Jay Blue: 2019 New Hampshire Fisher Cats Report
Toronto Blue Jays prized pitching prospect Nate Pearson posted a 2.59 ERA in 62 2/3 innings for the double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2019. Photo: Jay Blue
October 15, 2019
By Jay Blue
Blue Jays from Away
We're going to start our more in-depth look at the New Hampshire Fisher Cats by looking at starting pitchers. Like with Lansing and Dunedin, three pitchers topped the 100-inning mark despite one of them going on the IL for a part of the season.
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.
Our team leader for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in starts and innings was Yennsy Diaz who started 24 games (of 26 appearances) and threw 144 1/3 innings for the Fisher Cats. When I saw Diaz in spring training, he was all over the place with his control but he was able to put together a strong season in his double-A debut, posting a 3.74 ERA and 1.23 WHIP, striking out 19.1% of batters while walking a respectable 8.7%. That said, he did come up to the majors and, in his August 4 major league debut, allowed two runs on a hit and four walks in 2/3 of an inning. Diaz likely needs another year of seasoning in Triple-A where he'll have to deal with a livelier ball.
Hector Perez, 23, is another pitcher closing in on the major leagues for the Blue Jays. Perez spent the season in double-A New Hampshire, logging 121 1/3 innings with a 4.60 ERA and 1.62 WHIP, striking out 21.5% and walking 12.3%. If that walk rate looks high, it is and he will need to tame his command going forward. While Perez had a stretch when he looked like he would be able to rein in the walks--he walked just 12 over a 34 2/3 inning stretch from May 4 to June 1, walking more than two batters once, and throwing at least five innings in all of those outings--he soon struggled again, walking five on July 3, four on July 21 (despite throwing six scoreless innings) and four in just two innings on August 17. Perez has strikeout stuff, with nine Ks in six innings on June 28 and seven in just four innings on August 27, but he needs to throw more strikes to keep moving. I think the Jays test him in Triple-A next year.
Lefty Zach Logue had a tremendous 2018 but struggled to follow it up in 2019 with a promotion to New Hampshire. The 23 year old logged 101 innings with a 4.10 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, striking out 18.6% of batters and walking 7.5%. Logue had an early season outing in Buffalo, throwing 3 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts and a hit batter. Logue also missed most of July and half of August with an injury, going on the DL after three consecutive poor outings, allowing a total of 17 runs and six home runs in just 15 2/3 innings. While he was used in a limited role coming off the DL, he fared much better, giving up just two runs in eight innings with five hits and four walks and eight strikeouts. I think Logue will start 2020 in New Hampshire but if he's healthy and pitching well, he could move to Buffalo (if there's room) within a couple of months.
Another pitcher expected to have a big season in 2019 was Patrick Murphy who got rave reviews (from more than just yours truly) in spring training. The 24 year old got dealt a rough hand when umpires informed him that he was pitching illegally, tapping the toe on his left foot on the ground before continuing to stride towards the plate. Murphy had to revamp his mechanics on the fly and struggled with control. He also spent time on the IL, pitching just once after July 13. Overall, Murphy had a 4.71 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 84 innings for New Hampshire, striking out a solid 23.6% of batters and walking 7.4%. He did also get plenty of balls on the round, allowing grounders on 51.1% of balls in play. Hopefully he'll be pitching well and healthy in 2020 and could start in New Hampshire for a brief stint but if he has a good spring, he could come up to Buffalo to start and could be pitching in Toronto by the end of the year.
Now the Blue Jays' top prospect, big righty Nate Pearson showed the world what he can do in 2019 after only pitching in one regular league game in 2018. Because of his lack of pitching in 2018, the Jays treated Pearson's arm cautiously, having him alternate two-inning and five-inning starts. Pearson, 23, started his climb in Dunedin, throwing six times with a stellar 0.86 ERA and and tiny 0.62 WHIP, striking out a whopping 46.7% of batters he faced and walking just 4.0%. He moved up to New Hampshire and continued to face down the competition. Over 62 2/3 innings, he had a 2.59 ERA and 0.99 WHIP, striking out 28.3% of batters and walking 8.6%. Pearson started pitching more innings in late July, throwing between five and six innings in each of his last five starts with New Hampshire. He moved up to Buffalo for a late-season call up, making three starts and starting his triple-A career with a stellar seven-inning outing against Rochester, allowing just three hits without walking anyone and striking out three. He struck out seven over six innings in his next start and got touched up a bit against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in his third and final outing for the Bisons, allowing four runs in five innings. Overall, his numbers in Buffalo had him posting a 3.00 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with a 21.7% strikeout rate and 4.4% walk rate. Clearly, Pearson is ready to start in Buffalo but I can see a slow start to his season, keeping him in Florida to start the year to take it easy before giving him a month or two in Buffalo (when it warms up a bit) before he eventually rises to Toronto to begin his big league career.
