Jay Blue: 2019 Buffalo Bisons Report
Andrew Sopko struggled after being promoted to the triple-A Buffalo Bisons in 2019. Photo: Jay Blue
October 24, 2019
By Jay Blue
Blue Jays from Away
We're going to start our more in-depth look at the triple-A Buffalo Bisons by looking at starting pitchers. No one cracked the 100-inning mark for the Bisons, likely because no one really was with the team long enough to really rack up the starts and innings.
We begin with the pitchers who made the most starts and work our way downwards from there. 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.
The leader of the Buffalo Bisons when it came to games started was Sean Reid-Foley. It's important to keep in mind that SRF was pitching in just his Age-23 season as he made a start for the Blue Jays to begin his season. He allowed five runs (three earned on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts before being sent down to Buffalo, where he stayed until mid-June when he pitched three times for Toronto, without allowing any runs in his two bullpen outings (but walking three in two innings in his first appearance) and striking out four in 3 1/3 innings in his last appearance before going back to Buffalo. After four more outings with Buffalo, in which he struggled, he returned to Toronto, making five more appearances and finished his season with two outings for Buffalo but didn't pitch again in September. Overall, Reid-Foley had a 6.47 ERA in Buffalo, posting a 1.61 WHIP in 89 innings but he had a strong strikeout rate of 25.4% while walking a whopping 15.7%. In the majors, he logged 31 2/3 innings, putting up a 4.26 ERA and 1.71 WHIP, striking out 18.7% and walking 14.0%. Obviously, Reid-Foley's future depends on whether he can pitch with more command but he may not be that far away from a relief role in the majors.
Number two on our list of starters for the Buffalo Bisons is Conor Fisk, a guy who bounced back and forth between the bullpen and the rotation, stepping in where necessary and finished the year, leading the Bisons with 97 innings pitched. He had a 5.10 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, striking out 21.5% of batters and walking 7.2%. The 27-year-old righty posted better numbers as a reliever, with an .829 OPS against as a starter and a .748 OPS against as a reliever although he had a better strikeout and walk rate as a starter. Look for Fisk to be a useful pitcher for the Bisons again in 2020.
Lefty Shawn Morimando finished third on the Bisons with 14 starts and 70 1/3 innings. Morimando, whose season was over at the end of July because of injury, had a 6.01 ERA and 1.58 WHIP, striking out a stellar 23.8% of batters and walking 10.3%. It's hard to gauge what's going to happen with Morimando, 26, next year but he'll probably be given another shot to show more than he did in 2019 as his peripherals suggest that he deserves another try.
T.J. Zeuch didn't get onto the mound in a competitive game until mid-June, throwing twice for the Dunedin Blue Jays on rehab starts. He was finally activated by the Buffalo Bisons and pitched on June 22 and would make 13 starts with a solid 3.69 ERA and 1.31 WHIP, striking out only 11.6% of batters while walking 9.6%. That low strikeout rate was concerning but Zeuch went on a terrific run with the Bisons in his final four starts of the year, throwing 25 innings with a 1.08 ERA and just a .315 OPS against, striking out 13 and walking five and including a no-hitter on August 19. Zeuch finished his season by joining the Blue Jays and getting his first taste of major league action, holding his own while pitching against playoff teams in four of his five outings (Braves, Yankees twice and Rays). Zeuch, 24, had a 4.76 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 22 2/3 innings, and he saw his strikeout rate jump to 20.2% as his walk rate rose a bit to 11.1%. What is Zeuch's future in Toronto? The groundballer got a lower rate of ground balls in the majors as he did anywhere else last year (57.1% in the minors and 47.1% in the majors) but his increase in strikeouts at the major league level is encouraging. If he can put together a strong spring and the Jays don't go out to get at least two more pitchers, there could be a spot in the rotation for him in Toronto at the back end.
Lefty knuckleballer Ryan Feierabend made 12 starts (and two relief appearances) for the Buffalo Bisons, logging 68 1/3 innings for the club, also getting in one appearance in New Hampshire and two in Toronto. Feierabend had a late start to his season because of an injury, starting three games (with diminishing results) in the first half of May with the Bisons before getting a promotion to Toronto, throwing twice and giving up seven runs on 11 hits and a walk with four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. Sent back to Buffalo, he made another nine appearances between the end of May and mid-July and was sent to New Hampshire for one start, taking a loss and giving up six runs in three innings. He went back to Buffalo, striking out eight against the Durham Bulls in 5 1/3 innings but that was his last outing until September when he tossed a scoreless inning coming off the IL on September 2. Overall for the Bisons, Feierabend had a 5.53 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, striking out 17.9% of batters whle walking 7.1%. Feierabend elected free agency on October 14.
Righty Andrew Sopko had some excellent success with the double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats this season but struggled when promoted to the Buffalo Bisons over his 13 outings (12 starts) for the club. The 24-year-old also lost time because of injury, cutting down the number of innings he threw this season. He started with six starts in New Hampshire, posting a 2.34 ERA and 0.89 WHIP, striking out 19.4% of batters and walking only 6.0% in 34 2/3 innings before moving up to Buffalo to make his triple-A debut on May 14. He had some solid starts but some bad ones (giving up six runs in four innings on May 24, eight runs in 3 2/3 innings on June 3) over seven outings between May 14 and June 13 before going on the IL with an injury. He returned to action with two rehab starts with the GCL Blue Jays, giving up just two runs on six hits in seven innings, striking out four before being sent back up to Buffalo. Sopko finished the season with six outings from July 25 to September 2, allowing a lot of runs and finishing on somewhat of a down turn. I did see Sopko start in Buffalo and he was hit hard in that outing. Sopko finished with a 7.12 ERA and 1.67 WHIP over 54 1/3 innings, striking out 16.3% and walking 11.1%. He was particularly victimized by the home run while pitching in triple-A, giving up 14 HRs in just those 54 1/3 innings.Sopko will get another chance to see if he'll be more effective against Triple-A competition in 2020.
Jacob Waguespack, 25, was the pitcher the Blue Jays acquired from the Phillies in the deal that sent Aaron Loup to Philadelphia. Waguespack spent the season showing that he not only could handle a starter's load in triple-A but that he could hold his own in the major leagues (sort of). Wags started in Buffalo, taking the ball every five days or so for the first month and half of the season but he had a 5.86 ERA and .853 OPS against in those 43 innings before his first call up to the major leagues. He made his major league debut on May 27, allowing three runs over four innings to the Tampa Bay Rays and was put on the IL until June 16 when he was sent on a rehab assignment back to Buffalo. He pitched three times for Buffalo, giving up one run in each outing (three runs in 9 2/3 innings) before being returned to Toronto where he picked up his first major league win, tossing five innings as the "bulk" guy and giving up just three runs to the Boston Red Sox. He was optioned back to Buffalo but didn't pitch and returned to Toronto, starting again against the Red Sox and he remained in the Blue Jays' rotation for the rest of the season. While he wasn't great (4.38 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 18.8% K%, 8.7% BB%), he was solid enough to suck up some desperately needed innings for the Jays and had a couple of really good outings against good teams (6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 4 K vs. Tampa Bay August 5; 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K vs. the Dodgers August 22) which will earn him some looks in 2020 for the starting rotation. If he doesn't crack the Jays' rotation in March, he will be back in Buffalo waiting in the wings.
Although Anthony Kay has only been pitching in the minor leagues for two years, sitting out his draft year of 2017 while recovering from injury, the lefty made a big impact with the Blue Jays after coming over from the Mets' organization in the Marcus Stroman trade. Kay, 24, was outstanding to start the season in double-A Binghamton, posting a 1.49 ERA and 0.92 WHIP over 66 1/3 innings, getting a 26.7% strikeout rate and 8.8% walk rate. Promoted to Syracuse, he struggled with a 6.61 ERA and 1.63 WHIP over 31 1/3 innings, striking out only 18.6% of batters and walking 7.9%. Coming over to Toronto, he struggled with his control in Buffalo, walking 13.8% of batters but his strikeout rate was back up to 24.5% and Kay got a September call up to Toronto where he showed a lot of potential despite his 5.79 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 14 innings in three outings. Kay had a solid 20.6% strikeout rate against some of the best hitters in baseball and struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings in his major league debut on September 7 against the Tampa Bay Rays. Kay will probably start the season back in Buffalo but could crack the Blue Jays' Opening Day rotation with a strong spring (if the Jays don't acquire too many starting pitchers in the offseason).
