All-Star nomination in two years. For his stuff, he is now firmly a pitcher with a 65 rated slider and a 75 rated sinker… and the splitter is coming along… 50/80. Also, we love his makeup and the groundballs. 3rd overall pick in the 2013 draft.

RHSP Marcus Stroman(25, 3*) 10-7 3.55 114K 25GS 140.1IP 2.6WAR // 56-46 3.58 757K 152GS 870.2IP 13.5WAR (career)
Our extreme groundballer had lost a month on the IL with an elbow injury in the dog days of summer, but was old reliable once again for us. Only 5’7’’, he throws a dominant changeup with five other good pitches and is pretty much what he is… which is an above average pitcher that is locked up until the end of 2020 with two team options for 2021 and 2022.

RHSP Noah Syndergaard(24, 3/4*) 17-6 3.60 188K 172.1IP 31GS 4.1WAR // 32-12 3.59 350K 343.0IP 62GS 7.3WAR (career)
An All-Star in his rookie season in 2015, Syndergaard confirmed that with another mid 3’s ERA year with 15+ wins. At age 24, he is slowly developing, but we keep coming back at the question… Komosinski or Stroman. His changeup and Slider can be elite but need the last bit of zip… and we have been saying this for four years now.

Relief Pitching:

RHRP Mike Bishop(26, 2.5*) 4-1 1SV 3.13 79K 74.2IP 652G 0.4WAR // 7-3 2SV 3.03 153K 148.1IP 113G 0.7WAR (career)
Bishop confirmed his 2015 numbers, going multiple innings a number of time while pitching to a solid ERA of 3. He will never become an ace reliever as the curveball is lacking the zip and probably will never get there. 11th rounder in 2013.

RHRP Kevin Buchanan(24, 4.5*) 7-6 39SV 2.28 76K 67IP 65G 1.9WAR // 13-10 42SV 2.60 128K128IP 133G 2.4WAR (career)
A groundballer, like most of our successful pitchers, he made the next step last season, leading the league in saves and being our lockdown closer. He lost a bit of deception on the fastball as well as velocity, he still is elite and we trust him in the 9th for 2017. 10th rounder in 2012.

RHRP Carlos Bustamente(22, 3 *) 1-2 3.01 79K 68.2IP 68G 0.5WAR // 1-2 3.01 79K 68.2IP 68G 0.5WAR (Career)
The flyball pitcher made his debut after basically flying through the minors, the kid showed off his elite stuff with success. A fastball changeup pitcher with max effort, Bustamente tends to not know where the pitches go… but sometimes he hits the strikezone and that was enough. Minor league free agent signing in 2012.

LHRP Mike Cosens(26, 3/3.5*) 4-2 1SV 4.47 73K 52.1IP 74G 1.0WAR // 6-5 2SV 4.84 142K 111.2IP 146G 0.9WAR (career)
When we called him up, we thought that Cosens’ main weakness would be him being fragile. The lefty instead struggled with freaky contact last season while the underlying numbers indicated a 3.34FIP. Still, he is a 97-99mph 85 rated fastball merchant with a good secondary pitch in a slider and good minor league numbers. 5th rounder in 2012.

RHRP James C. Eaton(23, 4.5*) 9-3 4SV 2.09 64K 77.1IP 73G 1.3WAR // 14-3 6SV 2.93 127K 162.2IP 139G 2.3WAR (career)
Eaton is a rare control pitcher out of the pen, throwing a 91-93mph cutter and a way better slider with pinpoint control and wicked movement. And it played big time in the last two years, and especially last season, posting an elite ERA and netting him an All-Star nomination. 11th rounder 2012.

RHRP Roberto Osuna(22, 2.5/3.5*) 4-4 2SV 1.88 87K 71.2IP 70G 1.4WAR // 4-4 2SV 1.88 87K 71.2IP 70G 1.4WAR (career)
The Mexican has been growing through our minor league system and when he got the call, he exceeded expectations. The stuff with a wide assortment of pitches is stunning as he can select from a fastball, a slider, a changeup, a sinker and a cutter. The cutter needs work, and so the delivery when it comes to control and movement. He will be more of a middle reliever with high expectations and still some upside.

