The 2014 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook

By Jay Blue

The 2014 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook is the complete guide to the Toronto Blue Jays Minor Leagues. This book in unprecedented in size and scope and covers everything in the Jays' minor league system from the Buffalo Bisons to the Dominican Summer League. Included are player profiles on over 250 players expected to play in the Jays' minor league system in 2014 as well as team profiles for each of the club's eight affiliates -- Buffalo Bisons (AAA), New Hampshire Fisher Cats (AA), Dunedin Blue Jays (A+), Lansing Lugnuts (A), Vancouver Canadians (SS-A), Bluefield Blue Jays, (R+), Gulf Coast League Blue Jays (R) and Dominican Summer League Blue Jays (FR).

Compiled by Jay Blue, Charlie Caskey and Jared Macdonald, the 2014 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook has been written by three of the most knowledgeable Blue Jays minor league writers. All three have first-hand knowledge of all the players and have not only scouted the players but spoken to coaches, broadcasters, front office personnel and even players' family members to inform their opinions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jay Blue
• Release date: Mar 31, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311223838

Jay Blue

A lifelong Toronto Blue Jays fan, Jay Blue started blogging about the Jays when he was living in Berlin, Germany. He founded his own blog, Blue Jays from Away, to write about developments with his home town team, focusing on the Jays' minor league system. He now gets broaden his prospecting ways as a co-editor of FanSided's Grading on the Curve and writing as a staff writer for Jays Journal. When he's not watching baseball, he is usually on the diamond umpiring or he's pursuing his research interests in the field of ethnomusicology.

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The 2014 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook

Jay Blue

with

Charlie Caskey

and

Jared Macdonald

The 2014 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook

Published by BJfA Publications at Smashwords

Copyright 2014 BJfA Publications

Cover photos: Top: Santiago Nessy of the Lansing Lugnuts hits a pitch against a beautiful sky at Cooley Law School Stadium in August in Lansing, Michigan. Photo: Jay Blue. Bottom-right: Mitch Nay of the Bluefield Blue Jays connects with a pitch in July at Bowen Field in Bluefield, West Virginia. Photo: Jay Blue.

Photos are copyright Blue Jays from Away and may not be used or reproduced without permission. Photo of Nat Bailey Stadium is copyright Charlie Caskey and may not be used or reproduced without permission.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.

Table of Contents

Foreword

By Bob Elliott

Introduction

- Stats

- How to Follow the Games

- About this book

Essay: Chasing the Dream

By John Anderson

Essay: The Trip of a Lifetime

By Jay Blue

2013 Draft Review

2014 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Affiliates

Buffalo Bisons

- 2014 Coaching Staff

- Playoff Procedures

- 2014 Schedule

- Website

- Directions and Parking

- About Coca-Cola Field

- Broadcast

- Local Colour

- Other Notes

New Hampshire Fisher Cats

- 2014 Coaching Staff

- Playoff Procedures

- 2014 Schedule

- Website

- Directions and Parking

- About Northeast Delta Dental Stadium

- Broadcast

- Local Colour

Dunedin Blue Jays

- 2014 Coaching Staff

- Playoff Procedures

- 2014 Schedule

- Website

- Directions and Parking

- About Florida Auto Exchange Stadium

- Broadcast

- Local Colour

Lansing Lugnuts

- 2014 Coaching Staff

- Playoff Procedures

- 2014 Schedule

- Website

- Directions and Parking

- About Cooley Law School Stadium

- Broadcast

- Local Colour

Vancouver Canadians

- 2013 Player Awards

- 2014 Coaching Staff

- Playoff Procedures

- 2014 Schedule

- Website

- Directions and Parking

- About Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium

- Broadcast

- Local Colour

Bluefield Blue Jays

- 2014 Coaching Staff

- Playoff Procedures

- 2014 Schedule

- Website

- Directions and Parking

- About Bowen Field

- Broadcast

- Local Colour

Gulf Coast League Blue Jays

- 2014 Coaching Staff

- Playoff Procedures

- 2014 Schedule

- Website

- Directions and Parking

- About the Bobby Mattick Training Facility

- Broadcast

- Local Colour

Dominican Summer League Blue Jays

- 2014 Coaching Staff

- 2014 Schedule

Player Profiles

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Appendix 1: Positional Depth Chart

Appendix 2: Glossary

Appendix 3: Top Prospect Lists

Acknowledgements

About the Authors

Connect with the Authors

Foreword

There were 44,649 fans at Exhibition Stadium on opening day 1977 and another half a million or so who claim that they were there. Yet, out of all those people, likely only general manager Pat Gillick, director of player development Bobby Mattick and a few others in attendance knew anyone on the roster of the Blue Jays’ only minor-league team, the Class-A Utica Blue Jays.

