<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Toronto &#187; A.J. Jimenez</title>
	<atom:link href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/tag/a-j-jimenez/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com</link>
	<description>Comprehensive coverage of the Toronto Blue Jays</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2026 03:35:47 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1</generator>
	<item>
		<title>Re-assessing How We View Russell Martin for 2017</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/12/13/russell-martin-going-forward/</link>
		<comments>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/12/13/russell-martin-going-forward/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Dec 2016 11:55:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dave Church]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A.J. Jimenez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reese McGuire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Russell Martin]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=8227</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Russell Martin is the best catcher that has ever played for the Blue Jays, and he&#8217;s a stark contrast for a history littered with with fan favourites, defensive wizards who couldn&#8217;t hit, the occasional serviceable veteran who put in a few good years, and several catchers-of-the-future who never quite lived up to their billing. It&#8217;s [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Russell Martin is the best catcher that has ever played for the Blue Jays, and he&#8217;s a stark contrast for a history littered with with fan favourites, defensive wizards who couldn&#8217;t hit, the occasional serviceable veteran who put in a few good years, and several catchers-of-the-future who never quite lived up to their billing. It&#8217;s been a tough spot for the team to fill historically, and the team has never had someone as capable as Martin suiting up behind the plate.</p>
<p>When the Jays signed Martin to a five year, 85 million dollar deal prior to the 2015 season, the understanding was that the team would compete soon. He would be 32 before he took his first at-bat with the team, and catchers age faster than most players. No matter how well Martin kept himself in shape, he wouldn&#8217;t be able to outrun time forever. The understanding was simple: they were paying for an elite catcher on the front end of the contract, one that would help the Jays become contenders, and hoping that his athleticism insulated them against the decline as long as it could.</p>
<p>We saw the first signs of that decline last season on offense, as Martin had several long stretches where he simply could not hit. This could be explained away with injury, as he had that neck issue that hampered him early in the season, but the injury itself was only part of the problem: older players get hurt more. Even as the Jays smartly kept him away from R.A. Dickey&#8217;s knuckleball, there were still opportunities for Martin to get hurt in the normal day-to-day of being a catcher. With an older player at a demanding position, we can&#8217;t simply wave away the injury. It affected Martin&#8217;s ability to contribute offensively and it could change how we view Russell going forward.</p>
<p><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/12/martinexitvelocity.png"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-8229" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/12/martinexitvelocity-1024x683.png" alt="martinexitvelocity" width="500" height="333" /></a> <a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/12/martinwhiffpercentage.png"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-8230" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/12/martinwhiffpercentage.png" alt="martinwhiffpercentage" width="500" height="333" /></a></p>
<p>A decline in exit velocity and an increase in swings-and-misses (see graphs above) are normal trends for players as they get older. Russell Martin was far from the only culprit during a disappointing season for the Jays&#8217; offense, but the length of his early season struggles (and their muted return late in the season and in the playoffs) was a visible anchor in the lineup. As such the Jays were forced to move him down in the order. He&#8217;s become easier to pitch to as well. Consider his isolated power profile from 2014-2015, and the one below it from 2016:</p>
<p><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/12/martinzone2014.png"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-8231" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/12/martinzone2014.png" alt="martinzone2014" width="450" height="450" /></a> <a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/12/martinzone2016.png"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-8232" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/12/martinzone2016.png" alt="martinzone2016" width="450" height="450" /></a></p>