RHRP Joe Szczygiel(25, 3*) 3-1 3SV 1.92 60K 56.1IP 71G 0.8WAR // 5-5 4SV 3.26 97K 88.1IP 112G 0.2WAR (career)
A second year in a row, the righty nicknamed “The Incredible Hulk”, despite being only 5’9’’, dominated the opposition by limiting his BB/9 to a mark of four, but striking out 10.6 per nine. Control remains an issue, but if he can keep the magic going, he may not become a slam dunk…but a good dunk. 2013 2nd rounder.

LHRP Danny Foxhoven(25, 2.5/4*) 3-3 2SV 3.65 35K 49.1IP 54G 0.4WAR (AAA) // DNP (career)
Probably the last trade acquisition to ever join or MLB team, Vasquez never quite made the jump to an elite reliever despite his high ceiling. Throwing 93-95 with a fastball, curveball and changeup and a lot of groundballs, he eked out Danny Foxhoven for the final lefty spot. Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in 2012.


Catcher

C Bobby Cary(21, 4.5/5*, R) .307/.402/.471 16HR 82RBI 128G/117GS 2.3WAR (AAA) // DNP (career) #2 catcher & #9 prospect
Yes, we have a new starting catcher. Our scouts and coaches say he is the real deal, and we will give Cary the chance. A 60/50/70/55/55 rated hitter that filled out nicely during the offseason and spring training, he also worked hard to become an above average catcher defensively. Stay tuned, the kid is going to be a star… hopefully. Scouting discovery in 2012 by the Detroit Tigers.

C Devin Mesoraco(28, 3.5*, R) .255/.333/.465 24HR 83 137G 3.6WAR // .275/.346/.502 131HR 433RBI 686H 381R 687G 25.7WAR (career)
Mesoraco has become the first victim of our monster of a minor league system. A 4x All-Star, 2015 AL MvP and Silver Slugger, Devin’s defense and bat are a tad bit behind our newest toy. He may not be happy about that, and he may be someone that could become the first player to become a first round draft pick. Acquired from CIN in 2012 offseason, signed until the end of 2020.

Infield

1B Ricardo Camacho(27, 2.5/3*, L) .326/.377/.572 9HR 26RBI 52G/33GS 1.3WAR // .326/.377/.572 9HR 26RBI 45H 32R 52G/33GS 1.3WAR (career)
Camacho showed in limited time that he would be the better 1B over Adam Brzezinski and he turned a limited spell due to injury into a MLB roster spot. At age 27, he is what he is, a good contact bat that can hit some dingers. 14th rounder in 2012.

1B Joe Sokolow(24, 3.5/4.5*, L) .276/.371/.421 15HR 66RBI 126/119GS 1.6WAR // .276/.371/.421 15HR 66RBI 120H 61R 126/119GS 1.6WAR (career) [B#6 1B[/B]
After bursting onto the scene early in 2016, a fractured rib derailed him a bit but yet, he posted a positive WAR and hit some… something we lacked in the years before from first base. Usually a high OBP guy that should top at 30 home runs in a career year, he is not a prototypical player, but good enough. 7th rounder in 2013.

2B/UT Brad Finkbeiner(26, 2.5*, R) .327/.387/.511 12HR 41RBI 105G/67GS 2.1WAR // .327/.387/.511 12HR 41RBI 91H 49R 105G/67GS 2.1WAR (career) #12 2B
Finkbeiner was regarded more as a backup than a regular, but when he got the shot to play for the struggling Hechavarria and never looked back. A bang average hitter with slightly above average defense, he won’t become a star… but he holds the fort. 13th rounder in 2012.

