Along with the Blue Jays' signing of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was a trade that involved prospects Tim "Magic Man" Locastro and Chase De Jong, both who were recently Lansing Lugnuts. Jesse Goldberg-Strassler, the host of the weekly Around The Nest podcast and the voice of the Lugnuts, remembers Locastro as a guy who could turn into any pitch, get hit, and reach base. For the past three years, Locastro's on base percentage would be some 90 points above his batting because of his propensity to get hit. Through 310 plate appearances in short-season Vancouver last year Locastro was hit a whopping 32 times, tying him (with a full-season player) for the lead in all affiliated baseball. This year, through 289 he already accumulated 21 HBP, again leading baseball in that category.
It is a strange and specific talent to get hit by baseballs at such a high rate, but it is a talent that Locastro will take with him to Rancho Cucamonga, the Dodgers' affiliate in the A-Advanced California League.
Link to today's Around The Nest podcast, which starts live at 5 pm Eastern.
Today's show summary comes from Jesse:
Tim Locastro and Chase De Jong are Dodgers now, traded to aid the signing of Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. Could there be more trades to come? Perhaps, but for the moment, the voices of the Blue Jays' Minor League system are focused elsewhere: "Captain Canada" Shane Dawson leads the Minor Leagues with 11 victories, soaring into the Pan-Am Games; the Bluefield Blue Jays are in full swing -- and you never know what might happen in the Appy League, where a perfect game disappears in a seven-run 9th; and Dalton Pompey and Roemon Fields were made for one another, comprising the most dangerous offensive duo this side of Anthony Alford and Rowdy Tellez.
We expect the show's guests to go down in order of the affiliate levels, starting with Buffalo down to Bluefield (skipping Vancouver this week). As always, we invite you to ask your Blue Jays minor league questions below in the comments.
If you missed last week's show you can hear it here: