Jay Blue: DSL Jays Contreras, Galindo, Silva
DSL Blue Jays 2016 Report, Part 1: 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 begin (like we did last year) with the lowest level club, the Dominican Summer League Blue Jays.
If you’re new to Blue Jays from Away, we summarize all eight of the Blue Jays’ minor league teams in four parts: The Blue Jays from Away Awards, Starting Pitchers, Relief Pitchers and position players. Players are discussed with the team that they spent the most time with (by innings pitched for pitchers and at bats for batters).
We start with the DSL Blue Jays, who finished the season just above .500 at 36-32. The hitters were 0.4 years older than the league average and generated 4.54 runs per game, slightly above the league average of 4.46 r/g. The pitchers were 0.2 years older than league average (19.3 years old) and were very effective, allowing just 3.35 runs per game, over a run below the 4.46 r/g average.
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.
The final standings for Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game for the DSL Blue Jays:
Mc Gregory Contreras 5.83
Yorman Rodriguez 5.5
Elio Silva 5.33
Yhordegny Kelly 5.08
Jose Dominguez 4.5
Alvaro Galindo 4.33
Victor Figuereo 3.83
Adams Cuevas 3.5
Meliton Reyes 2.83
Aldo Ovando 2.5
Luis De Los Santos 2.08
Jesus Navarro, Jose Theran 2
Andres Guerra 1.67
Jesus Colman 1.5
Yeison Estevez 1.33
Luis Mendoza, Sam Buelens, Jonelvy Molina, Danilo Manzueta 1
Emmanuel Reyes 0.75
Dany Jimenez 0.67
Cristian Peguero, Pedro Loficial, Claudio Galva 0.5
Orlando Pascual, Juan Bautista, Jose Briceno 0.33
Antonio Concepcion 0.25
Had Yorman Rodriguez finished the season with the DSL Blue Jays, instead of playing 21 games in the Gulf Coast League, he probably would have been the runaway Player of the Game Champion, but as things stand, Mc Gregory Contreras caught him in the end and won by a third of a point.
Blue Jays from Away Player of the Year
Center fielder Mc Gregory Contreras is our first double award winner for the Blue Jays from Away Awards, winning the Player of the Year Award for the DSL Blue Jays, thanks to his .820 OPS and the fact that he was a year and a half younger than his closest competitor, Yhordegny Kelly, who was also in his first season with the Blue Jays.
Honourable Mention: Yhordegny Kelly, Yorman Rodriguez
Blue Jays from Away Pitcher of the Year
Since we have a separate category for relievers, we look to the starting pitching corps to award our Pitcher of the Year. Our winner made his debut with the DSL Blue Jays last year and had some great numbers in limited innings. This year, starting 11 of his 14 appearances, Elio Silva logged a 2.05 ERA and 0.99 WHIP while striking out 22.4% of batters and walking 5.4%.
Honourable Mention: Meliton Reyes
Blue Jays from Away Reliever of the Year
The reliever of the year was a close call between two pitchers who threw a ton of innings but still started fewer than half their games. Adams Cuevas threw 49 innings and allowed just three earned runs for a 0.55 ERA while also putting up a 0.78 WHIP. He struck out 45 batters and walked only 12. His only real competition was Alvaro Galindo, who threw 43 1/3 innings with just three earned runs against (0.62 ERA) while posting a 0.95 WHIP and striking out 46 while walking 12. Galindo’s numbers are tainted by poor results in 21 2/3 innings in the GCL but the fact that he’s more than two years younger than Cuevas gets him the award. Congrats go to Alvaro Galindo.
Honourable Mention: Adams Cuevas, Jesus Colman
We’re going to start our more in-depth look at the DSL Blue Jays by looking at starting pitchers. At the Rookie ball level, the distinctions between starting pitchers and relief pitchers are frequently fluid so we’re going to include anyone who made more than 50% of his appearances as a starter. We begin with the pitchers who made the most starts and work our way downwards from there. With the DSL club, there isn’t much to go on scouting-wise, so we’ll basically be looking at the players’ stats to help get an idea of what might be going on. If a player played for more than one team over the course of the season, he’ll be grouped according to the club he played the most with.
Our DSL Blue Jays Pitcher of the Year, Elio Silva, also led the club with 11 starts (tied) and 61 1/3 innings. His 2.05 ERA and 0.99 WHIP make him a prime target to get a promotion to North America after a strong year in the Dominican. The lefty completed his Age-20 season with a solid 22.4% strikeout rate and a 5.4% walk rate in his second year in the DSL, his first as a starter with significant innings. Look for him to jump to Bluefield at the age of 21 in 2017.
