After a reflection period and some other turn of events, I have come to certain conclusions that are painful to consider, but absolutely the best thing to do as I go forward in this world of ours.

I have always been a baseball fan.  However, not to the extent that this game has taken me in the last 4 years, when it became clear that I wanted to move up in this industry.  I love watching a game, but most of all I love all the behind-the-scenes stuff, the player development process and the overall impact this sport can have on an individual and a community.

I had a few choices before me and they all included at least some sort of reduction of baseball writing.  What I decided was this:

- Given my love for everything minor leagues and Blue Jays, I will be dedicating my time to offering you articles, news (and more) on the Blue Jays affiliates.  There is a lack of information on the web about our minor league development system and through time and effort, I intend to fill that gap. 

As far as my involvement with Jays Nest goes, it will be reduced to articles from time-to-time and work on the off-season project that will be unveiled to everyone soon.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.

RH starter Jimmy Dougher (1.56 ERA, 52 IP, 36 H, 9 ER, 1 HR, 10 BB, 51 K, 1.59 Go/Ao, .189 avg. against), taken in the 24th round of the 2007 Amateur Draft, will be pitching in the upcoming Midwest League playoffs with the Toronto Blue Jays affiliate, Lansing Lugnuts.  The 22-year-old throws a fastball (tops in low 90s), curve, change and slider.  His height (6′7”) gives him a good downward plane on his pitches and he induces a lot of grounballs.  Both LHP and RHP could not hit over the Mendoza line against him this season.

He should be pitching Saturday for the A ballclub. 

After strong support from FTTF and InsidetheDome.com, I am glad he will get some experience and exposure against some higher level hitters.

Robert Leffler promotion

InsidetheDome.com reports that this year’s 8th round pick, RHP Robert Leffler (1.25 ERA, 21.2 IP, 20 H, 3 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 24 K, 0.65 Go/Ao, .247 avg. against) will be promoted to Auburn. 

The GCL season review will have to wait until tomorrow.  I had to finish a 2,000 words essay that will appear on The Last Page on MVN, Sunday.

• Complete and thorough report on the GCL season for the Blue Jays affiliates and its players.  You don’t want to miss this!! 

News -

•  1B Josh Kreuzer (Dunedin) was named Player of the Year in the Florida State League and the league’s best 1B.  2007 stats (401 AB): .307/.428/.541, 34 doubles, 20 homers, 71 RBI, 62 BB, 82 K.  The last Dunedin players to be given this award were Vernon Wells and Carlos Delgado.
• Jacob Butler (Dunedin) was named the league’s best LF.  2007 stats (411 AB): .273/.367/.504, 26 doubles, 23 home runs, 81 RBI, 62 BB, 90 K.

Media Watch -

•  After exchanging emails with Kevin Gray (of the Union Leader. You can visit his blog here), I can tell you Sergio Santos‘ repertoire as a pitcher: fastball, cutter and a curve.  Kevin is also now ‘officially lobbying’ for Josh Kreuzer to be at 1B in NH next year.  I could not agree more and will press the issue.  Why not have fun with this.  Thank you Kevin for your help.
• The NH Fisher Cats have released their home schedule for 2008 already: visit this page for more info.
• After committing 10 errors in Sunday’s game, tying a IL record, the Syracuse Chiefs now have a promotion for tonight at ABS: Error Free Guarantee

Prospects and Affiliates Journal -

Syracuse

• SS Hector Luna has a 12-game hitting streak, hitting .408 since joining the Chiefs, including 6 doubles, 1 triple and 2 home run, 8 walks and 9 strike outs.  ST 2008 will amazing if only for the SS position competition.
• Adam Lind has a 6-game hitting streak: double, triple and 2 homers.  A great stat here also: 2 walks and only 2 K in these 6 games.  He now hits both LHP and RHP over the .300 mark.
• I have to admit, I was pretty sure C David Corrente would be struggling like hell in AAA coming from Dunedin (High-A), but he has been wonderful, although the sample is small and he hasn’t been around the league yet (20 AB): .400/.478/.900, 1 double, 3 home runs.  Yesterday, he was 3-for-4 with a double and home run.  What’s even more impressive is that he hits RHP better (1.633 OPS).  The fact that he is from Ontario is another bonus for canadian fans.
• Josh Banks‘ last 2 starts: 13 IP, 11 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K.  An encouraging number in his case is the Go/Ao, which is at 1.08 from a poor 0.62 in 2006.  Slowly but surely he is starting to get the ball down.  Let’s see what he can do in Toronto now….

