2024 Minor League/Prospects Discussion Thread

dagger · Post #741 » by **dagger** » Tue Jun 6, 2023 12:43 am

Ricky Tiedemann likely would have reached AAA if not for his shoulder injury. There are interesting position players at Buffalo and New Hampshire but no urgency to promote them. Orelvis Martinez is starting to manage his ABs a bit better which would be enormous but with Bo and Chapman, there is no urgency to rush Martinez. The big weakness right now is the Buffalo rotation. That’s why demoting Manoah would be hard, though they may have to do it anyway.

mouse · Post #742 » by **mouse** » Tue Jun 6, 2023 6:17 pm

It's absolutely wild that Martinez has dropped his SO% by 7% yet his average has decreased and his power has skyrocketed. The man is on pace to hit nearly 60 dingers per 600 at bats.

bluerap23 · Post #743 » by **bluerap23** » Tue Jun 6, 2023 9:44 pm

mouse wrote:It's absolutely wild that Martinez has dropped his SO% by 7% yet his average has decreased and his power has skyrocketed. The man is on pace to hit nearly 60 dingers per 600 at bats.

I guess I could stomach a sub 200 avg if he hits 60 dingers

Fairview4Life · Post #744 » by **Fairview4Life** » Wed Jun 7, 2023 12:09 pm

bluerap23 wrote:
mouse wrote:It's absolutely wild that Martinez has dropped his SO% by 7% yet his average has decreased and his power has skyrocketed. The man is on pace to hit nearly 60 dingers per 600 at bats.

I guess I could stomach a sub 200 avg if he hits 60 dingers

Kind of a fun thing to think about. Do you want the guy who goes 1-10 but every hit is a homerun?

polo007 · Post #745 » by **polo007** » Wed Jun 7, 2023 2:37 pm

Read on Twitter

dagger · Post #746 » by **dagger** » Thu Jun 8, 2023 3:02 pm

I don't see him as a prospect but when a player has a night like Garrett Spain, 22, had for Vancouver, it's worth a mention, especially because it's not necessarily out of character for him *this season*. Spain, a left-hand hitting outfielder, a 15th round draft pick two years ago, went 4-5 with two homers and 6 RBIs (including the game winning grand slam in the ninth) and 11 total bases. He strikes out too much - 23 times in 87 ABs - and walks too little which is why a guy with a .345 BA and 1.061 OPS has only a .383 OBP. He plays all three outfield positions but especially CF and RF. and had an assist last night as well. He had 10 assists last year. So Garrett, enjoy your day in the spotlight.

Found one pre-draft scouting report on him.

“Spain has been an impact player for the Governors since 2019, when he garnered OVC Freshman of the Year honors and made Collegiate Baseball’s Freshman All-American Team. The 5-foot-11, 178-pounder can generate triple-digit exit velocities from the left side of the plate, showing the potential to hit for average as well as power. He’s gone deep 18 times in 102 collegiate games, with seven of those homers coming in just 29 games so far in ‘21. On top of that, Spain is regarded as a solid defender in center, with the potential to remain there at the next level.”

polo007 · Post #747 » by **polo007** » Thu Jun 8, 2023 3:15 pm

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polo007 · Post #748 » by **polo007** » Sun Jun 11, 2023 12:37 am

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polo007 · Post #749 » by **polo007** » Fri Jun 16, 2023 5:46 pm

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bluerap23 · Post #750 » by **bluerap23** » Fri Jun 16, 2023 9:16 pm

polo007 wrote:

Read on Twitter

This is starting to get interesting

hst420 · Post #751 » by **hst420** » Wed Jul 5, 2023 5:30 am

David Schneider call-up?

Santiago Espinal demotion?

Randle McMurphy · Post #752 » by **Randle McMurphy** » Wed Jul 5, 2023 6:42 am

hst420 wrote:Santiago Espinal demotion?