A year after coming over to the Jays in the trade for the closer who is now pitching in Houston, David Paulino was a hopeful for a bullpen spot in Toronto but was sent to Buffalo to stretch out as a starter. He pitched for a month, seeing mixed results in five starts and went on the shelf for a month and a half, coming back with two solid starts before he was shut down again for the rest of the season. Overall, Paulino, 25, had a 3.45 ERA and 1.43 WHIP for Buffalo, striking out 21.4% and walking 8.7% over 28 2/3 innings. He'll get another shot to join the Jays at some point in 2020.
Soft-tossing lefty Thomas Pannone, 25, split 2019 between Buffalo and Toronto. In Buffalo, he was mostly a starter, tossing 33 2/3 innings with a 3.21 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, striking out 28.9% of batters and walking 10.6% but in Toronto, he spent most of his time in the bullpen, logging 73 innings in 37 appearances (seven starts) with a 6.16 ERA and 1.42 WHIP, striking out 21.2% and walking 9.5%. While those peripheral numbers aren't bad, he is a fly ball pitcher who relies on location and movement and he allowed 1.6 HR/9. Pannone will likely be back and forth in 2020 between Toronto and Buffalo but might settle more fully into a bullpen role.
Relief Pitchers
We continue our more in-depth look at the Buffalo Bisons by looking at relief pitchers. We begin with the pitchers who made the most appearances and work our way downwards from there. 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.
Righty Zach Jackson led the club with 46 appearances and logged 68 innings. The 24-year-old curveball artist continued to get some solid results in his minor league career, posting a 3.97 ERA and 1.32 WHIP, striking out 23.6% of batters and bringing his walk rate down to a more manageable 11.8%. He also improved his ground ball rate, getting 45.0% of balls in play on the ground but his move to triple-A, where they were using the livelier, major league ball in 2019, bumped his HR/9 rate to 1.3, the highest of his career. Jackson could be in line for a big league spot in 2020 but he'll have to earn it during the season as I think he'll start in Buffalo.
The Jays don't have a ton of lefty relief pitchers filtering their way up through the minors but probably the most big-league ready is 25-year-old Kirby Snead. Snead started 2019 in New Hampshire, spending most of April there (with one appearance in Buffalo, before going back down to NH) and posting an outstanding 0.84 ERA and miniscule 0.38 WHIP, striking out a whopping 35.9% of batters faced without walking anyone in 10 2/3 innings. In Buffalo, he was used a lot, throwing 41 times with 52 innings and a 3.98 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, striking out 23.5% of batters with a solid 8.3% walk rate. Snead provided some solid work for the Bisons and will probably start there in 2020 but could join Toronto at some point in the season.
While he doesn't fit the usual hard-throwing reliever profile with a big body, 5-foot-9 Ty Tice is generally thought of as one of the more athletic pitchers the Jays have and he acquitted himself very well in triple-A despite being in only his third pro season after being drafted in the 16th round of the 2017 draft. Like Snead, Tice started his year in double-A New Hampshire, spending just over two months there, throwing 24 2/3 innings with a 1.09 ERA and 0.85 WHIP, striking out 22.8% of batters and walking 7.9%. In 33 innings with Buffalo, that strikeout rate rose to 27.3% although his walk rate almost doubled to 14.0% as he had a 3.27 ERA and 1.55 WHIP. Tice is another reliever who could reach the major leagues in 2020 but is almost sure to start the season in Buffalo.
31-year-old veteran Buddy Boshers joined the Blue Jays on a minor league free agent contract after starting his year in the Mexican summer league. Joining the Bisons in late May, Boshers posted a 2.78 ERA and 1.27 WHIP over 32 1/3 innings through late July, striking out 25.6% and walking 10.2% before getting the call to Toronto. Boshers stuck with the Jays through the rest of the season, tossing 20 innings with a 4.05 ERA and 1.50 WHIP, striking out 28.6% of batters while walking 11.0%. The lefty remains on the Blue Jays' 40-man roster but could be one of the first to get DFA'ed if the Blue Jays want to take more spots than they have to add youngsters to the roster before the Rule 5 draft.
Selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 2018 Rule 5 draft, Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) was traded to the Texas Rangers but was returned to the Blue Jays on March 24 before the season started. Romano pitched out of the in Buffalo before starting three games in April and was returned to the bullpen where he would play out the year. Romano struggled a bit in Buffalo, posting a 6.10 ERA and .773 OPS against in 31 innings before he got the call to Toronto, throwing a perfect seventh inning with two strikeouts against the Baltimore Orioles on June 12. He pitched three more times before being optioned back to Buffalo where he had three appearances before going down with an injury. After coming back with the GCL Blue Jays for one game in early August, he rejoined the Bisons, making four appearances before getting recalled by the Blue Jays and returning to major league action on August 24 and he stayed in Toronto for the rest of the year. Romano had a 5.73 ERA and 1.35 WHIP over 37 2/3 innings with Buffalo, striking out 31.9% of batters while walking 8.4% and had a 7.63 ERA and 1.70 WHIP over 15 1/3 innings in Toronto, striking out 28.0% of batters and walking 12.0%. Romano is likely pegged to start the year in Buffalo but, being on the 40-man roster, could earn himself a bullpen spot in Toronto with a good spring.
At 26, lefty Tayler Saucedo has gotten himself to the highest level of the minor leagues by being able to both start and relieve. He showed his versatility in 2019 by making seven starts out of his 24 outings in Buffalo but started the year mostly in the bullpen in New Hampshire. He threw six times there before coming up to Buffalo for five outings and then pitched six more times in New Hampshire before coming back up to Buffalo to stay in mid-June. In New Hampshire, Saucedo's 1.01 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 26 2/3 innings were excellent while he struck out 20.4% of batters but walked 14.2%. His first exposure to Buffalo had him pitching extremely well, posting a 1.50 ERA and .516 OPS against in 12 innings. He was still solid up until the end of July, posting a 3.34 ERA and .709 OPS against in 32 1/3 innings but he had a horrible August, allowing a 1.170 OPS against with a 12.71 ERA in 11 1/3 innings including an outing I saw in person where the hitters seemed to hit everything he threw hard. Overall, in 55 2/3 innings with the Bisons, Saucedo had a 4.85 ERA and 1.62 WHIP, striking out 18.2% of batters while walking 7.9%. I think he'll be back in Buffalo but could become more of a lefty specialist as lefties had just a .509 OPS against him while righties had an .842 OPS against him.
Another pitcher who went back and forth between Buffalo and Toronto was Justin Shafer. The 27-year-old righty made his MLB debut in August of 2018 and had two stints in Toronto before he stayed for most of the rest of the season (getting sent down for a few days at the end of August, rejoining the Jays after the rosters expanded). Shafer was solid for both clubs, tossing 30 2/3 innings for Buffalo, posting a 3.52 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, striking out 27.1% of batters while walking 6.2%. He regressed in both peripheral categories in Toronto, walking 13.7% of batters and striking out 21.4%, with a 3.86 ERA and 1.66 WHIP over 39 2/3 innings. Shafer is likely to be a back-and-forth guy in 2020 but we'd love to see him stick it out for a whole season in Toronto.
Corey Copping split his season between New Hampshire and Buffalo, logging a 3.86 ERA and 1.34 WHIP with a 20.8% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate over 18 2/3 innings with New Hampshire while he had a 6.75 ERA and 1.84 WHIP over 32 innings with Buffalo, striking out 21.7% and walking 14.5%. If he gets some more control over his walks in triple-A, Copping could be someone the Jays look at to move to Toronto at some point in 2020.
Dusty Isaacs pitched in 17 games for the Bisons in 2019, tossing 26 1/3 innings with a 5.81 ERA and 1.29 WHIP, and despite a 30.5% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate, he was released on June 30, catching on with the High Point Rockers of the independent Atlantic League, where he had a 5.55 ERA and 1.48 WHIP over 24 1/3 innings, striking out 32 and walking 13.
Matt Dermody again struggled with injuries in 2019 and threw just 15 times for the Bisons, accruing 23 innings with a 5.48 ERA and 1.39 WHIP, striking out 22.6% of batters and walking just 2.9%. After seven years of pro experience, he should be able to elect free agency after the World Series.
Acquired by the Blue Jays at the beginning of the season, Jason Adam threw 14 innings for the Bisons around an injury and stints in the major leagues. He had a 2.57 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over 14 innings, striking out 20 and walking five and had respectable numbers in 21 2/3 innings in the majors with a 2.91 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, striking out 19.8% of batters and walking 11.0%. Adam, 28, is still on the 40-man roster.
Acquired in the trade that sent Kevin Pillar to San Francisco, Derek Law became a solid part of the Blue Jays' bullpen, particularly when Ken Giles was injured. The 29-year-old righty had a 1.69 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over 10 2/3 innings in Buffalo with just three walks and 17 strikeouts. He maintained his ability to strike out over a batter per inning in the majors with 67 in 60 2/3 innings but walked 40 at the big league level, posting a 4.90 ERA and 1.665 WHIP.