<p>Once a notorious high-ball hitter, Martin has become someone you can get out with a solid plan. The book is soft stuff that isn&#8217;t middle-middle, a game plan Cleveland deployed against the Jays very well in the playoffs. Watching Martin come up with runners on base became a depressing inevitability: he went 2-for-17 with 9 strikeouts in the ALCS.</p>
<p>We certainly shouldn&#8217;t ignore Martin&#8217;s full contributions. He was signed partially for his defense and handling of pitchers, which still grades out well. For all the hand-wringing about Marco Estrada losing his personal catcher, Martin came in and Estrada didn&#8217;t lose a beat, en route to an All-Star appearance. Baseball Prospectus has Martin as the <a href="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/sortable/index.php?cid=1927234">seventh best catcher in baseball by WARP</a>, and there aren&#8217;t many catchers his age in the top tier. Those who are in similar ages and contract brackets reinforce our point, however.</p>
<p>Consider <a href="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/card/card.php?id=31391">Yadier Molina</a> and <a href="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/card/card.php?id=45449">Brian McCann</a>, 5th and 14th on the list respectively. Molina is similar to Martin: a good reputation both offensively and defensively, and has been great for many years. But even he had struggled the last two seasons with injury, before rebounding to 4.0 WARP in 2016. McCann&#8217;s primary value was offense when he a signed a six year contract with the Yankees prior to the 2014 season. His bat has declined to the point where they traded him to the Astros this offseason.</p>
<p>In an off-season where the Jays could lose two franchise-altering bats, the team has to be concerned about the trends they see in Martin&#8217;s hitting. There are ways the team can help that. Better depth at the position would be great, as they lacked a decent backup for the entire season. That kind of depth could lead to more days off for Martin, giving him a little more spring in his step, but it&#8217;s a tricky balance. The team wants to justify it&#8217;s investment in their catcher, but also not to overspend at a position they already have a lot of money committed.</p>
<p>A catching prospect who&#8217;s ready for a taste of the bigs would be ideal given Martin&#8217;s timeline, but their troubled history with catcher-of-the-future types has bitten them here. A.J. Jimenez has bounced on and off the 40 man recently, and newly acquired Reese McGuire isn&#8217;t close and may not be anyone&#8217;s idea of a starting catcher. So there may not be much help on the way here either.</p>
<p>Again, to be clear: Russell Martin is the best catcher the Jays have ever had, and he&#8217;s still one of the best catchers in baseball. However, there are holes in his game, and if the Jays want to contend again in 2017, they&#8217;d be wise to work around some of his limitations. An actual, functional backup catcher would be one way, limiting his wear and tear as the season goes along. Some more bats to reduce his responsibility on the lineup would be another. Better injury luck might help as well, but it&#8217;s hard to see his odds getting better on that front as he gets older. Martin is a key piece of the Jays&#8217; puzzle over the next few years, and the team will have to be realistic as to how he best fits.</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/12/13/russell-martin-going-forward/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Minor League Update: June 4th Edition</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/06/04/minor-league-update-june-4th-edition/</link>
		<comments>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/06/04/minor-league-update-june-4th-edition/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 04 Jun 2016 16:50:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tammy Rainey]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Minor League Update]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A.J. Jimenez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Angel Perdomo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Francisco Rios]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jesus Montero]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rowdy Tellez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sean Reid-Foley]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=3314</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We&#8217;re into June now, and a lot of the early curiosities have corrected themselves, though not all, and the player development cycle now shifts