New Hampshire

The Fisher Cats in a doubleheader in Connecticut yesterday.

• OF David Smith (yeah, him again!!) hit his 23rd home run Monday, leading the Eastern League in that department.  He was hitless in the doubleheader yesterday.
• The brazilian LHP Jo Matumoto was starting yesterday: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 K.  In his last 8 IP, he has not allowed an ER, 3 H, 1 BB and 6 K.  In 26.2 IP as a starter, he has a 1.69 ERA and opponents hit him at a .196 average.  In 2007, LH batters hit him only .208.

Dunedin

• OF Eric Nielsen, 25, was named Player of the Week in the FSL and for good cause.  In his last 10 games, he’s hitting .486 with 4 doubles and 1 homer.  Stats this year (434 AB): .325/.377/.468, 41 doubles, 7 homers, 31 BB and 50 K.  He hits both RHP and LHP over .300.
• RH starter Brandon Magee was excellent for his third consecutive start: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 5 K.  His repertoire: 91-95 fastball, power slider and a change.  Touted as a pure grounball pitcher, he has posted a 1.48 Go/Ao this year.

Lansing

The Lugnuts won their 6th straight game yesterday and ninth in a row when playing on their home field.

• RHP Kyle Ginley, 20, had a great start 2 days ago: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K.  He has struck out 129 in 121.2 IP this year.  Repertoire: 93-94 fastball that tops at 96, curve, slider, change.  Because the secondary pitches are weaker, he figures to be a power arm coming out of the pen.  His ceiling is very high if he can work around the command issues.
• Travis Snider has hit 2 doubles, 1 triple and 2 homers in his last 3 game.  He now has a .901 OPS in 2007.

Auburn

• J.P. Arencibia caught the two runners that were trying to steal yesterday.
• After fanning 12 batters in 7.1 IP in his last start, LHP Marc Rzepczynski, 22 (today!!), had this line yesterday: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K.  He has 30 K in his last 22 IP and only 4 walks.

GCL

• In rehabilitation for the big club, Brandon League threw 1 inning of 1 hit and 1 K baseball, Monday.

Tomorrow, complete and thorough report on the GCL season and players…

• Kevin Gray of the Union Leader, wrote in his blog that Sergio Santos had thrown a bullpen session under the watchful eyes of Director of Player Development Dick Scott and the NH roving pitching coordinator, Dane Johnson.  After seeing him throw from the SS position, I have to admit that it makes a lot of sense.
• The Syracuse Chiefs are now in the International League record books, but for all the wrong reasons.  The team committed 10 errors on the fiels yesterday (Chad Mottola-4-, John Hattig-3-and one for Adam Lind, David Corrente and Wayne Lydon), matching a record that has not been seen since 1964.  Yes, they lost 12-10.  Only 2 ER runs resulted of the poor showing.  ESPN even covered the…event.
• OF Dustin Majewski was named EL Player of the Week: .429, double, triple, 3 home runs, 6 RBIs, 5 runs scored, 3 walks and a .857 SLG%.  His Fisher Cats went 5-2 this week.  Last week, NH OF David Smith was the winner.

Media Watch -

• Insidethedome.com (Scout.com) (subscibers only) is now pushing for Jimmy Dougher to be promoted too, along with Brian Letko. 

Arizona Fall League -

The Arizona Fall League, established as a “graduate school” to the major leagues, is used by the 30 clubs to monitor their biggest prospect against good competition, give some more innings or at-bats to their minor leaguers or simply to validate the future of some of its prospects.  You can read an history of the league, right here.  There is also a Hall of Fame of participants who went on to great professionnal careers.

The rosters for the sixth teams have just been announced.  The players are eligible if they meet these requirements.

Last year, Blue Jays farm hand 1B Chip Cannon (NH) was named the AFL MVP for his outstanding numbers: .352 avg., .714 SLG%, 11 HR and 29 RBI.

This year, the Blue Jays will send 6 players (with one to be announced):

• OF Ryan Patterson (DUN + NH: .258/.296/.426, 27 doubles, 15 home runs, 22/95 BB/K, .171 ISOP, 5 BB%, 21.7 K%, .308 BABIP.

Patterson will be heading to the AFL for 2 main reasons: give him some more at-bats that he missed at the start of the season following his broken arm.  Also, he will be getting a chance of working on his plate discipline while facing some very good pitcher prospects. 

