The third part in our little review on how the players on our top prospects list performed this season. The first part is here and the second here.
10.Jake Marisnick: Somehow I skipped him in both the first two parts. Jake had a terrific season in Lansing, hitting .320/.392/.496 with 14 home runs, 77 RBI and 37 stolen bases (he was also hit by pitch 14 times, he either leans over the plate, or else he owes a lot of Mid-West League pitches money). Jake is following Anthony Gose up the system, but he's a pretty decent prospect. He'd likely be moving to one of the corner outfield spot if Gose turns out to be the player we hope he will. He's just 20 and a few steps away from the majors.
21. A.J. Jimenez: If we didn't have so many catcher prospects, we'd likely be making a bigger deal about A.J. He hit .303/.353/.417 in Dunedin this year, with 11 stolen bases. He threw out 44% of base stealers, after throwing out 51% in 2010, so he must have a good arm. A little more power would be nice but he is 21, so has time to develop some.
22. Darin Mastroianni: Darin split time between Vegas and New Hampshire, with a few minutes in Toronto mixed him. He didn't have the best of seasons, hitting .254/.342/.355 at New Hampshire and .276/.358/.389 in Vegas with 34 stolen bases between the two. He also had 2 at bats with the Jays. He had been getting on base at really good rate in past seasons, but a lot of his OBP has been his ability to watch ball 4. With his lack of power, I don't think he will do as well in the majors. Pitchers have no reason to walk him since he can't hurt them with the bat. I think he could be ok as a 4th or 5th outfielders and be pretty useful with his speed, but I don't see it happening in Toronto. He is 26 now.
23. David Cooper: David had a great year at Vegas, hitting .364/.439/.535, with 9 home runs and 96 RBI. Since he hit .257 and .258 the past two seasons, in New Hampshire, this was big step up. He hit .211/.284/.394 in 71 at bats with the Jays. I think, given time, Cooper would hit for a good average in the majors, but I don't know that he would have the power you would like to see from a first baseman.
24. Gustavo Pierre: Gustavo didn't have the best of seasons, splitting time between Bluefield and Lansing. He hit ok in Bluefield (.252/.324/.396) but barely at all in Lansing (.187/.244/.262). He also made a ton of errors, 8 in Bluefield for a .909 FA and 36 in Lansing for a .836 FA. Normally I don't worry too much about errors in the low minors, infields aren't exactly perfect and official scorers have their own ideas of what errors are, but 44 in a season is a lot. He is just 19, and has a lot of time to work things out, apparently he has all the right tools but we'll have to see if he can turn those tools into baseball talent.
25. Kellen Sweeney: A second round pick in 2010, he spent most of the season on the DL, breaking a bone in his left hand. He appeared in just 9 games for Bluefield, hitting .114/.295/.143, in very limited at bats. In 2009 he had Tommy John surgery, so I'm hoping he's got all the injuries out of his system and can start moving up the ladder next year. He is 20 now.
26. Brad Mills: Brad had a good season in Vegas (by PCL standards) going 11-9 with a 4.00 ERA in 24 starts. He walked 39 and struck out 136 in 157.1 innings. He pitched a handful of innings in Toronto. I think that's going to be his lot of life, a Triple-A pitcher, who gets a few innings in the majors, here and there. I still think he could have been a decent starter if he had been given enough of a chance, but he turns 27 in March. Enough pitchers have passed him by, in our system, that you can pretty safely say his future isn't as part of our starting rotation.
27. Marcus Knecht: Our 3rd round pick in 2010, he did great in his first look at full season ball in Lansing. He hit .273/.377/.474 with 16 homers in 121 games. He played all 3 outfield spot but mostly LF. I would think he'd start next season at Dunedin and go from there. He's 21.
28. Chris Hawkins: Another 3rd round pick in 2010, about a year younger than Knight. He played in Bluefield and hit .318/.375/.492, with 5 home runs and 14 stolen bases in 68 games. He should be ready for a full season league next year.
29. Brian Jeroloman: Brian didn't have great stats at Vegas, unusual for a hitter. He hit .240/.335/.295 with 2 homers in 79 games. Vegas manager, Marty Brown, said that he needs to be a little more aggressive at the plate. At the end of the year he spent a month and a half on the bench with the Jays, not even getting into 1 game. In Vegas he only threw out 15% of base runners; his career rate is 30%, I don't know why the huge drop. I think he could be a good backup catcher, but I get the feeling the Jays don't, or they would have let him catch a few innings in his time with the Jays. The Jays are talking about getting a veteran backup, so it doesn't look like he'll get the chance. I'd bet on him hitting better in Vegas next year.
30. Michael McDade: Michael is sort of a favourite of mine, but I'm not exactly sure why. I do like guys that can hit the ball a long way. He hit .281/.328/.457, with 16 home runs and 28 walks, in 125 games for New Hampshire. He really needs to be more selective at the plate, if he wants to have a major league career. Of course if they move him up to Vegas, next year, he could have a monster season.