The Blue Jays acquired 25-year-old righty (just turning 25 at the end of September) Tom Hatch as the return for trading David Phelps to the Chicago Cubs. Hatch spent the first part of the year pitching for the double-A Tennessee Smokies in the Cubs' system, tossing 100 innings with a 4.59 ERA and 1.41 WHIP, striking out 21.5% and walking 8.6%. In a small sample size with the Fisher Cats though, Hatch was outstanding, posting a 2.80 ERA and 0.76 WHIP over 35 1/3 innings with a 26.6% strikeout rate and miniscule 1.6% walk rate. Hatch got way more balls on the ground in New Hampshire (51.1% GB% over a 35.2% GB% in Tennessee) and the staff in New Hampshire may have tweaked his pitch usage, although it could be due to the league not knowing about his stuff. Either way, I think Hatch could move up to Triple-A in 2020 thanks to a full year of experience at the level, although there may not be enough space there, depending on how many pitchers the Blue Jays bring in during the offseason.
Jon Harris had a rough season. Out with an injury for most of it, when he tried to come back, he allowed seven runs in 2 2/3 innings for Dunedin before moving up to New Hampshire. In NH, he had a good debut, pitching three scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out two but allowed three runs in two-plus innings in his next outing. In his third outing, he got his only win of the season, tossing five runs of three-hit ball, allowing a run on a solo home run with five strikeouts and no walks but in his next appearance, he didn't get out of the fourth inning, allowing five runs on eight hits (including a home run) in 3 1/3. He went back on the IL and emerged at the end of the season, allowing a run on three hits with two strikeouts in one inning in the GCL. Hopefully Harris will be able to recover in the offseason and get another chance in 2020, likely in New Hampshire.
22-year-old Kyle Johnston didn't really make a great impression on the Blue Jays after he was acquired from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline. He had a 4.03 ERA and 1.23 WHIP with the Nationals' Advanced-A club in Potomac, striking out 100 and walking 37 in 105 innings. After the trade, however, Johnston tossed 19 2/3 innings and wasn't able to find his control, walking 22.0% of batters while striking out only 14.3%. He'll probably return to Dunedin after a fresh start to 2020.
Relief Pitchers
We continue our more in-depth look at the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 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.
We begin our look at the relievers with lefty Jake Fishman. The 24-year-old had another strong year, pitching the full year with the Fisher Cats, posting a 3.45 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, striking out an excellent 27.5% of batters while walking only 6.7% over 62 2/3 innings. While he didn't get a promotion in 2019, Fishman could be well positioned for a 2020 season in Buffalo with a chance for a cup of coffee in Toronto by season's end.
Hard-throwing righty Jackson McClelland, the Jays' 15th-round pick in 2015, continued to rise through the system hoping to crack the major league roster. He began the season in New Hampshire, coming in second with 32 appearances and throwing 42 1/3 innings with a 2.98 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, striking out a solid 23.5% of batters while walking a fairly high 11.7%. He earned a late-season call up to Buffalo and struggled with his control, seeing his walks rise to 17.2% while his strikeout rate dropped slightly to 21.9%. McClelland also had a 6.00 ERA in Buffalo while his WHIP jumped to 1.53. I think Jackson will get another shot at Buffalo in 2020 and could make his big league debut next year as well.
Bryan Baker, another hard-thrower spent his Age-24 season split between double-A and triple-A. He started with New Hampshire, throwing 32 innings over 31 outings with a 2.81 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, while posting an outstanding strikeout rate of 30.1% while walking 15.0% of batters. After his promotion to Buffalo, Baker threw another 22 innings with a 3.68 ERA and 1.50 WHIP, striking out 31.3% of batters but walking 16.2%. Like McClelland, Baker needs to get his walk rate down as he continues his rise to the majors, likely back in triple-A in 2020.
The Blue Jays signed righty Vinny Nittoli after he was released by the Diamondbacks organization in May, sending him to double-A New Hampshire. Nittoli, 28, started his season in Triple-A Reno, posting a 9.50 ERA and 1.83 WHIP over 18 innings, striking out 23.0% of batters and walking 10.3% before he was cut loose by the D-backs. Nittoli posted better numbers with the Fisher Cats, throwing 42 2/3 innings with a 3.80 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, striking out 22.7% of batters and walking only 4.6%. I'm not sure about his contract situation so the Jays could have an option on him for 2020.