Well, the families and coaches of Fredericton’s Paul Hodgson, Toronto pitchers Bob Oravec, Tom DeJak and Remo Cardinale would have known. But in those giddy Jays days -- a 1-0 record -- fans lived in the moment.

Maybe a die-hard or two would have known that the Jays had a few players like Jim Clancy on loan with Double-A Jersey City, a Cleveland Indians affiliate. Who knew that Jesse Barfield, Greg (Boomer) Wells and Hodgson would make the majors?

Now, as the Blue Jays begin their 38th season, there are people who can not only tell you who is in the rotation at Class-A Dunedin but also who should be in the rotation. Minor league baseball has exploded and so has the interest of readers and fans in prospects, suspects and organizational players.

Maybe it all started with Allan Simpson creating Baseball America out of his garage in White Rock, B.C. Or maybe it’s Baseball Reference adding statistics on the minor leaguers or Minor League Baseball.com, but whatever the reason there is a full-fledged love affair amongst fans dealing in futures.

A couple of years ago after a trip to Class-A Lansing to write about the Lansing trio, we ran into three men. I’d call them reasonable, sane men of sound thinking with a solid knowledge of baseball. Who was the best of the three? someone asked. Before I could answer one said Justin Nicolino, he’s going to be another Jimmy Key. The next guy chimed in Noah Syndergaard. He’s a tall, tough Texan and I like his strikeouts per nine inning ratio. And the third answered Aaron Sanchez without a doubt. Biggest upside.

I sat calmly and watched the friendly discussion grow into a heated debate, to raised voices and finally insults, before I was able to change the subject. An hour later I asked how many Syndergaard, Nicolino or Sanchez starts they had seen. The answer was none ... and then the debate began again.

Three people responsible for bumping up the interest level -- Charlie Caskey, Jared Macdonald and Jay Blue -- are now taking it to another level with the 2014 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook.

Caskey writes for the Vancouver Sun (online), founded the site www.yourvancs.com and writes for Jays Journal. Macdonald is a former editor of Jays Journal, is the editor of www.jaysprospects.com and is a brilliant writer. And not to blow Blue’s horn but he is prolific, churning out volumes of copy and making trips to Lansing and Bluefield and elsewhere.

This handbook is a must for any Blue Jays fan who wants to look below the tip of the iceberg seen at the Rogers Centre and imagine what can be expected down the road.

Bob Elliott, February 1, 2014

Introduction

Welcome to the first ever edition of the Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook. We hope to offer readers an unprecedented guide to the Toronto Blue Jays’ minor league organization, featuring every team and every player that we expect to suit up for the Jays going into the 2014 season all the way from the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons down to the Blue Jays' Dominican Summer League team.

This is more than just a prospect guide. We understand that players in the minor leagues are all trying to get to The Show but they’re definitely not treated equally in the media. We want to devote time and space to all of the players who are trying to make a mark on the game in their own way.

Every player has a story. Minor league baseball players have already overcome tremendous odds just to have the opportunity to play professional baseball. They were all the hometown heroes of their high schools and colleges and most led their teams to success at the regional, state or even national level (and some have even competed at an international level). Players who are drafted or signed by major league teams are usually selected at the height of their local fame but unlike any other major professional sport, when these local heroes join the ranks of professional ballplayers they go from fame to obscurity, usually far from home. They make sacrifices by toiling for several years in the minor leagues before coming close to recapturing that celebrity that they had at home.

While they’re chasing a dream that many of us had at one point, it is not an easy life, particularly in the minor leagues. There’s a reason they call it a grind. Few off days, tiny paycheques, long bus rides, poor food and small crowds all make for a difficult slog through the five months (plus Spring Training) that players in the full-season leagues endure.

This book is designed to accompany you as you spend the 2014 season following the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates. With the 2014 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook, you'll know who is on the cusp of being called up to the majors and who could be making his North American debut in the Gulf Coast League after coming over from the Dominican Summer League. You'll know to whom the Blue Jays have handed out big signing bonuses and who they've signed to minor league free agent contracts to fill roster spots for this season.

