GCL Blue Jays 2018 Report
The Toronto Blue Jays’ Bobby Mattick Training Facility in Dunedin, Fla, is home to the GCL Blue Jays. Photo Credit: Jay Blue
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 our reports with the GCL 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).
Under second-year manager Luis Hurtado, the GCL Blue Jays struggled a bit more in 2018, finishing with a 24-29 record despite a Pythagorean record of 29-24. The club finished fifth (and last) in their Northwest Division, 13 games behind division winners the GCL Tigers West.
Out of the 19 teams in the league, the Blue Jays finished sixth in runs, coming in at 5.15 runs per game (about half a run above the 4.67 r/g average) with a club was averaged 0.2 years younger than the 19.7 year-old average of hitters. The Blue Jays were also above the curve on the pitching side, finishing eighth of 19 teams, allowing 4.74 runs per game (slightly above the 4.67 r/g average) with a pitching staff that was 20.1 years old, on average, slightly younger than the 20.4 years-old average age of pitchers.
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 top finishers for Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game for the GCL Blue Jays:
Joseph Reyes 5.83
Steward Berroa 4.58
Jordan Groshans 3.5
Gabriel Moreno 3
Addison Barger 2.75
Warnel Valdez 2.33
Adrian Ramos 2.25
Congrats to Joseph Reyes, the Blue Jays from Away Player of the Game Champion for the 2018 GCL Blue Jays!
Blue Jays from Away Player of the Year
Deciding on the Blue Jays from Away Player of the Year for the GCL Blue Jays was a tough, three-player race. In the end, I went with a player who was with the GCL Blue Jays the whole year rather than one who had a huge impact in just 23 games. The winner of the Player of the Year is the team's home run leader (six) who also had the club's highest OBP of anyone playing more than than 24 games (.402). Joseph Reyes edges out the Jays' first round draft pick by virtue of five OPS points, hitting .273/.402/.492 with nine doubles, a triple and six home runs.
Honourable mention: Jordan Groshans, Gabriel Moreno
Blue Jays from Away Pitcher of the Year
It's always tough to rate college pitchers coming into professional baseball against high schoolers and Latin-Americans, one pitcher was head and shoulders above the rest of his team, despite being used mostly in a multi-inning relief role. Ryan Thurston, despite being 23, was absolutely dominant, posting a 0.90 ERA with the GCL Blue Jays in 30 innings and having a 0.77 WHIP, striking out 31.6% of batters and walking just 7.0%. Thurston started just four games despite logging a relatively heavy workload.
Honourable Mention: Juan Diaz
Blue Jays from Away Reliever of the Year
Making it a double bill was Ryan Thurston who comes away as the Reliever of the Year, locking two awards down.
Honourable Mention: Franniel Polanco, Yunior Hinojosa, Elixon Caballero
Starting Pitchers
We're going to start our more in-depth look at the GCL 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 50% of his appearances as a starter, or logged enough innings to gain consideration.
We begin with the pitchers who made the most starts and work our way downwards from there. With the GCL 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.
Rafael Monsion made the most starts on the team with eight, putting together a fairly solid season in the GCL, his first full year at the level. Monsion, who just turned 19 in August, is a 6-foot-3 lefty from Venezuela who pitched to a 4.38 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 49 1/3 innings, striking out 14.9% and walking 5.5%. The strikeout rate is significantly lower than his rate last year in the DSL while his walk rate shows excellent promise. Interestingly, Monsion was not invited to the Fall Instructional League and could spend his Age-19 season back in the GCL.
17-year-old righty Alejandro Melean, another Venezuelan, made his professional debut at the GCL level, skipping the DSL and struggled at times. He had a 4.68 ERA and 1.78 WHIP over 32 2/3 innings, allowing five home runs and walking 14.1% of batters despite a solid 19.9% strikeout rate. Melean was also not invited to the instructional league, but it could very well be to keep his arm from logging too many innings at such a young age. He'll likely be back in the GCL or in the Appy League in 2019.
20-year-old Dominican lefty Juan Diaz jumped from the DSL to the GCL in 2018 and was one of the GCL Blue Jays' most consistent pitchers, tossing 43 1/3 innings with a 2.49 ERA and 1.18 WHIP, striking out a solid 24.7% of batters while walking only 5.6%. This shows some very strong year-over-year numbers, dropping his walk rate by half and only losing 1% on his strikeout rate. Diaz will also not pitch in the instructional league but could be due for a promotion to Bluefield or Vancouver in 2019 thanks to his age and success in 2018.
