Blue Jays Positional Primer: Middle Infield

Inspiration for the Blue Jays Positional Primer series comes from Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus. Over the course of the second half of the season, Jason examined the prospects in the entire minor leagues on a position-by-position basis, giving insight into players both within and well outside the top 100 rankings.

While the sample size of one team is vastly inferior to that of the entire minor leagues, I feel Toronto has enough depth in the farm -- particularly in the low minors -- that such a series could provide some insight into prospects that Blue Jays fans aren't as familiar with as they should be. This is the third installment of an eight part series that will examine catcher, first base, middle infield, third base, center field, corner outfield, right handed pitcher, and left handed pitcher. The middle infield and corner outfield lists are included as there's really no such thing as a second base or left field prospect, they're just shortstops and center/right fielders who couldn't handle the defensive demands and get moved to the easier defensive position as they age. It should be noted that -- outside of the Leader of the Pack, who is the #1 for the position -- these are not necessarily progressive rankings of the prospects

Part I -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Catcher
Part II -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: First Base
Part IV -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Third Base
Part V -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Center Field
Part VI -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Corner Outfield
Part VII -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Right-handed Pitcher
Part VIII -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Left-handed Pitcher

The Leader of the Pack

Adeiny Hechavarria –- 2011 team(s): Double-A New Hampshire, Triple-A Las Vegas
572 AB, .264/.305/.383 (.687 OPS), 28 2B, 8 3B, 8 HR, 57 RBI, 20 SB, 33/99 BB/K

Powered by one of the best gloves in the minor leagues, Adeiny Hechavarria takes the crown as the Leader of the Pack in the middle infield division. Hechavarria was signed in April of the 2010 season to a 4 year, 10 million dollar major league contract. He started the year working in extended spring training, getting acclimated to the American culture in a low stress environment. He began his official playing career with the High-A Dunedin affiliate, who play out of the Blue Jays spring training complex.

Hechavarria proved to be extremely raw, hitting .193/.217/.292 (.509) in a little over a month’s worth of games with the D-Jays while being perhaps too flashy in the field. Much to the shock of the fanbase, Hechavarria was promoted to New Hampshire in the summer, where, with the help of Spanish-speaking manager Luis Rivera, he managed to turn his season around, hitting a respectable .273/.305/.360 (.665). The fielding became more fundamentally sound as the season wore on, as his throws straightened out after previously throwing sidearm-with-tail across the diamond. The 5’11” shortstop frequently displayed his athleticism, but is still raw in terms of base running, as he will on occasion kill rallies running into outs. His power is average for a middle infielder, as he should be capable of hitting 10+ home runs with plenty of doubles and triples as he finishes maturing physically. The only drawback with Hechavarria is his bat tool, which is currently below average with only average potential, at best.

His second year, 2011, was the tale of two seasons. He spent the first four-plus months with Double-A New Hampshire, hitting .235/.275/.347 (.622) in 111 games. Much like 2010, Hechavarria received yet another seemingly undeserved promotion, and once again, he turned his game up afterwards. Hechavarria hit .389/.431/.537 (.968) in 25 games with the 51’s, and Las Vegas hitting coach Chad Mottola feels he can turn Adeiny’s bat around with some extended work. Hechavarria should have plenty of time to work with Mottola, as it’s expected that he’ll be assigned to Triple-A out of spring training next season, barring an unforeseen lack of moves this offseason. If he can get things together on the offensive side of the game, Hechavarria has a chance to be a very good player.

The Question Mark

Gustavo Pierre -– 2011 team(s): Rookie-Class Bluefield, Single-A Lansing
437 AB, .224/.290/.339 (.629 OPS), 16 2B, 5 3B, 8 HR, 41 RBI, 15 SB, 39/125 BB/K

Gustavo Pierre fall into the Question Mark category, as he may have the widest range of projections of anyone in the farm system. It’s debatable whether Pierre even belongs on the middle infield list, as at 19 years old and already 6’2” (with some growth left), he may be moved to a corner (infield, or outfield) sooner rather than later. Born in the Dominican, Pierre was acquired through International Free Agency in 2008, receiving a signing bonus of 0.7M.

Despite signing prior to the start of the short season leagues in 2008, Pierre didn’t make his professional debut until the 2009 season. He underwent Tommy John surgery in his signing year, which could partially attribute to the fielding issues that are glaring in his statistical lines. In his 233 career minor league games, he has committed 87 fielding errors. While errors are far from the best indicators of a defender’s abilities, where there’s smoke there’s often fire. It’s impossible to accurately evaluate Pierre’s fielding abilities without seeing him in person, but it’s possible the Tommy John surgery affected his arm in a way that makes his throws inaccurate. If this were the case, it would likely rule out third base as an eventual destination, perhaps making left field –- a position where throws are less important but he could still display his athleticism -– a more viable option.

Aside from his defensive flaws, Pierre is very athletic and has the potential for above average to plus power. Scouts rave over the way the ball comes off his bat, but making consistent contact has been an issue for him. A simple case of poor mechanics would be outstanding news, as it’s far easier to teach stances and timing than it is pure bat speed. Pierre started the season with Single-A Lansing but it became readily apparent he wasn’t yet ready for full-season ball, as he hit only .187/.244/.262 (.506) in 56 games. He was much better after his demotion to Rookie-Class Bluefield, hitting .252/.324/.396 (.720) in 63 games, showing impressive power (12 doubles, 3 triples, 6 home runs) and greatly improved plate discipline (26 walks) while facing pitchers more in line with his age and experience. With no shortstops immediately ahead of him on the depth chart, Pierre should get another shot with Lansing out of the spring, where he can once again attempt to erase some of the question marks tainting his prospect status.

