Nov. 19 Offseason League Report
By Jay Blue
Blue Jays from Away
It’s time to catch up on what the Blue Jays’ players are up to in fall/winter leagues across the world!

We’ll start in the Arizona Fall League which wraps up later this week. On the hitting side, Roemon Fields is hitting .253/.378/.380 with two doubles and four triples while stealing 14 bases. He’s definitely showing a great eye, walking 17 times and striking out only 14 times. Emilio Guerrero is hitting .235/.288/.353 with five doubles and a home run but he’s only walked five times with 19 strikeouts. Rowdy Tellez is certainly getting the most press of any of the Jays’ players in the AFL and he’s hitting .291/.345/.481 with three doubles and four home runs plus 16 RBI. His 20 strikeouts are a fair number through just 79 at bats.

On the pitching side, Brady Dragmire likely earned himself a spot on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster with 11 innings of 0.82 ERA and 0.82 WHIP over just 11 innings with four walks and 14 strikeouts. Jeremy Gabryszwski is pitching in a starting role and has a 4.63 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 23 1/3 innings but has just 11 strikeouts and six walks. Chad Girodo, who was featured in the “Fall Stars” game, has a tidy 2.00 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP, striking out seven and walking two in nine innings and Justin Shafer has thrown nine innings with a 7.00 ERA, walking five and striking out 10 with a 1.89 WHIP.

Heading down under to the Australian Baseball League, Blue Jays’ players have been making their presence felt with the Canberra Cavalry. David Harris is hitting .407/.492/.593 in 13 games with two doubles, a triple and two home runs while Jason Leblebijian is coming off a Player of the Week award and is hitting /.343/.384/.597 overall with five doubles and four home runs, driving in 21 runs over 16 games. Derrick Loveless is putting up decent peripherals despite, hitting for a .213 average. He’s added a .351 OBP and a .447 slugging percentage over 47 at bats with three doubles, a triple and two home runs.

The two pitchers, Phil Kish and Colton Turner, aren’t doing as well. Kish has a 6.75 ERA and 1.88 WHIP over eight innings with three walks and seven strikeouts while Colton Turner has a 5.40 ERA and 1.80 WHIP over 11 2/3 innings with eight walks and nine strikeouts.

In the Dominican Winter League, Andy Fermin isn’t playing much, getting one hit in four at bats with two RBI. Dalton Pompey is hitting .143 in six games with three singles, no walks and three strikeouts. Richard Urena is getting a lot of playing time, hitting .238/.250/.310 in 42 at bats without a walk and 10 strikeouts.

Bobby Korecky, who recently re-signed a minor league deal with the Jays, has been dominant, with just one run against in 8 1/3 innings for a 1.08 ERA and a 0.60 WHIP thanks to just three hits against, two walks and 10 strikeouts. Luis Santos has given up just two hits in one inning of work.

We move to Venezuela where several Blue Jays have seen some action. Catcher/third baseman Gabriel Cenas is 0-1 in his two plate appearances with a walk. Miguel Burgos has allowed a run in just 1/3 of an inning while Tiago Da Silva (now technically a free agent) has a 2.37 ERA in 19 innings, walking just three and striking out 13. Casey Lawrence has been very effective in seven starts in Venezuela. He’s got a 3.27 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 33 innings, walking an uncharacteristically high 10 batters with 21 strikeouts. Venezuelan pitcher Jonathan Torres has thrown 6 2/3 innings with a 4.05 ERA and 1.80 WHIP, striking out six and walking only two.

In Mexico, Jorge Flores has been hitting fairly well with a .245/.355/.277 slash line with three doubles in 94 at bats and striking out only 16 times. Righty Francisco Rios has logged 21 innings over nine appearances (including two starts) with a 4.71 ERA and 1.62 ERA, striking out 15 and walking 10.

Finally, in Puerto Rico, A.J. Jimenez is 2-8 with a home run in eight at bats. Fresh off his first professional season, Jose Espada has seen three innings of action and has given up five runs (three earned) with four walks and three strikeouts. Chris Smith has been better than that, allowing only one run on seven hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings with a 1.59 ERA and seven strikeouts.

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