Righty Jose Dominguez, 20, had some solid numbers in his second season with the DSL Blue Jays but his first as a starter. With a 3.57 ERA and 1.29 WHIP, Dominguez struck out 58 batters in 58 innings, leading the club in strikeouts. He saw his strikeout rate fall slightly from last year but settled at a strong 23.0% while walking only 6.8% (well down from 2015). Dominguez also induced 1.44 ground outs for every air out, a very good ratio. Because of his age and ability to corral his walk rate, I’d expect Dominguez to head to Florida or Bluefield in 2017.
Despite being just 18 at the start of the season, the Blue Jays let Meliton Reyes log 56 2/3 innings in his first year with the club and he didn’t disappoint, posting a 2.70 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. Reyes struck out a healthy 23.7% of batters faced but struggled with control. While his walk rate of 9.1% was fine, particularly for a first-year pro, he also hit five batters and threw 13 wild pitches. Still, there’s a lot to like with Reyes, who could be a bubble guy as to whether or not the Blue Jays bring him to North America for the 2017 where he’d be pitching with the GCL Blue Jays as a 19 year old.
The 6-foot-2 righty Ruben Ventura completed a disappointing second season with the DSL Blue Jays at the age of 21. It was disappointing not because the numbers he put up but mostly because he didn’t pitch past mid-July due to injury, throwing only 16 2/3 innings. In four outings (including three starts), Ventura had a 3.78 ERA and 1.62 WHIP before getting shut down. He saw a huge drop in his strikeout rate to 14.5% (down from 39.3% in a comparable number of innings in 2015) while his walk rate remained above 9% (at 9.2% in 2016). It’s hard to see the future, given Ventura’s age and health.
Righty Oscar Brito led the DSL Blue Jays in appearances with 19 and posted a very solid season in his first in professional ball. Brito, 20, threw 32 innings for the Blue Jays and had a 3.66 ERA and 1.38 WHIP although his strikeout rate of 14.0% and walk rate of 10.5% can be improved upon. Still, the high walk rate looks more like a command issue rather than one of control, seeing that he only hit two batters and had just two wild pitches. Without seeing Brito, however, it’s impossible to tell. At 6-foot-5, Brito has the type of the frame that the Jays like but he may need another year of seasoning before coming to the US.
Tying for appearances with Brito, 6-foot-3 Venezuelan righty Luis Mendoza had far more innings, throwing 55 2/3 frames for the DSL Blue Jays in his second professional year at the age of 20. Mendoza had a 3.07 ERA and strong, 1.19 WHIP that benefited from a 6.7% walk rate but his 10.9% strikeout is very low for a pitcher looking to make it to the US next year.
Emmanuel Reyes, 18, had a very successful first professional season. The 6-foot lefty threw 37 innings in 17 appearances (including three starts) and had a 2.68 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. Much of that high WHIP comes from 22 walks (13.7% of batters) but he managed to strike out 21.1% of batters, showing that he has something, whether it’s some zip on his fastball, good offspeed stuff or some deception that helped fool batters. Reyes could come to the US next year, or the Jays could work with him in the Dominican to temper his 10 wild pitches and four hit batters to go alon with the 22 walks.
The Jays signed 18-year-old Venezuelan righty Jesus Colman to a contract in March and he didn’t disappoint, becoming the DSL Blue Jays’ de facto closer, leading the club with four saves. Colman had a 2.05 ERA and 1.06 WHIP, giving up just 15 hist in 26 1/3 innings but also walked 13 (for a 12.8% rate) and struck out only 19 (18.6% rate). Colman is another of the younger pitchers who could jump to Florida or be held back another year in the Dominican but the fact that he threw just one wild pitch last year and hit three batters could indicate that his walks came from command issues or even poor umpiring rather than wildness.
Juan Bautista made 14 appearances with the Blue Jays, averaging just over two innings per outing, throwing 28 2/3 innings on the season. Bautista, 20, had some solid numbers in his first pro season, with a 2.83 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 15.5% strikeout rate and 9.8% walk rate. At just 5-foot-11, Bautista’s got the odds stacked against him and will probably spend another year in the DSL unless he’s got some great stuff hiding behind those numbers.
