GCL Jays: Aleton, Bichette, Herdenez, Jacob, Obeso
Norberto Obeso hit .316 with 11 doubles and a home run for the Gulf Coast Jays. Photo: Jay Blue
GCL Blue Jays 2016 Report Blue Jays from Away Awards
By Jay Blue
Blue Jays from Away
It’s that time of year that we begin our reports summarizing the season for the Blue Jays’ minor league affiliates. We continue with the Blue Jays’ complex team in Florida, the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays.
With a fresh crop of talent from the Blue Jays’ 2015 DSL team, along with many newly drafted players, the 2016 GCL Blue Jays, under manager Cesar Martin, had a dominant season despite missing the playoffs to the only team in the GCL better than they were. The Blue Jays were an offensive juggernaut, scoring 5.14 runs per game, over a run more than league average with a team average age 0.3 years above the league average (19.5 years). The pitching, however, was not as exemplary. It was a younger pitching staff, at 19.8 years old, and were 0.7 years younger than the league average but they gave up 4.21 runs per game, just above the league average of 4.12.
Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game Champion
For those of you who followed the minor league reports here, you’ll know that I “awarded” Player of the Game (PotG) accolades on a game-by-game basis. It should comfort you to know that I’ve been keeping track of these daily awards and my rationale for the system is as follows.
The Player of the Game Awards were determined by a number of factors that included who I thought had the most impact on the game and who might have gone “above and beyond.” Most nights, there was just one Player of the Game. If there was, he earned one point. If I thought that either a) no one stood out enough to merit a single PotG, or b) two or more players were outstanding and deserved mention, I split the point up into two, three or four shares. If two players earned PotG mention, they each received 0.5 points and if three players earned mentions, they each received 0.33 points, etc. There were occasions that I felt that no one merited the award and therefore, I did not give out any points.
Norberto Obeso, David Jacob 5.33
Bo Bichette 5.17
Chavez Young 3
Wilfri Aleton, Guadalupe Chavez 2.5
Joel Espinal 2.33
Yonardo Herdenez, Yorman Rodriguez 2
Dany Jimenez, Francisco Rodriguez 1.83
Sterling Guzman, Lane Thomas, Jon Berti 1.5
Kalik May, Brayden Bouchey, Javier Monzon, Ryan Gold, Maximo Castillo, Miguel Almonte, Jesus Navarro, Orlando Pascual, Manuel Herazo 1
Antony Fuentes 0.83
T.J. Zeuch 0.5
Jake Fishman 0.5
Alfredo Bohorquez 0.5
Owen Spiwak 0.5
Jose Nova 0.5
Joshua Palacios 0.33
Randy Pondler 0.33
And we have a tie! Congrats go out to both David Jacob and Norberto Obeso for winning the Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game Championship for the 2016 GCL Blue Jays!
Blue Jays from Away Player of the Year
Despite his injury, Bo Bichette’s dominance in the GCL at the age of 18 is worthy of the Player of the Year award. Despite playing half as much as his competitors, the above-mentioned Jacob and Obeso, he had as many extra-base hits as Jacob and exceeded the extra-base hits by Obeso. While Bichette didn’t walk much, he managed to hit .427/.451/.732 in only 91 plate appearances, as a younger player than either of his two closest competitors for the award.
Honourable mention: David Jacob, Norberto Obeso
Blue Jays from Away Pitcher of the Year
Since we have separate “Pitcher of the Year” and “Reliever of the Year” awards, this award will go to a starting pitcher, despite a worthy reliever who threw almost as many innings. Another starter may have been considered for this award, except he was traded part way through the year leaving Wilfri Aleton the best candidate (in my eyes) for this award. Aleton, 20, made his North American debut this year after three years in the Dominican Summer League, and got his season underway with a bang, throwing five no-hit innings and striking out 10. While his season was up and down (ending on a down note in his last start of the year), Aleton had a 2.92 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP with a 4.09 strikeout-to-walk ratio over a team-leading 49 1/3 innings.