Danny Barnes, 30, struggled with injury throughout 2019, only pitching in 7 2/3 innings for the Bisons, allowing 10 runs on nine hits and three walks with nine strikeouts. Barnes has been sent outright to Buffalo and could become a free agent at the end of the World Series.
33-year-old righty Javy Guerra pitched 7 1/3 innings for Buffalo in 2019, posting a 2.45 ERA and 1.09 WHIP, striking out six batters and walking four before pitching for Toronto a little bit. In 14 innings for Toronto, he had a 3.86 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, striking out 15 and walking five but he was designated for assignment by the Jays on May 18 and claimed by the Washington Nationals. While he was DFA'ed by the Nationals and then promoted again to the majors, he didn't pitch in the minors for Washington, throwing 53 2/3 innings with a 4.86 ERA and 1.25 WHIP, striking out 42 batters with 12 walks. To this point, he's pitched in one game in the postseason with Washington, allowing a run on two hits including a home run.
Selected in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft, David Garner only got into four games in 2019 at the end of June with Buffalo, allowing eight runs on nine hits (including two home runs), walking two and striking out nine in just 5 1/3 innings. He was released on July 8.
Selected by San Francisco in the Rule 5 draft, lefty Travis Bergen had a 5.49 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over 19 2/3 innings in the majors, striking out 18 and walking nine. He spent the most time in the minors with triple-A Sacramento, posting a 3.78 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 16 2/3 innings, striking out 15 and walking 10 before he was returned to Toronto and struck out six without walking anyone in three innings, allowing one run with Buffalo before the season ended. I'd look to see him starting in 2020 with the Bisons but he could be added to the 40-man roster in November to prevent another team selecting Bergen in the Rule 5 draft this winter.
Originally signed by the Blue Jays, the Jays picked up Jimmy Cordero off of waivers from the Nationals. The hard-throwing righty got into one game for the Bisons, throwing a scoreless inning and allowed a run on two hits (including a home run) for the Blue Jays in his one appearance. He would go on to be claimed on waivers by the White Sox, with whom he would have a solid season, posting a 2.75 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, striking out 31 and walking 11 in 36 innings in the bigs.
Neil Ramirez was another pick up mid season. Signed after he was released by Cleveland, Ramirez threw once for Dunedin (scoreless inning) and once for Buffalo (a scoreless inning). He was promoted to Toronto and had a 5.40 ERA and 1.68 WHIP over 8 1/3 innings in six outings, striking out six and walking six before the Blue Jays got him through waivers and tried to send him to the minors outright. Ramirez elected free agency.
Hitters
We have reached our final team report of 2019, looking at the hitters of the Buffalo Bisons. Once, again, note that if a player split his season by playing for more than one team, he'll be considered with the team for which he had the most plate appearances.
Catchers
Playing in 72 games for the Buffalo Bisons was lefthanded hitting catcher Reese McGuire. McGuire hasn't hit much in the minor leagues since coming over from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the deal for Francisco Liriano in late 2016 but McGuire continued to show better numbers in the major leagues, getting into another 30 games for the Blue Jays down the stretch, splitting catching duties with his former teammate in Buffalo, Danny Jansen. For the Bisons, McGuire hit .247/.316/.366 with 12 doubles, a triple and five home runs, throwing out 26% of potential base stealers with 10 passed balls over 71 games but in Toronto, McGuire hit .299/.346/.526 with seven doubles and five home runs in just 105 plate appearances, throwing out 26% of potential base stealers with just one passed ball. The only real negatives to McGuire's game as he moved up to the majors was the fact that his walk rate dropped from 9.0% in Triple-A to 6.7% in Buffalo while his strikeout rate rose slightly from 15.0% to 17.1%. Look for McGuire to split catching duties in Toronto with Jansen in 2020.
26-year-old minor league veteran Michael De La Cruz used the lively balls of the International League to his advantage as he had probably the best offensive season of his career despite playing only occasionally, getting into 52 games with 192 plate appearances. Still, he hit .278/.379/.444 with 12 doubles and five home runs, walking in 13.5% of his plate appearances and walking in 17.2%. De La Cruz threw out 18% of potential base stealers with four passed balls in 40 games behind the plate. After seven years of action with the Blue Jays since being signed out of the Dominican Republic, De La Cruz is likely eligible to become a free agent after the World Series.