By publishing in an e-book format, our goal is to be just as mobile as you are. You can read it on your phone, e-reader, tablet, laptop or you could even print out sections to read on paper! The goal of this mobility is so that if (when) you do make trips to see some of these players in person in some great minor league venues around the continent, you'll know who you're looking at and you'll have that information at the tip of your fingers. You'll know what to look for and the players will be more than just names on a lineup card.

Baseball is a game that rewards the knowledgeable. A game that some consider slow and boring is really about the understanding of strategies, tendencies and subtleties of the cat and mouse game between the pitcher and the batter. The more intimately you know the players and the game, the greater your enjoyment becomes. The level of intimacy that we all have watching the Blue Jays on TV, knowing the players, their stats, their histories and their stories, is the type of relationship that we're trying to give you with the players in the Blue Jays' minor league system. This knowledge isn't just here to impress your friends: it is here to make your baseball watching experience more rewarding.

The authors bringing you this book are some of the biggest experts that you're going to find covering the Blue Jays minor league system. We're not just writers sitting in front of our computers and reading what other people have been writing: combined, we've seen firsthand upwards of 90% of the prospects covered in this book who have played games in the US. We've talked to other writers, scouts, minor league coaches, Toronto Blue Jays front office personnel and even family members of the players in forming our opinions of the players about whom we're writing.

Stats

Because of the e-book format of this handbook, we’re not actually including players’ stats in charts or tables within the book itself. E-books generally don’t handle tables well and the size of image files would make this book too big to publish. We could have manually entered all the stats in a text format for each player but that is very time consuming and we wanted to get the book out by Opening Day and not the All-Star break! Therefore, we’re very simply including hyperlinks for each player. Just click on his name and you’ll open a browser to the player’s Baseball Reference page. If a player doesn’t have a link, it’s because he hasn’t played in any affiliated (or even non-affiliated) professional games. We also heartily recommend that you use more than just Baseball Reference to satisfy any additional curiosity you might have. There are certain stats that each of the three major sites use.

Baseball Reference is terrific if you want to see individual game stats for a player, even at the minor league level. They have a game log and split the stats by month, against his opponents’ handedness and other fun things to know. A newer feature is that you can go to the game log, highlight a selection of time between two individual games and it will calculate the stats from that time period for you.

Fangraphs is a more mathematically-based site and calculates BABIP, FIP, K% and BB% for you (if you’re not sure what any of those things mean, check out our Glossary). Its format isn’t always the easiest to read for minor league stats but it goes into more detail with the type of stats that normally require an extra level of calculation.

MiLB.com is usually the most accurate (there are occasionally some discrepancies between sites). MiLB.com has a call center in New York that the official scorekeeper from every minor league game calls into in between innings to report the results of the previous half inning of play. One of the most important stats that they carry that the others don’t is ground out/air out ratios for pitchers. The reason they can do this is because they are getting the eye-witness reports of the game’s results from actual eye witnesses and are able to include that information.

One site that I’ve found recently is MLBfarm.com. In addition to compiling stats, they have created an incredible array of graphs, charts and diagrams from the MiLB.com information in a way that is similar to what Brooks Baseball provides for major leaguers. Unfortunately, the search bar at the site itself doesn’t work particularly well but a Google search of the player with mlbfarm in your search parameters will get you where you need to go.

There is no real equivalent for the type of pitch data that is available with major league players (at least publically: major league teams do track PitchF/x data for their own use at their minor league parks). If you look up individual game box scores for Double-A and Triple-A games via MiLB.com Gameday, you can see locations of pitches but pitch types and velocities aren’t kept.

Finally, a note on advanced statistics (or sabermetrics): while we try to keep things readable here, you are going to come across acronyms and statistics with which you might not be familiar. All three of us use these stats because we find that looking beyond batting average, RBI or ERA, we can get a much clearer picture of a player’s performance. For a perfect example of a case in point, check out the profile for K.C. Hobson and you’ll see what we mean. Because of the use of these newer statistics, we’ve included a Glossary at the back (which, of course, you can jump to directly at any time). If you don’t find what you’re looking for here, Google is your friend.

How to Follow the Games

The internet has made following the games much easier. By subscribing to MiLB.tv, you can get most Triple-A games on your computer (or other device) as live, streaming video. Some Double-A and even Class-A teams also broadcast video of their games but it’s still fairly rare at those lower levels.