2B/IF Carlos Gandara(25, 2.5*, R) .327/.368/.467 3HR 12RBI 32G/31GS 1.0WAR // .327/.368/.467 3HR 12RBI 35H 15R 32G/31GS 1.0WAR (career)
Gandara is a defensive ace and projects as an above average contact hitter… but will turn 26 in nine days… he may never reach that plateau. He got the job over Hechavarria who may just end up earning $4M in AAA this year… we need to clean up our 40-man next winter. 8th rounder in 2014.

3B Anthony Rendon(25, 3*, R) .299/.370/.440 13HR 71RBI 155G/149GS 15/23SB 3.9WAR // .294/.369/.505 93HR 347RBI 693H 415R 623G 93SB 25.0WAR (career) #7 3B
A star player for us for three years, his 2016 showed the lingering fears that our scouting department and coaches had… power outage. A good defender and contact hitter, he stopped hitting homers. Regardless of that, he is a 3x All-Star and a 2x Silver Slugger Award to complement his 2013 Rookie of the Year Award. Acquired via trade from WSH in 2012.

3B/DH Eugenio Suárez(25, 4*) .282/.363/.575 42HR 102RBI 143GS 14/22SB 4.0WAR // .273/.359/.545 126HR 310RBI 499H 343R 467GS 70/101SB 11.9WAR (career)
Suárez has now somehow managed to hit 42 home runs every bloody season, but missed 19 games in 2016 due to injury… imagine where he would’ve landed. Still, an elite power hitter that can steal a base or two. 3x All-Star, 3x Silver Slugger in three seasons and under contract until 2024. Acquired from DET in 2012.

SS Jim Hatfield(25, 4*, S) .270/.348/.504 26HR 73RBI 21G 5.0WAR // .290/.366/.513 53HR 174RBI 320H 201R 275G 33/52SB 13.2WAR (career) #1 SS
Coming in with some promise, Hatfield was sensational last season in his rookie season and collected the close to the whole package, Rookie of the Year, Silver Slugger and All-Star. He added another All-Star nomination in 2016 while taking a small step back in the numbers due to injury, but still can be regarded as an elite shortstop. 2012 1st rounder.

Outfield

LF Ian Dellaripa(23, 3.5*, R) .322/.362/.508 4HR 13RBI 28G 0.6WAR // .322/.362/.508 4HR 13RBI 38H 19R 28G 0.6WAR (career) #2 LF
Our outfield is way to stacked. We went back and forth in spring training and decided that Dellaripa has to be out there, 60/65/55/50/75 hitter with 70 rated defense in left… nuff said. Don’t ask me what we will do when Marisnick comes off the IL, I don’t know. Oh, and the kid can still improve his gap power and strikezone coverage. 6th rounder in 2012.

CF Jesse Winker(23, 3/3.5*, L) .264/.353/.508 29HR 98RBI 156/151GS 2.7WAR // .264/.353/.508 29HR 98RBI 142H 83R 156/151GS 2.7WAR (career) #5 CF
After winning a rather surprising Rookie of the Year Award, Winker put in some more work in the offseason to improve his defense, and therefore… he will be our center fielder to start the year. A strong hitter that really made leaps in 2016, he may be the victim of an even stronger outfield soon tho. Acquired from CIN in 2012.

RF Nick Castellanos(25, 3.5*, R) .309 /.350/.596 33HR 105RBI 132G/117GS 5/12SB 4.5WAR // .305/.353/.535 83HR 273RBI 503H 240R 429G/404GS 26/46SB 9.9WAR (career) #4 RF
After winning the 2015 batting crown, Castellanos took a step back in that department and instead hammered more home runs despite losing some time to injury. The 2x All-Star and 2015 AL Silver Slugger is a strong 65-rated contact bat with great defense… as usual with our team. Under contract until 2024. Acquired from DET in 2012.

OF Kevin Kiermaier(26, 2.5*, L) .257/.308/.419 9HR 39RBI 8/12SB 92G/65GS 1.3WAR // .233/.287/.362 22HR 124RBI 224H 116R 34/49SB 374G 2.2WAR (career)
Kiermaier is a great defender and solid right-handed hitter, and one of the best defenders you can find… on a bench. Acquired via trade from TBR in 2012.