One of the great offensive stories of the 2018 Fisher Cats, Patrick Cantwell, 29, struggled to stay on the field in 2019, playing in just 22 games for the Buffalo Bisons (and four rehabbing in the GCL). He hit just .217/.316/.275 with four doubles in 80 plate appearances, striking out in 30.0% of his plate appearances and walking in 11.3%. I'm not sure if he's around in 2020.
The Blue Jays picked up catcher Beau Taylor in August after he was DFA'ed by the Oakland A's. He spent about a month in the Jays' system before getting DFA'ed by Toronto and picked up again by Oakland (but he elected free agency earlier this month). For Las Vegas, Taylor hit .257/.408/.461 with 13 doubles, a triple and eight home runs in 62 games and for the A's, he hit .174/.321/.435 with two home runs in 10 games. For Buffalo, he only hit .188/.282/.250 with a pair of doubles in 10 games while going 0/2 with a strikeout in his only game for the Blue Jays.
Infielders
The Blue Jays traded for first baseman Jordan Patterson from the Reds at the end of March and provided a veteran presence at first and in the outfield. Patterson hit a respectable .234/.308/.432 with 19 doubles, two triples and 16 home runs for the Bisons ,walking in 6.0% of his plate appearances but striking out in a whopping 32.2%. He also pitched in one game, allowing a run on a hit and two walks with a strikeout in one inning. Patterson will likely be able to elect free agency following the World Series.
Another corner infielder the Jays picked up was Patrick Kivlehan who came from the Pirates organization in a trade for cash on May 10. With 132 games in the majors, Kivlehan started the season well with the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis, hitting .212/.287/.412 with five doubles and four home runs before the trade. Assigned to Double-A New Hampshire, the 29-year-old went on a tear, hitting .421/.477/.789 in 11 games, hitting five more doubles and three home runs before he was moved up to Buffalo for the rest of the season. With Buffalo, Kivlehan played in 90 games, most at first or third base, and came to the plate 375 times, hitting .247/.336/.534 with 13 doubles, three triples and 25 home runs, enough to lead the Blue Jays' organization in 2019. Kivlehan had a solid 9.9% walk rate but a 28.0% strikeout rate. He's also likely to be a free agent at the end of the year, but he made a big impact in his time in Buffalo.
Richard Urena, 23, played 98 games in Buffalo and was up and down to Toronto, starting the season with the Blue Jays and riding the QEW until late May. In 403 plate appearances with the Bisons, Urena had one of his better offensive seasons at the level, hitting .274/.314/.393 with 18 doubles, four triples and six home runs while he hit just .243/.273/.324 in 30 games with Toronto, hitting six doubles. Urena's never walked much, posting a 5.7% rate in Buffalo and 2.5% rate in Toronto while his strikeout rate was 21.1% in Buffalo and 28.8% in Toronto. Urena also showed much stronger numbers as a lefthanded hitter, posting a .740 OPS (combined between levels) from that side while he had a .559 OPS from the right side of the plate. Urena played second, third and short at both levels, while adding in a part of game in left field for Toronto and pitching an inning, giving up four runs on four hits (including a home run) with one walk. Look for Urena to ride the bus another year and serve as an emergency replacement in Toronto.
After two years in Korea, Andy Burns returned stateside and played a full year in Buffalo with strong numbers from the 29-year-old infielder. With 474 plate appearances, he hit .275/.364/.470 with 17 doubles, three triples and 19 home runs (a career high outside of Korea), walking in 12.0% of his plate appearances and striking out in only 17.5%. Burns may have an option on his contract that will allow the Blue Jays to bring him back but he could also become a free agent.
Bo Bichette was one of the more anticipated debuts in Toronto but let's not forget that the 21-year-old phenom did start the season in Buffalo (before breaking his hand and missing about a month and a half). Before his injury, Bichette was having a strong triple-A debut but he wasn't lighting the world on fire, hitting .250/.322/.404 with three doubles, a triple and a home run in 15 games. He had a four-game rehab with Dunedin from June 7 to June 11 and was 4/5 with a double in the final game of his rehab assignment. He returned to Buffalo and improved his numbers, hitting .284/.339/.497 with 13 doubles, a triple and seven home runs in the next 41 games before he got his call to the show. Playing 46 games in Toronto, Bichette endeared himself to Toronto fans, hitting .311/.358/.571 with 18 doubles and 11 home runs, walking in 6.6% of plate appearances and striking out 23.6% before missing the end of the season with a concussion after being hit in the head with a pitch. Bichette will look to carry that success over to the big leagues in 2020, taking over the every day shortstop job in Toronto.
