DSL Blue Jays 2018 Report

The Blue Jays DSL Facility. Photo by Pierre Lacasse

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).

The DSL Blue Jays had a solid season, finishing 41-31, a game ahead of their pythagorean record of 40-32. They finished second in their division (the Baseball City division), seven games behind the DSL Diamondbacks 1. Of the 44 teams in the Dominican Summer League, the Blue Jays had the 14th best runs scored per game, scoring 5.19 runs per game which was above the league average of 4.85 runs per game with an offence that averaged 17.5 years old (slightly under the league average of 17.7 years). The pitching finished 19th, allowing 4.64 runs again, again, better than average, with a pitching staff that averaged 18.2 years old with a league average of 18.4 years.

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.” Many 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.

Here are the leaders for the Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game for the DSL Blue Jays:

Jhon Solarte 9.67

Pedro Hurtado 7.83

Miguel Hiraldo 7

Alberto Rodriguez 6.5

Lazaro Estrada 6.33

Santos Moreno 5

Rainer Nunez 3.83

Hanley Acevedo 2.83

Jose Rivas 2.67

Congrats go to Jhon Solarte, the Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game Champion for the DSL Blue Jays!

Blue Jays from Away Player of the Year

While Jhon Solarte had a strong season in his first professional year, another rookie was better, hitting .313/.381/.453 with 15 stolen bases (in 21 tries), hitting 18 doubles, three triples and two home runs before he was promoted towards the end of the season. Of course, I'm talking about Miguel Hiraldo.

Honourable Mention: Jhon Solarte, Anthony Rodriguez

Blue Jays from Away Pitcher of the Year

It was a two-man race for Pitcher of the Year this year with two youngsters dominating the DSL. Santos Moreno had a slightly better ERA at 2.04, slightly more innings (70 2/3), but he walked more batters, gave up more hits and didn't strike out as many batters as Lazaro Estrada. Estrada tossed 70 innings with a 2.06 ERA and had an uncanny 0.86 WHIP, striking out 87 batters and walking only 12. Congrats to Lazaro Estrada!

Honourable Mention: Santos Moreno, Ronald Govea

Blue Jays from Away Reliever of the Year

The DSL Blue Jays didn't have a dominant, lights-out reliever and so I will give the Reliever of the Year award to a reliever who was excellent in 16 1/3 innings with the DSL Blue Jays and actually got better in his peripheral stats after his mid-season promotion to the GCL Blue Jays. With a 1.35 ERA overall in 33 1/3 innings total, posting a 0.95 WHIP with 23 strikeouts and 11 walks, Franniel Polanco is our DSL Reliever of the Year.

Honourable Mention: Juan Acosta

Starting Pitchers

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. That said, the DSL Blue Jays had a fairly stable starting corps throughout the season.

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.

We begin with 18-year-old righty Santos Moreno who led the DSL Blue Jays with 70 2/3 innings while posting a club best 2.04 ERA and a solid 1.06 WHIP. Moreno, who stands 5-foot-9 and hails from Hermosillo, Mexico had excellent peripherals, getting a 23.6% strikeout rate and a 5.5% walk rate while getting 49.7% of his batted balls on the ground and only gave up two home runs on the year. I would expect to see Moreno in the GCL or even Bluefield next year and he'll certainly get a chance to play in Florida this fall in the Fall Instructional League.

Lazaro Estrada, a 19-year-old, 5-foot-10 Cuban righty dominated in DSL action. Estrada, our Pitcher of the Year, had a 2.06 ERA but a 0.86 WHIP, striking out 31.2% of batters and walking 4.3%. He didn't have a spectacular ground ball rate (43.4%) but did get a ton of infield fly balls (23.5% of fly balls) and he gave up four home runs in his 70 innings. Estrada was also invited to Fall Instructional League and, given his advanced age, he could very well move up to Bluefield in 2019.

Ronald Govea, in his Age-17 season, made 14 appearances and started 13 games, logging 58 2/3 innings with a solid 2.30 ERA and 1.17 WHIP but, when it came to his strikeout rate of 16.9%, things weren't as rosy despite a very strong 5.2% walk rate. Govea had a solid ground ball rate of 42.6% and he had a good FIP of 3.19 and a little worse xFIP at 3.72. Generally, with pitchers this young, it's good to see a lower walk rate and I'm sure his strikeout rate will rise next year, in the GCL.