Honourable mention: Lupe Chavez (traded), Joel Espinal
Blue Jays from Away Reliever of the Year
There was a clear reliever of the year for the GCL Blue Jays: Yonardo Herdenez, a 20-year-old righty from Venezuela who dominated the GCL hitters. Despite throwing 42 1/3 innings (quite a lot for a reliever in a short season), he allowed only five runs, posting a 1.06 ERA and a miniscule 0.71 WHIP. While Herdenez’s strikeout numbers weren’t great (just 26), his six walks were exceptional. Herdenez’s closest competition was Jared Carkuff who threw 25 1/3 innings and struck out 35 batters with only three walks.
Honourable mention: Jared Carkuff
Starting pitchers
Like in the Dominican Summer League, starting pitchers in the Gulf Coast League don’t start all of their games and we frequently see “piggybacking” among the pitchers where one pitcher will start and another will finish in one game and they’ll switch around in the next time through the rotation. This allows the club to manage young pitchers’ innings as they get their arms accustomed to a professional workload.
We start with our GCL Blue Jays Pitcher of the Year, Wilfri Aleton. Aleton led the GCL Blue Jays in innings with 49 1/3 and had a very solid 2.92 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, striking out 23.0% of batters with just a 5.6% walk rate. Aleton showed improvements in his strikeout ratio over any of his seasons in the Dominican Summer League (his highest rate was 17.7%) while maintaining a strong walk rate (slightly up from 4.8% in 2015). While some might compare Aleton with Miguel Castro, the comparison might not be fair. Aleton is older at the same stage of development and has better control without quite as much velocity (Chris King reported that he threw 91-94 mph, touching 96). Aleton will move up the ladder to Bluefield but could be jumped further considering that 2017 will be his Age-21 season.
A very young Maximo Castillo started nine games for the GCL Blue Jays, after starting his season with 11 innings of outstanding work in the DSL, striking out 11 and walking three. Castillo found things a little more challenging in the GCL but still put up respectable number for a player who would have been a high-school junior. Castillo, 17, threw 39 innings in the GCL, posting a 4.62 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with a 17.2% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate. The control for such a young player is excellent and Castillo probably has some good velocity, considering that he was recorded throwing a 93 mph pitch for Venezuela at the Under-15 Baseball World Cup.
Lupe Chavez, 18, made six starts for the GCL Blue Jays, posting a 1.69 ERA and 1.03 WHIP before being traded to the Houston Astros in the deal that brought Scott Feldman to the Blue Jays. Chavez had a strong 20.0% strikeout rate and outstanding 3.1% walk rate before moving to the Arizona Rookie League and then the Appalachian League where he only combined for 13 2/3 innings in the Astros’ organization.
The 6-foot-3 righty Dany Jimenez started the season in the Dominican Summer League with eight scoreless innings, striking out eight and not walking anyone before he was moved to the Gulf Coast League. Once in the GCL, he had a solid season, throwing 38 1/3 innings with a 3.29 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, striking out 25.2% of batters and walking 11.3%. Jimenez is 22 and needs to start 2017 either in Vancouver or Lansing if he’s going to catch people’s attention.
Whether it was through caution or because of minor injuries, Travis Hosterman, 18, only threw 18 1/3 innings for the GCL Blue Jays after getting drafted in the 11th round of the 2016 draft. Hosterman threw in eight games and made five starts, struggling to find control in his professional debut with walks to 11.6% of the batters he faced while striking out 16.3%. He had a 4.91 ERA and 1.58 and will likely move to the Appalachian League next year after (likely) pitching in the Fall Instructional League.
The Blue Jays are taking a flyer on 6-foot-9 (although I’ve seen him listed at 6-foot-10) left-hander Tyler Olander who was an college and European pro basketball player before starting to play professional baseball in 2016. Olander, 24, had a fairly successful season but was likely working mostly on mechanics and fastball command. Olander didn’t give up a run in 10 1/3 innings but walked 14.3% of batters while striking out the same number. Olander is a long term project and could move up to Bluefield next year but will also need a lot of work in Fall Instructional League and spring training.
