* Where's Waldo ... and where's Jodan Romano (Markham, Ont.), too? Romano, top row, right, without hat, signed with the Blue Jays after being drafted from Oral Roberts. The former Ontario Blue Jay was one of 26 new recruits who sat on the bleachers awaiting for instructions from minor-league director Doug Davis and staff Wednesday at theBobby Mattick facility in Dunedin. Photo-Eddie Michels .... 2014 Canadians drafted … Canadians in the Minors … Canadians in College … MLB open Bureau camp dates

2015 Canadian draft list

Letters of Intent

 

Previous weeks: Sanchez has short one, Scout ranks Jays top 10 prospects VI    Burns versatile, Jays prospects V …. Lawrence a cool cat, Jays prospects IV … De Jong II, Scout ranks Jays prospects III … Copeland picks up Janssen, Jays prospects II …. Pompey burning bases, Jays prospects I …. Matt Boyd.

 

By Bob Elliott

Markham’s Jordan Romano arrived in Dunedin Wednesday.

Selected in the 10th round by the Blue Jays from Oral Roberts, Romano won Southland Conference closer of the year.

He recorded 12 saves going 3-4 with a 2.66 earned run average. The graduate of Dan Bleiwas’ Ontario Blue Jays program walked 17 and struck out 49 in 40 2/3 innings.

Romano agreed to a $25,000 signing bonus after being scouted by Jays scout Dallas Black. Slot money for Romano was $139,400.

 

Minor league life: Pitching in the minors is tough.

You’ve heard all the complaints before the long bus trips, a two-man umpiring system (one with good eyesight and he has the bases), rough infields, enough meal money to eat at Taco Bell and pitching after freezing your fish to death.

Ah, come again.

Freezing your fish?

Blue Jays prospect Daniel Norris was on a trip with Dunedin and placed his plastic fish tank containing fishy Cali on the room’s air conditioner, dialing the air-conditioning to 60 degrees. He took to twitter (@DanielNorris18) announcing the sin he had committed: “Cali is dead as a door nail. #RIP.”

He had frozen his fish.

Facing the Jupiter Hammerheads in his first start without his fish, Norris worked six innings, allowing three runs on nine hits as he struck out nine, leaving with the score deadlocked at 3-3. Dunedin won in the eighth when North York’s Marcus Knecht singled, advanced on a passed ball and scored on a Derrick Chung single.

Next he beat the St. Lucie Mets 4-2 allowing two runs on four hits and two walks as he fanned five in seven innings.

Norris purchased a new fish named Caladesi.

He was named as MLB.com’s Pipeline Pitching Prospect of the Month for May, given to the best pitching prospect in all of MILB. Norris went 1-0 with a 0.68 ERA in five starts with 34 strikeouts and eight walks in 26 1/3 innings.

Norris is 5-0 in 12 starts with a 1.32 ERA -- the best in the organization. On the season, in 61 1/3 innings the lefty has walked 16 and struck out 73, held opponents to a .219 average and frozen one fish.

 

Bonus bucks to Canucks: The $2 million US signing bonus that the Seattle Mariners gave outfielder Gareth Morgan (North York, Ont.) Tuesday night was the third highest in Canadian history. The top bonus that the Jays have ever given a Canadian? They gave Vancouver’s Trystan Magnuson $462,500 to leave the University of Louisville in 2007 -- 17th highest ever.

The other figure payments the Jays have made to Canucks:

Tom Robson, Ladner, B.C., fourth, 2011, $325,000 (27th highest), North York’s Marcus Knecht, third, 2010, $250,000 (34th), Gatineau’s Yan LaChapelle, third, 1996, $185,000 (46th), Mike Crouse, Port Moody, B.C., 16th, 2008, $150,000 (54th), Mississauga’s Dalton Pompey, 16th, 2010, $150,000 (54th), Mark Curtis, St. Albert, Alta. 24th, 1995, $135,000 (65th), Pickering’s Lee Delfino, sixth, 2001, $122,500 (70th), Mississauga’s Jonathan Baksh, seventh, 2006 $122,500 (70th) and Justin Atkinson, North Surrey, B.C., sixth, 2011, $100,000 (79th).