Danny Young has been a lefty mainstay of the Blue Jays' organization since being drafted in 2015. Young started 2019 in BUffalo, getting into five games but posting a 12.46 ERA and a 1.072 OPS against through 4 1/3 innings before he was sent to New Hampshire. From the end of April to the end of July, Young was pitching for New Hampshire but he did get a chance to show what he could do in Buffalo again, throwing 4 1/3 innings with just one run against on seven hits with four strikeouts and no walks before going back to New Hampshire for the end of the season. Overall with the Fisher Cats, Young was excellent, posting a 1.79 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 40 1/3 innings, striking out 18.9% of batters while walking 11.8%. While the walks are a little high, Young should get another shot at Buffalo in 2020.
25-year-old righty Dany Jimenez spend the first two and a half months in Dunedin where he had some solid numbers over 25 1/3 innings, with a 3.55 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, striking out a whopping 43.9% of batters while walking only 8.4%. He moved up to New Hampshire where, over 33 2/3 innings, his peripherals regressed to a 34.3% strikeout rate and 9.0% walk rate but he proved very hard to hit, posting a 1.87 ERA and 1.01 WHIP, earning the Reliever of the Year award from Blue Jays from Away. Jimenez could start 2020 in New Hampshire but he could also begin in Buffalo.
At 26 years old, non-drafted free agent William Ouellette has shown himself to be up to the task of pitching anywhere the Blue Jays send him. Starting in Dunedin, Ouellette pitched six times before moving up to Buffalo where he allowed a run on a hit with a strikeout in three innings before going back to Dunedin for three more appearances. He pitched in New Hampshire twice before going back to Buffalo for the end of May and first half of June, finishing with a hitless and walkless outing, striking out three in three innings before moving back to New Hampshire for the remainder of the year. Overall Ouellette had a 2.30 ERA and 0.70 WHIP over 15 2/3 innings for Dunedin, striking out 20 batters and walking only one while he threw 43 2/3 innings with New Hampshire, posting a 3.71 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, striking out only 13.2% of batters and walking 5.5%. He struck out 20.9% in Buffalo but didn't walk anyone over 11 1/3 innings. I think Ouellette could spend more time in New Hampshire in 2020 but a stint or two in Buffalo wouldn't surprise me either.
Willy Ortiz, 24, spent time on the IL this year and got into 16 games for the Fisher Cats, starting four and throwing 54 innings, piggybacking with Nate Pearson much of the time. That said, Ortiz struggled at the new level, posting a 5.83 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, striking out 18.6% and walking 10.2%. Ortiz will probably come back to New Hampshire next year.
Righty Francisco Rios, 24, hasn't had an easy time of it the last couple of years. Rios threw seven times for the Fisher Cats, posting a 5.93 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 13 2/3 innings, striking out nine and walking three before moving up to Buffalo for two outings, giving up two runs on four hits and one walk with one strikeout. He was sent to extended spring training and then was loaned to the Mexico City Red Devils where he logged 32 innings with a 3.94 ERA and 1.34 WHIP, striking out 24 and walking 15. I'm not sure what the loan to the Mexican League portends for Rios. He could be back in 2020 but he might not be.
Jonathan Cheshire also had a bumpy season for the Blue Jays. Tossing four games with the Dunedin Blue Jays, the 24-year-old allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings, striking out four and walking four and he moved up to New Hampshire, allowing eight runs (six earned) over 11 2/3 innings before he got another promotion to Buffalo where he wasn't bad, allowing only two runs on six hits and three walks in 8 1/3 innings, striking out four. Released by the Blue Jays, Cheshire went to the independent Atlantic League, pitching for the Somerset Patriots and was lights out, posting a 0.55 ERA and 0.80 WHIP, striking out 19 and walking just three in 16 1/3 innings before he was signed by the Minnesota Twins who sent him to double-A Pensacola where he threw 13 2/3 innings with a 0.00 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, striking out 14 and walking just four.
Canadian Andrew Case (Saint John, N.B.), 26, returned to New Hampshire in 2019, getting into just three games and giving up four runs on 10 hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings before he retired.
Hitters
We conclude our in-depth look at the New Hampshire Fisher Cats by looking at the hitters. If a player split his season by playing for more than one team, keep in mind he'll be considered with the team for which he had the most plate appearances.
