Jul 19, 2017
Future Watch: Bichette has strong start in Dunedin
Each week, baseball reporter Scott Mitchell takes a look at how the consensus top 10 prospects in the Blue Jays’ minor-league system have fared over the past seven days
Each week, baseball reporter Scott Mitchell takes a look at how the consensus top 10 prospects in the Blue Jays’ minor-league system have fared over the past seven days.
With Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus both releasing mid-season rankings recently, we’ve shuffled up the list to reflect the changes for the second half of the season.
1. 3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Affiliate: High-A Dunedin Blue Jays
Age: 18 (3/16/1999)
Midseason top 100 prospect rankings: Baseball America (2); Baseball Prospectus (13)
Projected MLB ETA: 2020
Season stats: .316/.409/.480 with 7 HR, 45 RBI, 6 SB in 269 AB at Low-A; .348/.423/.348 with 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB in 23 AB at High-A
After going 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in his Dunedin debut last week, Vladdy Jr. has hits in four of five games, including three multi-hit outings. He’s continued his impressive plate discipline, equalling his three Ks with three walks. The only thing that’s missing from his repertoire right now is power, but that will come down the road.
2. SS Bo Bichette
Affiliate: High-A Dunedin Blue Jays
Age: 19 (3/5/1998)
Midseason top 100 prospect rankings: Baseball America (44); Baseball Prospectus (29)
Projected MLB ETA: 2020
Season stats: .384/.448/.623 with 10 HR, 51 RBI, 12 SB in 284 AB at Low-A; .412/.432/.500 with 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 SB in 34 AB at High-A
It’s going to be hard for Bichette to top the 201 Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) he posted in Lansing, but the 19-year-old is well on his way after banging out 14 hits in 30 at-bats over the past week in Dunedin. Bichette is now considered a top 50 prospect in all of baseball, a ranking that might end up being top 20 when all is said and done in 2017.
3. OF Anthony Alford
Affiliate: High-A Dunedin Blue Jays
Age: 23 (7/20/1994)
Midseason top 100 prospect rankings: Baseball America (38)
Projected MLB ETA: Arrived May 19
Season stats: .125/.125/.250 in 8 MLB AB; .325/.411/.455 with 3 HR, 11 RBI, 9 SB in 123 AB at Double-A; .118/.167/.118 with 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 SB in 17 AB at High-A
Originally given a 4-6 week timeline to return from a broken hamate bone suffered on a swing in late May when he was recalled from Double-A, Alford made it back onto the field in about seven weeks last Wednesday. While he’s struggled to get his timing down on a rehab assignment at High-A Dunedin, striking out seven times in 17 at-bats, Alford has played three games in centre field and should be ready to return to the upper minors shortly.
4. 2B/SS Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
Affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Age: 23 (10/19/1993)
Midseason top 100 prospect rankings: Baseball America (90)
Projected MLB ETA: 2018
Season stats: .197/.217/.258 with 1 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB in 66 AB at High A; .261/.261/.435 with 0 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB in 23 AB at Double-A
Promoted to Double-A last week after just 69 plate appearances at High-A, Gurriel was quickly flipped from shortstop to second base to form a new double-play combo with 21-year-old Richard Urena. Still trying to find his groove after missing the first two months of the season with a hamstring injury, his numbers look very similar to what his older brother Yuli is posting in Houston — lots of hard contact but very few walks. In 92 plate appearances so far, Gurriel has taken just two free passes. Yuli, in 330 big-league plate appearances with the Astros this season, has walked just seven times unintentionally.
5. RHP Sean Reid-Foley
Affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Age: 21 (8/30/1995)
Preseason team prospect rankings: Baseball Prospectus (1); Baseball America (3); MLB (2); FanGraphs (3)
Projected MLB ETA: 2019
Season stats: 6-7, 4.74 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 73 Ks in 81.2 innings
Reid-Foley possesses the highest upside amongst the top arms in the upper minors of the Blue Jays’ pipeline, but command issues have provided a stumbling block this season. After walking just 2.5 batters per nine innings last year at High-A, that number has jumped to 4.1 this season, at the same time as his strikeout numbers have dropped. He held a depleted Portland lineup – the Boston Red Sox had already moved top prospect Rafael Devers to Triple-A – to three runs over six innings on Sunday.
6. SS Richard Urena
Affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Age: 21 (2/26/1996)
Preseason team prospect rankings: Baseball Prospectus (6); Baseball America (5); MLB (4); FanGraphs (4)
Projected MLB ETA: 2019
Season stats: .244/.289/.364 with 4 HR, 45 RBI, 0 SB in 357 AB
While it’s been a frustrating season numbers-wise for the young switch hitter, he’s still flashing interesting tools and a line-drive stroke that’s pretty when he’s in a groove. Over the past week, Urena picked things up by slashing .308/.345/.346 in 26 at-bats, but the 21-year-old Dominican’s approach needs some work.
7. RHP Conner Greene
Affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Age: 22 (4/4/1995)
Preseason team prospect rankings: Baseball Prospectus (4); Baseball America (4); MLB (6); FanGraphs (9)
Projected MLB ETA: 2019
Season stats: 4-7, 4.73 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 66 Ks in 93.1 innings
The reason some evaluators think Greene would be a better fit in the bullpen was on full display last week during the Eastern League All-Star game, as the 6-foot-3 righty from Santa Monica, Calif., was blowing hitters away with triple-digit heat during his two-inning appearance. Unfortunately, Greene then went out and allowed five runs over 2.2 innings in his start for the Fisher Cats on Monday.
8. 1B Rowdy Tellez
Affiliate: Triple-A Buffalo Bisons
Age: 22 (3/16/1995)
Preseason team prospect rankings: Baseball Prospectus (8); Baseball America (6); MLB (5); FanGraphs (8)
Projected MLB ETA: Late 2018
Season stats: .210/.283/.337 with 6 HR, 37 RBI, 3 SB in 291 AB
It’s been a good year for the Blue Jays’ system as a whole, but they’d love to see Rowdy get on a roll at Triple-A. There were some good signs over the past week as Tellez walked five times to carry a .385 on-base percentage and hit safely in five of six games, but everyone’s still waiting on a power surge from the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder.
9. RHP T.J. Zeuch
Affiliate: High-A Dunedin Blue Jays
Age: 21 (8/1/1995)
Preseason team prospect rankings: Baseball Prospectus (7); Baseball America (7); MLB (7); FanGraphs (6)
Projected MLB ETA: 2019
Season stats: 3-3, 3.23 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 42 Ks in 53 innings
He’s been sitting on the seven-day DL since May 27 with a lower-back strain, but he’s throwing in Dunedin and is expected to return before the end of the season.
10. C/1B Max Pentecost
Affiliate: High-A Dunedin Blue Jays
Age: 24 (3/10/1993)
Preseason team prospect rankings: Baseball Prospectus (9); MLB (12); FanGraphs (15)
Projected MLB ETA: Late 2018
Season stats: .288/.344/.468 with 9 HR, 42 RBI, 0 SB in 222 AB
Pentecost missed a month with a back injury but returned in early July and has now posted three-hit efforts in two of his past four games. The right-handed hitter has been splitting time almost evenly between catcher, first base and designated hitter this season, and he’s one homer away from equalling last year’s total of 10.