All of the teams except for the GCL Blue Jays broadcast their games on terrestrial radio as well as over the internet. The only club that I’ve had problems getting over the internet is the New Hampshire Fisher Cats who use the I Heart Radio network that wouldn’t allow computers with a non-American IP address to stream their broadcasts. If you have a VPN for your computer, it will usually work.

We’ll tell you more about the broadcasters involved in the sections on individual teams but they are all excellent and can really help you feel like you’re at the ballpark.

You can also follow Double-A and Triple-A games on MiLB.com’s Gameday. Just head to the MiLB.com website and instead of the boxscore button, click on the Gameday button. This program works similarly to the same one that allows you to follow major league games online on MLB.com.

You can also follow the box scores online. They’re updated at least once every half inning (although if you’re listening and watching, there may be a delay with the box score) and are generally pretty good, even for the lower level games. Again, they’re updated from the office in New York after contact with the official scorekeeper at the actual location of the game.

Finally, you can go to the games! The section on each team will include information about the team’s ballpark, the local area and what you can expect when you go. This book isn’t a travel guide so we’re not going to give you the names of hotels or prices but if you’re looking for budget accommodations, I’ve been very successful with Priceline.com (particularly when I’ve traveled to games in Michigan) as well as Airbnb.com (when I’ve gone down to Dunedin for Spring Training).

When you are watching the games, listening to them or just following along in the box scores, keep in mind that the players, especially the younger ones, are works in progress. One good or bad game doesn’t tell you everything about a player which is why scouts and writers like to get multiple opinions about players before they make up their minds. If you were watching the Dunedin Blue Jays on August 10 last year, you might have wondered why Gustavo Pierre isn’t in the major leagues yet after seeing him hit for the cycle but he actually struggled a fair bit in Dunedin after a mid-season promotion from Lansing.

Consistency and constant improvement are the ultimate prizes for minor leaguers making their way up the ladder. When you follow games (or go to them), it's better to compare players to themselves at an earlier time rather than each other.

Remember that player development is about process rather than product, especially in the lower minors. An 0-4 day for a hitter can be a great step in the right direction if he’s making hard contact, laying off pitches out of the zone and working on improving his mechanics. A pitcher can be hitting his spots, getting good break on his offspeed pitches but gives up a lot of hits into holes and gaps. By watching for little improvements in a player from inning to inning and game to game, you can get the most out of your minor league baseball experience.

About this Book

The 2014 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook is divided up into three main sections. The first is the one that you’re reading right now. In it, we have the foreword, this introduction as well as two essays that will hopefully whet your appetite for minor league baseball. Blue Jays minor league pitcher John Anderson contributed his essay, Chasing the Dream, while I’ve written about road tripping through baseball stadiums in The Trip of a Lifetime.

These two essays are followed by a summary of the 2013 draft in large-scale terms. We’re not trying to give you a blow by blow account of who the Blue Jays selected where in the 2013 draft and whether they did or didn’t sign (and for how much money). Our draft review looks at trends to see what might come of the draft in a few years time.

The two most important sections of this book come next. The first is your guide to the Toronto Blue Jays’ minor league system with entries for each minor league affiliate. Each entry gives you a historical background on professional baseball in that particular city, the Blue Jays affiliation with the club and notable names from past seasons.

In the team sections we have also included the 2014 coaching staff, the 2014 schedule, as well as information about parking, directions, the stadium, broadcasts and the local area.

The third section shows our commitment to the democratization of minor league baseball. Instead of subjectively ranking players either by their prospect status or by level, we have decided to include all of the players expected to play in the Blue Jays’ minor league system alphabetically. By using the Table of Contents, you can link to the letter of the player’s last name and find his entry quickly from there. We have entries for over 250 players, from Eddy Alcantara to Tyler Ybarra.

That’s the big reason why this book is so big. To give you some perspective, some published prospect guides give you the top 100 prospects or fewer for an organization. The beauty of our digital-only format is that we don’t have to cut and trim. You don’t have to carry a big, heavy book around with you and we’re able to include much more information about more players than anyone else. Blue Jays fans deserve nothing but the best.

Finally, we’ve added some extra content like the positional depth chart which will let you know who stands where among position players in the minor league system. As mentioned above, we’ve included a glossary which will help you with any acronyms or advanced stats that you might need to decipher. Our third appendix is where we link to top prospect lists. While we want this book to be as egalitarian as possible, we acknowledge that minor leaguers are categorized and ranked incessantly (yes, sometimes we’re guilty of that too). While we’re not going to give you a list of our own, we do link to a selection of the many lists that are out there.