 

Organizational Leaders: Averages: 1. Derrick Chung, Dunedin .324, 2. Jorge Flores .316, NH-Dunedin, 3. Dalton Pompey, Dunedin, .313, 4. Darin Mastroianni, Buffalo .306, 5. Jared Goedert, Buffalo . 293.

Home runs: 1. Dan Johnson, Buffalo, 14, Ryan Schimpf, NH, 12, 3. Goedert 7, 4. Three tied with six.

RBIs: 1. K.C. Hobson, Dunedin 56, 2, Johnson 44, 3. Mitch Nay, Lansing, 34, 4. Pompey 33, 4. L.B. Dantzler, Lansing 33.

Stolen bases: 1. Pompey, 22, 2. Jon Berti, NH, 19, 3. Mastroianni, 14, 4. Kenny Wilson, NH 13, Andy Burns, NH 10.

ERA: 1. Daniel Norris, Dunedin, 1.32, 2. Liam Hendricks, Buffalo 2.02, 3. Taylor Cole, Dunedin 2.19, 4. Kendal Graveman, Dunedin-Lansing 2.44, 5. Deck McGuire, NH 2.98.

Wins: 1. Graveman 7, 2. Hendriks 6, 3. five tied with five.

Saves: 1. Arik Sikula, NH-Dunedin 15, 2. Griffin Murphy, Lansing, nine, 3. Bobby Korecky, Buffalo 6, 3. Randy Boone NH, 6, 5. Gregory Infante, Buffalo 5.

Strikeouts: 1. Taylor Cole, Dunedin, 95, 2. Matt Boyd, Dunedin NH-Dunedin 73, 3. Norris 73, 4. McGuire 63, 5. Graveman 58.

 

A scout’s question: “If the Jays are still looking for a second baseman -- and I think they should be -- why don’t they try Darin Mastroianni, there? He broke in as a second baseman at Auburn in 2007 and played some at Rochester in 2012. I’ve seen him, he can handle it.”

 

Draft: Right-hander J.T. Autrey the Jays' 38th pick from Lamar University is coming off two shoulder surgeries, showed for Wednesday’s workout at the Bobby Mattick training facility along with 25 others ... Third round pick lefty Nick Wells a high schooler from Haymarket, Va. agreed to sign for $661,800 US ... Outfielder Lane Thomas of Knoxville, a fifth rounder, has signed for $750,000.

 

A National League evaluator gives us his take on top 10 Blue Jays prospects:

1. RHP Aaron Sanchez, N.H.

“He’s thrown well since that 29-pitch, zero-outs record inning. He’s dominated both times I’ve seen him, including one against a veteran-hitting Binghamton team.”

2. LHP Daniel Norris, Dunedin

“He’s anywhere from 92-95 MPH. Lots of strikeouts, not too many walks. Very impressive.”

3. C C.J. Jimenez, Buffalo

“Back to full strength, playing every day, putting up decent numbers.”

4. OF Dalton Pompey, Dunedin.

“He’s having an MVP year in the Florida State League.”

5. INF Franklin Barreto, Vancouver.

“The pressure is on -- they’re going for four in a row out there.”

 

6. RHP Roberto Osuna, extended

“He’s coming off Tommy John he will be game ready later this summer and then he’ll move up the list.”

7. OF D.J. Davis, Lansing

“The last two weeks he has cut down on his strikeouts. He was like a lot of guys in the Midwest League that suffer with the spring weather there.”

8. RHP Alberto Tirado, Lansing.

“He has plus velocity and a hard slider, he’s up to 96 MPH.”

9. LHP Sean Nolin, Buffalo.

“He got hurt the same day Neil Wagner and Rob Rasmussen went down. It wasn’t anything serious. I think he’ll get a chance.”

10. 3B Mitch Nay, Lansing.

“He will be a power hitting third baseman in the big leagues.”