Catchers
Italian catcher Alberto Mineo, 25, actually led the Fisher Cats in games behind the plate playing 83 games in total and catching 61. He followed up what was a very strong offensive season in 2018 with a relatively weak one, hitting just .220/.296/.313 with nine doubles, two triples and five home runs over 339 plate appearances, walking in 8.6% of them and striking out in a disturbing 29.8% of them, a career high. Behind the plate, Mineo looked good, throwing out 40% of potential base stealers while committing 14 passed balls in those 61 games. Look for Mineo back in New Hampshire if he's back with the Jays' organization as his contract may be up.
Riley Adams, 23, was the more "prospecty" catcher on the Fisher Cats. Starting his season in Dunedin, the Jays' third-round pick in 2017 hit a solid .277/.434/.462 in 19 games back in Advanced-A Dunedin, hitting three doubles and three home runs, walking in 16.9% of plate appearances and striking out in 21.7%. He was promoted to New Hampshire and put up some decent overall numbers although there were some concerning ones as well. Adams slumped badly in June (.176/.256/.203) but recovered with a solid July and a strong August to hit .258/.349/.439 overall with 15 doubles, two triples and 11 home runs. His walk rate regressed to 9.6%, still solid, but his strikeout rate skyrocketed to 31.6% giving us some area for concern as his BABIP was quite high at .362. If the BABIP regresses and he's not putting the ball in play any more, he could see a big drop in his overall numbers in 2020. Adams had a strong year behind the plate, throwing out 31% of potential base stealers and had just eight passed balls in 57 games. I think he'll start back in double-A but could move to triple-A if both Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire open in Toronto and the Jays don't go out and get another minor league catcher for depth.
Andres Sotillo, 25, didn't get into much action in 2019 and is a typical organizational catcher, spending time on the "Phantom IL" when he's not needed but will be ready to get some action when he's activated. Sotillo played in just 13 games with New Hampshire, hitting .205/.250/.227 with a double, eight strikeouts and two walks in 48 plate plate appearances. He also played one game with Buffalo, going 0/2 with a walk and a strikeout. Sotillo's contract may not be still effective after this year and he may not be back in 2020.
Ryan Hissey, 25, retired after playing 12 games, hitting .225/.340/.325 with a double and a home run and retired in May.
Infielders
25-year-old first baseman Christian Williams finally got to play a significant number of games. Williams started with 29 games in Dunedin, hitting .301/.368/.398 with five doubles and two home runs, posting a walk rate of 8.8% with a very high strikeout rate of 35.2%. He moved up to New Hampshire to play another 70 games with a .228/.276/.342 slash line, hitting 14 doubles, three triples and four home runs while striking out a whopping 113 times (37.5%) and walking 5.3%. Williams will need to regress those walk and strikeout rates in order to be more productive as the pitching gets more competitive in Double-A. Look for him to get another crack in New Hampshire in 2020.
Santiago Espinal, the player the Blue Jays got in return for trading Steve Pearce to the Red Sox, took another step as a prospect. Starting the year in New Hampshire, he played 94 games and was one of the club's most solid offensive players, hitting .278/.343/.383 with 21 doubles, a triple and five home runs, with a solid 8.6% walk rate and a very low 12.2% strikeout rate. Promoted to Buffalo, Espinal was buoyed by a .392 BABIP, hitting .317/.360/.433 with six doubles and two home runs in 104 at bats, seeing his strikeout rate rise to 20.5% while his walk rate dropped to 6.3%. Espinal is another infield whom the Jays could probably find a use for in a utility role sometime in 2020. He'll probably start in Buffalo but his offensive profile is unlikely to indicate that he'll be a starter, particularly with Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio entrenching themselves on the Blue Jays' infield.
Kevin Smith had his ups and downs in his Age-22 season (though he turned 23 on July 4), playing for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. While his final slash line of .209/.263/.402 isn't great, it could have been a lot worse as he was hitting just .183/.244/.346 until the end of June. A stellar July (but a poor August) had fans hoping that Smith had figured out his swing and he finished with respectable power numbers, hitting 22 doubles, two triples and 19 home runs for the Fisher CAts but struck out 151 times for a 32.3% strikeout rate while walking in 6.2% of his plate appearances. Smith went to the Arizona Fall League where (at the time of this writing) things weren't any better so he has his work cut out for him this off season and will likely repeat double-A until he can cut down his strikeouts and make more consistent contact.