Remember the Name(s)

Dickie Joe Thon -– 2011 team: GCL Blue Jays
121 AB, .223/.369/.322 (.691 OPS), 3 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 6 SB, 23/44 BB/K

Dickie Thon is the perfect example of how the round a player is drafted in is not indicative of their talent level. A 5th round pick in 2010, Thon signed for a well over slot bonus of 1.5M. Negotiations were pulled into the public eye, as it was rumored that Thon’s father (of the same name) was hoping to see his son play for his former team, the Houston Astros. Despite this hiccup, Thon signed prior to the deadline, but was not assigned to any minor league affiliates, instead making his debut in 2011.

While the numbers for his professional debut aren’t particularly strong, scouts who had the opportunity to watch him play raved about his tools. Thon has the most offensive potential of any player on this list. He generates good bat speed, but has struggled with consistency. As a 19 year old playing with wooden bats for the first time, that’s both understandable and expected. Thon displays strong gap power, but as he continues to mature and fill out his athletic 6’2” frame, those gappers could start finding their way out of the park. He shows an impressive plate approach for such a young player, walking 23 times in 45 games. Thon’s best tool is his athletic ability, a trait that was passed down from his father (Thon Sr averaged 5 triples and 20 stolen bases per season across his 15 year major league career, peaking at 10 and 37 respectively). His arm and fielding tools are more fundamental than flash, but he has the athleticism and work ethic for both to develop into plus tools. Thon is the total package, with the potential for five above average tools.

Jorge Vega-Rosado –- 2011 team: GCL Blue Jays
183 AB, .317/.380/.470 (.850 OPS), 12 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 30 RBI, 22 SB, 19/40 BB/K

With all of the youth at the shortstop position in the Blue Jays system, the middle infield category has two players in the Remember the Name category. The second, JVR, was a 28th round pick in the 2011 draft. He signed in mid-June for approximately slot money, allowing him to make his debut during his draft year –- and what a debut it was. Rosado was one of best hitter on the Gulf Coast Blue Jays, ranking 3rd in batting average, 5th in OBP, 4th in SLG, 4th in OPS, 1st in doubles, 3rd in triples, 3rd in home runs, and 1st in stolen bases )among players with 50 or more at-bats). Given the demands of his defensive position, these were outstanding numbers.

The previous three shortstops on this list all have long, athletic frames with room to grow. JVR does not fall into the same category. A week away from his 20th birthday, Rosado stands only 5’8”, weighing 175 lbs. He is not a player who is going to develop significant power down the road, though as a middle infielder power is a bonus, not a requirement. His bat was impressive in his debut, but it will be tested as the Puerto Rican starts facing more experienced competition next year with Bluefield or Vancouver. JVR committed 11 errors in 51 games at shortstop, but as I mentioned with Gustavo Pierre, errors are a poor statistical measure of defense without additional evidence. As a 28th round pick playing in the Gulf Coast League, Rosado’s public exposure was limited. Hopefully another year of success at a more significant minor league level will force scouts and prospect experts to talk about him often.

Blue Jays Positional Primer: First Base

Inspiration for the Blue Jays Positional Primer series comes from Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus. Over the course of the second half of the season, Jason examined the prospects in the entire minor leagues on a position-by-position basis, giving insight into players both within and well outside the top 100 rankings.

While the sample size of one team is vastly inferior to that of the entire minor leagues, I feel Toronto has enough depth in the farm -- particularly in the low minors -- that such a series could provide some insight into prospects that Blue Jays fans aren't as familiar with as they should be. This is the second installment of an eight part series that will examine catcher, first base, middle infield, third base, center field, corner outfield, right handed pitcher, and left handed pitcher. The middle infield and corner outfield lists are included as there's really no such thing as a second base or left field prospect, they're just shortstops and center/right fielders who couldn't handle the defensive demands and get moved to the easier defensive position as they age. It should be noted that -- outside of the Leader of the Pack, who is the #1 for the position -- these are not necessarily progressive rankings of the prospects

Part I -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Catcher
Part III -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Middle Infield
Part IV -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Third Base
Part V -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Center Field
Part VI -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Corner Outfield
Part VII -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Right-handed Pitcher
Part VIII -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Left-handed Pitcher

The Leader of the Pack

David Cooper -– 2011 team: Triple-A Las Vegas 51’s
467 AB, .364/.439/.535 (.974 OPS), 51 2B, 1 3B, 9 HR, 96 RBI, 1 SB, 67/43 BB/K

David Cooper is the Leader of the Pack in the first base division. While Cooper is a decent enough prospect, this title speaks more to the lack of depth in the system at first base, as Alex Anthopolous has targeted primarily up-the-middle talent since taking over two years ago. Cooper was the Blue Jays 1st round pick in the 2008 draft, but has yet to live up to the expectations.

Cooper’s four year minor league career has been a bit of a roller coaster. He signed early in his draft year (2008), and managed to play 69 games across three levels late in the season. Cooper had a strong debut season, hitting .333/.399/.502 (.901), emphasized by his 29 doubles and 30/46 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Cooper would spend all of 2009 and 2010 with the Double-A Fisher Cats, and struggled to make consistent contact both years. He hit .258 in 2009, followed by .257 in 2010. His plate discipline remained an asset (111 walks, 166 strikeouts in 260 games), and his power did show some development, peaking at 20 home runs in 2010. Despite the back-to-back mediocre seasons, Cooper was promoted to Triple-A to start 2011, and put together the strong batting line above, winning the PCL batting title.

The troubling aspect of Cooper’s career is that, out of college, his best tool was supposed to be his bat –- the same bat tool that Cooper has been painfully inconsistent with in his four professional seasons. Scouts were skeptical of his bat translating to the professional leagues as his ability is based more upon strong arms and excellent hand-eye coordination than pure bat speed. He has likely already reached his power potential, as his bat speed and frame don’t project anything beyond 15-20 home runs. His speed and defense are below average to average at best. With Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion under contract for 2012, Cooper will likely find himself back in Triple-A to open next season, awaiting an injury.