to the upcoming draft and the subsequent filling out of the short-season team rosters where we&#8217;ll begin to get our first 2016 look at a number of interesting players. In the [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We&#8217;re into June now, and a lot of the early curiosities have corrected themselves, though not all, and the player development cycle now shifts to the upcoming draft and the subsequent filling out of the short-season team rosters where we&#8217;ll begin to get our first 2016 look at a number of interesting players. In the mean time, here&#8217;s a small taste of that action via a couple of tweet&#8217;s from Sportsnet&#8217;s Arden Zwelling:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Asked a Blue Jays talent evaluator at extended spring training what he&#39;s seen from 17-year-old Vlad Guerrero Jr: <a href="https://t.co/kx4iyU6T1w">pic.twitter.com/kx4iyU6T1w</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling/status/738010613423673345">June 1, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">But what the Blue Jays are most encouraged by with Vlad Jr is his work at third base: <a href="https://t.co/4JWzhcY7V2">pic.twitter.com/4JWzhcY7V2</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling/status/738011066114965504">June 1, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Now, to business.</p>
<h3><strong>Pitchers of the Week</strong></h3>
<p>1. <a href="http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=656887#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL">Sean Reid-Foley</a> &#8211; RHP – Lansing (Low A)</p>
<p>Last Week: 1-0, 2 GS , 15 IP, 9  H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 17 K<br />
Season: 3-3, 45.0 IP, 20 BB, 50 K, 3.60 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 10 K/9, 4 BB/9</p>
<p>The names are surely familiar to you at this point &#8211; Lansing starting pitchers just passing around the honors from week to week in these updates. Every person mentioned under this heading this year, save Drew Hutchison, has at some point taken a turn in the Lansing rotation.  Sometimes it can be tough to pick between them.  Technically speaking, SRF only had one start since the last update, but the one previous to that was made on the last night of the previous stat-week and I didn&#8217;t change the already selected top 3, so I&#8217;ll speak of it here. In his last two outings, Reid-Foley has 15 IP, 4 ER, only one walk (an issue for him in the past), and 17 strikeouts.</p>
<p>2. <a href="http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=622780#/career/R/pitching/2016/ALL">Angel Perdomo</a> &#8211; LHP &#8211; Lansing</p>
<p>Last Week: 0-0, 1 GS , 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K<br />
Season: 2-1, 43.1 IP, 20 BB, 54 K, 1.45 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 11.2 K/9, 4.1 BB/9</p>
<p>In the three way competition to be the second Lansing starter to get the call to fly down to Dunedin, the 6&#8217;6&#8243; lefty doesn&#8217;t intend to take a back seat to anyone.  He was pitching Friday night as I was putting this post together, and put together six innings of 1-hit ball with 8 strikeouts. This start came after he pitched seven innings of 1-hit ball in the previous turn.</p>
<p>His ERA on the season is now down to 1.28, in his last 26 IP he&#8217;s allowed a single earned run and only 10 hits. Of the various guys who&#8217;ve started in Lansing this year, this one might ultimately end up being the best.</p>
<p>3. <a href="http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=642590#/gamelogs/R/pitching/2016/MINORS">Francisco Rios</a> &#8211; RHP &#8211; Dunedin (High A)</p>
<p>Last Week: 2-0, 2 GS , 15 IP, 12 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 6 K<br />
Season (combined): 5-2, 64.1 IP, 16 BB, 68 K, 1.82 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 9.5 K/9, 2.2 BB/9</p>
<p>While his control went a bit sideways in his most recent outing, Rios gave up only two earned runs in 15 IP, and the extra walks were most likely a fluke, possibly the work of an umpire as much as the pitcher. It&#8217;s only the third time since 2015 opened that he&#8217;s walked as many as four batters, and only the fifth time (in 26 starts) that he&#8217;s walked more than two.</p>
<h3><strong>Hitters of the Week</strong></h3>
<p>1. <a href="http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=642133#/career/R/hitting/2016/ALL">Rowdy Tellez</a> &#8211; 1B &#8211; New Hampshire (AA)</p>
<p>Last Week: 11/24, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB, 0 CS, 3 BB, .458 AVG, .517 OBP, .916 SLG<br />
Season: 43/172, 13 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 31 RBI, 0 SB, 2 CS, 31 BB, .250 AVG, .362 OBP, .477SLG</p>