Versatile Nash Knight had a solid season for the Fisher Cats, playing 102 games with a .252/.365/.381 slash line, hitting 22 doubles, a triple and seven home runs while walking in 12.8% of his plate appearances and striking out in just 20.7%. He did get three games in Buffalo and was 1/12 with a double but struck out five times with one walk. Knight pitched a third of an inning for New Hampshire, giving up two runs (one earned) on a hit ( a home run), facing just two batters. Knight will probably be a useful utility player for New Hampshire or maybe Buffalo next year (more probably both), as he played first, third and left field in 2019.
23-year-old Vinny Capra played just 25 games in Lansing in 2018 (and 39 in Vancouver) before jumping to New Hampshire in 2019. He played in 110 games with 435 plate appearances and hit .229/.295/.309 with a solid walk rate of 7.6% and decent strikeout rate of 19.1%. Still, Capra needs to hit the ball with more authority as he had 20 doubles but only one triples and three home runs. He'll probably return to New Hampshire.
Logan Warmoth, 24, is a former first rounder looking for his place in the organization. Starting in Dunedin, Warmoth, hit .292/.380/.423 in 158 plate appearances with seven doubles, a triple and three home runs before he was promoted to New Hampshire. In Double-A, however, Warmoth struggled, hitting .200/.290/.277 with 11 doubles and three triples, stealing 12 bases (in 14 tries) but seeing his strikeout rate jump to 29.1% (from 25.9% in Dunedin) and his walk rate drop to 8.7% (from 12.0% in Dunedin). Sent to the Arizona Fall League, Warmoth is having best Fall season of any of the Blue Jays' hitters and is getting time at second, third as well as in center and left field. While his power hasn't materialized in double-A, Warmoth is trending upwards while his cohort-mate Kevin Smith's stock is falling. Can Warmoth have a good 2020 and improve his positioning even more? I think he'll start back in New Hampshire to try to do just that.
Brandon Grudzielanek, 24, was released by the Blue Jays after hitting .156/.191/.178 in 13 games with the Fisher Cats, hitting just a double and striking out 20 times.
Gunnar Heidt was always a solid player and teammate for whichever team he was on but his road to the majors with the Blue Jays came to an end after he was released in 2019 after playing 14 games with New Hampshire and seven with Buffalo, combining for a .133/.207/.213 line with three doubles and a home run (all with New Hampshire).
Outfielders
Another player to come over to the Blue Jays in the deal with Colorado to send Seung-hwan Oh in 2018 was Forrest Wall. Wall played 109 games with the Fisher Cats, posing some of his best offensive numbers in his career, hitting .270/.353/.419 over 109 games with 27 doubles, four triples and nine home runs, stealing 13 bases in 21 tries. He got a late-season promotion to Buffalo, hitting .255/.340/.447 with three doubles and two more home runs (giving him a career high of 11). Wall's 10.4% walk rate went up in Buffalo to 11.3% while his 23.2% strikeout rate also rose in triple-A to 26.4%. With a lot of outfielders in the Jays' mix for 2020 but none who really profile as elite hitters, there is an opportunity if Wall can turn things up another notch in Buffalo in 2020.
Brock Lundquist had a quiet but strong 2018 with Lansing and Dunedin but he floundered a bit in his first exposure to double-A, hitting .232/.308/.351 with 20 doubles, three triples and six home runs in 413 plate appearances with New Hampshire. His strikeout rate was a tad high at 25.4% and his walk rate was solid at 9.0% but we'd like to see a bit more of his power manifest at the higher level. He'll likely start 2020 back in New Hampshire.
Another player who struggled in double-A was Chad Spanberger, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound slugger who came to the Blue Jays from the Rockies' organization at the deadline in 2018. In his Double-A debut, he hit .237/.308/.399 with a 9.0% walk rate and 24.4% strikeout rate, hitting 29 doubles, a triple and 13 home runs in 480 plate appearances. Spanberger's numbers overall weren't that bad but without speed to beat out balls, he'll need to have more hits drop (or go over the fence). He'll be back in Double-A next year but we'll see if he plays as much left field in 2020 as he did in 2019.
Joshua Palacios had a quiet but solid double-A debut (well, for a full season, he got into one regular season game in 2018 as well as the playoffs). Spending the entire 2019 in New Hampshire (except for a stint on the IL), Palacios hit a solid .266/.371/.416 with 18 doubles, two triples and seven home runs, stealing 15 bases in 20 tries while walking in 13.2% of his 341 plate appearances and striking out in 20.5%. Palacios could be up for a promotion to Buffalo next year but it may not come at the beginning of the year as there could be a crowd blocking up his opportunities.
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