Blue Jays' prospects Case, Gurriel continue to impress in AFL

Saint John, N.B., native Andrew Case has yet to allow an earned run in nine innings in the Arizona Fall League. Photo Credit: Jay Blue

By Jay Blue

Blue Jays from Away

And we're back with another update on how Blue Jays minor leaguers are doing in their winter and fall league action.

Arizona Fall League

The AFL is one of the more prestigious fall leagues that brings together a number of baseball's top prospects in competition against each other in the beautiful confines of Arizona. This year, the Blue Jays are associated with the Peoria Javelinas and the club sent seven players and all have gotten into action so far.

Jonathan Davis played just three games this week (before November 10), going 1-for-7 with a pair of walks, bringing his overall line to .246/.348/.298 with three doubles, seven RBI, four stolen bases and 14 runs. That said, he went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI on Friday, and was caught stealing.

Lourdes Gurriel got a bit of a break, playing in three games since our last update, going 4-for-9 with a home run (on November 3) to bring his slash line up to .299/.319/.522 with six doubles and three home runs overall.

Max Pentecost just played one game this week (after going 0-for-2 with a walk in the Fall Stars game) and was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, bringing his slash line to an unimpressive .195/.267/.293 for the AFL.

Righty Andrew Case (Saint John, N.B.) threw twice since we last reported and he has added two innings without giving up an earned run (although he did allow an unearned run on November 9). He now has allowed seven hits and one walk with five strikeouts through nine innings, giving up one unearned run.

Jackson McClelland tossed two innings since the last update, throwing a clean frame on November 3 and giving up a run on two hits on November 7. He now has a 7.88 ERA with seven runs allowed on 12 hits and two walks over eight innings.

Danny Young had two good outings this past week, allowing just two hits with four strikeouts over two scoreless innings, giving him a 12.86 ERA on 11 runs (10 earned) with 16 hits and three walks over seven innings, striking out seven.

T.J. Zeuch hit a speedbump on Friday, getting into his first game in nine days and allowing six runs on seven hits without walking anyone and striking out four to mar an otherwise stellar fall campaign.

LIDOM (Dominican Winter League)

The Dominican Winter League is a legendary league that has hosted many Blue Jays stars over the years. This year, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got to make his debut while various other players in the organization joined a number of teams.

Michael De La Cruz made his winter league debut on November 6, hitting a home run in his only at bat!

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continues to struggle, going 4-for-18 with a double since November 3, scoring three runs and striking out four times without taking a walk.

Teoscar Hernandez has also struggled a bit lately, striking out nine times since November 3 (six games) while walking once and going 5-for-27 with a pair of doubles, four RBI and three runs.

Jason Leblebijian hasn't played since our last update and is hitting .143/.200/.143 with two singles in 14 at bats. Usually when a player doesn't play for a while in the winter leagues, he's suffered an injury and has gone home. I'm not sure what the case is for Leblebijian.

Reese McGuire has had a few good games this week, going 4-for-7 in his four games, adding three walks and striking out only one. He still hasn't hit an extra-base hit.

Richard Urena got into six games this week, going 4-for-23 with a home run and three RBI, striking out three times without walking.

Lefty Jose Fernandez came out of the bullpen twice, posting 1 2/3 innings, allowing a hit and a walk with two strikeouts.

Luis Santos pitched twice this week, tossing two scoreless innings on November 4 but allowed two runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings on November 7.

Chris Smith elected free agency but he's also pitching well in the Dominican, with a 2.08 ERA and 1.15 WHIP over 8 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts and two walks.

LVBP (Venezuelan Winter League)

Like the Dominican Winter League, the Venezuelan league has a long history although it will likely not be the place many American players go to get winter reps in due to complicated security issues there.

Yeltsin Gudino saw some action, going 1-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout in just two games so far.

Gregorio Petit is now a free agent but he's off to a great start in Venezuela, hitting .391/.481/.652 with three doubles and a home run in his first eight games.

Nicolas Medina, 17, added just 1/3 of an inning to his resume and has a 0.00 ERA and 0.69 WHIP in 4 1/3 innings over nine appearances with two hits and a walk while striking out two.

LMP (Mexican Winter League)

Norberto Obeso has played in four games and is 1-for-7 for a .143/.143/.143 slash line.

Pitcher Francisco Rios joined Obeso in the Mexican league and appeared in four games, allowing three runs on six hits and six walks (two were intentional) with three strikeouts in four innings.

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The 2017 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook is now available! Check out the Handbook page for more information!