Josh Winckowski was another high-school draftee from the 2016 draft (15th round). Winckowski, 18, was used sparingly by the GCL Blue Jays (like Hosterman) and threw 13 2/3 innings, walking four and striking out 13 for very solid 6.3% and 20.3% rates (respectively). Winckowski did give up a lot of hits (16) and had a 4.61 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. Like Hosterman, he’ll work in fall instructs and will either remain in the GCL for another year or move up to Bluefield depending on his performance in the spring.
Relievers
Like in the Dominican Summer League, the Gulf Coast League is a place where pitching roles can be fluid but we’ll look at the pitchers who were used mostly in relief 2016.
Jared Carkuff was the Jays’ 35th-round pick in 2016 and dominated in the GCL, throwing 25 1/3 innings with a 1.42 ERA and 0.91 WHIP, walking just three batters and striking out 25 before getting a promotion to Vancouver where he gave up a run on three hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings with two strikeouts. Carkuff is already 23 (having had his birthday on August 25) and will probably spend 2016 in Vancouver unless the Jays want to get him out of the short-season leagues quickly.
Venezuelan righty Juan Meza is still just 18 but has been disappointing since signing for $1.6 million in 2014. Meza had another uninspired season, spending all of it in the GCL and pitching mostly out of the bullpen, logging 23 innings. Meza posted an 8.61 ERA and 2.04 WHIP, despite a reasonable 11.1% walk rate (reasonable for an 18 year old). Meza allowed hitters to hit .340 (almost exactly the same figure as the BABIP he had), and left only 59.1% of batters on base. Meza’s low strikeout rate (8.6%), combined with his high batting average against, indicates that he’s not really fooling batters at this point in his career. He’ll probably be back in the GCL unless the Jays try to jump start his development with a Bluefield assignment.
Orlando Pascual, a 20-year-old Dominican righty, tied with Meza with 14 appearances but with much better success. Pascual started off the in the Dominican Summer League and threw 11 innings there with a 1.64 ERA and 1.09 WHIP, striking out 18.2% and walking 9.1%. Moving to the GCL, he threw another 26 1/3 innings with a 3.08 ERA and 1.14 WHIP and saw his walk rate drop to just 4.4% and his strikeout rate fall slightly to 16.5%. While Pascual was getting 2.83 ground outs to air outs in the Dominican Republic, GCL batters were able to get the ball in the air much better, giving him a 0.90 GO/AO ratio which is definitely low for a pitcher who doensn’t strike out a ton of batters. His solid control and age probably means that Pascual will pitch in the Appalachian League next year.
William Ouellette, 23, was a non-drafted free agent signed by the Blue Jays after this year’s draft. The Cal State San Bernadino product pitched in 13 games and converted all three save opportunities with which he was presented. He pitched 22 1/3 innings and had a 3.22 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, a 16.0% strikeout rate and a 7.5% walk rate. All of these numbers are solid but should be taken with a grain of salt considering that Ouellette was 23 in a league where the average age is about 20. He’ll probably pitch in Bluefield or Vancouver next year.
Yonardo Herdenez, a 20-year-old Venezuelan righty who was our Reliever of the Year for the GCL Blue Jays this year, did just about everything you want from a pitcher who was a mult-inning reliever for the most part. Herdenez threw 42 1/3 innings, second on the team, despite making just two starts. He had a 1.06 ERA and miniscule 0.71 WHIP, walking only 3.9% of batters and striking out 17.0%. While the strikeout rate is on the low side, and his 0.83 GO/AO ratio is also not what you’d like to see from a pitcher who doesn’t miss a lot of bats, his ability to limit hits (.163 batting average) looks tantalizing. It will take a some time before we find out whether that is a repeatable skill or luck (with a .192 BABIP which is bound to regress). Look for him in Bluefield or Vancouver in 2017.