Imposing righty Emanuel Vizcaino moved from the DSL to the GCL in 2018 and the 6-foot-5 Dominican struggled, throwing 43 innings with a 6.28 ERA and 1.88 WHIP. He lacked a lot of control, walking 13.3% of batters and hitting three while throwing six wild pitches with a solid 18.7% strikeout rate. While Vizcaino's ground ball rate regressed from 2017 in the DSL, it was still excellent at 50.8% of balls in play although he seems like opponents didn't have trouble getting around on him with 52.9% of balls to the pull side. 19 now, Vizcaino could well repeat the level next year.
Adam Kloffenstein made just two starts and pitched just two innings for the GCL Blue Jays after the Blue Jays rested their 2018 third-round pick. Kloffenstein allowed a hit and walked two with four strikeouts before the season ended as he was getting ramped up for the Fall Instructional League where he'll get a few more innings under his belt before spring training. Kloffenstein is on the young side of his draft class and it wouldn't be too cautious to let him pitch in the GCL one more year but I wouldn't be surprised if he's off to Bluefield in 2019.
Ronald Magdaniel made one start, throwing just one inning all season. The 21-year-old went on the 60-day DL after pitching one inning against the GCL Yankees East, allowing a hit and a walk with one strikeout.
Relief Pitchers
We move on to the relief pitchers for the GCL Blue Jays, looking at pitchers who made most of their appearances out of the bullpen.
We begin with the pitchers who made the most appearances and work our way downwards from there. With the GCL 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.
Meliton Reyes, 21, had a solid season out of the bullpen in his first season back after missing all of 2017. He threw 13 times with two starts and three games finished, totalling 20 1/3 innings with a 4.43 ERA and 1.18 WHIP, striking out 18.4% of batters and walking 9.2%. The walk rate was almost the same as he had in the DSL in 2016 while the strikeout rate was down by about 5%.
Ryan Thurston was a non-drafted free agent signing by the Blue Jays and the 23-year-old lefty dominated in the GCL. In 12 outings, he tossed 30 innings, giving up just three earned runs for a 0.90 ERA and 0.77 WHIP, striking out 31.6% of batters while walking only 7.0%. He did pitch an inning in Bluefield, pitching to three batters and striking out one. Look for Thurston either in Vancouver or Lansing next year.
18-year-old Luis Alvarez tossed 18 1/3 innings in 12 games for the GCL Blue Jays, making the jump from the DSL with a 4.42 ERA and stellar 0.98 WHIP. He had a very good 23.3% strikeout rate and his walk rate was slid at 8.2%. He was getting 41.3% of his balls in play on the ground but hitters appeared to be able to pull the ball easily, hitting to the pull side 57.5% of the time.
Another 18-year-old, Alexander Molina, had a solid season moving up from the DSL. He tossed 16 innings in 12 outings, posting a 4.50 ERA but he had a 1.63 WHIP and walked more (12.4%) than he struck out (8.6%), getting a lot of fly balls (58.2%).
Elixon Caballero, just barely 18, made nine appearances for the GCL Blue Jays, posting a stellar 1.15 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 15 2/3 innings. Caballero, a 5-foot-9 righty from Venezuela, struck out an impressive 29.0% of batters while walking 9.7%, only increasing slightly from his 2017 numbers from the DSL while his strikeout rate jumped almost three percent. He also got more ground balls than fly balls (1.25 GB/FB).
Yunior Hinojosa was outstanding with the GCL Blue Jays at the age of 18. The 6-foot-2 Dominican righty threw 17 1/3 innings in nine outings with the GCL BLue Jays, posting a 1.56 ERA and 0.81 WHIP, striking out only 11.8% and walking 5.9%. He did get a chance to pitch with Lansing, throwing 7 1/3 innings in five outings, allowing six earned runs for a 7.36 ERA but he had a 1.22 WHIP with four strikeouts and two walks. As a 19-year-old, I can see him in Vancouver next year.
Anderson Nunez, 20, struggled to stay healthy but pitched well when he did pitch. He tossed 15 1/3 innings in nine outings (including two starts) for the GCL Blue Jays, posting a 2.35 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, striking out 11 and walking four. He did get 1 1/3 innings with the Dunedin Blue Jays, giving up three runs on two hits and a walk with one strikeout.