Mr Consistency

Mike McDade –- 2011 team: Double-A New Hampshire Fishers Cats
484 AB, .281/.328/.457 (.785 OPS), 37 2B, 0 3B, 16 HR, 74 RBI, 0 SB, 28/104 BB/K

While Mike McDade has been very consistent over the past three seasons, the problem is that he hasn’t been consistently above average, particularly for a first baseman. To be considered a true prospect at first base, the player needs to have a special bat, and McDade has not yet shown such ability. McDade was drafted in the 6th round of the 2007 draft, and has recently been added to the 40 man roster to protect him from Rule 5 draft eligibility. While he is built like Milwaukee Brewers slugger Prince Fielder, standing 6’1” and weighing 260 lbs, that is where the similarities between the two end. The switch hitting McDade has average bat and power tools, but given the expectations placed upon first basemen, his power could be considered below average. He’s athletic given his large size, and is actually more defensively sound than the much smaller David Cooper.

As an example of how truly consistent McDade has been, you don’t need to look any further than his bat, his power, and his plate discipline. In batting average, home runs, and walks over the past three seasons, McDade has hit .277/16/32, .267/21/27, .281/16/28, which is all well within one standard deviation of the mean. With a sample size of 1372 AB, it’s safe to say this might be the true talent level of Mike McDade. It should be noted that McDade is still only 22 years old, which does leave some room for improvement as he gets the experience that his pitching counterparts have received. Still, if McDade wants to make the leap from organization depth to top prospect, he’s going to need to take a colossal step forward in 2012, and show the numbers expected from a first baseman.

The Question Mark

Roan Salas -– 2011 team: Low-A Vancouver Canadians
139 AB, .259/.304/.432 (.736 OPS), 10 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 1 SB, 5/31 BB/K

The Question Mark of the first base division is Roan Salas of the Vancouver Canadians. Salas is a player who was acquired via the poorly covered minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft, with the Blue Jays paying the Tampa Bay Rays $12,000 dollars for his rights. At the time, Salas was a 20 year old with a career .322/.390/.506 batting line in 680 AB across 4 years in the short-season minor leagues, so the investment -– given the minimal risk –- was clearly a sound one. Standing only 5’11” and weighing 175 lbs, Salas doesn’t have the build of a typical first baseman, but he still showed impressive power in 2009, hitting 19 doubles, 3 triples, and 15 home runs in 61 games.

Despite never having played in North America, Toronto boldly assigned him to the Low-A affiliate in Vancouver, an area that has a much smaller Hispanic community than, say, the Gulf Coast League. His struggles aren’t surprising, as in addition to the culture shock he skipped two minor league levels. The power remained respectable, but he was clearly overmatched by the command that pitchers in the North American leagues have. After walking 69 times against 84 strikeouts in his first four seasons, Salas struggled to a 5/31 walk-to-strikeout ratio with Vancouver, an area he clearly needs to improve upon if he wishes to continue to climb the ranks. Due to underexposure there isn’t much in terms of scouting reports on Roan Salas, but should he earn a promotion to full-season Lansing to open next season, his name could more frequently enter the conversation in discussions of Toronto’s deep farm system.

Remember the Name

Art Charles –- 2011 team: Rookie-Class Bluefield Blue Jays
250 AB, .240/.351/.468 (.819 OPS), 18 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 61 RBI, 1 SB, 39/89 BB/K

Bluefield first baseman Art Charles closes out the list in the Remember the Name division. The 6’6”, 220 lbs Charles is a converted pitcher who has played exclusively as a hitter since being selected in the 20th round of the 2010 draft. Despite being 19, Charles began his career in the Gulf Coast League, where he hit a fairly impressive .244/.331/.431 (.762), showing good power (11 doubles, 4 home runs) and plate discipline (16 walks) in 37 games. He struggled with making consistent contact, leading to 48 strikeouts.

Those trends continued in 2011, this time with the Rookie-Class affiliate in Bluefield. Charles hit a lot of extra base hits and took walks at an above average rate, but once again hit an uninspiring .240 with 89 strikeouts in 68 games. The stat line is a decent indicator of his current tool set. Charles has a monstrous frame which creates an abnormally large strikezone. He has a very long swing, which results in a lot of holes in his swing despite the bat speed he’s able to generate. He has above average power, but it may take a substantial improvement in his hitting ability to truly showcase it. Charles is a respectable athlete, particularly as a first baseman. Like Santiago Nessy, he is still too raw and far away to be considered for the Blue Jays top 20 list, but may have an opportunity to play full-season ball with Lansing next season.

Blue Jays Positional Primer: Catcher

Inspiration for the Blue Jays Positional Primer series comes from Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus. Over the course of the second half of the season, Jason examined the prospects in the entire minor leagues on a position-by-position basis, giving insight into players both within and well outside the top 100 rankings.

While the sample size of one team is vastly inferior to that of the entire minor leagues, I feel Toronto has enough depth in the farm -- particularly in the low minors -- that such a series could provide some insight into prospects that Blue Jays fans aren't as familiar with as they should be. This is the first installment of an eight part series that will examine catcher, first base, middle infield, third base, center field, corner outfield, right handed pitcher, and left handed pitcher. The middle infield and corner outfield lists are included as there's really no such thing as a second base or left field prospect, they're just shortstops and center/right fielders who couldn't handle the defensive demands and get moved to the easier defensive position as they age. It should be noted that -- outside of the Leader of the Pack, who is the #1 for the position -- these are not necessarily progressive rankings of the prospects.

