Winter League Update - Jays Hitters Edition

With the chill of the FA market frenzy, most likely until the winter meetings, I decided to take a peak at what our winter blue birds are doing around the equator. Since some of these players may get a chance to prove themselves with the Jays in 2010, these performances can go a long way to ensuring they actually get a good long look.

1. Brian Dopirak 1B
Mr. Dopirak is continuing what has been an amazing 2009, albeit at a less impressive pace. He is playing for Navegantes del Magallanes in Venezuela, and has the following line thus far:
137 AB, 37 hits, .270 average, 7 doubles, 7 HRs, 32 RBI, 19 BB, and 40 SO

joining Brian on the same team just recently is the highly touted Balbino!!

2. Balbino Fuenmayor 3B
"Little" Balbino got his start in Venezuela this week and has only played in 4 games thus far, his line is:
14 AB, 5 hits, .357 average, 2 doubles, 1 HR, 2 BB and 8 SO

3. Raul Chavez C
The only catcher the Jays have under contract has the following line:
76 AB, 17 hits, .224 average, 4 doubles, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 4 BB, 10 SO

4. Mike McCoy 2B/SS
The newly acquired infielder is in Mexico, playing for Tomateros de Culiacan and has the following line:
129 AB, 43 hits, .333 average, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HRs, 10 RBI, 26 BB and 20 SO

5. Moises Sierra OF
Playing in the Dominican Republic, for Gigantes del Cibao, Moises has the following line:
51 AB, 11 hits, .216 average, 1 double, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 9 SO

6. David Cooper 1B
David played in the AFL for the Mesa Solar Sox, and his season's line there was:
78 AB, 18 hits, .231 average, 5 doubles, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 6 BB, 18 SO

7. Brad Emaus 2B
Brad also played in the AFL this fall, with a line of:
60 AB, 19 hits, .317 average, 3 doubles, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 7 BB, 3 SO

8. Darin Mastroianni OF
Played for the Phoenix Desert Dogs of the AFL, and had the following line:
44 AB, 11 hits, .250 average, 1 double, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 2 SB, 8 BB, 5 SO

9. Adam Loewen OF
Who knows why, but some still think he can hit, he had the following line in the AFL:
70 AB, 14 hits, .200 average, 1 double, 2 HRs, 9 RBI, 9 BB, 32 SO (almost struck out 50% of time!!!)

10. Johermyn Chavez OF
Didn't play much in a short stint in Venezuela's winter league, but had the following line:
23 AB, 5 hits, .217 average, 2 doubles, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 6 SO

When you look at all of these stats, you have to be seriously underwhelmed and have a clear understanding of why most people don't pay any attention to them. Out of all of the Jays hitters making the trip to winter leagues, only Brian Dopirak, Mike McCoy, and Brad Emaus made or continued their progress and performed well. Otherwise, if you're in Jays management you have to be scratching your head and wondering if it was worthwhile for the others to go. Balbino could still have a good performance in Venezuela and learn much from it. I wonder if Dopirak's performance helped him, or if it will tire him out instead. I can understand his wanting to keep the hot streak alive without sitting home waiting for spring training to come around, but with only a short time between the end of the season and spring training workouts, he could have used some time to rest. Mike McCoy could turn out to be a key role player for the Jays in 2010 and he looks like he can contribute offensively.

Like I said, not much really stands out form the hitting point of view, and some may actually sealed their next assignments based in poor performances (Cooper, Loewen). I feel that Cooper should be sent to HiA Dunedin in order to rebuild his confidence and to push him to get better, and Loewen should be released. Michael McDade can make the jump to AA from LoA since he deserves to be there more than Cooper does.

Jays Minors - Top 4 Catchers

For anyone who has watched the Yankees, Angels, Cardinals, White Sox, and Angels win their championships in recent years, it was obvious that the teams had talent throughout the organization that pushed them to the championship level. However, each of these teams also had something else in common: very strong catching. Whether we're talking Jorge Posada in NY, Jason Varitek in Boston, Mike Napoli in Los Angeles, AJ Pierzynski in Chicago, or Yadier Molina in St-Louis, they all had a major impact on their respective clubs. With guys like Matt Wieters, Buster Posey, Carlos Santana, and Jesus Montero getting all the press in terms of catchers coming through the minors, the Jasy actually have a formidable foursome that can challenge the depth of any squad on terms of talent at the Catcher position. Here they are, in order of talent:

1. Carlos Perez: will be 20 yrs old in 2010
Carlos signed with the Jays in 2007 as an international FA ($700,000 bonus) and showed some maturity last season with the GCL Jays. He hit 11 doubles, 3 triples, and a homer in 141 ABs, while walking 16 times and only striking out 23 times. His OBP and AVG were respectable at .364 and .291 respectively. BA ranked Perez as the 6th best prospect in the GCL this past season and see him as the catcher of the future for the Jays if all things fall into place. They point out that his defense really shines (something that the other catchers in the system seem to lag behind on) as he threw out 49% of base stealers this season and has a 1.9 second pop-time. His height and weight (6'0" 195 lbs) would also lead me to believe that he is more likely to stay at the position than the other catching prospects the Jays have, even if he does add to that a little.