Nicaraguan Randy Pondler, 19, made his professional debut this year, throwing 13 innings with the DSL Blue Jays before moving up to the GCL Jays. Pondler allowed just four runs (three earned) in the DSL, walking only two and striking out five while, in 30 2/3 innings, he had a 3.52 ERA, 1.66 WHIP with a 14.7% strikeout rate and 8.l8% walk rate. All of that is pretty decent for a first-year pro, finding his way in two different countries away from home. Let’s see how he does in 2017, likely in Bluefield.
Mitch McKown, 20, came to the Blue Jays in the 21st round of the 2016 draft and struggled mightily in limited use in 2016. McKown’s 17.61 ERA and 3.52 WHIP were decimated by his 18 walks in 7 2/3 innings while he struck out six. The 6-foot-4 righty probably spent most of his time working in the bullpen on something mechanical with the coaching staff, explaining his limited game action. Look for him to return to the GCL next year to work things out.
Jake Fishman was selected in the 30th round out of Union College in New York and had decent numbers in 15 innings in the GCL at the age of 21. The 6-foot-3 righty had a 4.80 ERA and 1.67 WHIP (mostly due to the 21 hits allowed). Fishman walked only 5.7% of batters while striking out a decent 18.6%. He could probably handle a Vancouver assignment in 2017.
The 6-foot-4 Dominican righty Jairo Rosario finally made it to the GCL at the age of 22 but he only threw 9 1/3 innings and was shut down after July 23 because to injury. In the action he saw, he had a 3.86 ERA and 1.39 WHIP, striking out nine batters and walking six.
In mid-August, the Blue Jays signed lefty Ty Sterner to a contract and got him into four games. Sterner, who had been drafted by Cincinnati in 2014 and pitched in their organization until he was released early this season. Sterner threw 7 2/3 innings for the Jays, giving up just one earned run on nine hits and one walk with 11 strikeouts while pitching as a 23 year old. Look for Sterner to get back to the Midwest League next year (where he pitched in 2015 with the Dayton Dragons).
Lefty Travis Bergen, 22, has had trouble staying healthy. After just 5 1/3 innings with the Vancouver Canadians in 2015, Bergen threw just five innings combined in 2016 with three in the GCL and two in Vancouver. He only gave up two hits and walked two while striking out seven but will need to stay healthy in order to make an impact with the Jays’ organization.
The Blue Jays acquired several pitchers late in the season including Gregor Mora (21 y/o, 3 2/3 IP, 7.36 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 2 BB, 2 K), Richard Reina (21 y/o, 4 1/3 IP, 6.23 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 0 BB, 2 K) and Daniel Moritz (2 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K). Bobby Eveld (also known as Mark Eveld) is a 24 year old, 6-foot-5 righty who threw 1 1/3 innings before getting injured and allowed two runs on four hits and a walk with one strikeout before being shut down.
Position Players
We finish our look at the 2016 GCL Blue Jays by taking a peek at how the hitters did. We’ll start behind the plate and look at players who got the most playing time, followed by the guys who played less.
Catchers
Manuel Herazo, 21, caught in the most number of games for the GCL Blue Jays. Jumping to the GCL after two years in the DSL, Herazo played in 38 games but only got 78 plate appearances and 15 starts, hitting .257/.303/.343 with three doubles and a home run, walking just twice (2.6% walk rate) and striking out 17 times (22.1% strikeout rate). Herazo threw out 25% of base stealers and had three passed balls.
Another 21 year old, Mississauga product Owen Spiwak, caught in 24 games, hitting .164/.333/.255 with a pair of doubles and a home run over 69 plate appearances. Spiwak had the best caught-stealing percentage of any of the GCL Blue Jays’ catchers at 29%. He showed that he can take a walk, taking a free pass in 20.3% of his plate appearances but also struck out in 36.2%. Spiwak got into one game with the Vancouver Canadians at the end of the season but I’d be surprised if he wasn’t in Bluefield in 2017.