Part II -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: First Base
Part III -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Middle Infield
Part IV -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Third Base
Part V -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Center Field
Part VI -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Corner Outfield
Part VII -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Right-handed Pitcher
Part VIII -- Blue Jays Positional Primer: Left-handed Pitcher

The Leader of the Pack

Travis d’Arnaud –- 2011 team: Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
424 AB, .311/.371/.542 (.914 OPS), 33 2B, 1 3B, 21 HR, 78 RBI, 4 SB, 33/100 BB/K

There is no doubting that Travis d’Arnaud is the best catching prospect in the Blue Jays system, as he is probably the best prospect in the entire system regardless of position. d’Arnaud was acquired as the “third piece” in the Roy Halladay deal of December 2009, but only two years later he may infact be the true prize of the deal. Kyle Drabek has struggled, while Michael Taylor was traded for Brett Wallace, who was traded for Anthony Gose, who – while possessing an exceptional ceiling –- is a work in progress.

While the tools were apparent, d’Arnaud struggled throughout his debut season with Toronto. Playing for the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Florida State League, the biggest issue he encountered was an injured back that crept up on him on a number of occasions after initially suffering the injury in May. Even after returning from the injury d’Arnaud struggled to make consistent contact with the ball, finishing with a .259/.315/.411 (.726) slash line in 263 at bats before eventually being shut down late in the season because of the back problems. Despite these struggles, people around the league still recognized his talent, as he was named both a Mid-Season and Post-Season All Star in the Florida State League.

Speaking of tools, d’Arnaud is perhaps the best all-around catching prospect that the Blue Jays have ever developed. While he lacks the power of J.P. Arencibia, the arm of Carlos Perez, or the plate discipline of Brian Jeroloman, d’Arnaud’s biggest strength is his lack of weaknesses. Outside of speed – which is completely unnecessary for a catcher –- d’Arnaud is above average to plus in each of the other four tools –- power, bat, arm, and fielding. This wide array of tools finally translated into statistical success in 2011, a year in which he led the New Hampshire Fisher Cats to the Eastern League championship. As long as he can avoid a recurrence of his past back injuries, d’Arnaud should continue his success with Triple-A Las Vegas next year, before eventually pushing J.P. Arencibia for the starting job in Toronto.

Mr Consistency

A.J. Jimenez –- 2011 team: High-A Dunedin Blue Jays
379 AB, .303/.353/.417 (.770 OPS), 29 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 52 RBI, 11 SB, 28/60 BB/K

After putting together back-to-back solid seasons, A.J. Jimenez earns the title of Mr Consistency in the catcher category. He lacks the upside and -– to be honest -– pure talent of d’Arnaud, but a future in Major League Baseball is a real possibility for Jimenez. Despite hailing from Latin America, Jimenez was drafted as an 18 year old in the 9th round of the 2008 draft due to MLB’s policy on draft eligibility for Puerto Rican born players.

Jimenez spent 70 of his 72 games during the 2010 season with the Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League. With the Lugs’, Jimenez put together a .305/.347/.435 (.782) slash line in 262 at-bats. He stole 17 bases in those 70 games, which speaks to the rare athleticism Jimenez features as a catcher. He has a plus arm, solid footwork, and great blocking skills behind the plate, earning the reputation as a plus defensive catcher. His biggest question mark coming out of the draft was his ability to hit professional pitching. After struggling at the plate in 2008 and 2009, Jimenez put together the two aforementioned solid offensive seasons. He doesn’t hit for much power and probably won’t drastically improve in that aspect, but his bat and plate discipline have shown enough that he should be considered a legitimate prospect. With Arencibia and d’Arnaud immediately ahead of him on the depth chart, it might require a trade for him to see Major League action with Toronto.

The Question Mark

Carlos Perez –- 2011 Team: Single-A Lansing Lugnuts
383 AB, .256/.320/.355 (.675 OPS), 17 2B, 6 3B, 3 HR, 41 RBI, 6 SB, 37/74 BB/K

The Question Mark of the catcher division is Carlos Perez. The title may be a little bit misleading, however, as Perez has all the tools you could ever want out of a catching prospect. The undrafted free agent made his professional debut in 2008, beginning his career with the Blue Jays affiliate in the short-season Dominican League. Perez would spend the next two seasons in short-season leagues as well, playing 2009 with the Gulf Coast League affiliate, and 2010 with the New York – Penn League affiliate. Perez combined to play 167 games across those three seasons, hitting .299 with an impressive 102/92 walk to strikeout ratio. He also stole 16 bases but managed only 3 home runs.

Much like first two catchers on this list, Perez has a nice collection of tools, and is probably the best defender of the bunch. He is very athletic –- not just by catcher standards –- allowing him to work magic behind the plate. He has an outstanding arm and balanced footwork, which results in pop times well under two seconds. The 2011 season brought the first big challenge of Perez’ career, as he made the leap from short-season ball to full-season ball. While the catching tools remained consistent, the bat and plate discipline took a huge step back. Perez struck out in a career-worst 17.2% of his plate appearances while seeing his ISO drop below .100. This is where the question mark comes from – can Carlos Perez handle the rigors of full-season ball? With d’Arnaud and Jimenez each likely moving up a level, it’s possible Perez could be challenged with a promotion to Dunedin next year.

Remember the Name

Santiago Nessy -- 2011 Team: GCL Blue Jays
134 AB, .306/.347/.425 (.773 OPS), 7 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 0 SB, 8/29 BB/K

Rounding out the list of catchers in the Remember the Name category is Santiago Nessy, an 18 year old from the Venezuelan capital city of Caracas. Nessy was signed by the Blue Jays during the International Free Agent signing period (July) of 2009, receiving a substantial bonus of 0.75M. Nessy did not play in his signing year, instead making his professional debut in 2010 with the Blue Jays Dominican affiliate. While the offensive numbers weren’t staggering –- .248/.327/.376 (.703) –- it’s important to remember the context; a .703 OPS by a 17 year old in the DSL is far more acceptable than a .703 OPS by a 22 year old in Double-A, for example.