On behalf of Charlie and Jared, I want to thank you for purchasing the 2014 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook. We hope you enjoy it and we hope to see you at the ballgame!

Essay: Chasing the Dream

By John Anderson

It all started long ago, in what seems like a galaxy far away in a small, suburban town in California. Growing up like most other slightly chubby unathletic kids, I had dreams of being Luke Skywalker or Sandy Koufax. My story has had its twists and turns but it has always revolved simply around my love for the game of baseball.

My love affair with baseball began in the early 90's with the Bash Brothers in Oakland and Barry Bonds in Pittsburgh who, at that time, was skinny. I still remember the feeling of betrayal when Mark McGwire was traded to St. Louis for a bag of peanuts.

As much as I loved baseball, I never went to any prospect camps or had an 80-grade fastball. I was always playing catch-up to the kids who threw harder and hit the ball farther. That was all the motivation I needed to take me to the next level.

I tried to emulate the great left-handed pitchers of the 90's like Tom Glavine, Randy Johnson and Andy Pettite. But as I grew older, I learned from the great pitching guru Tom House to be unique. Create your own pitching masterpiece and throw the damn ball as hard as you can.

It was that philosophy that got me drafted in 2008 by the Blue Jays in the 28th round and my life changed soon thereafter. I arrived in Dunedin with a chip on my shoulder and with every intention of pitching in Toronto by the end of the year. How little I knew: my expectations changed rapidly. I showed up to the Minor League Complex surrounded by faces I've never seen, speaking languages I'd never heard. It was quite the culture shock.

There I was, a 19-year old boy, about to learn what life really is. Eight-hour bus rides, living paycheck to paycheck and living out of a suitcase full of clothes wasn't the glitz and glamour I was expecting from professional baseball.

I was soon off to Auburn, New York to begin my career in the New York-Penn League where time itself had stood still. Dirt roads, country music and freezing weather were a far cry from the picturesque California where I grew up. My first day in the locker room, a 24-year old journeyman was called into the manager’s office and was released on the spot for stealing from another player. That was the first time I'd seen tears rolling down a grown man’s face. It was at that point that it hit me: you control your own destiny. You get what you put into it.

For the next 5 years in my career, I suffered everything imaginable: failure, doubt, countless injuries and a glimmer of hope. Three season-ending surgeries would put doubt even into the most confident mind. But there was always one thing lingering in the back of my head: my love for the game.

Baseball is a beautiful sport but many don't understand the absolute grind that Minor League players endure. Everything looks spic and span on the field but low wages, subpar living conditions and grueling hours on and off the field make this lifestyle difficult. It truly separates the men from the boys and those that can overcome the adversity blossom into stars. Maybe someday I'll be one of those in the spotlight.

Essay: The Trip of a Lifetime

By Jay Blue

Baseball is a game that inspires people to wax poetic. From Walt Whitman to Billy Crystal, people have used baseball as a way of not only appreciating the athletic endeavours that humans are capable of but also the spirit of competition, the quest for greatness and the peace that, for some, can only exist between the two white lines of a baseball diamond.

Another great (North) American trope is the baseball road trip. Traveling to a baseball destination is a fascinating experience because even though the location, environment and people are all new, the game is the same and the surroundings are comfortable. When you get right down to it, the cut of the grass, the smell of the hot dogs and the crack of the bat hitting the ball is the same everywhere lending even the most alien environment a safe, cozy feeling.

Most baseball fans need to take at least one of these trips in their lives. Some go on a whim, traveling by the seat of their pants and enjoying the thrill living on the edge without a plan. Others will plot out their trips meticulously, using spreadsheets and diagrams, making sure that they stay in ideal lodgings and hit their destinations on just the right day to see the home team send their best pitcher to the mound.

I’ve had the good fortune to have had several trips of a lifetime. Playing for baseball teams in Thornhill, where I grew up, I had an incredible opportunity as a young player to play in the Dominican Republic (and get smoked by Dominican teams) when I was 11. I have great memories of going to winter ball games, meeting Tony Fernandez and other players in the Dominican Winter League and meeting the late Blue Jays’ scout Epy Guerrero. While I was too young to really appreciate it, I saw both the excitement about baseball and the poverty in the country.

By the time I reached the end of high school, I started umpiring and that would become more of a viable career path for me than playing would. Umpiring took me all over Ontario and into Wisconsin