The third catcher to get significant playing time for the GCL Blue Jays was South Carolinian high-schooler Ryan Gold. The 18 year old got into 29 games, starting 15 behind the plate and had the best hitting numbers of the bunch, slashing .280/.359/.402 with five doubles, a triple and a home run in 92 plate appearances. Gold also struck out in a respectable 19.6% of plate appearances while walking in 10.9%. He threw out 21% of runners trying to steal and had two passed balls, which bodes well for future defensive improvement from the young catcher. He could head to the Appy League next year with Bluefield but could conceivably repeat the level in 2017.
Infielders
Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game co-champion David Jacob had a whale of a professional debut after being selected by the Blue Jays in the 32nd round of the 2016 draft out of Quincy University. Jacob, a 6-foot-4, left-handed hitting first baseman was second on the club in plate appearances and was one of the key contributors to a club that had the second-best record in the GCL (but, sadly missed the playoffs). Jacob hit .304/.392/.472 with nine doubles and six home runs, walking in 11.1% of his plate appearances and striking out in only 12.7%. A very late promotion to Vancouver got him 10 plate appearances with one strikeout, a single, double and triple and two RBI. Look for Jacob either in Vancouver or in Lansing in 2017.
Utility infielder Javier Monzon made his North American debut after the Blue Jays signed the 23-year-old Cuban this offseason. Monzon started his career with 22 games in the GCL, hitting .232/.353/.464, showing plenty of pop in his bat with three doubles, two triples and three home runs in 85 plate appearances. Monzon hit another four triples and three home runs, with a .261/.350/.507 slash line in another 21 games (80 plate appearances) with Bluefield. Despite the better numbers, Monzon’s strikeout rate spiked in Bluefield, jumping from 21.2% in the GCL to 36.3% in the Appalachian League while his high walk rate fell slightly from 12.9% to 11.3%. Monzon also appears to have some defensive versatility on his side, playing first, third and right field in the GCL and second and third in the Appy League. Look for Monzon to move somewhat quickly, heading to Vancouver to start 2017.
Miguel Almonte, a 19-year-old Dominican infielder played significant time at second base in his second year in the GCL. While he improved significantly, the bar was not particularly high after his 2015 numbers which featured a .127/.216/.139 slash line. In 2016, however, Almonte played in 28 games with 87 plate appearances, hitting .192/.276/.308, hitting a double, a triple and two home runs. That said, Almonte still struck out 33.3% of the time (down just 1.5% from the previous year) with a stable walk rate at 8.0%.
Sterling Guzman, 18, was one of the offensive forces of the Jays’ DSL team last year but saw some struggles after he moved up to play in the GCL this year. Guzman hit .214/.303/.357 with 144 plate appearances, playing third base. Guzman saw his power increase, hitting six doubles and four home runs while his walk rate dropped from 12.3% in 2015 to 9.0% in 2016 and his strikeout rate rose from 15.3% in 2015 to 22.9% in 2016. At just 18, Guzman could play again in the GCL but might very well be headed to the Appalachian League next year.
Another 18 year old, Venezuelan Kevin Vicuna, was the Blue Jays’ everyday shortstop in the GCL once space was made for him to play. Like most young players Latin-American players, Vicuna’s play dropped off from his professional debut in the DSL last year. This year, he hit .258/.343/.298 with five doubles and a triple in 204 plate appearances, stealing 11 bases and getting caught three times. Vicuna’s miniscule ISO (.039) needs to improve, as does his 5.9% walk rate while his 19.2% strikeout rate was not so bad. He’s another player who might benefit from a second year in the GCL but could also move up to Bluefield depending on his development in the fall instructional league and extended spring training.
Our GCL Blue Jays Player of the Year, Bo Bichette, played only 22 games with 91 plate appearances after getting selected by the Blue Jays in the second round of the 2016 draft. The son of former big leaguer Dante Bichette (and brother of minor leaguer Dante Bichette, Jr.), Bo, 18, made his mark, hitting an astounding .427/.451/.732 despite missing time due to an appendicitis scare. Bichette hit nine doubles, two triples and four home runs, driving in 36 runs in just 22 games. While Bichette walked in 6.6% of plate appearances and struck out in 18.7%, he may have fallen prey to the “I can hit everything” disease that plagues hitters who are tearing the cover off the ball. He’ll be encouraged to take more walks as he rises in the organization and could start as high as Vancouver in 2017 and I wouldn’t rule out an appearance in Lansing before the season is over.
