scouting reports on the Blue Jay prospects, i don't know if they're different from what hoopstarrsp posted before
Drabek made significant strides this year in the Toronto system, raising his ceiling in the process by refining one pitch he had and adding two more to his repertoire. Drabek has always had the plus fastball, 92-97, and pairs it with an out-pitch curveball, hard in the mid-80s with good depth, but his changeup had lagged behind. That last pitch is more solid-average now, straight with better arm speed, and he can use that or a new cut fastball to get left-handed hitters out, as well as a two-seamer to keep hitters from timing his four-seamer.
Drabek, the son of 1990 NL Cy Young winner Doug Drabek, did miss a year with Tommy John surgery, and he does not have a perfect delivery. He can cut himself off and throw slightly across his body, and despite having a strong lower half he doesn't use his legs enough to generate velocity. He is, however, major league ready right now, with the weapons to miss bats while he works on his command and the development of his lesser pitches.
Lawrie has one of the best right-handed swings in the minors, and he has added strength and power since last offseason while wearing out his welcome in Milwaukee and changing addresses in the Shaun Marcum trade.
His swing is clean, and he has good hand speed. He uses his lower half well with good leverage and above-average raw power already at age 20. He's also an above-average runner who plays all-out all the time, so no one questions his work ethic. At second base, Lawrie is a hitter, and there's a better than even chance he will end up in the outfield, but the Blue Jays will see whether their outstanding infield coach, Brian Butterfield, can make second or even third base work.
Lawrie did acquire a reputation as a difficult player who didn't like to take instruction in Milwaukee, but the slate is clean for him in Toronto, a club that coveted him since it missed out on him in the 2008 draft. The Blue Jays believe they now have the Canadian-born star they've been seeking.
The industry remains split on whether Stewart is a starter or a power sinker/slider reliever, but I still don't see a good reason to remove him from the future rotation, as he's a four-pitch guy who can miss bats and get groundballs. Stewart will pitch in the low 90 mph range but touches 96, and his fastball has both sink and tail to it. His slider is his best offspeed pitch, tight at 83-87 with good tilt, and he commands the pitch well, throwing it to both sides of the plate. His changeup improved substantially as the year went on, 81-85, straight, but with excellent arm speed. His curve has good depth but he doesn't command it well and it's not as tight as the slider.
He stays over the rubber before driving forward with a long stride, although his arm action is a little long in the back and he pronates relatively late in the delivery. His fastball movement has limited his control, and he'll have to work on cutting down on free passes, but there's No. 2 starter potential here, No. 3 at worst, as long as he can throw enough strikes.
D'Arnaud was -- and still is -- the sleeper from the Roy Halladay trade, a player the Blue Jays coveted since high school and finally landed in the biggest trade of Alex Anthopoulos' career. He's a complete prospect, a plus defender across the board with future plus power and a chance to hit as long as he can stay healthy.
On defense, he's a true catch-and-throw guy with a 60 arm, great hands and good rapport with pitchers. His swing is easy and repeatable and he'll show plus raw power in BP now that he's started to fill out. His 2010 season was a slight disappointment because of minor back trouble that kept him off the field, but he's changed his conditioning routine to increase his core work in the hopes of preventing a recurrence.
Look for him to break out in New Hampshire this year once his back is healthy and he's out of the heavy air of the Florida State League.
Hechavarria is a flashy shortstop who can play the position but has a ways to go with the bat. The Jays obviously think highly of him having given the Cuban a $10 million contract last April. He's a long, loose, fast-twitch player who does just about everything in the field with panache, like there are 20 cameras on him. His hands and range are undeniable; his arm is above-average but he tends to sling it from a slot somewhere south of sidearm, putting some tail on his throws to first that could cause a first baseman trouble.
At the plate, he has a long swing and struggles with pitch recognition, and probably should have spent the whole year in A-ball -- he was pushed to Double-A because of his glove. He had good contact rates despite his overall difficulty at the plate, and he had less experience than a typical 21-year-old in Double-A who had three years in college or in the low minors under his belt. I don't think Hechavarria is a star, but could see him hitting in the .260-.280 range with 10-12 homers and plus defense.
Sanchez was one of the cleanest, most projectable high school arms in this past Rule 4 draft, yet for no reason anyone can understand, he slid out of the first round. (My theory: He indicated to teams he was signable in the sandwich round, so some clubs figured they could wait on him and concentrate first on players who would take only first-round money.)
He was 91-93 in the spring but up to 95 regularly in instructional league, and has good feel for an average curveball in the mid-to-upper 70s. He'll need to use his changeup more to develop the same feel for that pitch, but otherwise just has to get stronger. His delivery already works well (with a nice long stride to the plate) and he's going to command the fastball well in time.
Pro scouts who caught him in September couldn't believe he slid out of the first round, and the Blue Jays must have downed an extra clam eye or two after they got him.