Alexis Carmona, a 6-foot-4 righty from Venezuela had a strong season in his professional debut. The 17 year old had a 3.36 ERA and 1.41 WHIP, stemming mostly from allowing a number of hits. He gave up two home runs while striking out 18.9% of batters and walking 6.0% in 59 innings over 13 appearances (12 starts).

20-year-old righty Junior Guzman had less success in his first professional season, posting a 5.50 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP, striking out 16.4% of batters and walking 7.1%. He allowed three home runs in his 52 1/3 innings and batters seemed to pull the ball (37.2%) less than they hit it the other way (39.5%).

Mexican lefty Adrian Hernandez is a little on the small side (5-foot-9) but put up some solid numbers in his professional debut as an 18 year old. He had a 2.60 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, striking out an excellent 27.6% and walking just 9.1% over his 13 outings that included eight starts and 55 1/3 innings.. He tended to get quite a few fly balls (42.2%, with just 28.1% ground balls) and hitters seemed to not have trouble getting around on him, pulling the ball 38.6% of the the time. We'll see how he does in the coming years.

Relief Pitchers

We now move to the relievers for the DSL Blue Jays, starting with the ones who made the most appearances and working our way down. 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 (categorized by innings for pitchers and plate appearances for hitters).

Mexican righty William Gonzalez led the DSL Blue Jays with 22 appearances, logging 27 innings, all in relief and he had three saves out of 15 games finished. The 19-year-old had a 4.33 ERA and 1.48 WHIP, striking out a very solid 27.1% of batters but he had trouble with control, walking 15.5%. He also had an excellent ground ball rate of 52.3%.

One of the few pitchers repeating the DSL, Jeison Contreras improved his numbers in his Age-18 season. The 6-foot-4 Dominican righty improved his ERA by just over a run and a half, posting a 4.03 ERA while cutting his WHIP to 1.52 in 22 1/3 innings, striking out 14.7% and walking 8.8%, improvements across the board. Is it enough to get him to the US? That's going to be the big question.

Jose Brito just turned 19 the other day and had some struggles in his first professional season. The 6-foot-1 righty from the Dominican Republic had a 4.50 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 20 innings, striking out 27 (28.1%) but walking 21 (21.9%). He'll likely need another year to polish his control.

18-year-old Dominican Christian Reyes made his professional debut, tossing 17 2/3 innings to the tune of a 4.08 ERA and 1.53 WHIP, striking out an impressive 30.0% of batters but walking 21.3%.

6-foot-4 lefty Jhoan Dominguez played his Age-18 season in the DSL and wasn't particularly effective, with a 5.73 ERA and 1.77 WHIP, striking out 17.5% and walking 12.6%. The low strikeout rate was helped out by a solid 43.5% ground ball rate.

Pedro Padilla, an 18-year-old Colombian righty made his pro debut with some control issues. He had a 4.12 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 19 2/3 innings, striking out 16.3% but walking 19.6% and had a strong ground ball rate at 45.1%.

Eliezer Bello, 19, made two stops in his first year. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound righty tossed 12 2/3 innings in the DSL, with a 4.26 ERA and 1.66 WHIP, striking out 10 and walking 12 before moving up to the GCL where he had similar numbers, posting a 3.00 ERA and 1.67 WHIP in nine innings, striking out six and walking five, seeing an improvement in walk rate but a drop in his strikeout rate.

Dominican righty Moises De La Cruz returned to the DSL for his second year, posting a 13.94 ERA and 2.32 WHIP, having extreme difficulties with control, walking 17 batters and striking out only five in 10 1/3 innings, adding eight hit batters and five wild pitches. Clearly, De La Cruz, who was 18 at the start of the season (and is 19 now) will need to work on that before he moves up.

Pedro Guzman, 18, tossed 13 2/3 innings with the DSL Jays, putting together a respectable 3.29 ERA and 1.32 WHIP, striking out 21.9% with just a 4.7% walk rate. Guzman didn't get started until the end of July and could jump to the GCL at some point next year.