Infielder Alfredo Bohorquez was picked up by the Jays as a minor league free agent and the 25-year-old only played in the GCL. Playing mostly at second and third base (with 16 innings at shortstop), Bohorquez didn’t hit much, slashing .216/.345/.289 in 117 plate appearances with four doubles and a home run. On the positive side, he only struck out seven times and walked 12 times.
What? We’re discussing third baseman Mitch Nay with the GCL Blue Jays? Well, the 22-year-old was out all year with a knee injury and only played eight games on a rehab assignment with the GCL club in August. The layoff clearly didn’t sit well with Nay as he only had two hits in 23 plate apperances, hitting .091/.130/.091. Look for him back with Dunedin in 2017.
Outfielders
Our Co-Player of the Game Champion, Norberto Obeso was the club’s primary left fielder, seeing little drop off in production after making the jump from the DSL. The 21-year-old hit .316/.441/.408 in 188 plate appearances, walking almost twice as much as he struck out (15.4% walk rate, 8.0% strikeout rate) while leading the club with 11 doubles and hitting a home run. Obeso’s .343 BABIP was not unsustainable (particularly if he has some speed) and the Mexican outfielder should be able to jump to a higher level in 2017, perhaps Vancouver or Lansing after not missing a beat in jumping from the DSL.
Chavez Young had the most games for the Blue Jays in center field despite playing in just 21 games all year. Young, who turned 19 in August was the Jays’ 39th round pick but he really turned things on late in the season, putting together six multi-hit games in a seven-game span from August 16 to August 24. Young shows some speed and power, hitting .274/.346/.438 with eight doubles and two triples with six stolen bases. He will need to cut down on his strikeouts, however, (at 32.1%) and walk a little more (7.4%). Look for him either back in the GCL in 2017 or in Bluefield.
Antony Fuentes led the club in games in right field as the 20-year-old Venezuelan made his debut in the Gulf Coast League after two seasons in the Dominican. Fuentes played in 36 games, hitting .246/.301/.404, showing some pop with four doubles, four triples and two home runs. Fuentes had some low rates for both strikeouts and walks with Ks in just 8.1% of his 123 plate appearances and walks in only 4.1%. Fuentes could probably move up to Bluefield but may stay back in the GCL in 2017.
D.J. Daniels made his professional debut after being selected by the Blue Jays in the sixth round of the 2016 draft. The 18 year old did not have a good time adjusting to professional pitching, hitting .100/.176/.125 with just a home run as his only extra-base hit in 131 plate appearances. Daniels walked in 6.1% of plate appearances and struck out in 36.6%, leading me to believe that he’s going to be a project who will return to the GCL next year.
Francisco Rodriguez was another player making his debut with the GCL Blue Jays after two years in the DSL. Rodriguez, 21, had a solid 9.2% walk rate that bolstered his .230/.333/.402 slash line as Rodriguez showed similar extra-base pop to his nine-home run season in the DSL last year. While fewer hits left the park, Rodriguez hit 10 doubles, a triple and three home runs in 141 plate appearances (more than 100 fewer PAs than in the DSL last year) but still struck out far too much at 29.8%. Rodriguez could move up to Bluefield but will need to cut down on the strikeouts.
Dom Abbadessa, 18, was another high-school player selected by the Blue Jays in 2016 (he was taken in the 23rd round) who struggled in his first exposure to professional baseball. Abbadessa hit .192/.250/.192 in 29 plate appearances. Freddy Rodriguez, 19, is regressing after getting a nice bonus to sign with the Jays in 2013. The Venezuelan played in just seven games, hitting .240/.296/.280 with a double in 27 plate appearances.
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