Currently listed at 6’2” and 230 lbs (and only turning 19 in December), it’s possible -– and probable -– that Nessy will outgrow the catcher position down the line. For now, however, the Blue Jays have no immediate plans to move him elsewhere on the diamond. While the previous three catchers on this list have all been above average or better defenders, Nessy is unlikely to ever fall under that classification. Like current Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia, Santiago Nessy is offensively oriented. He uses his long arms and large frame to generate a lot of bat speed that could result in a lot of power down the line if his contact skills can keep up. While he’s too young and far away to have a legitimate chance at being a top 20 prospect for the upcoming season, it should be interesting to see what he can do with 200 to 250 at-bats, possibly with the Rookie-class Bluefield affiliate. Should he continue his success into 2012, Santiago Nessy will be a name that more than just the prospect nerds will be familiar with.

How sexy are Toronto's new digs?

Very sexy. When news broke a few months ago that the Blue Jays would be undergoing a dramatic overhaul of both the club's logo and uniforms, I was excited but nervous at the same time. Changing the logo and/or uniform of a professional sports team is a big deal, as it can either inspire or cripple the enthusiasm of the fanbase. In this case, that fanbase is all of Canada. I was excited because I had grown tired of the look of the current uniforms. They had single handedly turned the club from "The Blue Jays" into "The Jays", a name that sounds far too childish to be that of a professional sports team. Furthermore, the 2004 re-design chose modern over timeless, which caused the logo and jerseys to get progressively cheesier as the years wore on. The modern classification is always changing as society and culture fluidly move. "The Reason" by Hoobastank was the #1 song on the Billboards in 2004. Seven years later, that song is neither modern nor timeless, it falls into the same weird, fringy category that the Blue Jays old logo and jerseys were falling into.

While many fans were enamored by the powder blue colored jerseys that the club wore on "Flashback Friday" events over the past few years -- and wanted the new jerseys to look similar -- I was much more interested in seeing the Blue Jays go for more of a Texas Rangers look. I have always felt that the Rangers had one of the best looking uniforms in all of baseball, and it was due in large part to their deep blue hats and jerseys contrasting perfectly with the clean, lightly shaded pants. It is a fresh, classy look that works well now and should also age quite well. Much to my pleasure, Toronto chose a jersey (though it is considered the "alternate") that rocks the royal blue in a most sexy and badass manner, as modelled by both Ricky Romero and Brett Lawrie at today's unveiling.



Of the three game jerseys that were unveiled, the royal blue alternate is easily my favorite, and according to my twitter feed, that opinion is shared through much of the fanbase and the rest of the baseball world. I expect jersey sales to clearly reflect this favoritism, and with the season still 4+ months away, I hope the front office will take notice and once again select the fan-friendly route by choosing to wear these jerseys in at least 40 or 50 games throughout the season.



The remaining two game uniforms -- the all-white home and all-grey road -- also look quite sharp. I'm leaning towards liking the home uniform more than the road, but that might be at least partially attributed to the fact that Jose Bautista wore it at the unveiling, and he rocks a uniform a lot better than Adam Lind does (the batting helmet certainly didn't help).

All in all, it's hard to argue this re-design was anything less than a colossal success. On Chris Creamer's site (www.sportslogos.net), the new logo has earned a rating of 9.7/10, with 263 votes cast thus far. Not only was the re-design itself outstanding, but the timing of it was almost perfect. After years and years of failure, optimism once again is warming the hearts of Blue Jays fans from coast to coast. We have a brilliant General Manager, a deep and experienced front office, a young and talented MLB roster, and arguably the #1 farm system in all of baseball. Now, to go along with all of the excellent personnel, we have incredibly sharp uniforms to wear entering the first season in baseball history where 3rd place in the AL East could earn a playoff spot. Things are on the rise for baseball in Canada, and it's only going to get better.

The Huston Street business

For the first time this offseason, the Blue Jays are reportedly interested in a closer with whom I also have some interest -- Huston Street. Despite seemingly being around forever (he's been an MLB regular since 2005), Street only turned 28 years old in August of this past season. He's played for two different teams in his seven year major league career. The first four years (2005 to 2008) came with the Oakland A's, where he was drafted in the 1st round of the 2004 draft. After the 2008 season, he was traded with a package of other players to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Matt Holliday. He has spent the last three years (2009 to 2011) with those Rockies, working primarily as the closer when he wasn't on the disabled list, an issue he dealt with frequently in Colorado.

His Oakland A's career was strong in all facets, though it was likely highlighted by his debut rookie season (2005) in which he won the American League Rookie of the Year award. Statistically speaking, 2006 was his best, as he produced 2.4 WAR despite a 3.31 ERA. His season was powered by an impressive 67-to-13 strikeout to walk ratio and only 4 home runs allowed, two traits Street has carried through his entire career. Since being traded to Colorado, Street has seen his homerun rate increase (almost entirely due to making the move from The Coliseum to Coors Field), though outside of 2011 (14.5% HR/FB) his homerun rate has still been better than league average.