Adams Cuevas, 20, made his pro debut this year with the Blue Jays, working mostly as a piggy-back reliever, averaging over four innings per appearance with three starts and seven games finished. He threw 49 innings in 12 outings, with a tiny, 0.55 ERA and 0.78 WHIP, giving up just 26 hits and 12 walks with 45 strikeouts (6.7% walk rate and 25.1% strikeout rate). A 6-foot righty from the Dominican, Cuevas’s excellent season puts him on the fast track to a North American debut in 2017.
Alvaro Galindo, 18, made the jump to the Gulf Coast League this year after throwing 43 1/3 innings with the DSL Blue Jays. On the island, Galindo posted a 0.62 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, striking out 27.1% of batters while walking 7.1%. Galindo is a good case in how difficult the transition for Latin American players can be when coming to the US. In 21 2/3 innings in the GCL, Galindo had a 6.23 ERA with a 1.43 WHIP, walking 12 batters and striking out 13. Still, he wasn’t hit particularly hard, givingu p just one home run among 19 hits. Galindo is still quite young and will likely pitch in the Fall Instructional League and get the opportunity to get more acclimated to the North American lifestyle next year.
Wilton Mueses, 21, made only eight appearances with the DSL Blue Jays but pitched just six innings. He walked 14 and struck out eight, giving up four hits and seven runs (six earned).
Claudio Galva, 19, struggled somewhat in his seven appearances for the GCL Blue Jays, but still had a 3.86 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 16 1/3 innings. In his first professional year, Galva started late after signing on July 1 and had a stint on the DL before he saw his first action on July 26. Galva struck out 14.3% of batters and walked 8.6%. His mediocre numbers and missed time likely mean a return to the DSL in 2017.
Felix Cornelius was a late sign (July 6, 2016), and only threw seven innings for the Blue Jays. The 18 year old didn’t debut until August 1 and struggled to the tune of five runs (four earned) over seven innings with nine walks and four strikeouts.
An overage (21) sign by the Jays at the end of July, Pedro Loficial made three appearances with 6 2/3 innings this season. Loficial, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound righty, allowed just one run on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts in his limited look.
Danilo Manzueta, 19, is a 6-foot-3, righty whom the Blue Jays signed in late July. The Jays must be excited about him, seeing as they got him three games and 10 2/3 innings of work despite not making an appearance until August 10. Manzueta gave up four runs (3.38 ERA) but only eight hits and two walks (for a 0.94 WHIP) while striking out six.
Tommy Henriquez, 21, pitched twice early in the season before getting shut down after his five-strikeout outing on June 15. He struck out eight batters in just four innings, giving up three runs (two earned).
Nicolas Cabarcas, a 17-year-old righty from Colombia, signed on February 1 but only got into one game and failed to register an out, giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk on June 15. He didn’t pitch again this year, likely due to injury.
We finish our look at the 2016 DSL 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 first, followed by the guys who played less.
Jonelvy Molina, 19, got the most time behind the plate for the DSL Blue Jays, catching 28 games and getting into 29. Molina’s defensive numbers are the most exciting as he had just three passed balls and threw out 41% of potential base stealers. With the bat, however, Molina was well below average in his first professional season, hitting .245/.279/.286 with just four doubles. His low (4.5% walk rate) kept him off the bases but he only struck out 14.3% of the time.
Despite being a little younger than Molina, Andres Guerra, 19, was in his second year with the DSL Blue Jays and he got a few fewer games behind the plate but also played at first base. Guerra played in 38 games in all, hitting .243/.358/.279. Guerra certainly walked a ton (14.1% rate) but also struck out much more (24.4%) and had just two doubles and a triple in 135 plate appearances. Behind the plate, Guerra had four passed balls and threw out a respectable 29% of potential base stealers.
At first base, Antonio Concepcion was the primary defender and the 19 year old made a worse impression this year than he did last year. In 38 games, he received 136 plate appearnaces and hit just .202/.351/.266 with seven doubles. Over a lesser workload last year, his walk rate rose to 12.5% but his strikeout rate also jumped significantly to 22.8%.
Yorman Rodriguez had the second-most games at first base but also caught 19 games and was a DH for one. Rodriguez had a tremendous season at the plate, hitting .324/.361/.436 with 14 doubles, two triples and a home run (and stealing eight bases) in 206 plate appearances before a promotion to the GCL. In the GCL, Rodriguez continued to hit, slashing .296/.433/.444 with a triple, two home runs and six stolen bases in just 68 plate appearances. While Rodriguez’s walk rate of 4.4% was very low by any standard in the DSL, it rose to 10.3% in the GCL while his strikeout rate, already low at 8.3% in the DSL dropped to a tiny 7.4% in the GCL. Look for Rodriguez in the GCL or Bluefield next year in his Age-19 season.