<p>Yes, I know. You&#8217;ve seen him on this list before. Odds are fairly high you will again. Last time out I documented Tellez&#8217;s turnaround from a very slow start, and he hasn&#8217;t cooled off since then. As of this writing he&#8217;s riding a 10 game hit streak. Since May 10 he has a .370 BA and a 1.097 OPS. Any doubts about his ability to hit AA pitching have certainly been allayed.</p>
<p>2. <a href="http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=524968#/career/R/hitting/2016/ALL">Jesus Montero</a> &#8211; DH &#8211; Buffalo (AAA)</p>
<p>Last Week: 8/24, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB, 0 CS, 1 BB, .333 AVG, .360 OBP, .541 SLG<br />
Season: 59/194, 13 2B, 0 3B, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 0 SB, 0 CS, 8 BB, .304 AVG, .335 OBP, .799 SLG</p>
<p>When the Blue Jays elected to go with an 8-man bullpen while Troy Tulowitzki is on the DL, it was rightly observed that they were left with no one known for their hitting on the bench. To which it was replied, not without justification, that there isn&#8217;t a ton of potential offensive help at Buffalo either &#8211; but recent acquisition Jesus Montero is begging to differ. The 26 year old man-with-no-need-for-a-glove is on a monster tear over the last almost 3 weeks he&#8217;s been an absolute monster.</p>
<p>Not counting last nights game, in which he went 2/4 with a double and triple, his OPS since May 14 is .997 to compliment a .354 batting average. If this were to sustain over the coming weeks, it will ease concerns about what is available down there in case of injury to a player like Smoak or Encarnacion.</p>
<p>3.  <a href="http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&amp;player_id=543362#/career/R/hitting/2016/ALL">AJ Jimenez</a> &#8211; C &#8211; Buffalo</p>
<p>Last Week: 6/14, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB, 0 CS, 1 BB, .428 AVG, .466 OBP, .517 SLG<br />
Season: 27/100, 7 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 1 SB, 1 CS, 7 BB, .270 AVG, .333 OBP, .420 SLG</p>
<p>Many of you might not remember when AJ Jimenez appeared regularly on Blue Jays prospect lists. Drafted in 2008, he outranks every player in the Toronto system in service time with the organization&#8230;save for Brett Cecil. A well regarded defender, after the 2011 season (in which he hit over .300 with a .770 OPS in Dunedin) he was regularly described as a future major leaguer. Then the injuries set in. He managed to make it into, collectively, only 205 games over the next four seasons.</p>
<p>In fact, he&#8217;s already played in more games, as of last night, in 2016 than he played in all of 2o15. This year you would have largely been justified in the assumption that his window to the MLB had been closed. However, for over three weeks now he&#8217;s been on the best roll of his career. Over the last 14 games through Thursday (53 PA), he has an OPS of .945. There are huge sample size considerations here, but it&#8217;s good to see that there&#8217;s something left.</p>
<h3><strong>Other Minor Notes</strong></h3>
<p>Over the just-passed Memorial Day weekend, the full season minor league teams completed their first third of the season, and it seems only proper to take a moment and assess the top-prospects that various outlets have mentioned. Who&#8217;s stock is climbing? Who&#8217;s stock is dropping?</p>
<h4>Climbing</h4>
<p>1. Francisco Rios &#8211; no one has done more to put themselves in the spotlight<br />
2. Angel Perdomo &#8211; was not an afterthought, as Rios was, but still improved his status<br />
3. Rowdy Tellez &#8211; some wondered if the placement was too aggressive<br />
4. Jon Harris &#8211; wiped away concerns about last years poor debut<br />
5. Dwight Smith, Jr. &#8211; most observers were moving on from him.</p>
<h4>Dropping</h4>
<p>1. D. J. Davis &#8211; things are looking grim after he had a modest rebound last year<br />
2. Lane Thomas &#8211; one of my favorites before last season, really looking lost right now<br />
3. Tom Robson &#8211; comeback from TJ has not gone well at all.<br />
4. Conner Greene &#8211; where did the strikeouts go?<br />
5. Matt Dean &#8211; even Kevin Ahrens showed more promise than this.</p>
<h3>Other Stat Lines of Interest</h3>
<p><strong>HITTERS</strong></p>
<p><strong>Last Week</strong></p>
<table class="tftable" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Hitter</th>
<th>Age</th>
<th>Pos.</th>
<th>Lvl</th>
<th>G</th>
<th>AVG</th>
<th>OBP</th>
<th>SLG</th>
<th>HR</th>
<th>SB</th>
<th>BB</th>
<th>K</th>
<th>TB</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dalton Pompey</td>
<td>23</td>
<td>OF</td>
<td>AAA</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>.222</td>
<td>.300</td>
<td>.222</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dwight Smith, Jr</td>
<td>23</td>
<td>LF</td>
<td>AA</td>
<td>6</td>
<td>.192</td>
<td>.275</td>
<td>.192</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Anthony Alford</td>