Street doesn't overpower hitters, but he has command of three good pitches. After working off a four-seam fastball in the early part of his career, Street has recently switched to a two-seam fastball. This was most likely an attempt to generate more movement and to avoid the homerun ball while playing in the high altitude of Coors Field. The two-seamer averages 90 mph (touching 93 mph) and has strong vertical drop and horizontal movement. At 56.7% of his pitches thrown the past two seasons, it is his go-to pitch. His primary breaking ball is a swing-and-miss slider. The pitch averages 83 mph and shows late break, making it difficult to square up. His third pitch is a changeup that sits 8-9 mph below his fastball. Street does not throw a traditional changeup, he instead throws a circle-change that has nearly equal vertical drop and horizontal movement, floating away from left handed hitters. The circle grip pushes the ball while a traditional changeup shows predominantly vertical drop. As mentioned, Street has plus-plus command, putting together a career 2.29 BB/9. Perhaps harnessing his inner Texan, Street is a warrior on the mound, showing nerves of steel and rarely losing his cool even under the most strenuous circumstances. Mechanically, Street throws from a 3/4 arm slot and has a sound, repeatable delivery that generates consistent release points on all of his pitches.



Street signed a 3 year, 22.5M extension with Colorado prior to the 2010 season, which now has one year remaining at 7.5M. The contract also includes a 9M player option for 2013, with a 0.5M buyout. This is the main reason why Colorado is looking to move Street, as their front office believes that with Rafael Betancourt and others, they can maintain a strong back end of the bullpen without paying one player this much money. At 1 year, 8M (buyout included) or 2 years, 16.5 (option picked up), Huston Street is a much better financial investment than any big-name closer on the market, and if healthy would likely perform better than every free agent closer not named Jonathan Papelbon. The Bill James handbook projects a 2.74 ERA, 3.08 FIP 2012 season for Street, which would be exceptional numbers in any bullpen.

Colorado's initial asking price may be steep, but it's doubtful Toronto would have to fork over any of their top 4 prospects. A player in the 6-10 range (which is the equivalent of a 3-5 prospect in many systems) or a "B" prospect, is the most likely scenario. Players like Deck McGuire or Nestor Molina could greatly interest Colorado, as they have both shown good (or in Molina's case, outstanding) command, while posting solid groundball rates -- both of which are important traits in any future Rockies pitcher. McGuire and Molina are also close enough to the majors that at least some of the prospect risk is diminished, as developed Double-A pitchers are far safer acquisitions than a projectible Low-A pitcher. If the Rockies would prefer a package deal instead of a 1-for-1, the Blue Jays could oblige, as Toronto boasts one of the deepest farm systems in baseball. Perhaps a sinkerballer like Chad Jenkins and a future back of the 'pen arm like Asher Wojciechowski would interest them.

Jonathan Papelbon is off the market, and it's possible most teams are sitting in the proverbial bushes waiting for other teams to make a move before pouncing on their desired target. Toronto would be wise to avoid falling into this market stagnation however, as demand could skyrocket as supply diminshes, forcing the club to offer more than it is comfortable. Additionally, an acquistion of a sure-fire closer like Huston Street could force the preceding closer, Type-A free agent Frank Francisco, to decline arbitration and net the Blue Jays two extra draft picks, assuming the new Collective Bargaining Agreement does not squelch that rule for the upcoming draft. Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopolous has openly stated he prefers to spend money over giving term, and Huston Street is the perfect way to get a good closer without being locked into a 3 or 4 year deal.

AFL Update: November 13th

Over a month into the AFL season, it's time to take a look at how Toronto's farmhands have performed down with the Phoenix Desert Dogs

CF Anthony Gose (21, 2011 team: Double-A New Hampshire)
.255/.359/.455 (.814 OPS), 5 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 7 SB, 13/37 BB/K

Twenty-seven games into his AFL career, Anthony Gose is putting together a batting line quite reminiscent to that of his 2011 regular season (.253/.349/.415). The most significant difference is the slugging, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise given the hitter-friendly (or rather, pitching-poor) AFL environment. He's still striking out far too much (37 K's in 27 games after 154 K's in 137 Double-A games), but the power is really coming together. A year ago, Anthony Gose posting a .200 ISO would seem like a laughable proposal -- but he's done exactly that with the Desert Dogs.

SS Adeiny Hechavarria (22, 2011 team: Double-A New Hampshire)
.250/.308/.444 (.752 OPS), 3 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB, 6/17 BB/K

As mentioned a few days ago, Adeiny Hechavarria is having a decent AFL season thus far, but it's not enough to shake my fear that he might never become an average offensive shortstop. There's decent power potential here, and more importantly he's showing some improved plate discipline. Adeiny's biggest issue is making consistent, solid contact, a problem he's clearly struggling with in the AFL as well.

3B Kevin Ahrens (22, 2011 team: High-A Dunedin)
.259/.330/.395 (.725 OPS), 8 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 1 SB, 9/22 BB/K

Like Anthony Gose, Kevin Ahrens is hitting at nearly an identical clip to that of his regular season (.725 OPS with Phoenix, .723 OPS with Dunedin). In Ahrens' case, this is quite promising. Ahrens spent the entire season in High-A, and with the Desert Dogs, he is facing veteran pitchers who hail from as high up as Triple-A. Over the last few seasons he has shown consistently improving power and plate discipline, but his bat skills have failed to show any significant improvement. Hopefully the AFL experience will better prepare him for a Double-A assignment next season.

C Yan Gomes (24, 2011 team: Double-A New Hampshire)
.229/.351/.271 (.622 OPS), 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB, 7/15 BB/K

Yan Gomes has decent power and receiving tools, but he has never shown enough to be considered a true prospect, particularly in a catching-rich system like Toronto's (Arencibia, d'Arnaud, Jimenez, Perez, etc). The Desert Dogs have used a revolving door at catcher, with Gomes splitting time with Roberto Perez (CLE) and Ryan Ortiz (OAK). As such, he's seen only 48 at-bats.