The Jays don't have a backup SS on the roster other than him, so I wouldn't think so.

dagger · Post #753 » by **dagger** » Wed Jul 5, 2023 12:09 pm

Alex de Jesus hit for the cycle in Vancouver’s win yesterday. He may yet make that White-Frasso trade look less crappy.

He now has 10 homers, 6 triples - 30 XBH hits in all. 48 RBIs after adding 7 last night. He also has a plus arm (rated at 65), ideal for 3B. Still has to work on his K rate (26%).

https://www.milb.com/vancouver/video/alex-de-jesus-cycle?t=t435-default-vtp

The Jays have infield prospects at all levels, and any deadline trades are likely to involve talent from this loaded hand. Barger, Martinez, Schneider, Lopez, Jimenez, de Jesus, Doughty, Kasevich, Beltre, Pinto. The organization would likely want to keep the best for potentially replacing Chapman and Espinal/Merrifield. It will be fascinating to see who stays and who goes over the next 12 months. Barger, Lopez, Martinez and Jimenez are already on the 40 man roster.I don't believe Doughty, Kasevich, Beltre and Pinto have to be protected in the next Rule 5 draft, but de Jesus will have to be as a 2018 bonus baby.

Here's ADJ's MLBPipeline scouting card

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 40 | Arm: 65 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45

De Jesus was one of the top prospects from the 2018 international class, and he started to play some shortstop after the Dodgers signed him for $500,000. He chased power at times early in his Rookie-level debut, batting .281 with a .732 OPS over 57 games, but he came on strong late. Some of that power came in 2021 at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, where he hit 12 home runs while posting a .268 average and .834 OPS over 87 games.

De Jesus was in the middle of another nice season at High-A in 2022 when the Blue Jays acquired him from the Dodgers alongside Mitch White. While his Blue Jays debut was underwhelming over 24 games at High-A Vancouver, the club was very impressed with his maturity, as the fully bilingual De Jesus quickly bought in and became a good teammate. Toronto’s program has also helped him physically, with optimism that more power will follow at the plate.

Defensively, De Jesus can play short and third base but is likelier to end up at the hot corner, where his plus arm can make any necessary throw. He’ll need to cut down his strikeout rate at the plate, though, after whiffing 151 times in 113 games last season. If that happens alongside a power surge, De Jesus is another candidate to jump in 2023. Alongside Adrian Pinto, the Blue Jays have done a solid job of acquiring prospects in Major League trades recently.

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-MetA4- · Post #754 » by **-MetA4-** » Thu Jul 6, 2023 2:42 pm

dagger wrote:Alex de Jesus hit for the cycle in Vancouver’s win yesterday. He may yet make that White-Frasso trade look less crappy.

Nick Frasso has also been crap lately. ERA now up to 4.12 in AA (which he's repeating). He only throws ~3 innings at a time and he turns 25 in a few months.

BA jumped the gun when they blew him up the Top 100, and I have a striking suspicion that they wouldn't have been that bullish if he was traded to a non-darling team like the Dodgers.

dagger · Post #755 » by **dagger** » Fri Jul 7, 2023 1:05 pm

If you want an antidote to following the offensive futility of the major league team, Vancouver has a knack for offence - scored 10 runs in the final three innings last night for a come from behind win. All prospects, regardless of how you rate their chances, are clicking right now: Alan Roden, Dasan Brown, Gabby Martinez, Alex de Jesus. Cade Doughty, every one is swinging well these days. Not a lot of homers, but a lot of doubles and triples. de Jesus hit his seventh triple.

DelAbbot · Post #756 » by **DelAbbot** » Thu Jul 13, 2023 5:10 am

What happened to Ricky Tiedemann? And when is he getting called up to save our season?

dagger · Post #757 » by **dagger** » Thu Jul 13, 2023 2:35 pm

DelAbbot wrote:What happened to Ricky Tiedemann? And when is he getting called up to save our season?

He's been sidelined for several weeks with a shoulder issue, and there is no sign he is close to returning to the mound.