In his second season as a pro, Brayan Mejia, 18, made the jump to the GCL after throwing 17 2/3 strong innings with the DSL Blue Jays. He had a 3.06 ERA and 1.42 WHIP before the move, striking out 10 and walking 11 and had similar numbers after, with a 3.00 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 12 innings in the GCL, walking eight and striking out six.

Sergio Leon, an 18-year-old Venezuelan appears to be a converted catcher whom the Blue Jays picked up after he was released by the Rangers. Leon struggled in his first attempt to pitch professionally, posting a 12.00 ERA and 2.67 WHIP in nine innings, striking out 12 and walking nine.

Miguel Olivo, another 18-year-old Venezuelan, had a 5.06 ERA and 1.69 WHIP in 10 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking three.

Lefty Erick Teran was strong in just 16 innings with the DSL Blue Jays, but saw his season end in late July. A 6-foot-4 19-year-old lefty, Teran was pitching multiple innings in the games he came into, posting a 2.81 ERA and 1.44 WHIP, striking out 29.9% of batters while walking 13.4%. Teran could come to Florida but he'll need to be healthy and keep his walk rate down.

Williams Moreno, 20, also made the jump to the GCL after 12 2/3 innings in the DSL where he had a stellar 0.71 ERA and 1.18 WHIP, striking out a batter per inning (12) with seven walks. After his promotion, he threw 12 1/3 innings in the GCL with a much higher 7.30 ERA and 2.03 WHIP, striking out only eight batters and walking 10.

18-year-old Mexican Juan Acosta tossed 13 1/3 innings with the DSL Blue Jays, having a 1.35 ERA and 0.68 WHIP, striking out 21.6% and walking 2.0%. Acosta got a late start, throwing five times in the DSL and working his way up to a four-inning stint before he was moved to the GCL where he tossed two innings, giving up a run on two hits without striking out or walking anyone. Acosta will likely be back in the GCL and he was invited to the Fall Instructional League.

Nelfi Santos threw three games and got three innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks with five strikeouts and one hit batter. Santos only pitched from August 4 to August 15 so health may have been an issue.

Hitters

We turn to the hitters of the DSL Blue Jays to see who did what in 2018. We'll start with the catchers and go around the horn to the infield and then to the outfield.

Catchers

17-year-old Geyber Jimenez made a solid first impression, hitting .246/.327/.323 with the DSL Blue Jays, walking in 10.9% of plate appearances and striking out in 23.8%. He hit five doubles, a triple and a home run in 147 plate appearances over 41 games and threw out 28% of the runners trying to steal, playing 25 of his games behind the plate. That was good enough to earn him an invitation to the Fall Instructional League in Florida where he'll probably move up to the GCL next year.

Jesus Hernandez, an 18-year-old Venezuelan struggled at the plate despite showing a good eye. He had a .164/.370/.197 slash line, in 81 plate appearances, hitting a pair of doubles while striking out 24 times and walking 14. He caught in 24 games, throwing 27% of potential base stealers.

18-year-old Mexican Gustavo Ruiz also struggled in limited playing time. He had a .186/.294/.237 slash line with three doubles in 68 plate appearances, striking out 10 times and walking seven times. Ruiz appeared in 22 games behind the plate, throwing out 18% of potential base stealers.

19-year-old Venezuelan Jose Ferrer started with the Dominican Summer League Blue Jays and eventually made it to the Gulf Coast League despite struggling in the DSL where he hit .115/.258/.135 with just one extra-base hit (a double) in 62 plate appearances. Promoted to the GCL, he hit .273/.385/.455 with two doubles in just 13 plate appearances. Ferrer likely drew some attention for throwing out 45% of potential base stealers in the DSL and 25% of the four who tried to nab a base in the GCL.

Signed late in the season after he was released by the Yankees organization, 21-year-old Dominican Brayan Rodriguez played in five games with the DSL Blue Jays down the stretch in August, going 2/14 with a double, three walks and five strikeouts in 18 plate appearances.

Another late signing was Anthony Rodriguez who had been released by the Houston Astros. Rodriguez hit .241/.421/.345 with three doubles in 38 plate appearances, walking nine times and striking out 11 times.