RHP Chad Beck (26, 2011 teams: Double-A New Hampshire, Triple-A Las Vegas)
8 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 HR, 1 BB, 5 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.38 WHIP, 0.73 GO/AO

Chad Beck started the AFL season with Phoenix, but has since been shut down, likely due to a Toronto-enforced innings limit (142 MiLB IP, 2.1 MLB IP, 8 AFL IP = 152.1 IP). While he was with the Desert Dogs, however, he was absolute dynamite, allowing only 3 base runners in eight innings of work. The AFL was likely a final test for Beck as he readies himself for a bullpen role in the major leagues next year.

LHP Evan Crawford (25, 2011 team: Double-A New Hampshire)
15.2 IP, 13 H, 6 ER, 0 HR, 3 BB, 14 K, 3.45 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 2.56 GO/AO

The left handed Crawford is coming off consecutive strong seasons in the Blue Jays minor leagues, both of which have come since he made the conversion to relief pitching. He has carried over that success to the AFL, showing strong command and groundball tendencies while maintaining an outstanding strikeout rate. He's no top prospect, but he does have big league potential, perhaps as soon as next season.

RHP Wes Etheridge (27, 2011 team: High-A Dunedin)
6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 HR, 4 BB, 3 K, 2.70 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 1.50 GO/AO

After setting a Dunedin saves record with 32, Wes Etheridge has struggled to continue the success he experienced in High-A with the Desert Dogs. In Dunedin, Etheridge owned the strikezone, putting together a 38/7 strikeout to walk ratio across his 47.2 innings. With Phoenix, he has already walked 4 batters in his 6.2 innings, creating an ugly WHIP despite a sharp looking ERA.

LHP Aaron Loup (23, 2011 team: High-A Dunedin)
15.1 IP, 14 H, 8 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 16 K, 4.70 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 1.31 GO/AO

Almost like a mirror opposite of Etheridge, Aaron Loup has put together fantastic secondary statistics while producing a mediocre ERA. His strikezone control has been impeccable, with a 16/1 strikeout to walk ratio, and despite seemingly living in and around the strikezone, he is still allowing less than a hit per inning. The 2009 draftee isn't much of a prospect, but he is likely garnering the attention of the front office with this performance, and may earn himself an upper minors assignment.

Trade Target: Pedro Alvarez

Name: Pedro Alvarez
Position: Third Base
Team: Pittsburgh Pirates
2012 Opening Day age: 25
Contract: 1 year, 0.7M remaining with two club options
Service time: < 2 years

Scouting Report:

Alvarez has a similar build to that of previously mentioned trade target Yonder Alonso, with the biggest difference being their defensive position. While Alonso is already stationed at first base, the 6'3", 235 lbs Alvarez is still attempting to remain at the hot corner. That experiment could nearing its end, as Alvarez' defense has never been considered strong and he has failed to make significant improvements in either of his major league seasons. His running ability is also below average. None of this is overly important, however, as Pedro Alvarez was not drafted for his speed nor his defensive abilties -- the Pirates made him the 2nd overall pick in 2008 because of his bat and overwhelming power. Alvarez has "pole to pole" power, with legitimate 70's being placed on the tool entering his draft year. A broken hamate bone early in his Junior year created some concerns, but he has since silenced any doubts regarding his power in his professional career (27 HR in 2009, 29 HR in 2010). The hitting tool is solid, but it is a step behind his power. He has a ton of bat speed, which allows him to see pitches longer and swing deeper in the strikezone. Alvarez also has some loft to his swing, which helps generate power but also creates a lot of flyballs. He'll never contend for batting titles, but is more than capable of putting together .900 OPS / 35 HR seasons in his prime.

2011 Statistics:

(AAA) 142 AB, .246/.365/.423 (.787 OPS), 5 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 0 SB, 25/47 BB/K
(MLB) 235 AB, .191/.272/.289 (.561 OPS), 9 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 1 SB, 24/80 BB/K

Why Toronto would want him:

While Alvarez has been a bit of a bust since being drafted 2nd overall in 2008, he still has all the power potential a team could ever wants from a corner infielder. First base should be a focus for improvement this offseason, and if Toronto avoids the big free agents they should attempt to improve via the trade route. Alvarez is currently listed as a third baseman, but first base is seeming more and more like his future destination. Much like Yunel Escobar and Colby Rasmus, Alvarez is a once highly touted player who is currently frustrating his team's front office and fan base. He has a lot of risk, but a change of scenery might be exactly what Alvarez needs to unlock his middle of the lineup potential.

Why Pittsburgh might trade him:

Pittsburgh has a poor track record with developing their top draft picks, and Alvarez is beginning to look like yet another casualty on that front. If the Pirates are beginning to have any doubts about Alvarez, they may feel now is the time to trade him while he still retains some of the hype and value of being a 2nd overall pick. The organization has already begun to show its frustration, demoting Alvarez down to Triple-A Indianapolis mid-season and not recalling him until rosters expanded in September. As a team that always seems to lack pitching, the Pirates could be tempted by Toronto's young, controllable, non-Boras client arms.

What exactly is Adeiny Hechavarria?

With the winter approaching and prospects lists slowly beginning to leak their way onto the internet, I have caught myself more than a few times thinking about the Blue Jays farm system in preparation for my own top prospect list in the new year.

In order to come up with my rankings, I make a series of lists throughout the winter, each without looking at any of my previous versions. I find this to be the best way to digest and analyze new information and thoughts I might have acquired without being heavily influenced by earlier judgements. When I eventually make my final rankings, I can look at the consistencies, inconsistencies, and trends my lists may have shown over the winter and use that information to give me a fair and unbiased review of the farm.

Only a few lists into this process, I can already sense there is at least one player that I really don't have a firm grasp on -- Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria. Entering the 2011 season, I had ranked Hechavarria as the #12 prospect in the Blue Jays system, while describing how his bat was the biggest question mark in determining how much success he would have. A season later, the same huge, elephant-in-the-room questions remain.