• SS Sergio Santos (DUN + SYR: .245/.315/.468, 34 doubles, 2 triples, 20 homers, 40/96 BB/K, .244 ISOP, 9.1 BB%, 19.5 K%, .275 BABIP)

Santos will be attending this development league to give him the opportunity to continue his current hot streak.  Since going back to AA (NH): 6 hits (double and 3 home runs) in his first 8 games.  What will be interesting to see is if they keep him at SS this fall or they convert him as a pitcher.

• OF Travis Snider (LAN: .310/.372/.516, 32 doubles, 7 triples, 14 homers, 45/116 BB/K, .206 ISOP, 10.1 BB%, 23.9 K%, .399 BABIP)

After keeping his average around .350 for most of the first half of the season, then suffering his first slupm as a pro, Snider is now posting a .612 SLG% in August (.516 for the season).  Why not keep him playing while hot and right after some playoff experience with the Lugnuts.

• RHP Jamie Vermilyea (39 IP, 38 H, 20 ER, 4 HR, 17 BB, 29 K, 4.62 ERA, 9.8 BB%, 16.8 K%, 2.60 Go/Ao, .248 avg. against)

For more on the reliever, see yesterday’s post (below).  Don’t be surprised if he becomes part of next year’s bullpen in Toronto.  At the very least, he could potentially go in a multi-player trade.

• LHP Ricky Romero (75.2 IP, 84 H, 43 ER, 9 HR, 47 BB, 69 K, 1.21 Go/Ao, .280 avg. against, 13.3 BB%, 19.5 K%)

Romero is invited to throw some more in 2007 after being sidelined for more than a month.  The good news is that the Blue Jays personnel think his arm will hold down with more innings.  That means he is pretty much at 100% right now.  the consistency just isn’t showing.

• LHP David Purcey (62 IP, 67 H, 37 ER, 4 HR, 16 BB, 55 K, 0.97 Go/Ao, .277 avg. against, 5.34 ERA, 6 BB%, 20.7 K%)

Now in Florida to build back his arm strenght, he will profit from the action in the AFL by throwing some more and getting some work in before next year’s Spring Training.  He had a very good start to the season, throwing a CG shutout in the Eastern League this year, but quickly faded before going on the DL with an arm injury.

News -

• 1B Josh Kreuzer (Dunedin) is heading on the 7-day DL.  The injury has not been reported.

Media Watch -

• You can read a profile on C C.J. Ebarb here.

Prospects and Affiliates Journal -

Syracuse

• C David Corrente went 2-for-4 with a strike out yesterday.  He is really using this chance in AAA to shine while Diaz and Fasano are out of commission: .385/.467/.846.
• Adam Lind collected 2 walks yesterday and went 1-for-4. He has a 4-game hitting streak going and is back over .300: .302/.349/.491
• RH reliever Jamie Vermilyea, 25, struck out 5 batters in 2 innings of work yesterday.  He has now fanned 19 in his last 20.1 IP.  Vermilyea was a ninth round choice in the 2003 Draft and was selected by Boston in the Rule 5 draft in 2005, before returning with the Toronto organization.  In 2006, he pitched in 25 games, 17 were starts: 3.85 ERA, 114.2 IP, 129 H, 49 ER, 9 HR, 28 BB, 64 K, 2.44 Go/Ao, .291 avg. against.  Repertoire: fastball (tops at 93 mph), splitter, curve, slider (+ pitch) and a changeup.

New Hampshire

The Fisher Cats won the fourth of their last five games this afternoon, 3-0, putting an end to their last series against the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston).

• OF Dustin Majewski, 26, has 4 consecutive games with at least 2 hits, also hitting .425 in his last 10 games with 2 doubles, 1 triple and 3 homers.  The LH batter won’t hit for a high average, but he can really put up some good power numbers and has a very good plate discipline, drawing 100 walks in 2006 and 71 so far this year.  His 2007 numbers: .246/.356/.404 with 29 doubles, 3 triples, 11 home runs and a 71/100 BB/K.
• Aaron Matthews has a 6-game hitting streak and batting .306 in his last 10 games.  He crushes LHP with a .981 OPS and .727 against the RHP..  His OBP has taken a hit lately, now standing at .336. Can’t wait to see what he does next year and more importantly, where they put him to start the season.  At 25 and clearly in the middle of a breakout season, don’t be surprise to see him in AAA next year, but maybe not to start the season.
• Can’t believe David Smith these days; power, plate discipline, constant contact, great defense to all outfield positions.  9 of his last 14 hits have been for extra bases.  At 26, Syracuse is waiting for him in 2008.