[Griever20]

Preseason Prediction:
123-39, 1st in AL East, 38G in front of Baltimore Orioles

Predicted Top Players:
LHSP Jeremy Komosinski 22-2 2.08 174K 191.2IP
RHSP Marcus Stroman 16-5 3.63 166K 183.2IP
RHSP Henderson Alvarez III 19-5 3.76 125K 193.2IP
1B Joe Sokolow .300/.394/.531 32HR 96RBI
SS Jim Hatfield .324/.399/.662 44HR 128RBI 17SB
LF Nick Castellanos .309/.353/.523 32HR 99RBI 13SB
CF Ian Dellaripa .306/.366/.599 44HR 120RBI 12SB
DH Eugenio Suárez .299/386/.603 53HR 135RBI

Somebody drank too much Blue Jays cool aid when they made this prediction. #127 prospect Ian Dellaripa won’t hit 44 home runs and become a top 10 hitter. Henderson Alvarez III is not a top 10 pitcher. I have issues with this prediction…

The Division:

The Baltimore Orioles(77-85) are predicted to be the best of a bad rest with a 85-77 record after two 77-85 season. Spoiler, they always are predicted with a better record than they finish. Big storylines? LHSP Zach McConkey(20, 2.5/5*, 4-1 1SV 2.95 -0.1WAR 39.2IP) joining the rotation after making his debut in the bullpen… kid got stuff (80 curve, 65 change, 85 cutter, 70 knuckle curve). Offensively, they hope for 3B Manny Machado(24, 3*, .250-6-35 .697OPS 0.6WAR 70G) to bounce back from a injury riddled 2016 and back into his 2015 form…

After four years of sub .500 baseball, the Boston Red Sox(74-88) fans hope for more, but Vegas says… over-under of 80 wins. Yes, RF Mookie Betts(24, 4.5*, .304-25-97 .895OPS 33/40SB 5.5WAR) is amazing and third year pro SP Dan Royce(22, 3.5/4*, 8-15 3.92 152K 3.5WAR) is still rising up the ranks, but can the veteran heavy roster overcome the fatigued old bones and rally for a strong season? 42-year old R.A. Dickey(42, 3*, 13-9 3.83 177K 4.4WAR) certainly hopes so.

The New York Yankees(75-87) are not used to losing, but the truth is their last haul of veteran stars has not produced the results they expected, and the bookmakers have them at 77 wins. Yes, righty Johnny Cueto(31, 2.5*, 9-14 3.30 162K 4.5WAR) has shown why he is a 2x NL All-Star and RF Carlos Gonzalez(31, 3.5*, .317-31-94 .930OPS 6.3WAR) has become an impressive Yankee outfielder, but Robinson Cano($29.2M till 2019), Jayson Werth($17.2M), RHRP Tyler Clippard($16.8M till 2019) and Adam LaRoche($11.7M) are just eating money for nothing.

The Tampa Bay Rays(67-95) are out of it. A strong contender for years, new GM Adolfo Delfin, hired in late 2014, was not able to turn things around so far. 7x All-Star 3B Evan Longoria(31, 3.5*, .246-29-79 .776OPS 2.9WAR) stayed with the team but had the worst season in years in 2016 and many think that calling up 2B Mike Cole(21, 2/4*, .328-4-24 .869OPS AAA) onto the major league roster was way too early for the kid…