Franniel Polanco, 20, dominated in two stops in his debut season, posting a 1.10 ERA in the DSL with seven walks and nine strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings, posting a 0.98 WHIP before moving to Florida. There, he had even better numbers, with a 1.59 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over 17 innings, striking out 14 and walking just four batters. Look for him in Bluefield next year.
While there were a lot of young pitchers who made starts for GCL Blue Jays, the relief corps was a lot older and Gage Burland, 23, made the list after being selected out of college in the 22nd round of the 2018 draft (his third time through the draft). Burland made eight appearances with the Blue Jays, tossing nine innings with a 3.00 ERA and 1.33 WHIP, striking out 11 and walking six before moving up to Bluefield where he gave up a run on five hits with one strikeout in two innings. He'll probably start in Vancouver next year.
In his Age-20 season, Gaudy Ramirez logged 11 2/3 innings for the GCL Blue Jays before going on the DL. He had a 5.40 ERa and 1.11 WHIP, striking out eight and walking three before getting shut down at the end of July.
19-year-old Alvery De Los Santos had a strong season in his second as a pro, repeating the GCL level. De Los Santos had a 1.71 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, but his strikeouts dropped precipitously in his second year going from a 16.0% strikeout rate to a 10.7% strikeout rate from 2017 to 2018, while his walk rate rose slightly from 4.3% to 4.8% in 21 innings. De Los Santos was more successful in getting ground balls, seeing 57.4% of balls hit stay on the ground.
The injury bug hit Roither Hernandez in his second consecutive year at the age of 20. He only threw 3 2/3 innings, giving up four runs on four hits (including a home run) and three walks despite striking out seven.
Lefty Kelyn Jose, 23, also struggled with injury, throwing twice this year, getting in two innings and giving up two runs on a hit (a home run) and two walks with four strikeouts.
Hitters
We turn to the hitters of the GCL 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
Gabriel Moreno, an 18-year-old catcher from Venezuela led the way, catching 17 games and throwing out 34% of potential base stealers but he really made an impact with his bat, hitting .413/.455/.652 with 12 doubles, two triples and two home runs in 23 games, striking out in only 6.9% of plate appearances while walking in 4.0%. After a promotion to Bluefield, he cooled off a bit, hitting .279/.303/.459 with another five doubles and two home runs in 66 plate appearances, walking in 4.5% and striking out in 19.7%. Moreno will probably start back in Bluefield in 2019 but he might reach Vancouver by the end of the year as a 19 year old.
College catcher Troy Squires, 23, got into 35 games with the GCL Blue Jays, struggling in his first exposure to professional baseball. He hit .211/.353/.228 with one triple in 152 plate appearances, but showed some excellent plate discipline, walking in 14.5% of plate appearances and striking out in only 9.2%. His very low BABIP of .239 certainly hurt his numbers overall. Squires played some first base as well as catcher but behind the plate, he was a force to be reckoned with, throwing out 43% of potential base stealers. Look for him in Vancouver next year.
The Jays drafted Puerto Rican catcher Francisco Ruiz in the 38th round of the 2018 draft and he also struggled in his pro debut. The 18 year old hit just .138/.188/.185 with three doubles, showing a lot of issues at the plate, striking out in a whopping 46.4% of his plate appearances and walking in 5.8%. I wouldn't be surprised to see him repeat the level next year.
21-year-old Jonelvy Molina played 10 games in the GCL and another two in Dunedin and hit .296/.444/.333 with the GCL Jays, hitting a double while striking out eight times and walking seven times in 36 plate appearances. He was 3/6 with a double, two walks and a strikeout in eight plate appearances for the Dunedin Blue Jays.
Infield
Corner infielder Joseph Reyes played in his second year with the GCL Blue Jays, getting the most time at first base on the club and also playing an equal number of games at third base while also playing left field a couple of times and right field once. Repeating the GCL level, Reyes turned things around in a big way, improving his OPS by over 260 points, hitting .273/.402/.492 with nine doubles, a triple and a team-leading six home runs. Reyes still had a penchant to strike out, K'ing in 27.4% of his 164 plate appearances but improved his walk rate to 16.5% (from 12.3% last year). Reyes will look to move up in the organization in 2019.