Dunedin

• OF Jacob Butler, 24, is leading the FSL in homers with 23.  After finishing last season with 127 K in 430 AB, he has worked hard on his plate discipline to get that number to 89 in 403 AB.  His homers are complemented by 26 doubles. Against LHP, 1.041 OPS and RHP,  a .825 OPS.
• RH starter Adrian Martin is starting tonight, watch out for another dominating performance.  I love their move to transform him into a starter.  Last time on the mound: 7 IP, 2 H, 8 K.  He just can do no wrong this year….and he is still 22….

Lansing

The Lugnuts won 8-7 this afternoon against the Great Lakes Loons (LAD).

• Travis Snider collected 2 hits, a triple and a home run for 3 RBIs.  He has 4 extra-base hits in the last 3 games.
• Paul Franko, after struggling a little following his promotion from Auburn, has been hitting .355 in his last 10 games.  He has a .875 OPS in Lansing so far.  The RH batter has a 1.257 OPS against LHP.

Auburn

• C Jonathan Arencibia hit his 14th double yesterday.  He has 7 errors in 53 games behind the plate.
• The Doubledays are the second best pitching staff when it comes to strike outs (506) and have allowed only 27 homers in 539 IP.
• After a few rough starts, LH starter Kyle Walter, 23, has been commanding his pitches better and hasn’t allowed more than 2 ER in his last 3 starts.  Yesterday, he struck out 8 in 5 IP.  2007 numbers (GCL and Auburn): 61 IP, 64 H, 37 ER, 5 HR, 34 BB, 50 K, 1.62 Go/Ao and a .267 avg. against.

GCL Blue Jays

• 2B John Tolisano has worked out whatever was troubling him in June and early July (mainly his plate discipline and lack of contact abilities):   .279/.338/.544, 3 doubles, 5 home runs and a good 7/11 BB/K, all this in August.  He was 3-for-4 yesterday with a homer (10th).
• OF Yohermyn Chavez, 18, is hitting .474 in his last 10 games with 7 doubles, 2 triples and 1 home run.  The RH batter hits better against RHP (.311/.415/.504) than LHP (.281/.328/.574).  He was signed last year as an international free agent from Venezuela.  Good little prospect (and young, that’s what is impressive) of which I have heard only good things, keep your eyes on him….
• At 20-years-old, RH starter Joel Carreno is getting some good work in in the GCL: 65.1 IP, 60 H, 19 ER, 4 HR, 13 BB, 64 K, 1.20 Go/Ao, 2.62 ERA and a .243 avg. against.  He has allowed only 1 ER in each of his last 4 games.  He was in the Dominican Summer League last year (15 starts: 1.53 ERA).

Thanks for visiting FTTF.  I’ll be back tomorrow.

• Although no official announcement have been made, a couple of details indicate a promotion of 1B Josh Kreuzer (with Dunedin: .307/.428/.541, 34 doubles, 20 homers, 62/82 BB/K) to New Hampshire (AA) to replace the injured 1B Chip Cannon who will be out for the rest of the season to get surgery on his wrist: Kreuzer has missed his the D-Jays’ last 3 games (while in a playoff race) and no other moves have been made to replace the injured first baseman, while Rob Cosby has taken his place in the lineup.  Cosby usually plays 3B.  With the incredible year Kreuzer has been having, it should come as no surprise that he would be rewarded with that position for the few remaining games and a chance to help the team in the playoffs.
• RHP Ismael Ramirez is back on the 7-day DL (ankle), retroactive to August 20th.

Media Watch -

• You can read a quick OF David Smith (NH-AA) profile on the Syracuse Chiefs blog.

Prospects and Affiliates Journal -

Syracuse

With Robinson Diaz and Sal Fasano on the 7-day DL, 2 catchers were promoted to AAA:

• John Schneider, 27, has been struggling at the plate since he got called up: 2-for-16 with a double and a homer.  Schneider has been up and down the organization and is struggling to really find a groove at the plate (2007 in NH, 145 AB: .186/.318/.338).  His defense, however, is excellent.
• David Corrente, a 23-year-old from Ontario, was drafted in the 14th round of the 2001 draft and is a RH batter.  He had a very good 2006 season as a backup catcher with the Dunedin Blue Jays and earned a promotion to AA when Schneider got injured.  He was back in Dunedin this year where he struggled (123 AB): .220/.310/.447.  Corrente is taking care of things in AAA so far, having this great line in 9 AB: .333/.455/1.000 with 2 homers (his last one was said to be very, very far gone), 1 walk and 2 strike outs.  He has been stolen against 1 time in 1 attempt.