Top Pitcher

Top Position Player

Baseball America announced their Top 100 prospect list:
#1 CF Ryan McDonald(5*), 20, Detroit Tigers(R)(+3) (1st overall 2015)
#2 2B Victor Adan(5*), 20, New York Mets(S A)(+2) (IFA signing)
#3 RHSP Elijah Jones(5*), 19, Pittsburgh Pirates(AA)(+4) (3rd overall 2015)
#4 LHSP John Brown(5*), 20, Minnesota Twins(A)(+10)(2nd overall 2015)
#5 2B Jose Lopez(5*), 21, Houston Astros(A)(-3) (13th overall 2015)
#6 LHSP Alex Vega(5*), 23, Houston Astros(MLB)(NEW)(Free Agent)
#7 RF Brian Jones(5*), 22, Milwaukee Brewers(A)(+5)(9th rounder 2013)
#8 LHSP Chris Stark(5*), 20, New York Yankees(A)(+41)(32nd overall 2015)
#9 C Bobby Cary(5*), 21, Toronto Blue Jays(MLB)(+48)(Scouting Discovery DET 2012)
#10 CF Jim McConnell(4.5*), 21, New York Mets(R)(NEW)(9th overall 2016)

Notable Toronto Blue Jays on the list:
#19 C Peter Kilgore(5*), 20, AA, 3rd round 2015 (NEW)(+34)
#39 2B Alex Rivera(5*), 18, R, Scouting Discovery MIL 2015 (-7)
#20 RHSP Victor Torres(4.5*), 21, A ,IFA signing 2013 (-34)
#46 CF Steve Snyder(4*), 24, AAA, 1st round 2014 (-16)
#64 LF Miguel Licea(4*), 20, AA, Scouting Discovery TEX 2012 (+75)
#73 SS Aleixo Neves(4.5*), 16, R, IFA signing 2017 (NEW)
#75 RHRP Mike Smith(5*), 20, AA, 4th rounder 2014 (+71)
#77 RHSP Tommy Erikson(4.5*), 24, AAA, 5th round 2014 (+44)
#78 IF Guillermo Cervantes(4.5*), 21, AA, Scouting Discovery HOU 2012 (-13)
#81 1B Josh Smith(5*), 19, R, 4th rounder 2016 (NEW)
#84 RHSP Alejandro Melendez(4.5*), 20, S A, 7th rounder 2015 (NEW)
#85 2B Matt Linville(4.5*), 19, R, 1st rounder 2016 (NEW)
#96 LHSP John Hall(4*), 22, AAA, 5th rounder 2015 (+89)
#118 RHSP Melvin Baiza(3.5*), 20, A, Scouting Discovery BOS 2013 (+83)
#124 LHSP Danny Vasquez(4*), 20, R, Scouting Discovery BAL 2013 (NEW)
#127 CF Ian Dellaripa(3.5*), 23, MLB, 6th rounder 2012 (+27)
#129 RHSP Fernando Cadena(3.5*), 21, A, Scouting Discovery TOR 2012 (NEW)
#130 1B George Benton(3.5*), 21, AA, 3rd round 2014 (+20)
#145 RHSP Greg Toomey(4*), 23, AAA, 6th rounder 2015 (+22)
#147 RHSP Julio Acosta(3.5*), 23, AA, 2nd round 2014 (-28)
#152 RHRP Jorge Diaz(5*), 21, AAA, Scouting Discovery CWS 2012 (+21)
#170 CF Mark Gensel(4*), 19, R, 3rd rounder 2016 (NEW)
#171 2B Daniel Alvarez(4*), 19, A, Scouting Discovery SFG 2014 (NEW)
#183 CF Jake Harris(3*), 23, AAA, 4th round 2012 (-68)
#196 LF Jorge Calvillo(3.5*), 18, S A, IFA signing 2016 (-98)
#206 RHRP Emilio Farentino(5*), 18, A, IFA signing 2015 (+23)

Ok we once again will have a shot at a rookie of the year in Bobby Cary and we have ANOTHER catcher in the pipeline with Peter Kilgore… the nightmare of the MLBPA boss Luke Walton with Devin Mesoraco on the bench… Future GM’s problem.

Also, some guys on this list are fake. #77 prospect Tommy Erikson is 24, is 2* overall and clearly won’t make it. #62 Steve Snyder has to break out NOW. But that being said… we have a good system again.