Another player who entrenched himself in the Toronto lineup was Cavan Biggio who started his season with a .312/.448/.514 slash line in 43 games in Buffalo, hitting eight doubles, triple and six home runs, walking 34 times and only striking out 28. He continued to display his incredible eye at the plate in the major leagues, walking in 16.5% of his 430 plate appearances but his strikeout rate skyrocketed to 28.6% to go with his .234/.364/.429 line, hitting 17 doubles, two triples and 16 home runs while stealing 14 bases and producing 2.4 WAR (according to Fangraphs). Biggio had some hot streaks and we're hoping that his strikeout rate comes down a bit without affecting his walk rate and he's able to put more balls in play for the Jays, playing every day at second base in 2020.
Another young player who went back and forth a bit between Buffalo and Toronto was Rowdy Tellez, the big, 24-year-old first baseman. In 26 games with Buffalo, Rowdy hit .366/.450/.688 with nine doubles and seven home runs but, while his power numbers were solid in Toronto (19 doubles and 21 home runs in 409 plate appearances), he had a .227/.293/.449 slash line, striking out in 28.4% of the time and walking 7.1%. Obviously, some work in both of those categories is going to be necessary for him to keep an every day role in Toronto as the Jays struggle to decide whether to bring in another first baseman to offer some safety at the position and bring out the competitive spirit in Rowdy.
Alen Hanson came back to the Blue Jays when they traded Kevin Pillar to San Francisco at the beginning of the season but didn't really work out. In 18 games with Toronto, Hanson hit .163/.229/.163 without an extra-base hit, striking out in 35.4% of his 48 plate appearances. In Buffalo, he got into 48 games with 180 plate appearances, hitting .187/.232/.271 with three doubles, a triple and three home runs before he was released in early August.
Andrew Guillotte hit .159/.207/.207 with two doubles and a triple in 25 games, playing more on the infield than in the outfield before he retired at the end of May.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. spent some time in Buffalo, playing more on the infield than in the outfield (where he would eventually solidify a spot in Toronto). After a rough start in Toronto, hitting .175/.250/.275 in 13 games in which he was having a lot of trouble making throws from second base, Gurriel was sent to Buffalo to figure things out. In triple-A, Gurriel worked hard, hitting .276/.308/.480 with 13 doubles and four triples in 130 plate appearances, getting himself back to the majors by the end of May. Gurriel had a four-hit game in his third game back from the minors and didn't look back, hitting .292/.339/.580 with 15 doubles, two triples and 20 home runs in 71 games after his return, missing just over a month with a quad injury and having surgery for appendicitis at the end of the the season. He's looking to be the hitter he was in the second half of 2019 as he gets a chance to play every day in the outfield, where his arm strength became a great weapon, in 2020.
Eric Sogard played just nine games for the Bisons with the 33-year-old veteran starting the year in Buffalo before exploding in Toronto and getting himself traded to Tampa Bay at the deadline. Sogard had a .267/.395/.433 slash line in Buffalo before coming up to the majors, hitting .300/.363/.47 with 17 doubles, two triples and 10 home runs (tying his career high) in 73 games with Toronto. Moving on to Tampa Bay, he hit .266/.328/.404 with another six doubles and three home runs before the season ended.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.) was the name on everyone's lips as the spring started but an injury in spring training had the 20 year old held back from action from action. He played in four games for Dunedin at the beginning of the season, picking up a hit in each one and he reported to Buffalo to play on April 11. In just nine games at the top level of the minor leagues, Guerrero showed that the International League couldn't contain him, hitting .367/.441/.700 with four walks and two strikeouts, hitting a double and three home runs before he came to the major leagues for his debut against the Oakland A's in an event seen widely around Blue Jays land on April 26. Guerrero would ultimately have an up-and-down season as a rookie, posting solid offensive numbers and showing some improvement in the field. He punctuated his season with a stellar August, hitting .341/.406/.571 with four home runs and seven doubles, adding a triple but his offensive production dropped off dramatically in September as he hit just .232/.264/.293. Overall in the majors, Vlad hit .272./339/.433 with an 8.9% walk rate and a 17.7% strikeout rate. Fans are hoping he will report ot camp in 2020 in better shape and can make his August numbers look like what he can do over the course of his first full big league season.