A 17-year-old Panamanian, Leonardo Jimenez had a solid debut season with the GCL Blue Jays despite being 2.7 years younger than the average player in the league. He hit .250/.333/.341 over 150 plate appearances, hitting eight doubles and two triples while walking in 10.7% of plate appearances and striking out in only 11.3%. He played 20 games at second base and another 14 at shortstop, showing his versatility. I wouldn't be to surprised if he repeated part of 2019 at the GCL but there's a strong chance he could start in Bluefield.
The Blue Jays' 2018 first-round pick, Jordan Groshans, played 16 games at third base and another 15 at shortstop, playing 37 games overall with a very strong professional debut, hitting .331/.390/.500 with 12 doubles and four home runs. He walked in 8.2% of his 159 plate appearances and struck out in 18.2% of his plate appearances. In 11 games with Bluefield, he struggled, hitting .182/.229/.273, hitting just one double and one home run and walking in 4.2% of his plate appearances with strikeouts in 16.7%. Groshans turned things around in the playoffs, however, playing in three playoff games, he was 7/12 with two walks and two strikeouts, hitting a double and a home run. Look for Groshans back in short-season ball next year but, if the Jays are aggressive, he could see time in Lansing.
Infielder Addison Barger was selected by the Jays not too long after Groshans was in the 2018 entry draft and the high schooler from Tampa hit .194/.318/.322 with 10 doubles, two triples and three home runs, walking in a healthy 11.7% of plate appearances and striking out in 17.8%. His low, .229 BABIP likely worked against him and he was a little pull happy, going to his pull side 55.7% of the time. He had a very good 49.3% fly ball rate and his power numbers could increase as he gains strength, maturing into his 20s over the next few years. Look for Barger in Bluefield or Vancouver next year.
Yhordegny Kelly, 21, played just 20 games (13 of them at first base), hitting a very solid .288/.373/.507 with six doubles, two triples and two home runs. Kelly walked in only 6.0% of his 83 plate appearances but still struck out almost a third of time (32.5%) but that was still down slightly from his 2017 numbers. Kelly must have been injured as he missed large chunks of time and played his last game of the year on August 9.
Hector Guerrero, a 21-year-old Mexican infielder, made the jump to Florida, playing in 15 games for the GCL Blue Jays, hitting .400/.481/.600 in 52 plate appearances, hitting two doubles, two triples and a home run while walking in 13.5% of plate appearances and striking out in only 11.5%. He saw a little bit of time in Bluefield but didn't get a hit in 23 plate appearances, taking two walks and striking out seven times.
Outfield
Warnel Valdez played 33 games (28 in the outfield), mostly in left field for the GCL Blue Jays, and the 19-year-old Dominican hit .240/.250/.380 with nine doubles, a triple and two home runs in 124 plate appearances. He's quite reticent to walk, taking a free pass in 1.6% of his plate appearances while striking out in 25.8%.
The Blue Jays' 19th-round pick in the 2018 draft, Adrian Ramos came out of his community college program in Miami to have a solid professional debut. He hit .266/.402/.357 in his Age-20 season, hitting five doubles, three triples and a home run and stealing 23 bases in 31 attempts. Ramos walked in an excellent 13.4% of his 194 plate appearances while striking out in 22.2%.
21-year-old right fielder Aldo Ovando played 28 games for the GCL Blue Jays, repeating the level, and hit .210/.265/.267 with two doubles and two triples. He walked in just 5.1% of plate appearances (a career low in three professional seasons) and only trimmed his strikeout rate (at 32.4% in 2017) to 31.6% in 2018.
Steward Berroa, 19, had a very solid first season in the US, hitting .282/.386/.359 with nine doubles and a triple, stealing 17 bases in 23 attempts. Berroa improved his walk rate from his time in the DSL, upping it to 13.8% while his strikeout rate dropped slightly to 21.6%.
Jose Abel Hernandez signed with the Blue Jays in April after being released a year before by the Houston Astros organization. While he had played two years mostly as a first baseman with Houston, Hernandez played mostly left field for the Blue Jays, getting into 24 games and hitting .208/.291/.273 with five doubles in 87 plate appearances. Hernandez struck out 26 in 86 plate appearances, giving him a fairly high percentage, walking seven times.
If you like us here, like us on Facebook!
The 2018 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook is now available!