Will Hechavarria ever hit? How do you rank an all-defense prospect?

These are the two questions I keep asking myself when attempting to rank Hechavarria. The latter question would be easy to answer if I had confidence in the former. If I felt like it was only a matter of time before Hechavarria started putting together some solid offensive seasons, it would be easy to rank him in the top 10 -- perhaps even higher -- as shortstops with a potential all around tools package like that don't come around often. The problem is, two seasons into his career, Hechavarria has damaged most hope I had of him becoming a plus offensive shortstop.

In his debut season, Hechavarria hit .242/.272/.333 (.605) between Dunedin and New Hampshire. The following year, 2011, he hit .264/.305/.383 (.687) between New Hampshire and Las Vegas. While the Las Vegas portion of his slash line (.389/.431/.537) certainly looks good, it was only a months worth of at-bats, and the Pacific Coast League isn't exactly known for its pitchers. After the MiLB season came to an end, it was announced that Hechavarria would be assigned to the Phoenix Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League to continue his development. He has put together a solid, albeit unspectacular line of .246/.300/.462 (.762), as of November 9th. Much like the Pacific Coast League, however, the AFL is a notorious hitters league, so the power numbers (particularly the 4 triples in 17 games) should taken with a grain of salt.

I'm finding it harder and harder to convince myself that Hechavarria will ever be anything more than a .270/.320/.380 hitter. With defense considered, that's nothing to shake a stick at, but it's certainly not All Star calibre, and it's likely not even 1st division starter calibre.

So how exactly does one rank a defense-only prospect? Well, the most comparable player to Hechavarria might be fellow Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias of the Boston Red Sox. Like Adeiny, Jose was signed as an International Free Agent during the 2009 season, receiving a substantial bonus and major league contract. Iglesias has two minor league seasons under his belt, with the first being very good (.295/.339/.379) and the second being beyond awful (.235/.285/.269). Expectations were raised after his superb debut, earning him the title as Boston's #1 prospect entering 2011 by both Baseball Prospectus and Baseball America (post A-Gon trade). Obviously, he failed to live up to the billing. Hechavarria has yet to experience a strong offensive season like Iglesias' 2010, but both are in a similar position entering 2012 -- exceptional defensive shortstops with huge questions about their bat skills.

Another problem working against Hechavarria is the strength of the system. It could be generously argued that Hechavarria "treaded water" during 2011, neither improving nor dimishing his prospect stock to any signficant degree. The issue is that, outside of Hechavarria, most of Toronto's other top prospects took steps forward last season. Additionally, Toronto experienced yet another successful draft under the leadership of Alex Anthopolous, further strengthening the ranks of a bloated system. Treading water isn't good enough here anymore -- either start swimming or get out of the way of the bigger fish. There will likely be a lot of variability in the rankings of Hechavarria between the various prospect websites, and what it comes down to is how much faith does the writer have in his bat coming around. If they think Hechavarria can develop his bat enough to play a regular role, they might just place him in the meat of the top 10. If they've soured on him, he may slip all the way to the back end of the top 20.

Blue Jays Contract Options

Heading into the 2011 offseason, the Blue Jays had decisions to make regarding club options on two players' contracts; Edwin Encarnacion and Jon Rauch. The decisions weren't particularly surprising.

1B/3B/DH Edwin Encarnacion: 3.5M Club Option (0.5M Buyout) -- PICKED UP

Despite playing nearly historically bad in the first half of the season, Encarnacion picked it up enough in the second half to have his club option picked up for 2012, and barring a major acquisition, guarantee a spot in the lineup as the starting DH. The .272/.334/.453 (.787 OPS) slash line isn't a particularly inspiring one from a potential designated hitter, but his pre- and post-All Star splits are so staggeringly different you have to hold out hope that Encarnacion finally figured himself out. He posted a .688 OPS with 19 doubles, 6 HR, and a 9/39 BB/K ratio in the first half, but followed that up with an .887 OPS, 17 double, 11 HR, and 34/38 BB/K ratio in the second half. If Encarnacion can carry his second half success over to the 2012 season, he could find himself hitting cleanup behind Jose Bautista while putting together impressive numbers entering his free agent walk year.

RP Jon Rauch: 3.75M Club Option (0.75M Buyout) -- DECLINED

Rauch began the season as the defacto closer because of a Frank Francisco arm injury, but never earned the trust of the fans (and seemingly, the front office). The Blue Jays felt it would be better to pay Rauch 750K to leave than to pay him an extra 3M and have him stay, which isn't surprising given the results. As I mentioned in the Making the Grade: The Bullpen piece, Jon Rauch seems to defy physics (but in the bad way), as his size and mass don't result in above average velocity or above average sink. He's a soft tosser who struggles to work in the bottom of the zone, which results in a ton of linedrives and flyballs. This quickly translates to a lot of hits and home runs with a poor groundball rate. Rauch might be the best evidence for the difference between control and command. Control is the ability to get pitches in the strikezone, command is the ability to put the pitch where you want it. Rauch has the former (as evident by his strong walk rates), but seriously lacks the latter. His struggles were emphasized by his role in the bullpen. If Jon Rauch were 6'2", 200 lbs and didn't have a beard/tattoos, he would never see the 8th or 9th inning in a close game. This is another case of teams going for the intimidation factor more than the effectiveness factor.

In other news, Toronto re-acquired Canadian relief pitcher Trystan Magnuson from the Athletics. The 6'7" Magnuson was originally sent to the A's as part of the Rajai Davis trade last offseason, but the Blue Jays pounced when Magnuson was Designated for Assignment by Oakland. Cash considerations went the other way. He should compete for a bullpen spot in the spring.