Outfielders
Speedster Roemon Fields was the only regular outfielder on the Bisons who didn't get to the majors. In 98 games, Fields hit .254/.324/.321 with 16 stolen bases in 24 attempts, hitting eight doubles, three triples and two home runs in 340 plate appearances. Looking more like a minor-league fourth outfielder with limited pop in his bat, Fields will likely be a depth player for the Jays in Buffalo.
The answer to a problem that doesn't exist. If we were on Jeopardy, the "question" to that answer would be "Socrates Brito." The Blue Jays acquired Brito, an outfielder with a similar offensive profile to Randal Grichuk, Teoscar Hernandez, Billy McKinney (and later, Derek Fisher), in early May, sending minor league outfielder Rodrigo Orozco to San Diego in exchange. Brito flopped in his major league audition, hitting .077/.163/.128 with a triple and a painful 39.5% strikeout rate. Sent to the Bisons outright, he put together a very solid minor league season, hitting .282/.328/.510 with 28 doubles, seven triples and 16 home runs, walking in 6.8% of his 428 plate appearances and striking out in 22.7%. Brito, 27, may be around next year but he may also be able to elect free agency after the World Series.
Jonathan Davis played in 82 games with Buffalo but also got a chance to try his hand against major league pitching in 37 games, hitting .181/.266/.265 with the Jays, hitting a double and two home runs in 95 plate appearances and stealing three bases. He had a solid season in Buffalo, hitting .262/.382/.449 with 19 doubles, three triples and 10 home runs, stealing 13 bases in 17 attempts, walking in 11.4% of his plate appearances and striking out in 23.6%. He'll be back and forth a bit next year but there are several outfielders ahead of him on the depth charts.
Jonathan Davis's brother-in-law (they're married to sisters) is Anthony Alford, 25, whose baseball career continues to be marred by injury. Alford played in one game at the beginning of the season for Toronto (going 0/3) but then reported to Buffalo, hitting .256/.340/.405 in 62 games, hitting 13 doubles, three triples and five home runs and stealing 17 bases (in 24 attempts) before another injury derailed his season. Alford missed over a month, returning to action in August (with four games in the GCL for rehab). From August 7 to September 2, Alford put up solid numbers, hitting .273/.355/.436 with three doubles and two more home runs, stealing five bases in six attempts and giving him a .259/.343/.411 slash line overall. Alford played sparingly in Toronto in September and had a .179/.233/.286 slash line with a home run in 30 plate appearances. Alford's strikeout rate was high at both levels--29.5% in Buffalo and 36.7% in a small sample size in Toronto--and he'll need to get that under control in 2020 if he's going to seriously compete for a roster spot in Toronto.
Billy McKinney split his season between Buffalo and Toronto, playing 36 games in Buffalo and 84 in Toronto. He hit a strong .271/.383/.488 in Buffalo, hitting eight doubles, four triples and four home runs while hitting .215/.274/.422 with 14 doubles, a triple and 12 home runs in the major leagues. McKinney's low 6.9% walk rate and somewhat high 26.4% strikeout rate in the majors are in need of some adjustment but his ability to put the ball over the fence is quite good. If he can bring up his OBP (hopefully by increasing his .250 BABIP in 2019), he could be a productive member of the Jays' outfield although where he'll play is a big mystery as he'll be in competition with Lourdes Gurriel, Teoscar Hernandez and Derek Fisher for a spot.
Teoscar Hernandez played 19 games in Buffalo with a .253/.313/.480 slash line, hitting a triple and five home runs while he was in the minors. In a much larger sample size in the majors (125 games), Hernandez hit .230/.306/.472 with 19 doubles, two triples and 26 home runs but struck out in 33.0% of his plate appearances. His improved walk rate of 9.7% helped his OBP to .306, four points higher than in 2018 but he still needs to get on base a bit more to really produce value for the Jays.
Ben Revere was in the Jays' system for about a week, hitting .286/.286/.371 with three doubles in 35 plate appearances before he was released.
Mississauga, Ont., native Dalton Pompey, 26, continues to be haunted by his injuries, playing in 17 games in 2019 as concussions continue to be a problem. In eight games in Buffalo (with four in the GCL and five in Dunedin), Pompey hit .259/.382/.259. Pompey was sent the minors outright and may be able to elect free agency at the end of the World Series.
If you like us here, like us on Facebook!
The 2019 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook is available now! Visit the Handbook page for more information!