Playing the most at second base was 20-year-old Yeison Estevez. Estevez got time at second, third and (a little) at short and had a solid debut season with the bat. He hit .253/.368/.312, walking in 13.1% of plate appearances and striking out in 19.1%. Estevez shows a little gap power at this point, hitting seven doubles and one triple and stole 12 bases.
Ronald Concepcion is a 19-year-old infielder who played a significant amount of time at second base. Concepcion played in only 26 games and got to the plate just 97 times, hitting a miniscule .108/.227/.181 with three doubles and a home run. Those numbers of extra-base hits could bode well for Concepcion but he’ll need to show a lot more contact ability. He walked in a healthy 11.3% of plate appearances but struck out in 27.8%, a more troubling figure.
Third baseman Anderson Green also struggled with the bat as the 19 year old hit .135/.217/.154 with two doubles among his 14 hits in 116 plate appearances.
Jesus Navarro, 18, was solid with the bat for the DSL Blue Jays over 37 games and earned a promotion to the GCL before July was out. In the DSL, he hit .243/.347/.297, fundamentally walking his way off the Island (with 24 walks and 19 strikeouts in 176 plate appearances) but struggled in Florida, hitting .182/.237/.218 in 18 games, turning his walk-to-strikeout ratio around and striking out 13 times and walking three times in 60 plate appearances. Like many young shortstops, Navarro had his struggles in the field, committing 13 errors in 51 games.
Another 18 year old, Luis De Los Santos, took over at short most of the time once Navarro was promoted but also played almost as much at third base. Navarro hit a very solid .291/.356/.354 with seven doubles, a triple and a home run in his first professional season. De Los Santos could walk more (than his 4.7% rate) but his 15.2% strikeout rate is quite good. De Los Santos could also make the jump to Florida next year but the infield at the Jays’ minor league complex could get very crowded.
Victor Figuereo, 19, logged the most time in left field and, in his second year, hit just .200/.297/.310 (despite it being an improvement over his first year in 2015). Figuereo struck out a whopping 33.3% of the time (171 PAs) but is starting to show some power with four doubles, three triples and two home runs. Figuereo walked in 10.5% of PAs, showing a good eye.
With an eye-opening season in his professional debut and only having just turned 18 on August 30, Mc Gregory Contreras burst onto the scene. Contreras hit .273/.408/.412 in 266 plate appearances, hitting 10 doubles, seven triples and two home runs while stealing 10 bases, showing a tantalizing glimpse of a batting eye (15.4% walk rate), contact ability (.273 average), power (.139 ISO) and speed. Contreras did strike out a little too much (22.2%) but his age, ability to play center field and work with the bat make him an interesting player to follow as he will likely make his way to Florida next year.
Aldo Ovando, 19, made his professional debut this season and hit .260/.317/.337 over 186 plate appearances, playing 47 games in left and right field. Ovando hit 13 doubles but no home runs, striking out 50 times (26.9%) and walking just 13 times (7.0%).
Another 19 year old, Yhordegny Kelly was primarily a DH for the DSL Blue Jays but he had the second-most plate appearances (257) and trailed the club’s OPS leader, Mc Gregory Contreras, by just one point (.819). Kelly played 19 games in the outfield, hitting .283/.424/.395, hitting 11 doubles and four home run (the most on the team). Kelly struck out a fair bit (24.1%) but also walked almost 15% of the time (14.8%). Kelly is another player who, despite 2016 being his professional debut, could be headed to Florida in 2017.
Venezuelan Jose Briceno, 18, played 36 games in the outfield and 43 in total, hitting just .219/.320/.266 with a double, a triple and a home run. Briceno also struck out in 22.8% of PAs and walked in 10.1%. Another year of development in the DR is probably in the cards for him.
Infielder Jose Theran started playing late in the season and got into just 20 games hitting very well at a .296/.354/.380 clip with four doubles and a triple in 79 plate appearances, striking out five times and walking five times at the age of 18.
Sam Buelens, 20, was mostly used as a pinch runner, coming to the plate 72 times and walking 13 times with 15 strikeouts, stealing seven bases and hitting .132/.333/.151 with one double.
Cristian Peguero only played in 13 games hitting .214/.313/.286 with three doubles in 48 plate appearances.
The 2016 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook is now available in e-book and print formats! Visit the Handbook page for more information!
Now is a great time to subscribe to the Blue Jays from Away Premium Content Section!
All photos are copyright Blue Jays from Away (2013-2016) and may not be used without permission.