<td>21</td>
<td>CF</td>
<td>A+</td>
<td>5</td>
<td>.238</td>
<td>.238</td>
<td>.429</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>6</td>
<td>6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Richard Urena</td>
<td>20</td>
<td>SS</td>
<td>A+</td>
<td>6</td>
<td>.185</td>
<td>.178</td>
<td>.407</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>6</td>
<td>7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Max Pentecost</td>
<td>23</td>
<td>DH</td>
<td>A</td>
<td>6</td>
<td>.166</td>
<td>.230</td>
<td>.166</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>4</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><strong>Season</strong></p>
<table class="tftable" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Hitter</th>
<th>Age</th>
<th>Pos.</th>
<th>Lvl</th>
<th>G</th>
<th>PA</th>
<th>AVG</th>
<th>OBP</th>
<th>SLG</th>
<th>HR</th>
<th>SB</th>
<th>BB</th>
<th>K</th>
<th>TB</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dalton Pompey</td>
<td>23</td>
<td>OF</td>
<td>AAA</td>
<td>32</td>
<td>135</td>
<td>.269</td>
<td>.351</td>
<td>.345</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>6</td>
<td>15</td>
<td>24</td>
<td>41</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dwight Smith, Jr</td>
<td>23</td>
<td>LF</td>
<td>AA</td>
<td>44</td>
<td>188</td>
<td>.263</td>
<td>.330</td>
<td>.404</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>17</td>
<td>35</td>
<td>69</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Anthony Alford</td>
<td>21</td>
<td>CF</td>
<td>A+</td>
<td>29</td>
<td>121</td>
<td>.214</td>
<td>.274</td>
<td>.268</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>9</td>
<td>47</td>
<td>30</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Richard Urena</td>
<td>20</td>
<td>SS</td>
<td>A+</td>
<td>47</td>
<td>200</td>
<td>.246</td>
<td>.293</td>
<td>.382</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>9</td>
<td>35</td>
<td>73</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Max Pentecost</td>
<td>23</td>
<td>DH</td>
<td>A</td>
<td>21</td>
<td>84</td>
<td>.263</td>
<td>.333</td>
<td>.303</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>14</td>
<td>23</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><strong>PITCHERS</strong></p>
<p><strong>Last Week</strong></p>
<table class="tftable" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Pitcher</th>
<th>Age</th>
<th>Pos.</th>
<th>Lvl</th>
<th>G</th>
<th>ERA</th>
<th>K/9</th>
<th>BB/9</th>
<th>WHIP</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Drew Hutchison</td>
<td>25</td>
<td>SP</td>
<td>AAA</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>1.23</td>
<td>11.0</td>
<td>1.2</td>
<td>0.55</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Shane Dawson</td>
<td>22</td>
<td>SP</td>
<td>AA</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>1.50</td>
<td>6.0</td>
<td>5.3</td>
<td>1.25</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Conner Greene</td>
<td>21</td>
<td>SP</td>
<td>A+</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>1.50</td>
<td>6.0</td>
<td>5.3</td>
<td>1.25</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jon Harris</td>
<td>22</td>
<td>SP</td>
<td>A</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>7.71</td>
<td>4.8</td>
<td>4.8</td>
<td>2.04</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ryan Borucki</td>
<td>22</td>
<td>SP</td>
<td>A</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>3.86</td>
<td>2.5</td>
<td>1.3</td>
<td>1.29</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><strong>Season</strong></p>
<table class="tftable" style="height: 227px" border="1" width="479">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Pitcher</th>
<th>Age</th>
<th>Pos.</th>
<th>Lvl</th>
<th>G</th>
<th>IP</th>
<th>ERA</th>
<th>K/9</th>
<th>BB/9</th>
<th>WHIP</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Drew Hutchison</td>
<td>25</td>
<td>SP</td>
<td>AAA</td>
<td>10</td>
<td>58.1</td>
<td>2.93</td>
<td>9.4</td>
<td>3.4</td>
<td>1.06</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Shane Dawson</td>
<td>22</td>
<td>SP</td>
<td>AA</td>
<td>9</td>
<td>44.2</td>
<td>3.43</td>
<td>7.5</td>
<td>5.2</td>
<td>1.54</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Conner Greene</td>
<td>21</td>
<td>SP</td>
<td>A+</td>
<td>11</td>
<td>54.2</td>
<td>3.29</td>
<td>4.9</td>
<td>4.5</td>
<td>1.54</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Jon Harris</td>
<td>22</td>
<td>SP</td>
<td>A</td>
<td>9</td>
<td>45.0</td>
<td>2.36</td>
<td>10.0</td>
<td>4.0</td>
<td>1.29</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ryan Borucki*</td>
<td>22</td>
<td>SP</td>
<td>A</td>
<td>10</td>
<td>44.0</td>
<td>7.98</td>
<td>5.7</td>
<td>3.7</td>