Infield

In his Age-18 season, Pedro Hurtado had a strong season, playing mostly first base for the DSL Blue Jays in his professional debut. Hurtado hit .259/.340/.341, hitting eight doubles, three triples and a home run, walking in 10.5% of his 238 plate appearances and striking out in 18.5%. Hurtado showed some defensive versatility, playing 15 games at second base,

Second baseman Jose Rivas, who just turned 18 this month, struggled a bit at the plate before he was promoted to the GCL in mid August. He hit .223/.300/.271 with seven doubles and two triples, walking in a healthy 8.5% of 259 plate appearances and striking out in 13.5%. After his promotion, he went 9/21 (.429 batting average), hitting a double and two triples in 21 plate appearances, striking out in 14.3% of the small sample size of times he came to the plate.

Rainer Nunez was the club's everyday third baseman, playing 64 games including starting 59 of them at third base. Nunez hit .247/.298/.328 with 12 doubles, a triple and two home runs, walking in 5.9% of his 272 plate appearances and striking out in just 11.0%. He was invited to the Fall Instructional League and could start in the GCL next year as an 18 year old.

Shortstop Miguel Hiraldo was one of the Blue Jays' top international signings last year and made his pro debut as a 17 year old and tearing the cover off the ball in the DSL. Hiraldo hit .313/.381/.453 with 18 doubles, three triples and two home runs in 239 plate appearances, walking in 9.6% of them and striking out in 12.6%. He struggled after his promotion to the GCL, hitting .231/.250/.333 in 40 plate appearances, hitting just four doubles while taking only one walk and striking out 12 times. Hiraldo will likely be back in the GCL but could move up to Bluefield if the club feels he develops enough in Instructs and extended spring training.

21-year-old Pedro Ventura was brought in late in the season after a few years of minor league action with the Mets. Ventura played 10 games at third base, making an impact with a .306/.342/.333 slash line, hitting a double while striking out five times and walking twice in 38 plate appearances.

Jose Zepeda played a handful of games for the Blue Jays, getting into action at all four infield positions. Zepeda, 17, showed some promise with the bat in just 58 plate appearances, hitting .304/.414/.326 with a double and three stolen bases. He struck out five times and walked four times.

In his Age-19 season, Alonso Concepcion got into 27 games, hitting just .110/.245/.122 in 100 plate appearances, hitting just one extra-base hit (a double) while striking out 32 times and walking 15. He was pretty versatile defensively, playing 10 games at second base, eight at shortstop as well as six in the outfield.

Kenny Mauricio got into 30 games in the DSL, hitting .202/.304/.263 with a double, a triple and one home run, striking out 21 times and walking 15 times and he had two brief stints in the GCL, playing one game on August 11 and then three more at the end of the season, going 0/8 with one walk and one strikeout.

Outfield

Leading the club in games in left field was Erickvi Celedonio, a 17-year-old Dominican left-handed hitter. In 61 games, Celedonio had a decent line of .257/.327/.321 with 11 doubles and two triples over 263 plate appearances, showing some speed with 16 stolen bases in 18 attempts. Strikeouts were somewhat of an issue as he went down on strikes 24.3% of the time while walking in a respectable 8.7% of plate appearances, getting himself a chance to play in the Fall Instructional League.

17-year-old Jhon Solarte was one of the bright lights offensively for the DSL Blue Jays. Solarte hit .295/.393/.376 with 14 doubles and four triples in 318 plate appearances, stealing 27 bases in 37 attempts. He had a healthy 11.6% walk rate and a 17.0% strikeout rate and earned himself an invitation to Instructs.

Another 17 year old, Dominican Alberto Rodriguez got most of the playing time in right field. Rodriguez led the team with five home runs, hitting for a .254/.350/.368 slash line that included nine doubles and a triple and 21 stolen bases in 27 attempts. Rodriguez struck out in 20.9% of his plate appearances (263 of them) and walked in 12.2%.

Hanley Acevedo, 18, got into 46 games and hit .163/.340/.272 with seven doubles, three triples and a home run in 188 plate appearances, stealing seven bases in 12 attempts while walking 29 times and striking out a whopping 71 times

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