I posted an article on Jays Nest on the possible callups to Toronto in September that included Adam Lind, Josh Banks, Justin James and Ty Taubenheim.

New Hampshire

The Fisher Cats will be part of the playoffs this year and the tickets are already on sale if you are interested in visiting the beautiful Merchantsauto.com Stadium.

• LH starter Ricky Romero was rocked hard by the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston) yesterday: 2.2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K.  Romero, the Blue Jays #3 prospect according to Baseball America, can’t seem to find any kind of consistency.  All that after showing 3 outings out of 4 where he went at least 7 innings deep.
• What a difference a letter A can make for Sergio Santos. The SS has been absolutely crushing the ball in AA, going 6-for-19 in the 5 games he has been inserted into.  Among the hits, he has 3 homers, 1 double, a walk and 3 strike outs.
• After two 0-for-4 nights following his home run hitting streak, David Smith is back at hit: 6-for-14 with 3 doubles and a homer.  I really like this guy.  He has trouble getting consistent for a while, but once again, i have to mention is great ability to hit both RHP and LHP with authority.  Very impressive prospect, though at 26, he is getting old for the level.

Dunedin

After a shaky finish in the first half, the Blue Jays have a terrific 40-22 record in the second half and have won 9 of their last 11 games, including an 8-game winning streak. Getting into the playoffs with a possibility of not having the services of 1B Josh kreuzer can’t be an exciting thoughts for the club, but with Eric Nilesen, Kyle Phillips, Cory Patton and Jacob Butler, they have a very solid core. 

• C Brian Jeroloman, 22, was 3-for-4 yesterday.  The on-base machine (.418) is tied for first in walks (78) in the FSL and second in OBP.  He fits very well with the on-base presence philosophy of the Blue Jays organization.
• I was impatient to see how CF Yuber Rodriguez would respond to the promotion to Dunedin and so far, it is not very convincing, though it has been only 10 AB: .100/.091/.400 with his only hit a home run.  He also struck out 4 times with no walk.

Lansing

The Lugnuts earned their way to their 9th presence into the playoffs in the team history.

• C Matthew Liuzza, 23, seems to be on cruise-control too with a .400 batting average in his last 10 games, including 4 homers and 2 doubles.  Batting line in 2007: .270/.352/.498 with 17 doubles, 3 triples and 14 homers with a 34/79 BB/K.  He has a .819 OPS against RHP and .911 versus LHP.
• RHP Julio Pinto, 22, was great on the mound for the fourth consecutive appearance, going 6 innings of 3 hits, 1 walk and 5 strike outs.  He has appeared in 37 games (6 starts): 78.1 IP, 75 H, 39 ER, 5 HR, 22 B, 79 K, 4.48 ERA, 0.44 Go/Ao/ and .245 avg. against.  Great numbers for the kid from Venezuela with this repertoire: fastball that he cuts and sinks, curve and a changeup.

Auburn

The Doubledays lost for the first time in four days yesterday, 7-4 against the Williamsport Crosscutters (Pittsburgh).

• 2B Darin Mastroianni is having a nice time these days in Auburn, hitting .386 in his last 10 games.  He has 6 doubles, 3 triples and 1 homer in 182 AB this season. The 21-year-old (22 tomorrow) can play any position on the field, has good speed and is a very good athlete that picked up some work ethic advices from established players like Kevin Slowey.  He wanted to work on his power and discipline at the plate coming into pro ball (selected in this year’s draft) and seems to have succeeded on both counts to date.
• LH starter Chi-hung Cheng will be getting some starts until the end of the year (Sept. 7) with Auburn, especially to get a good idea of what kind of work to do in the offseason and see his level of rehabilitation.
• LH starter Brett Cecil is beginning to pick up the pace a little, going 4 innings 2 days ago: 1 H, 2 BB, 5 K, 5/2 G/Fo.  the opposition hits him at a .197 clip.

GCL Blue Jays

The Jays have 2 games remaining (both against the Tigers affiliate), including one today.  They are 35-24 on the season, 7 games behind the Yankees.  They won’t participate in the playoffs.

• RH starter Jimmy Dougher was brilliant once again yesterday, going: 4 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 5 K.  He has a 1.56 ERA this season.  Here are his final stats: 52 IP, 36 H, 9 ER, 1 HR, 10 BB, 51 K, 1.59 Go/Ao and a 1.89 avg. against.  Very good start to his pro career.  Can’t wait to see him next year.
• 3B Kevin Ahrens has been hitting .333 in his last 10 games with 6 walks and 7 K.  He now has 6 doubles and 3 homers in 158 AB.