2. Sean Ochinko: will be 23 yrs old in 2010
Selected in the 11th round in the 2009 draft, Sean played well enough to be named a NYP All-Star at the mid-season point. Getting 188 AB in Auburn, Sean showed that he can handle the bat very well, smacking 6 homers, 20 doubles, and sporting a .324 average overall. His OBP was outstanding at .382 and he only struck out 26 times. He has many College highlights that point to his leadership skills and ability to perform under pressure. Sean does have some experience at 1B, which leads me to believe that if Carlos really does take over the catcher position for the Jays for a long time period, Sean could become the 1B of the future (although Brian Dopirak may have something to say about that for the next couple of years.) Still, Sean is more likely to be ready to compete very soon and may begin the2010 season in HiA Dunedin or AA New Hampshire.

3. JP Arencibia: will be 24 yrs old during 2010 season
JP was selected 21st overall in 2007 by the Jays and climbed the ladder at an extremely quick pace, starting in HiA his first season in the minors. He followed up a great 2007 start with an even better 2008, splitting time between HiA and AA, accumulating 27 HRs and 105 RBI in the process with a decent .298 average. However, in 2009, JP took a step back and showed some holes in his swing. He hit .236 on the season and managed 21 homers. Some scouts doubt that he'll ever be able to hit for average, but his power is off the charts. This is the guy who beat Alex Rodriguez's home run record in High School. He did go through some injuries that slowed him down in 2009, so his "off-year" could be explainable, and he did finish the last 10 games with a .349 average and 6 dingers, so he could suprise many with a big league gig next year. Really, what do the Jays have to lose by letting him catch most of their games in 2010? It's not like Barajas will determine whether or not the Jays get into the playoffs, and they really need a power threat in the lineup. I love JP's bat and think it'll play well in the Dome, however, I also doubt JP will stay at catcher long term, which is why I ranked him 3rd on this list. Although he is 3rd, he is by far the #1 offensive catcher in the system and deserves more recognition than he's getting from minor league evaluators. He'll need to minimize his strike outs to do well against MLB pitching, but should hit for better average overall than Adam Dunn.

4. Yan Gomes: will be 23 yrs old in 2010
The Jays drafted Yan Gomes one round ahead of Ochinko in the 10th round of the 2009 draft. He's much bigger than the other catchers at 6'2" and 215 lbs, and unlike Ochinko who started his 2009 season in Auburn due to his signing date, Gomes was first sent to the GCL in order to get him some time behind the plate before the Auburn season started. Gomes is probably second defensively out of the Jays catching prospects, behind only Perez, and does have a good contact hitting approach. He hit .300 in 237 ABs in 2009, but only hit 2 homers and 23 doubles, less than Perez and Ochinko did in fewer ABs. He's a natural leader, hard worker, and should develop well as a result. Like Perez and Ochinko, how he handles the jump to AA and beyond will determine which one gets the prize of backing up or taking over from JP Arencibia. Regardless, I see a bright future for the Jays at the C position, and only hope that it would lead to some well deserved glory years for us Jays fans.

C Carlos Perez smacks first dinger in GCL

18 year old Venezuelan catcher Carlos Perez was signed in 2007 as an international FA and has been highly touted by BA. He is currently catching for the GCL Jays and is doing very well thus far. He has 21 hits over his first 69 ABs for a .309 avg, and 10 of those hits have been for extra bases (6 doubles, 3 triples, and his first dinger yesterday). More impressively, he has only struck out 9 times (13%) and has walked 11 times, indicating that he is very patient and selective at the plate, a very good trait for such a young player.

Perez did play for the DSL2 Jays last season, and ended up with a .309 avg over 196 ABs, but didn't hit any HRs and only 12 of his 60 hits were for extra bases. It is possible that the Jays will let him progress slowly and keep him in the GCL all season as a result. But between Arencibia, Jeroloman, and now Perez, the Jays shouldn't have too many shortcomings at the C position for quite a while.