Yeezus_ · Post #758 » by **Yeezus_** » Thu Jul 13, 2023 3:42 pm

What is Brandon Barreira’s outlook? More of a backend starter or potential to be a 1/2?

dagger · Post #759 » by **dagger** » Thu Jul 13, 2023 3:50 pm

Yeezus_ wrote:What is Brandon Barreira’s outlook? More of a backend starter or potential to be a 1/2?

Well, it's too early to tell. His season has been derailed by elbow soreness, although there is no talk of surgery. Apparently, he reported to camp overweight, and that hasn't helped. There has been no word on him for weeks. Presumably he's working with the training staff in Dunedin, unless they have sent him to a fat farm.

Some disappointment with his approach was cited by one media scout (Law?) for the Jays potentially passing on another high schooler in round 1, but obviously they weren't deterred in the end.

Update 07/14: Dunedin Blue Jays sent LHP Brandon Barriera on a rehab assignment to FCL Blue Jays.

polo007 · Post #760 » by **polo007** » Sun Jul 16, 2023 9:26 am

Blue Jays Farm Report: Better pitch selection helps Martinez hit for more than just power - Sportsnet.ca

At the end of last season, after Orelvis Martinez hit 30 home runs as a 20-year-old in double-A, the hard-hitting infielder had reason to feel good about his progress. After all, he’d successfully made the jump to the Eastern League, where he was four years younger than average, and held his own with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. If he chose to be set in his ways, well, you could understand that.

Martinez wasn’t, though, refusing to overlook all the empty at-bats within his .203 average and .286 on-base percentage and just harp on the damage. As he and the Toronto Blue Jays dug into next steps, they made pitch recognition and swing decisions a focal point and after a slow start, a .301/.425/.609 stretch over his last 47 games suggests his new approach at the plate is really starting to take, with a promotion to triple-A Buffalo expected in the coming days.

“Yeah, 30 homers is a good number but I think I can do better than that,” Martinez says during a recent interview in Manchester, N.H., interpreted by teammate Steward Berroa. “I can hit 30 homers with a decent average and be in more situations to hit the ball more, than just having 30 homers with a really low average. I'm always open to receiving feedback and getting better.”

Encouraging for the Blue Jays is that the now 21-year-old stuck with it even after an .089/.169/.266 start through his first 22 games, when he was making good contact but not getting results. His strikeout percentage of 28.5 per cent a year ago is down to 19.8 per cent while his walk rate went from 8.1 to 14.2 per cent.

If those lock in, especially up a level with Buffalo, the Blue Jays may really have something given Martinez’s prolific natural power.

“There were so many times last year that he just swung at the pitchers’ pitches,” says Cesar Martin, his manager with the Fisher Cats last year and this one. “He said, ‘That's on me, I was chasing, trying to hit everything out.’ Now he has a better idea what the pitcher is trying to do to him. And it’s not a secret. The guys have a lot of info on him and everybody knows what type of power he has, so they’re not going to give him a cookie. The patience that he’s showing right now, the discipline is (leading to) a lot of improvements.”

A continued emergence for Martinez would be timely for the Blue Jays, who are facing some significant roster decisions at the big-league level in the coming years.

Near-term is the imminent free agency of third baseman Matt Chapman and the lack of an obvious replacement, either already on the major-league roster or in free agency, creating a potential window for himself or Addison Barger, another hard-hitting shortstop/third baseman currently at Buffalo, should they make enough progress.

What gives Martinez’s emphasis on pitch recognition and selection a chance to really hold is that he doesn’t have to work for his power, a gift he’s come to understand.

“Basically the difference is last season, I was going up there to swing hard and sometimes I got out of control,” says Martinez. “So this year I have the same intent to swing hard, but I've been focused more on control, like swing hard, but more under control. That is getting better. …

“I'm not going to focus on hitting the ball really far because I know I have that already. I'm just trying to improve myself in a contact way. The swing decisions come with the approach that I have right now.”