I will prepare a complete breakdown of the GCL affiliate that will be published this week…with tables and projections included!!

Thanks for coming on FTTF.

Toronto revealed, in that same posting, that they were leaning toward bringing up a third catcher, but that the injury to Diaz and Sal Fasano (he is currently walking with crutches) was going to give them a challenge to find an adequate replacement.

C John Schneider (.160/.283/.291 in AA and AAA combined) is currently on the Syracuse roster and two moves were made today:

• C David Corrente (.220/.310/.447) was promoted from Dunedin (A-advanced) to Syracuse.
• 3B Al Quintana (.243/.310/.321) was also promoted from Dunedin to Syracuse.

• Robinson Diaz has been absent from the Syracuse lineup for the past 3 games (he appeared for 1 AB Saturday) because of a hand injury.  John Schneider is now the starting catcher with David Corrente (promoted from Dunedin) as the backup.  Sal Fasano is on crutches right now and on the 7-day DL.
• LHP Mark Redman is no longer with the organization.  He signed with the Colorado Rockies franchise and was with their AA affiliate yesterday.
• CF Yuber Rodriguez, 23, was promoted to Dunedin today.  Here are his numbers with Lansing in 2007 (359 AB): .240/.303/.368, 17 doubles, 4 triples and 7 home runs with a 29/108 BB/K.  Let’s hope the challenge will get the five-tool player going offensively.  He committed on ly 6 errors in 98 games this year.

Media Watch -

• A new Ricky Romero Player’s Journal on MiLB was posted a few days ago.
• Dunedin’s RHP Robert Ray almost completed a no-hitter yesterday for the Jays A-affiliate, read about it here.
• The Union Leader sat down with Fisher Cats manager Bill Masse and has also a few roster note for us, here.

Prospects and Affiliates Journal -

The Chiefs finally won yesterday, 8-6 against the Pawtucket Red Sox (Boston), after a 10-game losing streak.

• Adam Lind was 2-for-5 with a double yesterday.  The outfielder has not been hitting the ball well in recent games, going .256 in his last 10 games, including 7 strike outs.  He was the leadingoff man in Sunday’s game where he went hitless with a K.
• In his first appearance since April 23rd, RH reliever Matt Roney went 2 innings of hitless baseball and he struck out 2 batters.  Welcome back.  He has struck out 14 in 12 IP this season while allowing a meagre 5 hits.
• RHP Justin James has been converted to a starter in his last 2 appearances, but he has already allowed 3 homers in 11 IP, while allowing the same number has a reliever (50.1 IP).  I don’t think his stuff is well-suited for a starter’s role.  RH batters hit him at a .184 clip.

New Hampshire won the first game of their New Britain series, 4-2.  They now have won 3 of their last 4 contests.

• David Smith’s home run streak ended at four games when he went 0-for-4 Monday. 
• SS Sergio Santos went 1-for-4 with as 2-run home run (18th) and a strike out yesterday.  I would have liked to see him try another position, but it seems the Jays front office thought otherwise.  Their willingness to let him handle SS permanently puzzles me.
• RH closer Tracy Thorpe has 52 K in 53.1 IP.  However, he has allowed 25 walks and continues to post a less-than-stellar 0.45 Go/Ao. LH batters post an average against of .208.
• 2B Juan Peralta, a 24-year-old from the Dominican Republic, has an 11-game hitting streak, hitting over .450 in that stretch, including 3 doubles and a home run.  He dominates against LHP (.328 average) and has a .931 OPS in August.
• LH starter Ricky Romero posted a good outing Sunday: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K.  Although he doesn’t seem to be able to come out strong consistently, he is showing signs of what the Jays expected when they picked him in the first round in 2005.  He has gone at least 7 innings 4 times in his last 6 games, while never walking more than 3 in these strong performances.  While he walks more batters than he was in the past, he now strikes out 19.3% of hitters faced.  Remember that he missed time because of arm injury at the beginning of the season.

The D-Jays have won 6 in a row and 7 of their last 8 games.