<td>1.8</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>* = Stats over two levels</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/06/04/minor-league-update-june-4th-edition/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Blue Jays Claim Jesus Montero Off Waivers from Mariners</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/03/28/blue-jays-claim-jesus-montero-off-waivers-from-mariners/</link>
		<comments>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/03/28/blue-jays-claim-jesus-montero-off-waivers-from-mariners/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Mar 2016 19:23:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dave Church]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A.J. Jimenez]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jesus Montero]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=764</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In a mildly surprising move, the Blue Jays claimed Jesus Montero off waivers from the Seattle Mariners today, per beat writer Ryan Divish: Montero claimed by the Blue Jays &#8212; Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) March 28, 2016 In a corresponding move, the team designated catcher A.J. Jimenez for assignment. #BlueJays DFA A.J. Jimenez, who&#39;s out of [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In a mildly surprising move, the Blue Jays claimed <a href="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/card/card.php?id=57472" target="_blank">Jesus Montero</a> off waivers from the Seattle Mariners today, per beat writer Ryan Divish:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Montero claimed by the Blue Jays</p>
<p>&mdash; Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanDivish/status/714527531353792512">March 28, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>In a corresponding move, the team designated catcher <a href="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/card/card.php?id=58320" target="_blank">A.J. Jimenez</a> for assignment.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash">#BlueJays</a> DFA A.J. Jimenez, who&#39;s out of options</p>
<p>&mdash; Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) <a href="https://twitter.com/bnicholsonsmith/status/714528058594738177">March 28, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Montero, 26, is a former highly touted Yankees catching prospect, who was dealt to the Mariners in exchange for pitcher Michael Pineda in January 2012. He has disappointed since moving to Seattle, bouncing between the major league club and their AAA team in Tacoma. He never stuck at catcher defensively, and has played mostly first base and designated hitter in recent seasons. Injuries and ineffectiveness have prevented him from building on his hype as a prospect.</p>
<p>Montero&#8217;s career with Seattle doesn&#8217;t offer a lot of hope for success. After a promising September at 21 with the Yankees, his first full season with Seattle had him notching just 15 home runs in 553 at-bats. His slash line of .260/.290/.386 and tAV of .254 in that season was as good as he was, never showing the power that the Mariners wanted when they sent away a front-line starter to get him.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s likely the Jays are attempting to continue to fortify their minor league depth, and will make their own attempt at sneaking Montero through waivers this week. As he made it all the way to Toronto before being claimed (26th in waiver priority), there&#8217;s a decent chance that he makes it to Buffalo, and spends the majority of the season with that team. The Jays have several first-base options at the major league level, with Justin Smoak, Chris Colabello, and Edwin Encarnacion all capable of manning the position, so it&#8217;s unlikely that Montero ever plays with the big-league club unless there&#8217;s a catastrophic series of injuries.</p>
<p>Still, Montero provides good depth and retains some of the upside that made him a top prospect for so many years. He hit .355/.398/.569 in AAA last year, so there is at least a glimmer of hope that he can finally figure things out enough to hit at the major league level. 2016 will give him time in a new organization with different approaches on hitting, so perhaps Montero&#8217;s natural talent can finally come to the surface.</p>
<p>Jimenez, 25, is another faded prospect, a catcher who&#8217;s served in the Jays system for several years without cracking the big club. With Josh Thole firmly entrenched as the backup, and Tony Sanchez and Humberto Quintero as veteran depth, he too had a long path to the big club, and little future with the team. He was out of options this year, so if he wasn&#8217;t making the team, being designated for assignment was inevitable.</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/03/28/blue-jays-claim-jesus-montero-off-waivers-from-mariners/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