• RHP Robert Ray went 7 innings and allowed only 1 hit, 1 ER, walked 4 and struck out 3.  To say I expected it would be a complete lie.  Ray has allowed way more hits than he has pitched innings and posts less than stellar numbers overall.  However, that outing could well be a turning point in his career after he battled with injury during the offseason.
• Jacob Butler and Josh Kreuzer occupy the 1st and 3rd rank on the HR leader board with 23 and 20 respectively.  The FSL being a pitcher’s league, it is quite a feat to put that kind of total, though both are getting old for their level (A-advanced).  Butler homered and doubled in yesterday’s game.
• After getting hit hard following his promotion from Lansing, RH reliever Paul Phillips, 23, has a 2.70 ERA in his last 10 appearances in relief for Dunedin, striking out 14, walking 5 and allowing the same number of hits.  LH batters his him for only a .188 average.  He throws a fastball, slider and forkball.  That last pitch must be the reason lefties are having so much difficulty against him.

The Lansing Lugnuts lost for the first time in 4 games Sunday, 8-7 against the Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati).

• OF Brian Pettway registered his first hit and RBI since coming off the DL 3 days ago.  After a 2006 season offering a look at a promising future, Pettway presents these numbers in 2007 (255 AB): .239/.319/.400 with 15 doubles, 1 triple and 8 homers.  The bad news here: a 30/93 BB/K….ouch….
• RF Travis Snider has now hit safely in 10 straight games.  Here are the numbers so far: .315/.379/.516 with 30 doubles, 6 triples and 13 home runs.  He has a 44/108 BB/K.
• C Matthew Liuzza, 23, is hitting clean-up these days and has a .308 batting average in the last 10 games, with 3 doubles and 2 homers.  He now has 12 homers this year, coming off primarily off of RHP, who he hits .239 against.  Against LHP: .315/.408/.494.
• After a slump coming off a promotion to Lansing, Paul Franko is hitting .343 in his last 10 games with 2 doubles and 2 home runs.  Here are his numbers in Lansing so far (66 AB): .288/.388/.470.

The Auburn Doubledays had the possibility of winning their 5th in a row yesterday, but their game was postponed by the rain.

The GCL Blue Jays have won their last 2 games, both against the Braves affiliate.

• 2B John Tolisano, 18, homered for the seventh time this season yesterday.  The Florida native has been showing much more patience at the plate after piling up the strike outs to start his pro career.  In the last 10 games, he has actually walked more (7) than he has struck out (6).
• SS Justin Jackson hit a single and walked twice, his third hit in safe territory in the last 4 games.  The RH batter continues to struggle against LHP: .147/.326/.147.  Scouts say that his defensive approach and execution is advanced already at that level.  Like many players in the GCL, they will need to get stronger to be able to cope with the intense heat and also the demands of playing (SS, in his case) everyday at the pro level.  The Jays see him as a posibility to sling shot through the system once he gets into a groove….I’m telling you, watch him go!!
• 3B Kevin Ahrens is showing signs of life with 2 homers and 1 double in his last 4 games.  He’s hitting .308 in his last 10 games.
• RH starter Joel Carreno, superb in his first year as a pro (2.69 ERA, 60.1 IP, 58 H, 18 ER, 3 HR, 12 BB, 56 K, 1.19 Go/Ao, .256 avg.) had a good outing: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 5 K.
• RH reliever Jason Monti, 22, has 7 K in his last 4.1 IP while allowing no walk, no ER and 3 H.

Santos appeared for one plate appearance in NH’s game in Binghamton Sunday afternoon and walked to finally score a run in their 12-3 routing of the Mets.

The 24-year-old had been called up following an opening in the Chiefs roster when Ray Olmedo was called up to Toronto.  However, with the bad showing and also the arrival of INF Hector Luna, Santos was sent down.

• In other news, OF David Smith hit his 20th bomb of the year and 4th in four straight game in the 12-3 win.  He currently leads the team in this department and tied the franchise record for consecutive games with a home run.

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News -

•  C Robinson Diaz (AAA) got out of a game on August 16th after 2 AB.  He re-appeared yesterday for one PA and playing second base, while Ryan Roberts (who started the game at 2B) went as the catcher.  Something weird is going on…

Media Watch -

•  A quick profile on Dunedin closer Connor Falkenbach.

Prospects and Affiliates Journal -

The Syracuse Chiefs have a 9-game losing streak going on.

• RH starter Mikel MacDonald had a nice outing yesterday: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 8 K with a 7/4 Go/Fo.  Unless the 25-year-old improves his stats, I doubt he could compete for a starter spot in Toronto anytime soon.  With Jesse Litsch ahead of him on the depth chart, his best chance could come as a long reliever.  He is a strike thrower who induces a lot of groundballs (1.97 Go/Ao), but still has a huge problem when facing LH batters (.347 avg. against) .
• RH reliever Jamie Vermilyea, 25, has a 1.08 ERA in his last 10 games, but has allowed 11 walks in 16.2 IP.  He presents a fantastic 3.16 Go/Ao and could really make a good living as a reliever in the bigs if he could stabilize his numbers against LH and RH batters.  He started 17 games in 2006, but has been used exclusively has a reliever this year.
• Adam Lind is in the middle of a 6-game hitting streak, but has been hitting only .257 in his last 10 games, with 1 extra-base hit (home run).  Stats in 2007: .283/.333/.441 with 6 doubles, 1 triple and 4 homers.
• SS Sergio Santos continues to struggle at AAA (don’t understand that promotion at all), but has hit his first two extra-base hits.  He has 10 K in 47 AB.

The NH Fisher Cats lost for the fifth time in 7 games yesterday, 7-6 against the Binghamton Mets (NYM)

• OF Aaron Matthews is getting hot again with a .302 average in his last 10 games with 7 doubles and 1 home run.  He absolutely crushes LHP (.959 OPS) and his on pace to career highs in 2B (already beat previous season mark), 3B and homer.
• OF David Smith has 10 hits in his last 5 games including a 3-game homer streak.  He has 19 on the year and is another outfielder that will get career highs in doubles, triples and homers.  What I love the most about him are the numbers he posts against both RHP and LHP.  I have a feeling Smith will gain some fans in the Toronto front office, capable of playing every outfield positions (only 4 errors in 111 games) and offering a very good approach at the plate.
• RH starter Ty Taubenheim had a nice start Friday: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K and 5/3 Go/Fo.  Although the walks remain high, especially in AA, I like how he has adjusted and focused on the task at hand.  He has struck out 13 in 11.1 IP at AA and presents a 3.18 ERA since his demotion.

The Dunedin Blue Jays are having a really nice second half to their 2007 season: 35-20. They now lead their division by 1.5 game over the Clearwater Treshers (Philadelphia).

• RH reliever Chad Blackwell, 24, acquired at the end of July, has been fantastic out of the pen: 0.54 ERA, 16.2 IP, 13 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K.  RH batters are hitting only .188 against him.
• RH Adrian Martin, one of my favorite, got another start (5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 K) and got the win.  He has a 2.63 ERA in his last 10 outings (3 has a starter) and a ridiculous .171 avg. against.  LH batters hit .114 (!!!!) off of him.  I’d love to see him in a start or two in NH, just to gauge where he could begin 2008.

The Lansing Lugnuts won 7-5 yesterday after a 2-run 9th inning.  They are now in second place of their division, 5 games behind West Michigan.

• RH reliever Edward Rodriguez, the same I mention in my previous post, struck out 6 in 3 IP and allowed 1 hit.  He has an excellent 2.37 Go/Ao this year.  Another thing…he is still 22.
• RF Travis Snider improved his hitting streak to 9 games, hitting over .350 in that strecth with 5 doubles and 5 homers.  He has a 1.028 OPS in August.

The Auburn Doubledays have won their last 3 contests, including yesterday’s 2-1 win against the Batavia Muckdogs (St-Louis).

• Still under a strict pitch count because of minor irritation to his throwing hand, LH starter Brett Cecil threw 2 innings of 1 hit, 1 walk, and 2 K baseball.
• OF Benjamin Zeskind had a 4-for-5 night Friday.  His 2007 numbers: .304/.388/.480 with 10 doubles, 1 triples and 6 homers in 171 AB.  The switch-hitter will have to cut down on the strike outs, however (22.2% of plate appearances) 
• C J.P. Arencibia has a hit in each of his last 5 games, including 2 doubles.  He is hitting .351 in his last 10 games, .375 in August and his consistent with yesterday’s findings in our Power Hitters report.

The GCL Blue Jays won for the first time in 3 games yesterday.

• 3B Kevin Ahrens has 3 home runs this season, 2 of them coming in the last 3 games.  In the last 10 games, he has actually drawn more walks than suffered strike outs.  He presents a 21/41 BB/K so far in pro baseball (144 AB).  The switch-hitter has had more success against RHP (.757 OPS) than LHP (.595 OPS).
• John Tolisano, a former SS now playing 2B full-time, has made 15 errors so far in 43 games.
• RH starter Jimmy Dougher was excellent yesterday: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 7 K.  I would love to see him get a taste of Auburn before the season finishes.